Category Archives: Regulation

A groundbreaking paper: Climate change is a key driver of infectious disease outbreaks in Europe

Increasing threat of vector-borne infectious diseases exacerbated by climate change. (Credit: Ingenious Buddystock.adobe.com)

BRUSSELS, 5-Sep-2023 — /EPR HEALTHCARE NEWS/ — The Lancet Regional Health – Europe journal has published a scientific paper on 7 August 2023 authored by a distinguished team of international researchers as part of their work in the IDAlert project. Titled “Decision-Support Tools to Build Climate Resilience Against Emerging Infectious Diseases in Europe and Beyond“, this paper introduces a transformative approach to tackle the emergence and transmission of climate-sensitive infectious diseases in Europe, informing cross-sectoral policy while improving the long-term climate resilience of health systems to infectious disease risks.

Climate change is one of several drivers of recurrent outbreaks and geographical range expansion of infectious diseases in Europe. This paper proposes a collaborative approach to develop policy-relevant indicators and decision-support tools. These tools are designed to comprehensively track and anticipate climate-induced disease risks across various domains, including environmental hazard, exposure patterns, and vulnerability factors. With a keen focus on the interconnectedness of animals, humans, and the environment, the framework promises a holistic perspective to address this multifaceted challenge.

The lead author and IDAlert project coordinator Joacim Rocklöv highlighted, “Our decision-support tools offer a multi-dimensional perspective that transcends traditional silos. By examining the nexus of animals, humans, and the environment, we’re unlocking a more comprehensive understanding of disease dynamics a pre-requisite for more timely and effective outbreak preparedness.”

The heart of this novel framework lies in the co-production of early warning and response systems with stakeholders and end-users, as well as tailored tools to assess the costs and benefits associated with climate adaptation and mitigation strategies across diverse sectors. By fostering greater resilience within regional and local health systems, the framework aims to strengthen Europe’s capacity to respond to health crises, even in the face of changing environmental conditions.

As part of its approach, the IDAlert project will integrate multi-level engagement, innovative methodologies, and novel data streams, and tap into locally generated intelligence and empirical insights through case studies. This strategy empowers experts to quantify the effects of climate-induced disease threats in areas undergoing rapid urban transformation and contending with heterogeneous health risks. The ultimate aspiration is to bridge the gap between knowledge and action, delivering an unparalleled integrated One Health—Climate Risk framework that will empower policymakers, healthcare professionals, and communities to mitigate risks and bolster resilience.

About The Lancet Regional Health – Europe Journal:
The Lancet Regional Health – Europe Journal is a prestigious journal renowned for publishing groundbreaking research on health challenges worldwide. It aims to promote the advancement of the research agenda, clinical practice and health policy in Europe with the goal of improving health outcomes for all people regionally and globally.

About the IDAlert project:
IDAlert – Infectious Disease decision-support tools and Alert systems to build climate Resilience to emerging health Threats – officially started on 1 June 2022 is a € 9.18 million project and lasts for five years. The project is funded by the European Commission under the Horizon Europe programme with Grant Agreement number 101057554. More information: www.idalertproject.eu

Note to Editors:
For more information about the paper or to request an interview with the researchers, please contact the IDAlert project: contact@idalertproject.eu.

The full paper, “Decision-Support Tools to Build Climate Resilience Against Emerging Infectious Diseases in Europe and Beyond,” is available on the Lancet Regional Health Journal website:
https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lanepe/article/PIIS2666-7762(23)00120-5/fulltext

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Prof. Lucien Abenhaim: There is an incredible challenge for the sustainability of health systems across the world

Prof. Lucien Abenhaim

LONDON, Dec-3-2017 — /EuropaWire/ — On December 5-6, 2017, 200 high-level experts from government, academia, biopharmaceutical developers and patient organisations convene in London (UK) to address the mounting challenge of accessibility and patient access to high-value, high-cost medical therapies.

The not-for-profit executive forum is organised by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and analytica|LASER, a global research consultancy, to investigate topical questions around drug policy, global health systems sustainability and innovation funding through a combination of case studies, panel sessions, and roundtables. Delegations are registered from over 70 public and private organisations, including the World Health Organization, as well as health systems representatives from Belgium, England, Estonia, Croatia, France, Germany, Italy, Norway, Sweden, the United States and Wales. Multiple patient organisations support the meeting to ensure that the patient voice is reflected in all deliberations.

“Access to life-saving drugs is not a new challenge. The paradigm of accessibility was changed completely in the face of the deadly HIV epidemic. This time, however, accessibility concerns almost every domain of medicine such as cancer, auto-immune diseases and rare diseases. We must act now,” says Prof Peter Piot, Director of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and former head of UNAIDS.

“There is an incredible challenge for the sustainability of health systems across the world”, says Prof. Lucien Abenhaim, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and Chairman of Analytica Laser. “It is critical that drug developers and health system engage on actionable proposals that address concerns around value, cost and overall access to innovation for the patients who need it. We are at an inflection point – the paradigms of the 1990’s can no longer guide us,” he adds.

