Health Strategy and Policy Institute

Technology transfer (TT) is a critical element in enhancing national innovation capacity, particularly in the context of globalization and increasing competition. In recent years, Vietnam has introduced various policies and legal frameworks to foster TT activities, with the 2017, Law on Technology Transfer and its guiding decrees and circulars serving as key milestones. Despite these efforts, the practical implementation of TT policies remains constrained by institutional limitations, inadequate implementation resources, weak coordination mechanisms among stakeholders, and limited spillover effects on the business sector. This article provides a comprehensive analysis of Vietnam’s TT policy, including its theoretical foundation, current status, and key influencing factors. It also offers evidence-based policy recommendations aligned with the country’s innovation and development goals. Findings show that while the policy framework for TT in Vietnam has seen gradual improvements, it still lacks coherence and strong incentive mechanisms, especially in facilitating the commercialization of research outcomes. To address these issues, the article recommends enhancing the integration of TT within the national innovation ecosystem, promoting the development of technology intermediary organizations, increasing financial incentives, and strengthening the absorptive capacity of enterprises. These measures aim to improve the effectiveness of technology transfer, thereby supporting knowledge diffusion and contributing to sustainable and innovation-driven economic growth.

BackgroundPeople living with Alzheimer's disease and other types of dementia are vulnerable to medicine-related problems. More research is needed to support achieving quality use of medicines in people living with dementia.ObjectiveTo determine the top 10 unanswered quality use of medicines questions for people living with dementia, as prioritized by Australians living with dementia, their carers, and healthcare professionals.MethodsThe James Lind Alliance Priority Setting Partnership method was used. This manuscript reports the second half of the priority setting process. Using a quantitative survey, consumers (people living with dementia, their carers and family and friends) and healthcare professionals selected up to ten research questions about quality use of medicines that they felt were most important. The research questions were informed by a previous national qualitative survey and evidence checking process to identify those that were unanswered. An online workshop was then conducted with consumers and healthcare professionals to prioritize the unanswered questions, resulting in a top 10 list.Results171 consumers and 67 healthcare professionals completed the survey and the workshop included 17 participants. The top 10 priorities related to shared decision making, education of healthcare professionals, communication between healthcare professionals, reducing the use of unnecessary and harmful medicines, managing medicines safely at home, medicine reviews, residential aged care facilities and managing pain, behavioral changes, depression and anxiety.ConclusionsTargeting research efforts towards these identified consumer and healthcare professional priorities will ensure research funds are being directed to the most urgent areas of need in practice.

Assessing patient experiences is essential for evaluating hospital quality. This study aimed to describe the experiences of hemodialysis patients at Hanoi Nephrology Hospital in 2023 and identify several factors related to patient experience. A cross-sectional study was conducted in 2023 among 401 patients at the Hemodialysis department of the Hanoi Nephrology Hospital. The study utilized a structured questionnaire titled "In-Center Hemodialysis Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems (ICH CAHPS)" to conduct face-to-face interviews with the selected patients. Logistic regression analysis was applied to identify several factors associated with patient experiences. Overall, patients reported positive experiences, particularly in their interactions with nephrologists. The highest satisfaction (78%) was for updates on treatment information from other doctors. Positive experiences were more likely to be reported by patients aged 55-64 years (versus. ≥75 years), having health insurance or other insurance (versus. No insurance), and having middle education (versus. Lower education). Living 15-30 km from a dialysis center and being a business traders increased satisfaction. This study emphasized the necessity of improving communication and patient education in hemodialysis care, specifically concerning treatment options. It recommended targeted interventions and additional research to enhance the patient experience and the quality of care in Vietnam's hemodialysis centers.

