scholarly journals Smoking is Associated with a Higher Risk of Unplanned Medical Visits among Adult Patients with Diabetes, using Retrospective Electronic Medical Record Data from 2014-2016

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arielle Selya ◽  
Eric L Johnson ◽  
Tess L Weber ◽  
Jaymi Russo ◽  
Cheryl Stansbury ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Smoking exacerbates the complications of diabetes, but little is known about whether patients with diabetes who smoke have more unplanned medical visits than those who do not smoke. This study examines the association between smoking status and unplanned medical visits among patients with diabetes. Methods Data were drawn from electronic medical records (EMR’s) from a large healthcare provider in the Northern Plains region of the US, from adult (≥18 years old) patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who received care at least once during 2014-16 (N=62,149). The association between smoking status (current, former, or never smoker) and having ≥1 unplanned visit (comprised of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, hospital observations, and urgent care) was examined after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI). The top ten most common diagnoses for unplanned visits were examined by smoking status. Results Both current and former smoking were associated with an approximately 1.2-fold increase in the odds of having at least one unplanned medical visit in the 3-year period (OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.16-129; OR=1.23, 95% CI=1.19-1.28, respectively), relative to never-smokers. Most common diagnoses for all patients were pain-related. However, diagnoses related to musculoskeletal system and connective tissue disorders were more common among smokers. Smoking is associated with a higher rate of unplanned medical visits among patients with diabetes in this regional healthcare system. Conclusions Results from this study reveal higher rates of unplanned visits among smokers and former smokers, as well as increased frequencies of unplanned medical visits among current smokers.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arielle Selya ◽  
Eric L Johnson ◽  
Tess L Weber ◽  
Jaymi Russo ◽  
Cheryl Stansbury ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Smoking exacerbates the complications of diabetes, but little is known about whether patients with diabetes who smoke have more unplanned medical visits than those who do not smoke. This study examines the association between smoking status and unplanned medical visits among patients with diabetes. Methods Data were drawn from electronic medical records (EMR’s) from a large healthcare provider in the Northern Plains region of the US, from adult (≥18 years old) patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who received care at least once during 2014-16 ( N =62,149). The association between smoking status (current, former, or never smoker) and having ≥1 unplanned visit (comprised of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, hospital observations, and urgent care) was examined after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI). The top ten most common diagnoses for unplanned visits were examined by smoking status. Results Both current and former smoking were associated with an approximately 1.2-fold increase in the odds of having at least one unplanned medical visit in the 3-year period (OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.16-129; OR=1.23, 95% CI=1.19-1.28, respectively), relative to never-smokers. Most common diagnoses for all patients were pain-related. However, diagnoses related to musculoskeletal system and connective tissue disorders were more common among smokers. Smoking is associated with a higher rate of unplanned medical visits among patients with diabetes in this regional healthcare system. Conclusions Results from this study reveal higher rates of unplanned visits among smokers and former smokers, as well as increased frequencies of unplanned medical visits among current smokers.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Arielle Selya ◽  
Eric L Johnson ◽  
Tess L Weber ◽  
Jaymi Russo ◽  
Cheryl Stansbury ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Smoking exacerbates the complications of diabetes, but little is known about whether patients with diabetes have more unplanned medical visits. This study examines the association between smoking status and unplanned medical visits among patients with diabetes. Methods Data were drawn from electronic medical records (EMR’s) from a large healthcare provider in the Northern Plains region of the US, from adult (≥18 years old) patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes who received care within this healthcare system at least once during the 3-year period spanning 2014-16 (N=62,149). The association between smoking status (current, former, or never smoker) and having ≥1 unplanned visit (comprised of emergency department visits, hospitalizations, hospital observations, and urgent care) was examined after adjusting for age, race/ethnicity, and body mass index (BMI). The top ten most common diagnoses for unplanned visits were examined by smoking status. Results Both current and former smoking were associated with an approximately 1.2-fold increase in the odds of having at least one unplanned medical visit in the 3-year period (OR=1.22, 95% CI=1.16-129; OR=1.23, 95% CI=1.19-1.28, respectively), relative to never-smokers. Most common diagnoses for all patients were pain-related. However, diagnoses related to musculoskeletal system and connective tissue disorders were more common among smokers. Smoking is associated with a higher rate of unplanned medical visits among patients with diabetes in this regional healthcare system. Conclusions Results from this study reveal higher rates of unplanned visits among smokers and former smokers, as well as increased frequencies of unplanned medical visits among current smokers.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Samson Barasa ◽  
Josephine Kiage-Mokaya ◽  
Katya Cruz-Madrid ◽  
Michael Friedlander

