Dados do Trabalho

Título

What unmet needs do patients with type 2 inflammatory diseases have in common?

Resumo

Introduction: The Spanish project ''Type 2 Inflammation Network'', formed by a patient advisory committee, healthcare professionals (HCPs), and experts in care quality, aims to obtain a cross-sectional view of common challenges in type 2 inflammation (T2i)-related diseases and their quality of life (QoL) impact.
Methods: A patient advisory board (PAB) consisting of 9 representatives of different Spanish patient associations belonging to T2i diseases was established. Each PAB member completed an off-line brief and an individual interview; followed by a 3-hour session to select/structure the qualitative criteria discussed to jointly find common challenges.
Results: Nine common challenges impacting QoL were identified: physical limitations in daily life, lack of sleep, absenteeism, unpredictability, psychological impact, diagnosis and referral, burden of treatments, hospitalization and lack of a multidisciplinary approach. This suggested that (a) psychological impact was perceived most relevant; (b) the greatest impact on QoL was due to the unpredictability of the pathology, sleep deprivation and disease-related physical limitations; (c) the easiest challenge to solve would be the lack of multidisciplinary approach. A framework action plan was proposed based on the need to (1) create safe and trigger-free environments to increase productivity/reduce absenteeism; (2) conduct training in T2i knowledge for HCPs and integration of specialized psychological assistance; (3) improve HCP-patient interface by considering patient associations as reliable partners; (4) encourage the development of a multidisciplinary committee/job position within the healthcare system to coordinate T2i cases to assess multi-drug reconciliation.
Conclusions: Spanish patients’ representatives stated their common challenges and emphasized that increasing awareness of T2i diseases could help them face it more efficiently. A holistic and coordinated approach between different specialties is crucial.