Accuracy of oncologist assessments of psychiatric problems in cancer inpatients

2017 ◽  
Vol 16 (1) ◽  
pp. 41-49
Author(s):  
Daisuke Yasugi ◽  
Hidetaka Tamune ◽  
Jitsuki Sawamura ◽  
Katsuji Nishimura

ABSTRACTObjective:Our objective was to examine the accuracy of non-psychiatrist assessments of psychiatric problems in cancer patients.Method:We conducted a retrospective chart review of cancer patients who were admitted and referred to the consultation–liaison (C–L) team between January of 2011 and December of 2012. The agreement between non-psychiatrist assessments and final diagnoses by attending C–L psychiatrists was estimated for every category of referral assessment using codes from the International Classification of Mental and Behavioral Disorders (10th revision). The data were obtained from the consultation records of 240 cancer inpatients who were referred to the C–L service at a tertiary care center in Tokyo.Results:The agreement ratio between referring oncologists and psychiatrists differed according to the evaluation categories. The degrees of agreement for the categories of “delirious,” “depressive,” “dyssomnia,” “anxious,” “demented,” “psychotic,” and “other” were 0.87, 0.43, 0.51, 0.50, 0.27, 0.55, and 0.57, respectively. The agreement for all patients was 0.65. Significant differences were observed among seven categories (chi-squared value = 42.454 at p < 0.001 and df = 6). The analysis of means for proportions showed that the degree of agreement for the “delirious” category was significantly higher and that that for the “depressive” category was lower than that for all patients, while for the “demented” category it was close to the lower decision limit but barely significant. One half of the 20 cases who were referred as depressive were diagnosed with delirium, with one quarter of those having continuously impaired consciousness. Some 7 of the 11 cases who were referred as demented were diagnosed as having delirium.Significance of Results:The accuracy of non-psychiatrist assessments for psychiatric problems in cancer patients differs by presumed diagnosis. Oncologists should consider unrecognized delirium in cancer inpatients who appear depressed or demented.

2021 ◽  
pp. 019459982110089
Author(s):  
Quinn Dunlap ◽  
James Reed Gardner ◽  
Amanda Ederle ◽  
Deanne King ◽  
Maya Merriweather ◽  
...  

Objective Neck dissection (ND) is one of the most commonly performed procedures in head and neck surgery. We sought to compare the morbidity of elective ND (END) versus therapeutic ND (TND). Study Design Retrospective chart review. Setting Academic tertiary care center. Methods Retrospective chart review of 373 NDs performed from January 2015 to December 2018. Patients with radical ND or inadequate chart documentation were excluded. Demographics, clinicopathologic data, complications, and sacrificed structures during ND were retrieved. Statistical analysis was performed with χ2 and analysis of variance for comparison of categorical and continuous variables, respectively, with statistical alpha set a 0.05. Results Patients examined consisted of 224 males (60%) with a mean age of 60 years. TND accounted for 79% (n = 296) as compared with 21% (n = 77) for END. Other than a significantly higher history of radiation (37% vs 7%, P < .001) and endocrine pathology (34% vs 2.6%, P < .001) in the TND group, no significant differences in demographics were found between the therapeutic and elective groups. A significantly higher rate of structure sacrifice and extranodal extension within the TND group was noted to hold in overall and subgroup comparisons. No significant difference in rate of surgical complications was appreciated between groups in overall or subgroup analysis. Conclusion While the significantly higher rate of structure sacrifice among the TND population represents an increased morbidity profile in these patients, no significant difference was found in the rate of surgical complications between groups. The significant difference seen between groups regarding history of radiation and endocrine pathology likely represents selection bias.


2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Sneha Rangu ◽  
Leslie Castelo-Soccio

<b><i>Background:</i></b> Trichotillomania (TTM) is a complex disease with varying clinical characteristics, and psychosocial impairment is noted in many TTM patients. Despite its prevalence in childhood, there is limited research on pediatric TTM. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> To analyze the clinical and epidemiologic features of TTM in children evaluated by dermatologists and behavioral health specialists. <b><i>Method:</i></b> We performed a retrospective chart review of 137 pediatric patients seen at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia with initial presentation of TTM at age 17 or younger. Patients were treated by dermatology or behavioral health. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The majority of the patients were females, with an average diagnosis age around 8 years. Over half had a psychiatric comorbidity, and over a quarter had a skin disorder. Skin disorders were more commonly present in those evaluated by dermatology, and psychiatric comorbidities were more commonly present in those evaluated by behavioral health. The most common form of treatment was behavioral therapy, with medications prescribed more often by dermatologists. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> TTM patients choose to present to behavioral health or dermatology; however, there are distinctive differences between the two cohorts. With behavioral and pharmacologic treatment options, a relationship between dermatologists and behavioral health specialists is necessary for multifactorial management of TTM.


