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Anna Bollinger,1 Céline K Stäuble,1,2 Isabelle O Urdieux,1 Henriette E Meyer zu Schwabedissen,1 Samuel S Allemann1 1Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland; 2Institute of Hospital Pharmacy, Stadtspital Zürich, Zürich, SwitzerlandCorrespondence: Anna Bollinger, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland, Tel +41612076631, Email a.bollinger@unibas.chBackground: Chronic pain is a prevalent and complex condition that often results in inadequate pharmacotherapy due to interindividual variability in drug response. Pharmacogenetics (PGx) offers a promising approach to personalize pain management, particularly since many analgesic drugs are PGx actionable. However, knowledge about the clinical relevance and patient perspective on PGx in Swiss chronic pain care remains limited.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among chronic pain patients in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland. The questionnaire was developed to (1) assess the proportion of patients currently or previously treated with PGx actionable drugs, (2) evaluate therapy satisfaction and the perception of being taken seriously by healthcare professionals (HCPs), and (3) explore patients’ awareness of PGx and their interest in genetic pain predisposition.Results: Among the 725 participants who completed the survey, most reported current or past use of PGx actionable drugs: 85% non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), 54% opioids, 38% co-analgesics (antidepressants), and 73% proton-pump-inhibitors (PPIs) used as adjunctive therapy. Over one-third of participants reported no use of any analgesic drug. Therapy dissatisfaction was reported by 33%, and 28% felt not taken seriously by HCPs. Notably, 97% had never been offered PGx testing by an HCP. Despite this, 60% expressed interest in knowing their genetic pain predisposition, even if it would not affect their treatment. This interest was significantly higher among younger participants and those who were dissatisfied or felt not taken seriously by HCPs.Conclusion: This study provides the first large-scale, representative insights into the use of PGx actionable drugs and treatment patterns in Swiss chronic pain care. In particular, the high prevalence of PGx actionable drug use and the strong patient interest in genetic information support not only the clinical, but also the biopsychosocial potential of PGx for chronic pain management.Keywords: pharmacogenetics, PGx testing, pain sensitivity, therapy satisfaction, chronic pain care, Switzerland

Chronic pain is a prevalent and complex condition that often results in inadequate pharmacotherapy due to interindividual variability in drug response. Pharmacogenetics (PGx) offers a promising approach to personalize pain management, particularly since many analgesic drugs are PGx actionable. However, knowledge about the clinical relevance and patient perspective on PGx in Swiss chronic pain care remains limited. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey among chronic pain patients in the German-speaking regions of Switzerland. The questionnaire was developed to (1) assess the proportion of patients currently or previously treated with PGx actionable drugs, (2) evaluate therapy satisfaction and the perception of being taken seriously by healthcare professionals (HCPs), and (3) explore patients' awareness of PGx and their interest in genetic pain predisposition. Among the 725 participants who completed the survey, most reported current or past use of PGx actionable drugs: 85% non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), 54% opioids, 38% co-analgesics (antidepressants), and 73% proton-pump-inhibitors (PPIs) used as adjunctive therapy. Over one-third of participants reported no use of any analgesic drug. Therapy dissatisfaction was reported by 33%, and 28% felt not taken seriously by HCPs. Notably, 97% had never been offered PGx testing by an HCP. Despite this, 60% expressed interest in knowing their genetic pain predisposition, even if it would not affect their treatment. This interest was significantly higher among younger participants and those who were dissatisfied or felt not taken seriously by HCPs. This study provides the first large-scale, representative insights into the use of PGx actionable drugs and treatment patterns in Swiss chronic pain care. In particular, the high prevalence of PGx actionable drug use and the strong patient interest in genetic information support not only the clinical, but also the biopsychosocial potential of PGx for chronic pain management.

Hereditary angioedema (HAE) is a rare hereditary disease with an estimated prevalence of approximately 1 in 50,000. An online survey was performed between January and June 2021 on a total of 99 HAE patients (with 92 of them aged 15 years and older and 7 of them being parents of patients under the age of 15 years). They were asked about their current situation, with a focus on the disease. The survey results show that HAE has a strong influence on the patients' quality of life. In particular, the anxiety and uncertainty of not knowing when a swelling attack will occur is considered burdensome by the patients. In addition, there can be physical problems during an attack (depending on its severity) that severely burden and limit patients in their everyday lives. Only one-third of the patients surveyed stated that no or only very minor physical limitations occurred during their most recent swelling attack. Almost three-quarters of all patients receive regular treatment at an HAE center. The patients are mostly satisfied with the therapy and particularly with long-term prophylactics (LTPs). When an LTP was used, the frequency and severity of the swelling attacks, and their duration, were significantly lower and/or shorter than when no LTP was used. Despite the high level of satisfaction with their current medication, 62% of patients expressed a strong/very strong interest in an oral LTP. In the group of patients already using an LTP, 74% reported a strong/very strong interest in an oral medication for long-term prophylaxis. The simplicity and minimal time involved in LTP use are considered beneficial to patients' quality of life.

