Most patients with health conditions necessitating time off work consult in primary care. Offering vocational advice (VA) early within this setting may help them to return to work and reduce sickness absence. Previous research shows the benefits of VA interventions for musculoskeletal pain in primary care, but an intervention for a much broader primary care patient population has yet to be tested. The Work And Vocational advicE feasibility study tested patient identification and recruitment methods, explored participants’ experiences of being invited to the study and their experiences of receiving VA.

A mixed method, single arm feasibility study comprising both quantitative and qualitative analysis of recruitment and participation in the study.

Primary care.

The study included participant follow-up by fortnightly Short Message Service text and 6-week questionnaire. Stop/go criteria focus on recruitment and intervention engagement. The semistructured interviews explored participants’ experiences of recruitment and receipt and engagement with the intervention.

19 participants were recruited (4.3% response rate). Identification of participants via retrospective fit-note searches was reasonably successful (13/19 (68%) identified), recruitment stop/go criteria were met with ≥50% of those eligible and expressing an interest recruited. The stop/go criterion for intervention engagement was met with 16/19 (86%) participants having at least one contact with a vocational support worker. Five participants were interviewed; they reported positive experiences of recruitment and felt the VA intervention was acceptable.

This study demonstrates that delivering VA in primary care is feasible and acceptable. To ensure a future trial is feasible, recruitment strategies and data collection methods require additional refinement.

NCT04543097.

Despite the increasing availability of non-invasive prenatal testing (NIPT), women’s experiences and motivations remain largely unknown. The use of NIPT is increasing in Italy; however, its organisation and access paths vary considerably. Women may undergo testing in either public or private facilities, where differences in pretest information, testing procedures and result communication may influence their experience. This study aims to investigate the attitudes, awareness and experiences of Italian women undergoing NIPT.

A cross-sectional anonymous online survey was conducted via social media in the period March–August 2023.

This nationwide study was conducted in Italy.

Women over 18 years old who had undergone NIPT were included.

Responders were 4154 women from every part of Italy. Most participants perceived the information provided during pre-NIPT counselling as extremely/very clear (68.2%) and helpful (72.5%), with higher proportions observed when counselling was delivered by geneticists. The mean knowledge score was 12.3 (range: 0–15) and was statistically higher for women with higher education level and prior NIPT experience. Half of the women reported no change in their perceived risk of having a child with chromosomal abnormalities after pre-NIPT counselling, and risk perception reduction was associated with lower knowledge scores. Pretest negative emotions were common (54.9%) and influenced by testing context, information sources and reasons for testing. Most women reported a positive impact from results (92.7%), shaped by information delivery made and prior knowledge. Regret was rare (3.0%) and linked to reasons and perceived risk changes. Overall, satisfaction was high (97.3%), particularly among those prioritising informed decision-making.

Improving personalised counselling and education throughout the NIPT journey seems crucial to minimise negative emotional impacts, highlighting the need for well-trained healthcare professionals.

Advanced or recurrent endometrial carcinoma (EC) represents a significant clinical challenge. This study aimed to evaluate patient (age and comorbidities) and disease (histological subtypes and stages) characteristics, treatment patterns and survival outcomes in a real-world French healthcare setting.

In this national, multi-centre, retrospective observational cohort study, 200 patients with advanced or recurrent EC receiving first- or second-line chemotherapy during the year 2019 were analysed. Data collected included baseline characteristics, treatment regimens, real-world progression-free survival (rwPFS) and overall survival (OS).

127 and 73 were included in the first and second lines, respectively. Endometrioid carcinoma was the most represented histological subtype (62.0%). Patients in the first line, of whom 31.5% had FIGO (Fédération Internationale de Gynécologie Obstétrique) IVB disease, mainly received a combination of carboplatin and paclitaxel (78.0%), while 131 patients receiving second-line therapy were mainly administered anthracycline (54.2%). Median rwPFS and OS were, respectively, 8.5 and 13.2 months for patients receiving first-line therapy and 4.0 and 9.4 months for patients receiving second-line therapy. In Cox analyses, a diagnosis of carcinosarcoma, the presence of liver metastases and stage IVB disease were associated with worse survival outcomes for patients recieving first-line chemotherapy. Non-platinum chemotherapy and liver metastases were associated with poorer survival in patients receiving second-line chemotherapy.

This study highlights the landscape of metastatic EC treatment in a real-world French setting before the availability of PD1 inhibitors, emphasising the discrepancy between clinical trial data and real-world outcomes. It underscores the necessity for further real-world studies to complement clinical trials for a comprehensive understanding of metastatic EC management.