2016 ◽  
Vol 56 (7) ◽  
pp. 627-633 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heather VanderMeulen ◽  
Jeffrey M. Pernica ◽  
Madan Roy ◽  
April J. Kam

Objective. To assess the promptness and appropriateness of management in pediatric cases of necrotizing fasciitis (NF). Methods. A retrospective chart review examined cases of pediatric NF treated at a pediatric tertiary care center over a 10-year period. Results. Twelve patients were identified over the 10-year period. The median (25th to 75th centile) times to appropriate antibiotic administration, infectious disease consults, surgical consults and debridement surgeries were 2.6 (2.1-3.2), 7.7 (3.4-24.4), 4.6 (1.7-21.0), and 22.1 (10.3-28.4) hours following assessment at triage. The initial antibiotic(s) administered covered the causative organism in 9 of 12 cases. The median (25th to 75th centile) length of hospital stay was 21 (14.0-35.5) days. Conclusions. The large variability in the care of these patients speaks to the range of their presenting symptomatology. The lack of a standardized approach to the pediatric patient with suspected NF results in delays in management and suboptimal antibiotic choice.


2018 ◽  
Vol 36 (05) ◽  
pp. 522-525
Author(s):  
Tatiana Sampaio ◽  
Margo Wilson ◽  
Cheryl Aubertin ◽  
Stephanie Redpath

Introduction In Canada, more than 4,000 critically ill newborns per year require transfer. Transports are initially managed based on information conveyed by referral practitioners. Objectives To identify the frequency of diagnostic discordance between the referring facility, transport team, and tertiary care center in our outborn neonatal population and to verify the association between discordance events (DEs), prolonged transport stabilization times, and potential risk factors to further inform and facilitate the development of future outreach education initiatives. Study Design In this retrospective chart review, we identified and categorized DEs for patients transported by our service in a 1-year period. Associations between DE, transport stabilization times, and patient variables were studied using univariate and multivariable approaches. Results From 233 eligible patients, 10.7% of patients had referral to discharge discordance events. No significant association was identified between stabilization time and DE. Birth weight and presence of a neurologic diagnosis were associated with DE. Conclusion Diagnostic discordance was identified in 1 of every 10 neonates transported and found to be associated with patients with higher birth weight and the presence of neurologic diagnoses. Outreach initiatives will be developed and adapted accordingly, with a focus on this population.


2020 ◽  
pp. 084653711989932
Author(s):  
Sabeena Jalal ◽  
Hugue Ouellette ◽  
Zharmaine Ante ◽  
Peter Munk ◽  
Faisal Khosa ◽  
...  

Objective: To study the impact of 24/7/365 attending radiologist coverage on the turnaround time (TAT) of trauma and nontrauma cases in an emergency and trauma radiology department. Patients and Methods: This was a retrospective chart review in which TAT of patients coming to the emergency department between 2 periods: (1) December 1, 2012, to September 30, 2013, and (2) January 1, 2017, to January 30, 2018, and whose reports were read by an attending emergency and trauma radiologist was noted. Results: The 24/7/365 radiology coverage was associated with a significant reduction in TAT of computed tomography reports, and the time reduction was comparable between trauma and nontrauma cases. In adjusted models, the extension of radiology coverage was associated with an average of 7.83 hours reduction in overall TAT (95% confidence interval [CI]: 7.44-8.22) for reports related to trauma, in which 2.73 hours were due to reduction in completion to transcription time (TC; 95% CI: 2.53-2.93), and 5.10 hours were due to reduction in transcription to finalization time (TF; 95% CI: 4.75-5.44). For reports related to nontrauma cases, 24/7/365 coverage was associated with an average of 6.07 hours reduction in overall TAT (95% CI: 3.54-8.59), 2.91 hours reduction in TC (95% CI: 1.55-4.26), and 3.16 hours reduction in TF (95% CI: 0.90-5.42). Conclusion: Our pilot study demonstrates that the implementation of on-site 24/7/365 attending emergency radiology coverage at a tertiary care center was associated with a reduced TAT for trauma and nontrauma patients imaging studies. Although the magnitude and precision of estimates were slightly higher for trauma cases as compared to nontrauma cases. Trauma examinations stand to benefit the most from 24/7/365 attending level radiology coverage.


