Impact of the Oncology Care Model (OCM) on pain management: A retrospective cohort analysis.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (31_suppl) ◽  
pp. 86-86
Author(s):  
Aaron Ciner ◽  
Jacqueline Norrell ◽  
Renee Kurz ◽  
Ann W. Silk

86 Background: Pain is a common symptom among patients with cancer and impacts performance status and quality of life. The OCM was implemented at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey (RCINJ) in July 2016 with the goal of improving many quality metrics in cancer care including documentation of pain and a plan of care for pain. Hypothesis: Documentation of pain and a plan of care for pain improved after implementation of the OCM at RCINJ. Improved documentation would correlate with a decrease in reported quantitative pain scores. Methods: Data from patients enrolled in OCM during its first year of implementation (post OCM) was compared to data from a control cohort the preceding year (pre OCM). The initial progress note and EMR flowsheet in each year were reviewed to determine pain documentation. For patients reporting a pain score ≥ 1 on a 0-10 scale, the association between documentation of a plan of care and improvement in quantitative pain score on a subsequent visit was analyzed using Chi square testing. Results: A total of 260 patient charts were analyzed. A quantitative pain score was documented in 99% of patients in the pre OCM group and 100% in the post OCM group. For those with a pain score ≥ 1, documentation of a plan of care increased from 43% to 55% after OCM implementation. Patients whose charts contained documented plans of care for pain were less likely to have decreased pain scores at a subsequent visit (51% vs 76%). Conclusions: (1) Documentation of a quantitative pain score was completed in nearly all patients before and after the implementation of OCM. (2) There was a non-statistically significant increase in documentation of plan of care for pain after OCM implementation. (3) Documentation of a plan of care was not associated with a decreased pain score at a subsequent visit. This may be the result of small sample size or related to progressive cancer-related pain or inadequate pain intervention. [Table: see text]

Author(s):  
Michel Prud’homme ◽  
François Mathieu ◽  
Nicolas Marcotte ◽  
Sylvine Cottin

AbstractBackground: Current opinions regarding the use of dexamethasone in the treatment of chronic subdural hematomas (CSDH) are only based on observational studies. Moreover, the use of corticosteroids in asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic patient with this condition remains controversial. Here, we present data from a prospective randomized pilot study of CSDH patients treated with dexamethasone or placebo. Methods: Twenty patients with imaging-confirmed CSDH were recruited from a single center and randomized to receive dexamethasone (12 mg/day for 3 weeks followed by tapering) or placebo as a conservative treatment. Patients were followed for 6 months and the rate of success of conservative treatment with dexamethasone versus placebo was measured. Parameters such as hematoma thickness and clinical changes were also compared before and after treatment with chi-square tests. Adverse events and complications were documented. Results: During the 6-month follow-up, one of ten patients treated with corticosteroids had to undergo surgical drainage and three of ten patients were treated surgically after placebo treatment. At the end of the study, all remaining patients had complete radiological resolution. No significant differences were observed in terms of hematoma thickness profile and impression of change; however, patients experienced more severe side effects when treated with steroids as compared with placebo. Dexamethasone contributed to many serious adverse events. Conclusions: Given the small sample size, these preliminary results have not shown a clear beneficial effect of dexamethasone against placebo in our patients. However, the number of secondary effects reported was much greater for corticosteroids, and dexamethasone treatment was responsible for significant complications.


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. 8113-8113
Author(s):  
Hui Zhu ◽  
Andria Valeria Arrossi ◽  
Paul Elson ◽  
Carol Farver ◽  
Raymond R. Tubbs ◽  
...  

8113 Background: EGFR mutation (Mut) testing is recommended for all patients (pts) with advanced NSCLC to identify pts who may benefit from front-line EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI) therapy. In July 2010 the Cleveland Clinic initiated reflex EGFR testing of all new diagnoses of nonsquamous NSCLC, prior to which testing was done only by physician request. A retrospective study was designed to review how this change affected clinical practice in a large academic health center. Methods: All pts with NSCLC that had EGFR Mut testing performed at the Cleveland Clinic from 07/2009 to 02/2012 were included (n=287). Pt characteristics, tumor histology and stage, Mut status, treatments, and pt outcomes were collected from electronic medical records. Special attention was given to pts with EGFR Mut+ who received erlotinib (E). Data were analyzed using Fisher’s exact, chi-square and the Wilcoxon rank-sum tests. Results: See Table. Conclusions: Automatic EGFR mutation testing, recommended in an ASCO provisional clinical opinion in April 2011, was feasible in a large academic center and significantly shortened the time between diagnosis and EGFR status becoming available to guide treatment decisions. Although not statistically significant due to the small sample size, there were positive trends towards increased first line usage of E in pts with EGFR Mut+, better performance status, lower rates of E discontinuation due to toxicity, and higher response rate to E in the automatic testing group. There was no difference in overall survival between the two groups. [Table: see text]


