Psychosocial intervention, in the form of supportive-expressive group support for metastatic breast cancer, does not lower health care system resource utilization.

The frequency of colorectal cancer (CRC) diagnosis has decreased due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Health system planning is needed to address the backlog of undiagnosed patients. We developed a framework for analyzing barriers to diagnosis and estimating patient volumes under different system relaunch scenarios. This retrospective study included CRC cases from the Alberta Cancer Registry for the pre-pandemic (1 January 2016–4 March 2020) and intra-pandemic (5 March 2020–1 July 2020) periods. The data on all the diagnostic milestones in the year prior to a CRC diagnosis were obtained from administrative health data. The CRC diagnostic pathways were identified, and diagnostic intervals were measured. CRC diagnoses made during hospitalization were used as a proxy for severe disease at presentation. A modified Poisson regression analysis was used to estimate the adjusted relative risk (adjRR) and a 95% confidence interval (CI) for the effect of the pandemic on the risk of hospital-based diagnoses. During the study period, 8254 Albertans were diagnosed with CRC. During the pandemic, diagnosis through asymptomatic screening decreased by 6·5%. The adjRR for hospital-based diagnoses intra-COVID-19 vs. pre-COVID-19 was 1.24 (95% CI: 1.03, 1.49). Colonoscopies were identified as the main bottleneck for CRC diagnoses. To clear the backlog before progression is expected, high-risk subgroups should be targeted to double the colonoscopy yield for CRC diagnosis, along with the need for a 140% increase in monthly colonoscopy volumes for a period of 3 months. Given the substantial health system changes required, it is unlikely that a surge in CRC cases will be diagnosed over the coming months. Administrators in Alberta are using these findings to reduce wait times for CRC diagnoses and monitor progression.

Chronic medical condition management challenges health care systems, which increasingly lack tools to resolve clinical, quality, and cost impacts of this population. Demand for care management increases as populations age and chronic illnesses increase. The chronically ill are vulnerable to safety errors, leading to poor health status and increased health care costs. Patient safety, the risk from errors of omission or commission, is an integral component of disease management (DM). DM programs address the dual problems of safety and affordability by keeping individuals in their homes, empowering self-management of chronic condition(s), reducing complications, and forestalling safety concerns. Within home health, the evolution of patient safety in chronic care management has moved from conception to a definition stage, allowing noting and “cataloguing” of best practices. Metrics will be developed promoting rigorous evaluation of DM program performance and fostering optimal wellness for the chronically ill in a cost-effective and satisfying home setting.

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Introduction: The incidence of kidney cancer (KCa) in Canada is rising. Despite this, there is a shortage of research assessing KCa care experiences. This study aims to explore the current experiences of KCa survivors related to treatment and management, information provision, and barriers to care. Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive study of KCa patients was conducted online and through various cancer centers across Canada. English- and French-speaking adults who received a KCa diagnosis and were currently undergoing treatment or had completed treatment in Canada were eligible to participate. Results: In total, 368 surveys were completed. Ten percent of respondents had not yet received treatment, 29% were receiving treatment, and 56% had completed treatment. Most respondents (72%) had localized KCa (stage 0–3) at diagnosis. Sixty-one percent of respondents reported that their doctors discussed various treatment options with them and 24% reported discussing applicable clinical trials. Most (85%) respondents received information about their KCa and 36% discussed where to get information about their disease and support. The most commonly reported barriers to care were side effects (26%), system delays (26%), not having access to certain treatments (25%), and financial burden (24%). More participants in Central Region and Quebec (p=0.004) and rural/suburban (p=0.014) areas reported lacking access to certain treatments and KCa experts. Conclusions: This was the first large-scale study to explore access to care experiences of Canadian KCa survivors. Results show examples of good patient-centered care and provide new practical information that can inform efforts to improve patient-centered care for KCa patients.