IntroductionDoes smoking decrease the risk of testing positive for COVID-19 because the never-smokers (84%) prevalence is high and the current-smokers prevalence is low among COVID-19 positive patients? 1,2,3,4,5,6 We sought to determine whether never smoking increases the risk of COVID-19 positivity among the 50 to 69-year old patients because they are more likely to test positive for COVID-19.7MethodWe conducted a retrospective chart review of COVID-19 Polymerase chain reaction, in-hospital tested ≥18-year-old patients. A Poisson regression analysis stratified into never-smokers and history of smoking (current + former smokers) was conducted.Results277 COVID-19 negative and 117 COVID-19 positive patients’ charts with a never-smokers prevalence of 42.32% and 54% respectively were analyzed. The never-smokers prevalence was 54%, 20-39-years; 61 %, 40 -49-years; 41%, 50 – 69-years; and 43%, 70 – 100-years.The 40-49-year-old current and former smokers were more likely to test positive for COVID-19 [1.309 (1.047 - 1.635)], unlike the 40-49-year-old never-smokers [0.976 (0.890-1.071)] who had a lower risk.Regardless of their smoking status, males [1.084(1.021 - 1.151)] and the 50-69-year-old patients [1.082 (1.014 -1.154)] were more likely to test positive for COVID-19, while end stage renal disease [0.908(0.843-0.978)] and non-COVID-19 respiratory viral illness [0.907 (0.863 - 0.953)] patients had a lower risk of COVID-19 positivity.Heart failure [0.907 (0.830 - 0.991)], chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) [0.842 (0.745 - 0.952)] and Parkinson’s disease [0.823 (0.708 - 0.957)] never-smokers were less likely to test positive for COVID-19.ConclusionThis is the first study to show that smoking increases the risk of COVID-19 positivity among the 40-49-year-old patients, while not smoking reduces the risk of COVID-19 positivity among the heart failure, COPD and Parkinson’s disease patients. This study emphasizes that COVID-19 positivity risk is not reduced by smoking and not increased by not smoking.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (2) ◽  
pp. 97-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Staci Defibaugh

Small talk in medical visits has received ample attention; however, small talk that occurs at the close of a medical visit has not been explored. Small talk, with its focus on relational work, is an important aspect of medical care, particularly so considering the current focus in the US on the patient-centered approach and the desire to construct positive provider– patient relationships, which have been shown to contribute to higher patient satisfaction and better health outcomes. Therefore, even small talk that is unrelated to the transactional aspect of the medical visit in fact serves an important function. In this article, I analyze small talk exchanges between nurse practitioners (NPs) and their patients which occur after the transactional work of the visit is completed. I focus on two exchanges which highlight different interactional goals. I argue that these examples illustrate a willingness on the part of all participants to extend the visit solely for the purpose of constructing positive provider–patient relationships. Furthermore, because exchanges occur after the ‘work’ of the visit has been completed, they have the potential to construct positive relationships that extend beyond the individual visit.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
C. J. MacDonald ◽  
A. L. Madika ◽  
G. Severi ◽  
A. Fournier ◽  
M. C. Boutron-Ruault

AbstractDyslipidaemia is a major risk factor for cardio-vascular disease, as it promotes atherosclerosis. While cross-sectional studies have identified higher serum cholesterol amongst individuals with the A blood group, there is less evidence from prospective studies whether this translates into a higher risk of dyslipidaemia that requires treatment, nor if this genetic factor interacts with smoking status. This study aimed to prospectively determine potential associations between smoking, ABO blood groups, and risk of incident dyslipidaemia requiring treatment, and to assess associations over strata of blood ABO group. We assessed associations between blood ABO group, smoking and dyslipidaemia in 74,206 women participating in the E3N cohort. We included women who did not have cardiovascular disease at baseline. Logistic regression was used to determine associations between ABO group, smoking and prevalent dyslipidaemia at baseline. Cox proportional hazard models were then used to determine if blood ABO group and smoking were associated with the risk of incident dyslipidaemia, amongst women free of dyslipidaemia at baseline. At baseline 28,281 women with prevalent dyslipidaemia were identified. Compared to the O-blood group, the non-O blood group was associated higher odds of with prevalent dyslipidaemia (ORnon-O = 1.09 [1.06: 1.13]). Amongst the women free of dyslipidaemia at baseline, 6041 incident cases of treated dyslipidaemia were identified during 454,951 person-years of follow-up. The non-O blood groups were associated with an increased risk of dyslipidaemia when compared to the O-group (HRnon-O = 1.16 [1.11: 1.22]), specifically the A blood-group (HRA = 1.18 [1.12: 1.25]). Current smokers were associated with an increased risk of incident dyslipidaemia (HR smokers = 1.27 [1.16: 1.37]), compared to never-smokers. No evidence for effect modification between smoking and ABO blood group was observed (p-effect modification = 0.45), although the highest risk was observed among AB blood group women who smoked (HR = 1.76 [1.22: 2.55]). In conclusion, the non-O blood groups, specifically the A group were associated with an increased risk of dyslipidaemia. Current smokers were associated with a 30% increased risk of dyslipidaemia. These results could aid in personalised approaches to the prevention of cardiovascular risk-factors.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-8
Author(s):  
Francesca Galluzzi ◽  
Veronica Rossi ◽  
Cristina Bosetti ◽  
Werner Garavello