2008 ◽  
Vol 139 (2_suppl) ◽  
pp. P36-P36 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yalon Dolev ◽  
Martin J Black ◽  
Michael P Hier ◽  
Michael Tamilia ◽  
Richard J Payne

Objective To clearly define what constitutes successful parathyroidectomy in patients with primary hyperparathyroidism and to review our institution's results. Methods A retrospective chart review was conducted for consecutive patients who underwent parathyroidectomy at a university-affiliated tertiary care center between January 1998 and February 2006. Intraoperative pre- and post-excision PTH levels were recorded. PTH and calcium levels were recorded at 3 – 6 month intervals in the first 2 years and then yearly. Results 84 patients were analyzed. 50 (60%) had normal calcium and normal PTH levels following surgery, 28 (33%) had normal calcium and elevated PTH following surgery, and 6 (7%) had both elevated calcium and PTH. The mean follow-up time was 2.23 years, with a range of 0.25 to 5 years. Conclusions Surgery was successful, as indicated by normocalcemia, in 78 patients (93%). Of these 78 patients, 28 (33%) developed persistent PTH elevation without developing hypercalcemia. Other studies have studied this subgroup of patients with normalized post-operative calcium and consistently elevated PTH levels and noted that these new set points persist. Consequently, successful parathyroidectomy should be defined by serum calcium and not PTH levels.


Blood ◽  
2006 ◽  
Vol 108 (11) ◽  
pp. 3297-3297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dimitrios Scarvelis ◽  
Laurie Davis ◽  
Linn Petersson ◽  
Tim Ramsay ◽  
Josdalyne Anderson ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Many hospitalized patients with PE die. A large registry study described a mortality rate of 17.4% in patients with PE and suggested 45% of these deaths were due to the PE. Data on death and PE is usually derived retrospectively from hospital databases without chart confirmation and to our knowledge no study has attempted to determine the accuracy of coding for PE deaths. Furthermore, it is unclear how often deaths caused by PE could have been prevented. Methods: A retrospective chart review of PE cases hospitalized at a tertiary care center. Charts over an 8 year period ending in 2004 were reviewed if the hospital database record identified PE as a diagnosis by the ICD-10 coding system. Charts of those who died were independently reviewed by two thrombosis experts with discrepancies resolved by consensus or a third reviewer. Prior to chart review definitions were agreed upon. The coding as PE was considered correct (confirmed PE) if there was supportive imaging, an autopsy, or in the case of death without imaging or autopsy, the clinical scenario was such that PE could have occurred. The degree of certainty that PE contributed to the death was classified as certain (unexplained hypotension, hypoxia, cardiac arrest with no other explanation other than PE and autopsy confirmation or radiographic confirmation), highly probable (same as certain but no autopsy confirmation), probable (criteria for highly probable but another disease could have caused the death). We considered these cases to be death due to PE. Deaths were also classified as possible (other cause suspected based on clinical evidence but 100% certainty not available), or unlikely due to PE (all other cases). In cases defined as death due to PE we determined whether any further intervention could have prevented death. Results: 612 cases were identified of whom 68 had radiographic or autopsy data that ruled out the diagnosis and in 46 the coding was clearly an error. 498 cases of PE were identified, 111 of whom died during hospitalization; the mortality rate in those the hospital coded as PE was 18% vs 22% of those with confirmed PE. Death due to PE was diagnosed in 70 patients (14% of patients with confirmed PE and 11% of all patients coded as PE). In the remaining 41 deaths, PE was possible in 24 and unlikely in 17. Disagreement was uncommon. There was no difference between the likelihood of death from PE in the group diagnosed by imaging and autopsy compared with the group where PE death was confirmed by an appropriate clinical scenario. 38 deaths due to PE may have been prevented with an additional intervention: prophylaxis (55%), earlier diagnosis (45%), inferior vena cava filter (IVCF) (32%), anticoagulation (18%), embolectomy 5%, thrombolytics (3%). The remaining deaths due to PE were not preventable since 15 patients were palliative and did not receive active treatment, 9 died before a diagnosis was made and in 8 another disease prevented treatment. Conclusions: Using hospital database records is a reasonable means to evaluate PE mortality and our death due to PE rates are similar to those in registry publications. Surprisingly imaging and autopsy results do not increase the probability of reaching the conclusion that death is due to PE. Over half of preventable PE deaths may have been prevented by prophylaxis and one third with an IVCF.


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