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Donald Hannan Akenson, Saint Saul: A Skeleton Key to the Historical Jesus, reviewed by Zeba Antonin Crook Bernhard W. Anderson, Contours of Old Testament Theology, reviewed by Brian Peckham R. Dean Anderson, Glossary of Greek Rhetorical Terms, reviewed by John S. Kloppenborg Verbin John Ma. Asgeirsson, Kristen de Troyer and Marvin W. Meyer, From Quest to Q: Festschrift James M. Robinson, reviewed by Alan Kirk Wesley J. Bergen, Elisha and the End of Prophetism, reviewed by Patricia Dutcher-Walls Terence L. Donaldson, ed., Religious Rivalries and the Struggle for Success in Caesarea Maritima, reviewed by Roger Beck Karl P. Donfried and Peter Richardson, eds., Judaism and Christianity in First-Century Rome, reviewed by Terence L. Donaldson Renate Egger-Wenzel, Von der Freiheit Gottes, anders zu sein: Die zentrale Rolle der Kapital 9 und 10 für das Ijobbuch, reviewed by John L. McLaughlin Beverly Roberts Gaventa, Mary: Glimpses of the Mother of Jesus, reviewed by Joan Campbell Paul Hoffmann, Thomas Hieke and Ulrich Bauer. Synoptic Concordance: A Greek Concordance to the First Three Gospels in Synoptic Arrangement, statistically evaluated, including occurrences in Acts, reviewed by Robert A. Derrenbacker, Jr. Sylvia C. Keesmaat, Paul and His Story, reviewed by John A. Bertone Lee I. Levine, The Ancient Synagogue: The First Thousand Years, reviewed by John S. Kloppenborg Verbin Frank J. Matera, New Testament Christology, reviewed by James W, Knight Roland Murphy and Elizabeth Huwiler, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, reviewed by Randall Heskett Frans Neirynck and Joseph Verheyden. The Gospel of Matthew and the Sayings Source Q: A Cumulative Bibliography 1950-1995, reviewed by Robert A. Derrenbacker Geert van Oyen, The Interpretation of the Feeding Miracles in the Gospel of Mark, reviewed by Alex Damm John Painter, Just James: The Brother of Jesus in History and Tradition, reviewed by Alicia Batten Calvin Roetzel, Paul: The Man and the Myth, reviewed by Kenneth A. Fox Hal Taussig, Jesus before God: The Prayer Life of the Historical Jesus, reviewed by Alan Kirk Stephen G. Wilson and Michel Desjardins, eds., Text and Artifact in the Religions of Mediterranean Antiquity, reviewed by Zeba Antonin Crook William DiPuccio, The Interior Sense of Scripture: The Sacred Hermeneutics ofJohn W. Nevin, reviewed by Jean-François Racine Peter King, Western Monasticism: A History of the Monastic Movement in the Latin Church, reviewed by Greg Peters Geoffrey Wainwright, Lesslie Newbigin: A Theological Life, reviewed by Victor Shepherd Patricia Parachini, Lay Preaching: State of the Question, reviewed by Mario O. D'Souza James F. Puglisi, The Process of Admission to Ordained Ministry: A Comparative Study. Volume II: The First Lutheran, Reformed, Anglican, and Wesleyan Rites, reviewed by Michael Attridge Patricia Wilson-Kastner, Sacred Drama: A Spirituality of Christian Liturgy, reviewed by Mario O. D'Souza Walter Wink, ed., Homosexuality and Christian Faith: Questions of Conscience for the Churches, reviewed by Helen Goggin Cynthia S.W. Crysdale, Embracing Travail: Retrieving the Cross Today, reviewed by Heather A. Chappell Erwin Fahlbusch, et al., eds., The Encyclopedia of Christianity, reviewed by Joseph Mangina Ivone Gebara., Longing for Running Water: Ecofeminism and Liberation., reviewed by Dorothy McDougall Gilbert Narcisse, Les raisons de Dieu: arguments de convenance et esthiique theologique selon saint Thomas d'Aquin et Hans Urs von Balthasar., reviewed by Gilles Mongeau Gordon W. Lathrop, Holy People: A Liturgical Ecclesiology, reviewed by Timothy Dutcher-Walls Donald Wiebe, The Politics of Religious Studies. The Continuing Conflict with Theology in the Academy, reviewed by Peter Slater