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Smell and taste loss are characteristic symptoms of SARS-CoV-2 infection. The aim of this study is to investigate the prevalence and risk factors associated with olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in coronavirus disease (COVID-19) patients. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> We conducted an observational, retrospective study on 376 patients with documented SARS-CoV-2 infection admitted to the San Gerardo Hospital in Monza, Italy, from March to July 2020. All patients answered a phone questionnaire providing information on age, sex, smoking status, and clinical characteristics. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated through logistic regression models including relevant covariates. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The prevalence of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions in COVID-19 patients was 33.5 and 35.6%, respectively. Olfactory dysfunctions were significantly directly associated with current smoking and history of allergy, the multivariable ORs being 6.53 (95% CI 1.16–36.86) for current smokers versus never smokers, and 1.89 (95% CI 1.05–3.39) for those with an allergy compared to those without any allergy. Respiratory allergy in particular was significantly associated with olfactory dysfunctions (multivariable OR 2.30, 95% CI 1.02–5.17). Significant inverse associations were observed for patients aged 60 years or more (multivariable OR 0.33, 95% CI 0.19–0.57) and hospitalization (multivariable OR 0.22, 95% CI 0.06–0.89). Considering gustatory dysfunctions, after allowance of other variables a significant direct association was found for respiratory allergies (OR 2.24, 95% CI 1.03–4.86), and an inverse association was found only for hospitalization (OR 0.21, 95% CI 0.06–0.76). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> Our study indicates that current smoking and history of allergy (particularly respiratory) significantly increase the risk for smell loss in COVID-19 patients; the latter is also significantly associated to taste loss. Hospitalization has an inverse association with the risk of olfactory and gustatory dysfunctions, suggesting that these may be symptoms characteristics of less severe SARS-CoV-2 infection.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
pp. 237437352098148
Author(s):  
Saif Khairat ◽  
Xi Lin ◽  
Songzi Liu ◽  
Zhaohui Man ◽  
Tanzila Zaman ◽  
...  

Urgent care (UC) is one of the fastest growing venues of health care delivery for nonemergent conditions. This study compared the patient experience during virtual and in-person urgent care visits. We conducted a cross-sectional study of patients with the same diagnosis during Virtual Urgent Care (VUC) and in-person UC visits with the same diagnosis with regard to time and cost over a period of one year. We recorded and analyzed 16 685 urgent care visits: In-person UC (n = 14 734), VUC (n = 1262). Significant differences were found in the average total time for a visit in an in-person UC (70.89 minutes), and VUC (9.38 minutes). The average total cost of VUC ($49) and in-person UC ($142.657) differed significantly. Significant difference was found between UC turnaround time and VC turnaround time (Dependent variable (DV): 53.77, P < .01). We found significant differences in cost and time between in favor of virtual visits. Our findings suggest additional policy reform to expand the use of virtual care among target populations to improve access, reduce costs, meet the needs of patients, and reduce emergency department visits.


2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (Suppl 1) ◽  
pp. 1425.1-1425
Author(s):  
P. Herrera-Sandate ◽  
G. Figueroa-Parra ◽  
D. Vega-Morales ◽  
J. A. Esquivel Valerio ◽  
B. R. Vázquez Fuentes ◽  
...  

