Race and Ethnicity and Prehospital Use of Opioid or Ketamine Analgesia in Acute Traumatic Injury.

Importance: Racial and ethnic disparities in pain management have been characterized in many hospital-based settings. Painful traumatic injuries are a common reason for 911 activations of the EMS (emergency medical services) system. Objective: To evaluate whether, among patients treated by EMS with traumatic injuries, race and ethnicity are associated with either disparate recording of pain scores or disparate administration of analgesia when a high pain score is recorded. Design, Settings, and Participants: This cohort study included interactions from 2019 to 2021 for US patients ages 14 to 99 years who had experienced painful acute traumatic injuries and were treated and transported by an advanced life support unit following the activation of the 911 EMS system. The data were analyzed in January 2023. Exposures: Acute painful traumatic injuries including burns. Main Outcomes and Measures: Outcomes were the recording of a pain score and the administration of a nonoral opioid or ketamine. Results: The study cohort included 4 781 396 EMS activations for acute traumatic injury, with a median (IQR) patient age of 59 (35-78) years (2 497 053 female [52.2%]; 31 266 American Indian or Alaskan Native [0.7%]; 59 713 Asian [1.2%]; 742 931 Black [15.5%], 411 934 Hispanic or Latino [8.6%], 10 747 Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander [0.2%]; 2 764 499 White [57.8%]; 16 161 multiple races [0.3%]). The analysis showed that race and ethnicity was associated with the likelihood of having a pain score recorded. Compared with White patients, American Indian and Alaskan Native patients had the lowest adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of having a pain score recorded (AOR, 0.74; 95% CI, 0.71-0.76). Among patients for whom a high pain score was recorded (between 7 and 10 out of 10), Black patients were about half as likely to receive opioid or ketamine analgesia as White patients (AOR, 0.53; 95% CI, 0.52-0.54) despite having a pain score recorded almost as frequently as White patients. Conclusions and Relevance: In this nationwide study of patients treated by EMS for acute traumatic injuries, patients from racial or ethnic minority groups were less likely to have a pain score recorded, with Native American and Alaskan Natives the least likely to have a pain score recorded. Among patients with a high pain score, patients from racial and ethnic minority groups were also significantly less likely to receive opioid or ketamine analgesia treatment, with Black patients having the lowest adjusted odds of receiving these treatments.

The Atlas Context Data Repository: A Feasible, Acceptable, and Useful Prototype for Context Data Collection and Future Predictive Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Evidence from health care and other fields indicates that context matters for successful implementation of quality improvement initiatives. Most context assessment frameworks and tools are evidence-informed; that is, based on literature and expert opinion/consensus. Quantitative evidence is lacking on which aspects of context most strongly predict implementation success. Implementers need this evidence to prioritize contextual factors for assessment and action. METHODS: The Atlas Initiative developed a prototype of surveys and data collection processes for populating the Atlas Context Data Repository, a large database that will enable statistical analyses of the relationship between context and implementation success. The prototype was piloted with eight US health care sites to assess its feasibility, acceptability, and utility for individual implementers and for use at scale. The researchers collected and analyzed quantitative data from the repository surveys, shared context assessment reports with sites, interviewed sites about their experiences, and held internal team debriefs. RESULTS: Sites found the Atlas prototype feasible and acceptable to implement and the context assessment reports useful for understanding their strengths and challenges. The Atlas Initiative successfully recruited repository participants and supported survey administration. The sample data, although too small to make predictive inferences, had reasonable distributions and low missingness. CONCLUSION: The results indicate that the Atlas Context Data Repository can be feasibly implemented at scale with minor modifications to the prototype, that the repository database can support future statistical analyses when it has more data, and that participation in the repository is valuable and worthwhile for sites.

Does adherence to evidence-based practices during childbirth prevent perinatal mortality? A post-hoc analysis of 3,274 births in Uttar Pradesh, India.