2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e20657-e20657
Author(s):  
Haritha G. Reddy ◽  
Taylor Mai Weis ◽  
Shannon Hough ◽  
Stephanie Daignault ◽  
Bryan J. Schneider

e20657 Background: Influenza vaccination is recommended by the CDC for cancer patients to reduce the risk of influenza-related complications. There is concern that the incidence of immune-related adverse events (irAEs) may be greater in vaccinated patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPI). We sought to interrogate if influenza vaccination in patients with NSCLC receiving ICPI therapy had an increased incidence of irAEs compared to non-vaccinated patients. Methods: We conducted a single-center retrospective analysis of patients with advanced NSCLC who received PD-1 or PD-L1 inhibitor monotherapy between 3/2015 – 12/2018. Influenza immunization records from both institutional and state-wide registries were obtained from 2014 -2019. Comparisons of adverse event incidence between flu vaccinated and control patients were tested using chi-square statistics. Results: 117 patients were included in our analysis, 33 (28%) were vaccinated during ICPI therapy, 19 (58%) received quadrivalent influenza vaccine, 13 (39%) received trivalent influenza vaccine and 1 (3%) was undetermined. 22 (67%) vaccinated patients had an irAE vs 53 (63%) patients who were not vaccinated during ICPI therapy (p = 0.720). 8 (24%) vaccinated patients had an irAE leading to discontinuation of therapy vs 12 (14%) patients who were not vaccinated during ICPI therapy (p = 0.198). The most frequent irAE in both groups was fatigue 16 (48%) vs 28 (33%) (p = 0.128). Notable irAEs included colitis (0 vs 1), pneumonitis (3 vs 3), hepatitis (1 vs 4) in vaccinated patients vs without vaccine, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in baseline demographics between both groups including age, race, gender, tumor histology or ECOG performance status. Conclusions: Our study suggests that irAEs are not significantly increased with vaccination for influenza during ICPI therapy. However, there is a slight trend toward increased incidence of irAE warranting ICPI discontinuation for which further investigation is needed. Limitations of this study include a small sample size and inability to grade irAE retrospectively.


Crisis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (5) ◽  
pp. 367-374
Author(s):  
Sarah P. Carter ◽  
Brooke A. Ammerman ◽  
Heather M. Gebhardt ◽  
Jonathan Buchholz ◽  
Mark A. Reger

Abstract. Background: Concerns exist regarding the perceived risks of conducting suicide-focused research among an acutely distressed population. Aims: The current study assessed changes in participant distress before and after participation in a suicide-focused research study conducted on a psychiatric inpatient unit. Method: Participants included 37 veterans who were receiving treatment on a psychiatric inpatient unit and completed a survey-based research study focused on suicide-related behaviors and experiences. Results: Participants reported no significant changes in self-reported distress. The majority of participants reported unchanged or decreased distress. Reviews of electronic medical records revealed no behavioral dysregulation and minimal use of as-needed medications or changes in mood following participation. Limitations: The study's small sample size and veteran population may limit generalizability. Conclusion: Findings add to research conducted across a variety of settings (i.e., outpatient, online, laboratory), indicating that participating in suicide-focused research is not significantly associated with increased distress or suicide risk.


2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 651-661
Author(s):  
Paulo E. P. Teixeira ◽  
Hanan I. Zehry ◽  
Swapnali Chaudhari ◽  
Laura Dipietro ◽  
Felipe Fregni