Background:Early referral of patients with suspicion of progression to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is of paramount importance in disease prognosis. We had previously described a time delay of 28 months between symptom onset and evaluation by a rheumatologist, and a mean wait time of 9.5 weeks for referral to a secondary-level public hospital (1). The availability of specialized interdisciplinary evaluation of patients in a third-level of care raises the possibility of shortening this time gap, as well as describing patient and physician decisions amidst the referral to a Rheumatology center.Objectives:Describe the diagnosis profile of patients with hand arthralgia and time of referral to Rheumatology in a Family Medicine clinic.Methods:A cohort study was conducted in 110 patients from October 2018 to December 2020 in a Family Medicine clinic within the tertiary-care University Hospital “Dr. Jose Eleuterio Gonzalez” in Monterrey, Mexico. Patients with hand arthralgia as their chief complaint were recruited. An observational, descriptive compilation of patient history was retrieved prospectively through medical records. Variables included time of inclusion, number of medical visits until referral and definitive diagnosis. Descriptive statistics, Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank tests were used to test the association between time of diagnosis and clinical variables of interest.Results:Assessed variables are shown in Table 1. Out of 110 patients with hand arthralgia, a quarter received a final diagnosis within 3 medical visits. Less than half of patients were referred, and only a third attended the referral indication. It takes 39.3 days from the first medical visit to be referred, and 69 days and 2.89 consultations to receive a definitive diagnosis. Around half of patients will have a definitive diagnosis, osteoarthritis being the most common. The log-rank test for categoric variables including a positive squeeze test or ≥4 criteria of clinically suspect arthralgia did not show a significant association for time of referral and definitive diagnosis (data not shown).Table 1.Diagnostic and referral characteristics of patients with hand arthralgia attending a Family medicine clinicPatients recruited in a Family Medicine clinicn = 110Female, n (%)90 (81.8)Age in years, mean ± SD49.69 ± 14.90RF, ACPA, or hand radiography request, n (%)100 (90.9)Diagnosis in Family MedicineDiagnosed patients after 1 medical visit, cumulative n (%)5 (4.6)Diagnosed patients after 2 medical visits, cumulative n (%)22 (20.0)Diagnosed patients after 3 medical visits, cumulative n (%)26 (23.6)Referral to Rheumatology for diagnostic doubt or clinical follow-upPatients referred to a Rheumatology clinic, n (%)49 (44.5)Patients attending Rheumatology referral, n (%)34 (30.9)Time for referral, days ± SD39.37 ± 38.64Global definitive diagnosisPatients with a definitive diagnosis, n (%)51 (46.4)Osteoarthritis diagnosis, n (%)23 (20.9)Rheumatoid arthritis diagnosis, n (%)13 (11.8)Overlap syndrome diagnosis, n (%)5 (4.5)Time for definitive diagnosis, days ± SD68.96 ± 106.57Number of consultations for definitive diagnosis, mean ± SD2.86 ± 1.05RF, rheumatoid factor; ACPA, anticitrullinated protein antibodies; SD, standard deviation.Conclusion:Patients with hand arthralgia evaluated in a tertiary-care Rheumatology center receive a timely referral in one month and a definitive diagnosis after 3 medical visits in around two months.References:[1]Vega-Morales, D., Covarrubias-Castañeda, Y., Arana-Guajardo, A. C., & Esquivel-Valerio, J. A. (2016). Time Delay to Rheumatology Consultation: Rheumatoid Arthritis Diagnostic Concordance Between Primary Care Physician and Rheumatologist. American journal of medical quality: the official journal of the American College of Medical Quality, 31(6), 603.Graphs:Disclosure of Interests:None declared


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Woncheol Lee ◽  
Yoosoo Chang ◽  
Hocheol Shin ◽  
Seungho Ryu

AbstractWe examined the associations of smoking status and urinary cotinine levels, an objective measure of smoking, with the development of new-onset HL. This cohort study was performed in 293,991 Korean adults free of HL who underwent a comprehensive screening examination and were followed for up to 8.8 years. HL was defined as a pure-tone average of thresholds at 0.5, 1.0, and 2.0 kHz ≥ 25 dB in both ears. During a median follow-up of 4.9 years, 2286 participants developed new-onset bilateral HL. Self-reported smoking status was associated with an increased risk of new-onset bilateral HL. Multivariable-adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for incident HL comparing former smokers and current smokers to never-smokers were 1.14 (1.004–1.30) and 1.40 (1.21–1.61), respectively. Number of cigarettes, pack-years, and urinary cotinine levels were consistently associated with incident HL. These associations were similarly observed when introducing changes in smoking status, urinary cotinine, and other confounders during follow-up as time-varying covariates. In this large cohort of young and middle-aged men and women, smoking status based on both self-report and urinary cotinine level were independently associated with an increased incidence of bilateral HL. Our findings indicate smoking is an independent risk factor for HL.


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