Background: Cardiomyopathy, including dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), is a major cause of heart failure (HF) and a leading indication for heart transplantation. Of these patients, 20–50% have a genetic cause, so understanding the genetic basis of cardiomyopathy will provide knowledge about the pathogenesis of the disease for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and genetic counseling for families. Methods: This study collected nine patients from different Vietnamese families for genetic analysis at The Cardiovascular Center, E Hospital, Hanoi, Vietnam. The patients were diagnosed with cardiomyopathy based on clinical symptoms. Whole-exome sequencing (WES) was performed in the Vietnamese patients to identify variants associated with cardiomyopathy, and the Sanger sequencing method was used to validate the variants in the patients’ families. The influence of the variants was predicted using in silico analysis tools. Results: Nine heterozygous variants were detected as a cause of disease in the patients, three of which were novel variants, including c.284C>G, p.Pro95Arg in the MYL2 gene, c.2356A>G, p.Thr786Ala in the MYH7 gene, and c.1223T>A, p.Leu408Gln in the DES gene. Two other variants were pathogenic variants (c.602T>C, p.Ile201Thr in the MYH7 gene and c.1391G>C, p.Gly464Ala in the PTPN11 gene), and four were variants of uncertain significance in the ACTA2, ANK2, MYOZ2, and PRKAG2 genes. The results of the in silico prediction software showed that the identified variants were pathogenic and responsible for the patients’ DCM. Conclusions: Our results contribute to the understanding of cardiomyopathy pathogenesis and provide a basis for diagnosis, treatment, prevention, and genetic counseling.

Objective: This study aims to evaluate the safety and immunogenicity of the SKYVaricella vaccine in healthy Vietnamese children aged 12 months to 12 years. Methods: This open-label, single-arm study involved 201 children divided into two groups: 60 children aged 12 months to 5 years and 141 children aged 6 to 12 years. Safety was assessed through immediate reactions, solicited adverse events within 7 days, and unsolicited events up to Day 42. Immunogenicity was evaluated by seroconversion rates (SCR) and geometric mean titer (GMT) increments using fluorescent antibody-to-membrane antigen (FAMA) on the day of vaccination (D0) and 42 days after vaccination (D42). Results: All participants completed the follow-up. Immediate adverse events included pain (8.0%), redness (8.0%), and swelling (20.9%) at the injection site. Within 7 days, pain (17.9%) and swelling (12.4%) were mild and self-resolving. Unsolicited adverse events were infrequent and mild. Both age groups achieved 100% SCR. GMT of varicella-zoster virus antibodies increased from 1.37 (SD 1.97) at D0 to 18.02 (SD 2.22) at D42, a 13.12-fold rise. No Grade 3 adverse events were observed. Conclusion: The SKYVaricella vaccine shows a robust immunogenic response and favorable safety profile in Vietnamese children aged 12 months to 12 years. These findings endorse its potential inclusion in pediatric vaccination programs as a reliable preventive option against varicella.

Medication errors significantly compromise patient safety in emergency departments. Although previous studies have investigated the prevalence of these errors in this setting, results have varied widely. The aim was to report pooled data on the prevalence and severity of medication errors in emergency departments, as well as the proportion of patients affected by these errors. Systematic searches were conducted in Embase, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library from database inception until June 2023. Studies provided numerical data on medication errors within emergency departments were eligible for inclusion. Random-effects meta-analysis was employed to pool the prevalence of medication errors, the proportion of patients experiencing these errors, and the error severity levels. Heterogeneity among studies was assessed using the I2 statistic and Cochran's Q test. Twenty-four studies met the inclusion criteria. The meta-analysis gave a pooled prevalence of medication errors in emergency departments of 22.6% (95% Confidence Interval [CI] 19.2-25.9%, I2 = 99.9%, p < 0.001). The estimated proportion of patients experiencing medication errors was 36.3% (95% CI 28.3-44.3%, I2 = 99.8%, p < 0.001). Of these errors, 42.6% (95% CI 5.0-80.1%) were potentially harmful but not life-threatening, while no-harm errors accounted for 57.3% (95% CI 14.1-100.0%). The prevalence of medication errors, particularly those potentially harmful, underscores potential safety issues in emergency departments. It is imperative to develop and implement effective interventions aimed at reducing medication errors and enhancing patient safety in this setting.

