Objective:
Patient satisfaction with healthcare services enhances patient experience, improves outcomes, and is increasingly mandated by public and private payers. While many US Hemophilia Treatment Centers (HTC) periodically assess patient satisfaction, the lack of a uniform survey hampered national measurement. To remedy this knowledge gap, the US HTC Network implemented a national patient satisfaction survey in 2015.
Methods:
A Regional HTC Coordinator workgroup devised, piloted, and finalized a two-page survey for self-administration online, at clinic, or at home, in English or Spanish and mailed to households. Survey content and format were based on national health surveys to enhance comparability and scientific robustness, informed by legacy regional HTC surveys. Questions assessed patient demographics; satisfaction with services, team members, and care processes; and Healthy People 2020 adolescent transition objectives. Surveys included open ended questions to obtain qualitative data. Respondents were anonymous but identified with their respective HTCs. Participation was voluntary. Persons with genetic bleeding disorders who had HTC contact in 2014 were eligible. During February 2015, 124/130 HTCs sent surveys to 27,563 households. Parents completed surveys for children under age 15. No reminders were sent. Data were entered and analyzed at a central site and aggregated at national, regional and HTC levels.
Results:
Over 4800 households (17.4%) returned surveys by April 30, 2015. National analyses on 4332 surveys reveal that 96.6% were ‘always’ or ‘usually’ satisfied with HTC care. Over 80% were ‘always’ satisfied with the core HTC team members. Three quarters of 12-17 year olds were ‘always’ satisfied with HTC encouragement regarding becoming more independent, and how the HTC discussed caring for a bleeding disorder upon reaching adulthood. Eighty– 90% were ‘always’ or ‘usually’ satisfied with care processes, e.g. shared decision making, care coordination, ease of obtaining timely information and services, and being treated respectfully. Insurance and language were ‘always’ a problem for 20%. 29.0% of respondents were female and 10.3% Hispanic. 83.4% were Caucasian, 5.8 African- American, 3.1% Asian/Pacific Islander or Native Hawaiian, 4.3% Multiple races, and 4% Other. Over half had severe or moderate FVIII or FIX deficiency or VWD Type 3. Ages ranged from newborns to 96 years: 38% under 18, 20% age 18 – 34, and 42% over age 35.
Conclusions:
Implementing a National Patient Satisfaction Survey for the US HTCN is feasible, and provides valuable information. Satisfaction with HTC services is high, but insurance and language ‘always’ pose problems for one fifth. Further analyses will examine regional differences.
Social workers have been active members of the multidisciplinary teams of hemophilia treatment centers for many years, but the roles of these social workers may differ greatly from center to center. Social workers are often the advocate for patients and a primary source of assistance, information and referral. In many HTCs, they also provide counseling and therapy services to patients and consultation to staff. Indeed, these social workers appear to provide a wide variety of psychosocial and case management services to patients with bleeding disorders and their families. This research project will attempt to describe the various role tasks of hemophilia treatment center social workers, describe these tasks and identify the influences of the role in each HTC. An online survey will be developed and emailed to the approximately 135 HTC social workers across the nation. Data will be analyzed and shared with the social worker community through sessions and posters and the NHF annual meeting.
Objective:
The ongoing rFVIIIFc extension study, ASPIRE (clinicaltrials.gov #NCT01454739), evaluates the long-term safety and efficacy of rFVIIIFc in adults, adolescents, and children with severe hemophilia A. Here we report interim outcomes for United States (US) subjects in ASPIRE.
Methods:
Eligible subjects could enroll in ASPIRE upon completing A-LONG or Kids A-LONG. There were 4 treatment groups: individualized prophylaxis (25-65 IU/kg every 3-5 days, or 20-65 IU/kg on D1, 40-65 IU/kg on D4 if twice weekly); weekly prophylaxis (65 IU/kg every 7 days); modified prophylaxis (to further personalize and optimize treatment when needed); or episodic treatment. Subjects could change treatment groups at any time. Subjects <12 yrs participated only in individualized and modified prophylaxis groups. Primary endpoint: development of inhibitors. Secondary outcomes included annualized bleeding rate (ABR) and rFVIIIFc exposure days (EDs).
Summary:
Sixty subjects (49 from A-LONG; 11 from Kids A-LONG) enrolled. As of the interim data cut (6 Jan 2014), the median time on ASPIRE was 80.37 (A-LONG) and 15.94 (Kids A-LONG) wks; 82% (A-LONG) and 27% (Kids A-LONG) of subjects had ≥100 cumulative rFVIIIFc EDs. 7/49 A-LONG subjects changed treatment groups upon enrollment into or during ASPIRE; 2 Kids A-LONG subjects switched from individualized to modified prophylaxis upon enrollment into ASPIRE. Median ABRs were low with rFVIIIFc prophylaxis (Table). Overall, most subjects treated prophylactically during the parent study did not experience changes to their total weekly prophylactic dose or dosing interval during ASPIRE. For subjects who enrolled from A-LONG and Kids A-LONG, 94% and 100% of all bleeding episodes during ASPIRE, respectively, were controlled with 1 infusion. In the overall study population, no inhibitors were observed during ASPIRE; adverse events were typical of the general adult and pediatric hemophilia A populations.
Conclusion:
Interim data from US subjects in ASPIRE are consistent with those of the phase 3 parent studies and the overall ASPIRE interim analysis. Results from ASPIRE confirm the longer-term safety of rFVIIIFc and the maintenance of a low ABR with extended interval prophylactic dosing in individuals with severe hemophilia A.
Objective:
Personalizing treatment to a patient’s lifestyle and promoting overall health and wellness in persons with hemophilia (PWH) is essential to optimizing outcomes. There is limited evidence that correlates how activity and infusions impact bleeding episodes and further data on this relationship is needed. The research objective of SPACE is to prospectively explore the association between activity level, timing of infusion, and occurrence of a bleeding episode in PWH using novel technology.
Methods:
This six-month prospective, observational study includes PWH A or B in the United States currently receiving ADVATE or RIXUBIS between the ages of 13 and 65 years. Enrolled PWH use a smartphone eDiary application to log information on activities, infusions, and bleeding episodes. As an additional measurement of activity, enrollees are given a FitBit, a consumer-based activity tracker that measures steps taken and calories burned. Activity types are assessed based on their level of perceived risk for collision, according to the NHF “Playing It Safe” brochure. We report here current study status and descriptive analysis of baseline data.
Results:
The interim analysis included 15 patients with a median age of 19 (Range: 13 to 47). At baseline, 87% of patients were on prophylaxis and 13% treated on-demand treatment. Fifty-three percent of patients had 0 target joints at baseline. Eighty-seven percent of patients indicated that they had discussed activity participation with their physician. Sixty-seven percent of patients considered themselves ‘very satisfied’ or ‘satisfied’ with their level of activity. Data collected from the FitBit indicated that patients in SPACE walked on average 7,367 (SD: 3250) steps per day and burned 979 (SD: 398) calories from their activity. For patients on prophylaxis, the mean number of days per week doing mild, moderate and strenuous activity were 3.57, 2.64, and 1.5 respectively. Of the data reported on bleeding episodes, 40% of patients reported no bleeds at the time of the interim analysis. Forty percent of patients did not report having a bleed at the time of the interim analysis. Of all bleeds reported, 34% were associated with physical activity.
Conclusions:
Current data from SPACE demonstrates that subjects are active and participating in various activities. Continued data will provide better understanding of the types of activities and infusion schedules that may be associated with risk as well as protective effects on bleeding episodes by infusing prior to activity. A personalized approach to treatment based on physical activity levels may minimize bleeding risk in PWH.
