Validity of Diagnosis Code-Based Claims to Identify Pulmonary NTM Disease in Bronchiectasis Patients.

Nontuberculous mycobacteria infection is increasing in incidence and can lead to chronic, debilitating pulmonary disease. We investigated the accuracy of diagnosis code-based nontuberculous mycobacteria lung disease claims among Medicare beneficiaries in the United States. We observed that these claims have moderate validity, but given their low sensitivity, incidence might be underestimated.

Barriers and facilitators to influenza vaccination and vaccine coverage in a cohort of health care personnel.

BACKGROUND: Annual influenza vaccination is recommended for health care personnel (HCP). We describe influenza vaccination coverage among HCP during the 2010-2011 season and present reported facilitators of and barriers to vaccination. METHODS: We enrolled HCP 18 to 65 years of age, working full time, with direct patient contact. Participants completed an Internet-based survey at enrollment and the end of influenza season. In addition to self-reported data, we collected information about the 2010-2011 influenza vaccine from electronic employee health and medical records. RESULTS: Vaccination coverage was 77% (1,307/1,701). Factors associated with higher vaccination coverage include older age, being married or partnered, working as a physician or dentist, prior history of influenza vaccination, more years in patient care, and higher job satisfaction. Personal protection was reported as the most important reason for vaccination followed closely by convenience, protection of patients, and protection of family and friends. Concerns about perceived vaccine safety and effectiveness and low perceived susceptibility to influenza were the most commonly reported barriers to vaccination. About half of the unvaccinated HCP said they would have been vaccinated if required by their employer. CONCLUSION: Influenza vaccination in this cohort was relatively high but still fell short of the recommended target of 90% coverage for HCP. Addressing concerns about vaccine safety and effectiveness are possible areas for future education or intervention to improve coverage among HCP.

Subjective social status predicts wintertime febrile acute respiratory illness among women healthcare personnel.

OBJECTIVE: We ask whether subjective social status (SSS) predicts rates of wintertime febrile acute respiratory illness (ARI). METHODS: 1,373 women and 346 men were enrolled from September 1 through November 30, 2010 as part of a prospective cohort study of health care personnel (HCP) at two medical centers. A questionnaire was completed at enrollment followed by 20 weeks of surveillance. ARI was an illness with fever and cough self-reported via weekly telephone or Internet-based surveillance. RESULTS: For both sexes, lower SSS was associated with younger age, less education, lower neighborhood household income, being unmarried, lower occupational status, working in outpatient settings, and poorer self-rated health status. Demographic and occupational covariates explained 23% and 42% of the variance (R²) in SSS among women and men, respectively. Smoking, exercise frequency, and sleep quality were also associated with SSS, but these factors explained little additional variance (3-4%). Among women HCP, lower SSS at enrollment was associated with higher rates of subsequent ARI (unadjusted ß = -.21 [±.05], p < .001 for ordinal data). Adjusting for all covariates reduced the effect size of the SSS minimally (adjusted ß = -.19 [±.06], p < .001). Among men HCP, there was no univariate SSS-ARI association and after adjusting for all covariates the effect was opposite of our hypothesis (adjusted ß = .33 [±.17], p < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Women (but not men) with lower SSS were more likely to report an ARI during surveillance, and the SSS-ARI association was independent of demographics, occupational status, health, and health behaviors.

Antiviral therapy for chronic hepatitis B virus infection and development of hepatocellular carcinoma in a US population.

BACKGROUND & AIMS: Antiviral therapy could reduce the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) among persons with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection. We evaluated the relationship between therapy for chronic HBV infection and HCC incidence using data from a longitudinal study of patients at 4 US healthcare centers. METHODS: We analyzed electronic health records of 2671 adult participants in the Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study who were diagnosed with chronic HBV infection from 1992 through 2011 (49% Asian). Data analyzed were collected for a median of 5.2 years. Propensity-score adjustment was used to reduce bias, and Cox regression was used to estimate the relationship between antiviral treatment and HCC. The primary outcome was time to event of HCC incidence. RESULTS: Of study subjects, 3% developed HCC during follow-up period: 20 cases among the 820 patients with a history of antiviral HBV therapy and 47 cases among the 1851 untreated patients. In propensity-adjusted Cox regression, patients who received antiviral therapy had a lower risk of HCC than those who did not receive antiviral therapy (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.27-0.56; P < .001), after adjusting for abnormal level of alanine aminotransferase. In a subgroup analysis, antiviral treatment was associated with a lower risk of HCC after adjusting for serum markers of cirrhosis (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.24; 95% confidence interval, 0.15-0.39; P < .001). In a separate subgroup analysis of patients with available data on HBV DNA viral load, treated patients with viral loads >20,000 IU/mL had a significantly lower risk of HCC than untreated patients with viral loads >20,000 IU/mL. CONCLUSIONS: In a large geographically, clinically, and racially diverse US cohort, antiviral therapy for chronic HBV infection was associated with a reduced risk for HCC.