The main plenary on December 6th features scheduled remarks by over a dozen authorities in the field, including Professor Baron Peter Piot (Director, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine and former Head, UNAIDS), Dr. Olivier Brandicourt (Chief Executive Officer, Sanofi), Dr. Sarah Garner (World Health Organization), Prof. Dominique Le Guludec (President, French HAS), Sir Andrew Dillon (Chief Executive, National Institute for Health and Care Excellence UK) and Dr. Harold Paz (Chief Medical Officer, Aetna). The plenary is preceded by a scientific seminar on December 5th which gathers globally renowned academics to explore new frontiers on the methodology for the appraisal and valuation of high-value medicines.

Please contact the organisers for more information on the programming and media access, or refer to www.accessibility-symposium.org

SOURCE: EuropaWire

Texas Bills Filed To Regulate Anesthesiologist Assistants

Bills to license Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAs), highly trained anesthesia care providers, have been introduced in the Texas legislature. Though AAs have been providing anesthesia in Texas operating rooms for the past 11 years, they believe it’s time to ask legislators to give the AA profession the regulatory protection enjoyed by other health care providers.

“We aren’t trying to change the way AAs practice at all, but we believe that it makes sense to have oversight of the people taking care of us when we need medical care,” says Paul McHorse, a certified Anesthesiologist Assistant (AA-C), and President of the Texas Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. “AAs have always practiced within nationally accepted guidelines, but we believe that critical care areas should be regulated, and that certainly includes anesthesia. It’s just a matter of good public policy.”

SB 1794 by State Senator Carlos Uresti (D-San Antonio) and HB 3376 by State Representative John Davis (R-Houston) were filed on Wednesday, March 11th and are identical. If passed, the legislation would require that AAs be regulated and licensed by the Texas Medical Board in order to practice in the state. AAs already practice in Texas, but are not regulated by the state.

The first Anesthesiologist Assistants joined the anesthesia work force almost 40 years ago, at the same time as the more widely known Physician Assistants (PAs). “The big difference between PAs and AAs is that PA training is designed to cover needs in many medical specialties, and AA training focuses exclusively on the specialty of anesthesia,” explains Deb Lawson, AA-C, President of the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants. “Good anesthesia care calls for a very high degree of training and education, and our profession was designed with that in mind from the beginning.”

Like PAs working as physician extenders, AAs work exclusively with anesthesiologists. According to Mr. McHorse, “most anesthetics in the US are given by more than one anesthesia provider working as a team; with a qualified anesthetist like an AA in the room at all times, the anesthesiologist may direct more than one case at the same time, being available for those patients that need more attention. The advantage is that all of the patients have the benefit of an anesthesiologist’s expertise. The reason this ‘Anesthesia Care Team’ model is so widely practiced is that it has been shown to maximize both safety and economy, and results in significantly fewer anesthesia complications. AAs are dedicated to these goals.”

Support is strong among those who work with AAs. “It is my experience and opinion as a neurosurgeon that Anesthesiologist Assistants are qualified and competent anesthesia providers,” says Dr. Peter Shedden, who works with AAs at Memorial Hermann The Woodlands Hospital. “Since AAs work closely with anesthesiologists, this unique relationship allows superior care in the increasingly higher acuity procedures characteristic of modern medicine. In my opinion, Anesthesiologist Assistants (AA) provide accurate, efficient and qualified care for patients and are pivotal for patients receiving a safe surgical experience.”

“The AA profession’s excellent track record of safety explains why interest in hiring AAs is at an all time high, and why the numbers of new employers and programs are growing,” says Ms. Lawson. “Other medical specialties have long had non-physician providers from both allied health and nursing, and anesthesia needs the same advantage. The shortage of anesthesia providers is well-known, and allied health professions have an added advantage: by not limiting their students to nursing experience, they don’t worsen the critical nursing shortage.”

“Our students enter training with the same background as students entering medical school,” says Joe Rifici, AA-C, M.Ed., and Program Director of the Master of Science in Anesthesia Program at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio. “They spend the next two years learning the science, skills and art of anesthesia practice, from simple to very intense cases, in subspecialties such as cardiac, neuro, obstetrics and pediatrics. The gold standards of AA training include affiliation with a medical school and AA students always being paired with an experienced anesthesia provider, which maximizes both the educational experience and patient safety. Everyone benefits, and as everyone who has worked with AAs can attest, it’s an educational model that works.”

If AAs can already practice in Texas, why go to the trouble to push for licensing? Says Mr. McHorse, “Other states are seeking to utilize AAs as providers, and they will look to states like Texas, where AAs are established and have proven themselves, for guidance. Texas AAs would be proud to help establish a public policy precedent, and promote Texas as a leader in AA regulatory affairs.”

Via EPR Network
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