In Vietnam, trastuzumab is included in social health insurance's benefits package with a reimbursement rate of 60%, but policymakers have been concerned about its cost-effectiveness. The research aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of one-year adjuvant trastuzumab therapy for early-stage breast cancer patients with human epidermal growth receptor 2 (HER2+) from a societal perspective. A Markov model was developed and validated to estimate the lifetime cost and effectiveness (using life year and quality-adjusted life year) of one-year adjuvant trastuzumab therapy compared to chemotherapy (using paclitaxel) alone. Treatment efficacy and transition probabilities were estimated based on published trials (i.e., N9831, NSABP B-31, HERA, and BCIRG 006). Local cost and utility data were employed to capture the Vietnam context. One-way sensitivity analysis, probabilistic sensitivity analysis, threshold, and scenario analysis were also performed. One-year adjuvant trastuzumab therapy combined with chemotherapy compared to chemotherapy alone yielded an additional cost of 888,453,971VND (39,062 US$) with an additional 3.09 LYs and 1.61 QALYs, resulting in an ICER of 287,390,682 VND (12,635 US$) per LY gained, or 519,616,972 VND (22,845 US$) per QALY gained. The ICER exceeds the cost-effective threshold of 1- and 3-time GDP per capita by 6.3 and 2.1 times. The probabilistic sensitivity analysis shows similar results. According to one-way sensitivity analysis, ICERs were driven mainly by transition probabilities and trastuzumab price. One-year adjuvant trastuzumab therapy would be cost-effective at the 3-time GDP per capita threshold if the cost of Herceptin 150mg and 450mg vials were reduced by 56% and 54%, correspondingly. In Vietnam, one-year adjuvant trastuzumab therapy for early-stage breast cancer with HER2+ is not cost-effective. The research provided reliable and updated evidence to support policymakers in revising the health insurance benefit package. The policymakers should consider the options to reduce the cost of trastuzumab (e.g., regarding the use of trastuzumab biosimilars, price negotiation options, and options of optimizing the use of Herceptin vials among concurrent hospitalized breast cancer patients).

Mục tiêu: Phân tích các yếu tố ảnh hưởng và mức độ tác động của các phương án giữ chân đến quyết định lựa chọn làm việc của các bác sĩ tại tuyến xã.&#x0D; Phương pháp: Khảo sát trực tiếp với 118 bác sĩ đang làm việc tại trạm y tế (TYT) xã ở Tuyên Quang và Thái Bình, trong thời gian tháng 5/2023. Ứng dụng phương pháp thử nghiệm lựa chọn rời rạc để phân tích tác động của các phương án giữ chân bác sĩ do nghiên cứu đề xuất.&#x0D; Kết quả: Thu nhập là yếu tố ưu tiên hàng đầu khi lựa chọn nơi làm việc của các bác sĩ, trong đó tăng phụ cấp ưu đãi nghề là phương án hiệu quả nhất. Tỷ lệ bác sĩ lựa chọn làm việc tại TYT xã khi áp dụng mức phụ cấp ưu đãi nghề 100% và 140% lần lượt là 95,8% và 98,2%. Khi không có khuyến khích về tăng thu nhập, 74,8% bác sĩ chọn làm việc tại TYT xã nếu được đảm bảo điều kiện làm việc về trang thiết bị và thuốc; trong khi đó có 58,4% lựa chọn làm việc nếu hỗ trợ mức đóng bảo hiểm y tế cho người thân.&#x0D; Kết luận: Như vậy, các chính sách giữ chân cán bộ y tế cần được rà soát và cân nhắc đến những phương án này nhằm đảm bảo nguồn nhân lực cho tuyến y tế cơ sở (YTCS) cũng như để kiện toàn mạng lưới y tế ở Việt Nam.

Brain cancer is the leading cause of cancer-related deaths in children and the majority of childhood brain tumors are diagnosed without determination of their underlying etiology. Little is known about risk factors for childhood brain tumors in Vietnam. The objective of this case-control study was to identify maternal and perinatal factors associated with brain tumors occurring in young Vietnamese children and adolescents. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study at Viet Duc University Hospital in Hanoi, Vietnam. Cases consisted of children with brain tumors aged 0-14years old admitted to the hospital from January 2020 to July 2022 while the controls were age and sex-matched hospitalized children diagnosed with head trauma. Perinatal characteristics were abstracted from hospital medical records and maternal medical, behavioral, and sociodemographic factors were collected through in-person interviews. Conditional logistic regression models were used to examine maternal and perinatal factors associated with childhood brain tumors. The study sample included 220 children (110 cases and 110 controls) whose average age was 8.9 years and 41.8% were girls. Children born to mothers aged greater than 30 years at the time of the child's birth had a higher risk of childhood brain tumors compared to those born to mothers aged from 18 to 30 years old (OR = 2.55; 95% CI: 1.13-5.75). Additionally low maternal body mass index prior to the current pregnancy of <18.5kg/m2 significantly increased the odds of having a child with a brain tumor in relation to normal maternal body mass index from 18.5-22.9kg/m2 (OR = 3.19; 95% CI: 1.36 - 7.50). Advanced maternal age and being markedly underweight were associated with an increased odds of having a child with a brain tumor. A population-based study with larger sample size is needed to confirm and extend the present findings.