Potential influence of seasonal influenza vaccination requirement versus traditional vaccine promotion strategies on unvaccinated healthcare personnel.

In a prospective cohort study of 1670 healthcare personnel (HCP) providing direct patient care at Scott & White Healthcare in Texas and Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Oregon and Washington, we examined the potential impact of twelve vaccine promotion strategies on the likelihood of being vaccinated. Internet-based surveys were conducted at enrollment (Fall, 2010) and at post-season (Spring, 2011), which asked HCP whether twelve vaccination promotion strategies would make them "much less" to "much more" likely to be vaccinated next season (on a 5-point Likert scale). Overall, 366 of 1670 HCP (22%) were unvaccinated. Half (50%) of unvaccinated HCP self-reported that a vaccination requirement would make them more likely to be vaccinated and most (62%) identified at least one strategy other than a vaccination requirement that would make them more likely to be vaccinated. In sub-groups of unvaccinated HCPs with specific barriers to vaccination, about one in three (range=27-35%) indicated that interventions targeting specific vaccination barrier would increase the likelihood they would be vaccinated. However, in all cases, significantly more unvaccinated HCP reported that a vaccination requirement would increase the likelihood of vaccination than reported a targeted intervention would have this effect (range in difference scores=+11-23%).

Noninvasive serum fibrosis markers for screening and staging chronic hepatitis C virus patients in a large US cohort.

BACKGROUND: Liver biopsy remains critical for staging liver disease in hepatitis C virus (HCV)-infected persons, but is a bottleneck to evaluation, follow-up, and treatment of HCV. Our analysis sought to validate APRI (aspartate aminotransferase [AST]-to-platelet ratio index) and FIB-4, an index from serum fibrosis markers (alanine aminotransferase [ALT], AST, and platelets plus patient age) to stage liver disease. METHODS: Biopsy results from HCV patients in the Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study were mapped to an F0-F4 equivalent scale; APRI and FIB-4 scores at the time of biopsy were then mapped to the same scale. RESULTS: We identified 2372 liver biopsies from HCV-infected patients with contemporaneous laboratory values for imputing APRI and FIB-4. Fibrosis stage distributions by the equivalent biopsy scale were 267 (11%) F0; 555 (23%) F1; 648 (27%) F2; 394 (17%) F3; and 508 (21%) F4. Mean APRI and FIB-4 values significantly increased with successive fibrosis levels (P < .05). The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC) analysis distinguishing severe (F3-F4) from mild-to-moderate fibrosis (F0-F2) were 0.80 (95% confidence interval [CI], .78-.82) for APRI and 0.83 (95% CI, .81-.85) for FIB-4. There was a significant difference between the AUROCs of FIB-4 and APRI (P < .001); 88% of persons who had a FIB-4 score ≥2.0 were at stage F2 or higher. CONCLUSIONS: In a large observational cohort, FIB-4 was good at differentiating 5 stages of chronic HCV infection. It can be useful in screening patients who need biopsy and therapy, for monitoring patients with less advanced disease, and for longitudinal studies.

