Evidence map›Paper›PMID 36560934›Full record

ArticleRheumatology advances in practice2022

Examining the safety of relaxed drug monitoring for methotrexate in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Abdulrahman Shadeed, Leila Kattach, Sharlene Sam, Kalveer Flora, Ziad Farah

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Rheumatology advances in practice, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Abdulrahman ShadeedUniversity of Hertfordshire, Hatfield, Hertfordshire, AL10 9AB, UK.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0961-4047
Leila KattachDepartment of Dermatology, Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust, Great Maze Pond, London, SE1 9RT, UK.
Sharlene SamDepartment of Rheumatology, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.
Kalveer FloraDepartment of Rheumatology, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.
Ziad FarahDepartment of Rheumatology, Northwick Park Hospital, London North West University Healthcare NHS Trust, Harrow, UK.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Objectives: This is a retrospective study that set out to assess the safety, feasibility and cost savings of temporary relaxed blood test monitoring for patients on MTX under the rheumatology service that was rolled out during the coronavirus pandemic. Methods: This is a single-centre study that reviewed the blood tests of all patients who received an MTX prescription from the trust between December 2019 and November 2020. After the application of inclusion and exclusion criteria, the blood testing intervals and findings were analysed and collated. The cost of the blood tests was obtained from the laboratory. Results: A total of 1194 patients were identified as having received an MTX prescription. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, 462 patients were included. Of these, 395 (85%) patients had a blood test within the standard 3-month schedule and 67 had blood tests within the relaxed blood monitoring schedule. Six patients had an abnormality identified on their blood tests, but no harm was caused by any of these abnormalities. The intervention resulted in a cost savings of at least £1187 from the blood test costs alone. Conclusion: MTX is a widely used steroid-sparing agent that requires regular blood test monitoring to reduce adverse outcomes for patients. During extraordinary circumstances such as a pandemic, relaxing the interval between monitoring blood tests in stable patients is a feasible intervention. A relaxed monitoring blood test interval for a set period is safe, achievable and cost effective.

Indexed as

blood monitoringDMARDsMTXpharmacologyRArheumatologysafe monitoring

Identifiers

PMID36560934
PMCPMC9767867

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.