AbstractBackground and aimsPain is a disabling symptom in knee osteoarthritis (KOA) and its underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. Dysfunction of descending pain modulatory pathways and reduced pain inhibition enhance pain facilitation in many chronic pain syndromes but do not fully explain pain levels in chronic musculoskeletal conditions. The objective of this study is to explore the association of clinical variables with pain intensity perception in KOA individuals with varying levels of Conditioned Pain Modulation (CPM) response.MethodsThis is a cross-sectional, exploratory analysis using baseline data of a randomized clinical trial investigating the effects of a non-invasive brain stimulation treatment on the perception of pain and functional limitations due to KOA. Sixty-three subjects with KOA were included in this study. Data on pain perception, mood perception, self-reported depression, physical function, quality of life, and quantitative sensory testing was collected. Multiple linear regression analysis was performed to explore the association between the clinical variables with pain perception for individuals with different levels of CPM response.ResultsFor KOA patients with limited CPM response, perception of limitations at work/other activities due to emotional problems and stress scores were statistically significantly associated with pain scores, F(2, 37) = 7.02, p < 0.01. R-squared = 0.275. For KOA patients with normal CPM response, general health perception scores were statistically significantly associated with pain scores, F(1, 21) = 5.60, p < 0.05. R-squared = 0.2104. Limitations of this study include methodology details, small sample size and study design characteristics.ConclusionsPain intensity perception is associated differently with clinical variables according to the individual CPM response. Mechanistic models to explain pain perception in these two subgroups of KOA subjects are discussed.


2021 ◽  
Vol 36 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Y Kabalkin ◽  
M Gil ◽  
E Lifshitz ◽  
A Moav ◽  
M Kabessa ◽  
...  

Abstract Study question Does recovery from SARS–Corona virus 2 (SARS–CoV-2) infection negatively effect IVF cycle parameters? Summary answer Female IVF treatment parameters were comparable to the pre-Covid-19 infection cycle performance. Sperm concentration and motility demonstrated lower mean counts following Covid-19 infection. What is known already Corona-virus disease-19 (Covid-19) is a global pandemic caused by SARS–Corona virus 2 (SARS–CoV-2). The virus primarily affects the respiratory system, but other systemic and immune mediated effects have been reported. The spikes of SARS-CoV-2 have strong affinity for the Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) 2 receptor, leading to an increased Angiotensin II (Ang II) mediated pro-inflammatory response. ACE2 receptors exist in the human reproductive tract (more in males) and pose a regulatory role together with Ang II. So far, reports have been inconsistent regarding testicular effects. Other implications involving fertility and fertility treatment post infection are scarce. Study design, size, duration In this retrospective cohort study, IVF cycle performance was compared before and after Corona-virus disease-19. Patients were included only in cases where an IVF cycle was initiated within 3 months of Covid-19 recovery, between March 2020-December 2020. Participants/materials, setting, methods The study was conducted in a University affiliated IVF unit. Post Covid- 19 cycle parameters were compared to previous cycles of the same individual prior to infection. If previous cycles were not available, parameters were compared to non-exposed patients of same age, same treatment and identical indication. Sperm concentration and motility were compared before and after infection. Non exposure was defined by a lack of past Covid-19 diagnosis and a negative PCR throughout the treatment. Main results and the role of chance All together, including the matched cycles, we compared 40 cycles which started within 3 months of recovery: 26 fresh stimulation cycles and 14 frozen thawed transfer cycles. In 28 of these cycles the patient could serve as its own control. Mean age for the female partner was 33.2 years ±6.5 years. Eight male partners presented post infection and provided fresh samples for a cycle involving fertilization. We compared stimulation parameters including maximal Estradiol level, stimulation length, FSH dosage, number of oocytes retrieved, fertilization rates, number of embryos created, high quality embryo number and endometrial thickness. All of these were comparable to non-exposed cycles (generalized estimating equations, p values &gt;0.1). No complications were recorded, specifically no thromboembolic events or respiratory complications. A total of 8 patients conceived: 1 was a chemical pregnancy, 1 extra-uterine pregnancy, 3 miscarriages and 3 ongoing, of those 1 was complicated by early bleeding. Male sperm analyses showed a trend towards lower post disease parameters, not reaching a statistical significance: 23mil/ml compared to 13.6 and 20.7% progressive motility compared to 12.3% (p values 0.09 and 0.17, respectively). Limitations, reasons for caution Current results are based on a small sample size, still insufficient for deducing definite conclusions or guidelines. Pregnancy outcome following IVF treatment in Covid-19 recoverees should further be studied. By the time of the conference, the number of cases is expected to be significantly higher. Wider implications of the findings This study provides preliminary data regarding the effects of SARS-COV-2 infection on IVF treatment outcomes. Despite the small sample size, treatment parameters seem unaffected, however, sperm performance seems to be compromised. Health policy and patients’ decisions regarding whether or not to postpone IVF procedures necessitates additional data. Trial registration number Not applicable - retrospective


Circulation ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 142 (Suppl_3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Daniel Antwi Amoabeng ◽  
Ahmed Hanfy ◽  
Munadel Awad ◽  
Bryce D Beutler ◽  
Amneet Rai ◽  
...  