Purpose To test the reliability and validity of the Cancer Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire (CTSQ), to assess its relation with quality of life (QoL), and to assess the interpretability of the domain scores in lung cancer patients receiving intravenous chemotherapy. Methods Patients with stage IIIB and IV non-squamous non-small cell lung carcinoma treated with pemetrexed were enrolled in our study. They completed the 16-item CTSQ and two other (health-related) QoL questionnaires. Information about sociodemographic characteristics, cancer stage, and the experience of adverse events was collected. Internal consistency, construct validity, and clinical interpretability were calculated. Results Fifty-five patients completed the CTSQ. Correlations of the CTSQ items with its domain were all above 0.40. A high correlation between item 8 and the expectations of therapy and satisfaction with therapy domain was observed (0.50 and 0.48, respectively). The CTSQ domains demonstrated good internal consistency and low to moderate correlations of the CTSQ with the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-C30 and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. No significant differences in mean domain scores were observed in relation to the number and severity of different adverse events and chemotherapy-related adverse events. Conclusions The Dutch version of the CTSQ was found to be a reliable and valid instrument to assess satisfaction and expectations of treatment in lung cancer patients receiving intravenous chemotherapy. Furthermore, the CTSQ proved to be of additional informative value as not all of its domains correlated with the various domains of the existing HRQoL instruments.

Background: Therapy satisfaction is widely considered an important aspect of clinical care. Still, there are currently no freely available questionnaires for its measurement. We developed the Lübeck Medication Satisfaction Questionnaire (LMSQ) for that purpose. Here, we present its content and psychometric properties. Methods: The LMSQ was validated on 86 patients in a single center study. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin test, confirmatory factor analysis, covariance analysis, and a test of exact fit were performed. Reliability was tested using Cronbach’s α and McDonald’s ω. The relationship to other patient-reported outcomes was tested using Pearson’s correlation. Results: Confirmatory factors analysis yielded moderate factor loadings with p < 0.001 in all subscales. Reliability was adequate (α = 0.857 and ω = 0.872). Model fitness was excellent in all tests. The LMSQ was positively correlated with medication adherence (r = 0.603, p < 0.001) and most dimensions of health literacy. Conclusions: The LMSQ possesses adequate psychometric properties for its purpose. We recommend further validation in a more diverse patient collective.

In patients with primary antibody deficiencies, subcutaneous administration of IgG (SCIG) replacement is effective, safe, well-tolerated, and can be self-administered at home. A new SCIG replacement at 20% concentration (Hizentra®) has been developed and has replaced Vivaglobin® (SCIG 16%). An observational prospective multi-centric open-label study, with retrospective comparison was conducted in 15 Italian centers, in order to investigate whether and to what extent switching to Hizentra® would affect frequency of infusions, number of infusion sites, patients’ satisfaction, and tolerability in patients previously treated with Vivaglobin® or intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG). Any variations of dosage, frequency and duration of the infusions, and of number of infusion sites induced by Hizentra® with respect to the former treatment were recorded. Practical advantages and disadvantages of Hizentra®, with respect to the medicinal product formerly used, and the variations in patients’ therapy-related satisfaction were monitored by means of the TSQM (Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication); number, frequency, and duration of infectious events and adverse effects were recorded. Eighty-two patients switched to Hizentra®: 19 (23.2%) from IVIG and 63 (76.8%) from Vivaglobin®. The mean interval between infusions was not affected by the shift (7.0 ± 2.0 days with previous treatment versus 7.1 ± 1.2 during Hizentra®). A decrease in the number of infusion sites with Hizentra® was recorded in 12 out of 56 patients for whom these data were available. At 6 months, 89.7% of patients were satisfied with Hizentra®; no difference in terms of effectiveness, side effects, convenience, and global satisfaction was observed. No difference in the incidence of adverse events was reported.

PurposeIn lung cancer, the preservation of well-being is warranted given the limited prognosis. Chemotherapy may negatively influence health-related quality of life (HRQoL) due to adverse events. However, patients’ judgement about this negative impact is not well understood. We examined the relationship between expectations, feelings about side effects, and satisfaction with therapy and (HR)QoL in advanced-stage thoracic cancer and investigated which of these factors has the highest impact on (HR)QoL.MethodsSixty-nine patients completed the Cancer Therapy Satisfaction Questionnaire (CTSQ), the World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), and the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire-Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30). Multiple regression analyses were performed to investigate the relation of the CTSQ domains (i.e., expectations of therapy, feelings about side effects, satisfaction with therapy) with (HR)QoL and simple regression analyses to identify the factors of the CTSQ domain that was most often associated with (HR)QoL.ResultsFeelings about side effects were associated with the (HR)QoL domain/scale scores (i.e., WHOQOL-BREF domains: β = 0.36 to 0.58; EORTC QLQ-C30 scales: β = 0.33 to 0.61) except social relationships of the WHOQOL-BREF. Low-grade adverse events were related to feelings about side effects (β = − 0.326; P = 0.007).ConclusionsPatients experiencing negative feelings about side effects have worse (HR)QoL. Additional care should be provided to prevent low-grade adverse events.

The aim of the study was to assess the emotional state of parents at the moment of starting therapy for their children using the Vojta method in the context of the physical activity undertaken by the parents. The study involved 68 parents (37 mothers and 31 fathers) of children with central coordination disorders (CCD) presenting for consultation and therapy using the Vojta method. The authors’ questionnaires, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), the Satisfaction With Life Scale (SWLS), and the Inventory to Measure Coping Strategies with Stress (Mini-COPE) were used. As many as 84% of mothers and 77% of fathers presented high level of perceived stress. Comparative analysis showed a statistically significant difference in anxiety and life satisfaction between the groups of mothers and fathers studied. Taking declared physical activity into account, there was a statistically significant difference in stress and anxiety in the mothers’ group and a statistically significant difference in mood and life satisfaction in the fathers’ group. Promoting physical activity among parents of children with CCD can be helpful in maintaining better psycho-physical conditions and can also be a good tool in combating stress in difficult situations, such as the illness and therapy of a child.