Use of Medical Resources and Quality of Life after Acute Myocardial Infarction in Canada and the United States

Background Despite investments to improve quality of emergency care for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), few studies have described national, real‐world trends in AMI care in the emergency department (ED). We aimed to describe trends in the epidemiology and quality of AMI care in US EDs over a recent 11‐year period, from 2005 to 2015. Methods and Results We conducted an observational study of ED visits for AMI using the National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey, a nationally representative probability sample of US EDs. AMI visits were classified as ST‐segment–elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) and non‐STEMI. Outcomes included annual incidence of AMI, median ED length of stay, ED disposition type, and ED administration of evidence‐based medications. Annual ED visits for AMI decreased from 1 493 145 in 2005 to 581 924 in 2015. Estimated yearly incidence of ED visits for STEMI decreased from 1 402 768 to 315 813. The proportion of STEMI sent for immediate, same‐hospital catheterization increased from 12% to 37%. Among patients with STEMI sent directly for catheterization, median ED length of stay decreased from 62 to 37 minutes. ED administration of antithrombotic and nonaspirin antiplatelet agents rose for STEMI (23%–31% and 10%–27%, respectively). Conclusions National, real‐world trends in the epidemiology of AMI in the ED parallel those of clinical registries, with decreases in AMI incidence and STEMI proportion. ED care processes for STEMI mirror evolving guidelines that favor high‐intensity antiplatelet therapy, early invasive strategies, and regionalization of care.

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A Review of Studies of the Association of Vision-Related Quality of Life with Measures of Visual Function and Structure in Patients with Glaucoma in the United States

Ophthalmic Epidemiology ◽

10.1080/09286586.2020.1863992 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 28 (3) ◽

pp. 265-276

Author(s):

Naira Khachatryan ◽

Maxwell Pistilli ◽

Maureen G. Maguire ◽

Angela Y. Chang ◽

Marissa R. Samuels ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

United States ◽

Visual Function ◽

The United States ◽

Related Quality

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What is Happening in the United States? How Social Classes Influence the Political Life of the Country and its Health and Quality of Life

International Journal of Health Services ◽

10.1177/0020731421994841 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 002073142199484

Author(s):

Vicente Navarro

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

United States ◽

Access To Health Care ◽

Universal Access ◽

The United States ◽

Political Context ◽

Political Life ◽

The Political ◽

Race And Gender

This article analyses the political changes that have been occurring in the United States (including the elections for the presidency of the country) and their consequences for the health and quality of life of the population. A major thesis of this article is that there is a need to analyse, besides race and gender, other categories of power - such as social class - in order to understand what happens in the country. While the class structure of the United States is similar to that of major Western European countries, the political context is very different. The U.S. political context has resulted in the very limited power of its working class, which explains the scarcity of labor, political and social rights in the country, such as universal access to health care.

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Anxiety- and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Patients With Breast Cancer: A Cross-Cultural Comparison of China and the United States

Journal of Global Oncology ◽

10.1200/jgo.2016.008763 ◽

2018 ◽

pp. 1-9

Author(s):

Jin You ◽

Qian Lu ◽

Michael J. Zvolensky ◽

Zhiqiang Meng ◽

Kay Garcia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Breast Cancer ◽

Quality Of Life ◽

United States ◽

Trait Anxiety ◽

State Anxiety ◽

Cultural Context ◽

The United States ◽

Cross Cultural ◽

Chinese Patients

Purpose Literature has documented the prevalence of anxiety and its adverse effect on quality of life among patients with breast cancer from Western countries, yet cross-cultural examinations with non-Western patients are rare. This cross-cultural study investigated differences in anxiety and its association with quality of life between US and Chinese patients with breast cancer. Methods Patients with breast cancer from the United States and China completed measures for anxiety (Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory) and quality of life (Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast). Results After controlling for demographic and medical characteristics, Chinese patients reported higher levels of trait and state anxiety than US patients. Although there was an association between anxiety and quality of life in both groups of patients, the association between state anxiety and quality of life was stronger among Chinese patients than among US patients, with the association between trait anxiety and quality of life the same between the two cultural samples. Conclusion These findings suggest that anxiety and its association with quality of life among patients with breast cancer varies depending on cultural context, which reveals greater anxiety and poorer quality of life among Chinese patients compared with US patients. This suggests greater unmet psychosocial needs among Chinese patients and highlights the need to build comprehensive cancer care systems for a better quality of life in Chinese populations.

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