Introduction: Women have a longer QT interval than men. This sex-specific difference is attributed to hormones associated with the biological female sex. Male-to-female transgender individuals often take antiandrogens such as spironolactone or goserelin in addition to estrogens to suppress testosterone effects while increasing feminine features. Effects of gender-affirming hormone therapy (GHT) on the QT interval in these individuals remains to be elucidated. Hypothesis: We assessed the hypothesis that the use of GHT is associated with an increased risk for QT interval prolongation in transgender females. Methods: We identified 46 transgender females through a search of the electronic medical records of a Veterans Administration hospital in Northern Nevada. Patients with a diagnosis of congenital long QT syndrome were excluded. Of these, 13 patients had ECGs before and after initiation of GHT and were included. We adapted the Tisdale score using the auto-calculated corrected QT interval (QTc) to estimate the risk of QT prolongation. Age, QTc, and Tisdale scores before and after GHT initiation were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. All tests were performed as two-tailed at a 5% level of significance. Results: All 13 study patients were taking estrogens. Of these, 3 (23.1%) were taking goserelin and 9 (69.2%) were taking spironolactone. Mean ± SEM age at ECG acquisition was 45.0 ± 4.4 and 47.7 ± 4.7 years before and after the initiation of GHT respectively. Mean ± SEM QTc after initiation of GHT was significantly higher compared to the baseline (467.5 ± 12.8 ms vs. 428.2 ± 7.1 ms) (Figure 1A). The average baseline Tisdale score was significantly smaller on follow-up (1-point vs. 3 points) (Figure 1B). Conclusions: GHT appears to be associated with increased QTc in transgender women. This needs to be interpreted with caution owing to the very small sample size in this study. Further studies to investigate the strength of this association, if it exists, are warranted.


2018 ◽  
Vol 63 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 279-286
Author(s):  
SY Heo ◽  
SJ Kim ◽  
NS Kim

The purpose of this prospective double blind clinical study was to evaluate the analgesic efficacy of meloxicam with/without a buprenorphine patch for pain management after ovariohysterectomy in cats. Cats were randomly divided into two groups: ten cats were treated with meloxicam s.c. after ovariohysterectomy (Group A), and eight cats were treated with s.c. meloxicam and a 20 µg/h buprenorphine transdermal patch (Group B). For patch treatment, the cat’s hair was clipped on the left side in the thoracic area. Pain scores were assessed at 0.5, 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 24 and 30 h post-ovariohysterectomy extubation. To evaluate postoperative pain, 4A-VET pain scale and visual analogue scale pain scores were used. In addition, blood was collected from all cats to determine the cortisol levels at –2 h and at 0.5, 4, 6 and 24 h after extubation. The 4A-VET scores for Group B were significantly lower at 1, 4, 6, 8, 24 and 30 h than the scores for Group A. The visual analogue scale pain scores for Group B were significantly lower at 4, 6, 24 and 30 h than the scores for Group A. Serum cortisol concentrations were not significantly different between Groups A and B at any of the measured intervals. There was a significant positive correlation between postoperative visual analogue scale and 4A-VET pain scores in both groups. Our results should be subject to careful interpretation as the study was limited by its small sample size and by observer subjectivity.


2020 ◽  
pp. 095148482094359
Author(s):  
Daniel Keyes ◽  
Hisham Valiuddin ◽  
Hassan Mouzaihem ◽  
Patrick Stone ◽  
Jaqueline Vidosh

Background The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is one of the biggest healthcare reforms in US history. A key issue is the ACAs effect on low acuity, potentially primary care patients. This study evaluates the effect of the ACA on low acuity patients seen in the emergency department (ED). Methods This is an age-period-cohort analysis for a community hospital ED in Michigan, from 2009 to 2015. Patients were stratified by age, year seen, emergency severity index (ESI) and insurance status. Data were compared between before and after ACA along with descriptive statistics, Chi-square and Student t-tests. The primary outcome was the change in ED usage by low acuity. Patients > 65 were used as a temporal control. Results 305,350 ED visits were analyzed. ED visits with ESI 4/5 increased from 11.9% to 14.8%. Patients < 19 years increased from 25.5% to 34.3% (p = .0026). Ages 19–25 increased from 16.3% to 19.7% (p = 0.0515). Ages 26–64 increased from 11% to 14.9% (p = 0.0129). Ages > 65 increased from 5.1% to 6.5%. Patients < 65 showed a decreased uninsured rate from 12.30% to 6.28% (p < 0.0001). Comparatively, for age > 65: uninsured rate remained the same 0.46% to 0.49%. Conclusion Low acuity ED visits increased with the ACA reform in conjunction with a more insured population.