Baseline characteristics and mortality among people in care for chronic viral hepatitis: the chronic hepatitis cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The Chronic Hepatitis Cohort Study (CHeCS), a dynamic prospective, longitudinal, observational cohort study, was created to assess the clinical impact of chronic viral hepatitis in the United States. This report describes the cohort selection process, baseline demographics, and insurance, biopsy, hospitalization, and mortality rates. METHODS: Electronic health records of >1.6 million adult patients seen from January 2006 through December 2010 at 4 integrated healthcare systems in Detroit, Michigan; Danville, Pennsylvania; Portland, Oregon; and Honolulu, Hawaii were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Of 2202 patients with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection, 50% were aged 44-63 years, 57% male, 58% Asian/Pacific Islander, and 13% black; and 5.1% had Medicaid, 16.5% Medicare, and 76.3% private insurance. During 2001-2010, 22.3% had a liver biopsy and 37.9% were hospitalized. For the 8810 patients with chronic hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection, 75% were aged 44-63 years, 60% male, 23% black; and 12% had Medicaid, 23% Medicare, and 62% private insurance. During 2001-2010, 38.4% had a liver biopsy and 44.3% were hospitalized. Among persons in care, 9% of persons with HBV and 14% of persons with HCV infection, mainly those born during 1945-1964, died during the 2006-2010 five-year period. CONCLUSIONS: Baseline demographic, hospitalization, and mortality data from CHeCS highlight the substantial US health burden from chronic viral hepatitis, particularly among persons born during 1945-1964.

Hepatitis B and C virus infection among 1.2 million persons with access to care: factors associated with testing and infection prevalence.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about viral hepatitis testing and infection prevalence among persons in private healthcare organizations (HCOs) in the United States. METHODS: To determine the frequency of and characteristics associated with viral hepatitis testing and infection prevalence among adults with access to care, we conducted an observational cohort study among 1.25 million adults from 4 US HCOs and included persons with ≥1 clinical encounter during 2006-2008 and ≥12 months of continuous follow-up before 2009. We compared the number of infections identified with the number expected based on adjusted data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). RESULTS: Of 866,886 persons without a previous hepatitis B virus (HBV) diagnosis, 18.8% were tested for HBV infection, of whom 1.4% tested positive; among 865,659 without a previous hepatitis C virus (HCV) diagnosis, 12.7% were tested, of whom 5.5% tested positive. Less than half of those with ≥2 abnormal alanine aminotransferase (ALT) levels were subsequently tested for HBV or HCV. When tested, Asians (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 6.33 relative to whites) were most likely HBV infected, whereas those aged 50-59 years were most likely HCV infected (aOR 6.04, relative to age <30 years). Based on estimates from NHANES, nearly one-half of HCV and one-fifth of HBV infections in this population were not identified. CONCLUSIONS: Even in this population with access to care and lengthy follow-up, only a fraction of expected viral hepatitis infections were identified. Abnormal ALT levels often but not consistently triggered testing. These findings have implications for the identification and care of 4-5 million US residents with HBV and HCV infection.

The expected emotional benefits of influenza vaccination strongly affect pre-season intentions and subsequent vaccination among healthcare personnel.

BACKGROUND: The relative importance of different attitudes in predicting vaccination among healthcare personnel (HCP) is unclear. We hypothesized that HCP who feel at risk without vaccination or say they would regret not getting vaccinated would be more likely to get vaccinated than HCP who do not expect these emotional benefits. METHODS: A prospective cohort of 1544 HCP with direct patient care was enrolled from September 18 to December 18, 2010 at Scott & White Healthcare in Texas and Kaiser Permanente Northwest in Oregon and Washington. An Internet-based questionnaire assessed pre-season intention to be vaccinated and included 12 questions on attitudes about vaccination: single-item measures of perceived susceptibility and vaccine effectiveness, 5 items that were summed to form a concerns about vaccine scale, and 5 items summed to form an emotional benefits of vaccination scale. Influenza vaccination status for the 2010-2011 season and for 5 prior seasons was confirmed by medical record extraction. RESULTS: There were significant differences between vaccinated and unvaccinated HCP on all attitude items; 72% of vaccinated HCP agreed that they "worry less about getting the flu" if vaccinated, compared to only 26% of the unvaccinated (odds ratio=7.4, 95% confidence interval=5.8-9.5). In a multivariate model, the emotional benefits scale was the strongest predictor of 2010-2011 seasonal influenza vaccination, after adjusting for other attitude measures, prior vaccination history, and pre-season intention to be vaccinated. The predictive value of the emotional benefits scale was strongest for HCP with low pre-season intention to be vaccinated, where HCP vaccine receipt was 15% versus 83% for those with low versus high scores on the emotional benefits scale. CONCLUSIONS: The expected emotional benefits of vaccination strongly affect seasonal influenza vaccination among HCP, even after taking into account other attitudes, pre-season intentions, and prior vaccination history. These attitudes are promising targets for future vaccination campaigns.