Blood ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 128 (22) ◽  
pp. 5037-5037
Author(s):  
Zhen Wang ◽  
Elaine Zhai ◽  
Aleksic Sandra ◽  
Kibola Adam ◽  
Richard May ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The American Association of Blood Banks (AABB) 2012 Guidelines recommend a restrictive transfusion strategy of 7 g/dL to 8 g/dL in asymptomatic, hemodynamically stable patients (pts) and for Hgb less than 8 g/dL in pts with preexisting cardiovascular disease. [1] Additional recommendations based on expert opinion include transfusion at threshold Hgb of 7 g/dL for hemodynamically stable ICU pts and Hgb less than 10 g/dL in pts with symptomatic anemia. We examined adherence to these guidelines and for differences in outcomes between restrictive and non-restrictive approaches at an academic hospital. Methods: We performed an IRB-approved retrospective review of all pts admitted to the Internal Medicine Service at University Hospital in Newark, New Jersey from July 1st to November 30th 2015 who received RBC transfusions. Charts were abstracted for demographic information, past medical history, indication for transfusion, presence of signs or symptoms of anemia (chest pain, orthostatic hypotension or tachycardia unresponsive to fluid resuscitation, or congestive heart failure), pre-transfusion Hgb, number of units transfused, and post-transfusion hgb. Outcomes were defined as requirement for additional transfusions, infections, cardiovascular events, adverse transfusion reactions, and death within 30 days of transfusion. Each transfusion was categorized as either adherent or non-adherent to the guidelines. Difference in outcomes between groups (adherent vs non-adherent) was tested using chi-square and Fisher's exact test with SAS studio version 3.4 (Cary, NC). Results: We reviewed 318 RBC transfusion records for 210 pts (median age: 55±17 years) with 157 (49%) transfusions in male and 161 (51%) in female pts. Site was ICU for 86 and the ward for 232 transfusions. The leading indication was acute bleeding (121 or 38%; pre-transfusion Hgb 6.9±1.3g/dL), followed by asymptomatic anemia (107 or 33%; pre-transfusion Hgb 6.8±0.8g/dL), and symptomatic anemia (91 or 29%; pre-transfusion Hgb 6.6±0.8g/dL). Of the 107 pts with asymptomatic anemia, 37 had pre-existing heart disease. Within this group, 35 were transfused at Hgb < 8g/dL (adherence of 95%). Seventy of the 107 transfusions were performed in pts without pre-existing cardiac disease. Fifty-nine were transfused at hgb < 7g/dL with an adherence of 84%. In the ICU, 21 of the 27 transfusions occurred for hgb < 7 g/dL in hemodynamically stable pts with an adherence of 78%. There were 91 transfusions for symptomatic anemia and all were adherent (100%). Regarding 30 day post-transfusion outcomes, there were 140 (44%) with subsequent transfusions; 54 (14%) infections; 7 (2.2%) cardiovascular events; 8 (2.5%) transfusion adverse reactions; 27(8%) deaths. No difference was detected for 30 day outcomes between the adherent group and the non-adherent group. (Table 1) Transfusion of at least 2unitsRBC in asymptomatic, symptomatic, and active bleeding pts were 25% (27/107), 44% (40/91), 57% (69/120) respectively. No difference in outcomes was found for the group receiving only 1 unit RBC (restrictive) compared to the group receiving 2 or more units RBC (non-restrictive). (Table 1) Conclusion: The majority of transfusions (92%) performed adhered to current guideline. While the restrictive approach was not associated with more complications or mortality, this study is limited by the small sample size and further work is being done. Acknowledgment: The authors are grateful to Dr. Koshy, Director of Blood Bank at University Hospital, for assistance. Reference: 1. Carson, J. L. et al. Red blood cell transfusion: a clinical practice guideline from the AABB. Ann Intern Med 157, 49-58 (2012). Disclosures Chang: Johnson and Johnson: Other: Stock; Amgen: Other: Research; Boehringer Ingelheim: Other: Research.


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