BACKGROUND: Evidence-based practices that reduce childbirth-related morbidity and mortality are core processes to quality of care. In the BetterBirth trial, a matched-pair, cluster-randomised controlled trial of a coaching-based implementation of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist (SCC) in Uttar Pradesh, India, we observed a significant increase in adherence to practices, but no reduction in perinatal mortality. METHODS: Within the BetterBirth trial, we observed birth attendants in a subset of study sites providing care to labouring women to assess the adherence to individual and groups of practices. We observed care from admission to the facility until 1 hour post partum. We followed observed women/newborns for 7-day perinatal health outcomes. Using this observational data, we conducted a post-hoc, exploratory analysis to understand the relationship of birth attendants' practice adherence to perinatal mortality. FINDINGS: Across 30 primary health facilities, we observed 3274 deliveries and obtained 7-day health outcomes. Adherence to individual practices, containing supply preparation and direct provider care, varied widely (0·51 to 99·78%). We recorded 166 perinatal deaths (50·71 per 1000 births), including 56 (17·1 per 1000) stillbirths. Each additional practice performed was significantly associated with reduced odds of perinatal (OR: 0·82, 95% CI: 0·72, 0·93) and early neonatal mortality (OR: 0·78, 95% CI: 0·71, 0·85). Each additional practice as part of direct provider care was associated strongly with reduced odds of perinatal (OR: 0·73, 95% CI: 0·62, 0·86) and early neonatal mortality (OR: 0·67, 95% CI: 0·56, 0·80). No individual practice or single supply preparation was associated with perinatal mortality. INTERPRETATION: Adherence to practices on the WHO SCC is associated with reduced mortality, indicating that adherence is a valid indicator of higher quality of care. However, the causal relationships between practices and outcomes are complex. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. TRIAL REGISTRATION DETAILS: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02148952; Universal Trial Number: U1111-1131-5647.

Unpacking the null: a post-hoc analysis of a cluster-randomised controlled trial of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist in Uttar Pradesh, India (BetterBirth).

BACKGROUND: A coaching-based implementation of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist in Uttar Pradesh, India, improved adherence to evidence-based practices, but did not reduce perinatal mortality, maternal morbidity, or maternal mortality. We examined facility-level correlates of the outcomes, which varied widely across the 120 study facilities. METHODS: We did a post-hoc analysis of the coaching-based implementation of the WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist in Uttar Pradesh. We used multivariable modelling to identify correlations between 30 facility-level characteristics and each health outcome (perinatal mortality, maternal morbidity, or maternal mortality). To identify contexts in which the intervention might have had an effect, we then ran the models on data restricted to the period of intensive coaching and among patients not referred out of the facilities. FINDINGS: In the multivariable context, perinatal mortality was associated with only 3 of the 30 variables: female literacy at the district level, geographical location, and previous neonatal mortality. Maternal morbidity was only associated with geographical location. No facility-level predictors were associated with maternal mortality. Among facilities in the lowest tertile of birth volume (<95 births per month), our models estimated perinatal mortality was 17 (95% CI 11·7-24·8) per 1000 births in the intervention group versus 38 (31·6-44·8) per 1000 in the control group (p<0·0001). INTERPRETATION: Mortality was not directly associated with measured facility-level indicators but was associated with general risk factors. The absence of correlation between expected predictors and patient outcomes and the association between improved outcomes and the intervention in smaller facilities suggest a need for additional measures of quality of care that take into account complexity. FUNDING: Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

Effectiveness of a WHO Safe Childbirth Checklist Coaching-based intervention on the availability of Essential Birth Supplies in Uttar Pradesh, India.

OBJECTIVE: Evaluate the impact of a World Health Organization Safe Childbirth Checklist coaching-based intervention (BetterBirth Program) on availability and procurement of essential childbirth-related supplies. DESIGN: Matched pair, cluster-randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Uttar Pradesh, India. PARTICIPANTS: 120 government-sector health facilities (60 interventions, 60 controls). Supply-availability surveys were conducted quarterly in all sites. Coaches collected supply procurement sources from intervention sites. INTERVENTIONS: Coaching targeting implementation of Checklist with data feedback and action planning. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Mean supply availability by study arm; change in procurement sources for intervention sites. RESULTS: At baseline, 6 and 12 months, the intervention sites had a mean of 20.9 (95% confidence interval (CI): 20.2-21.5); 22.4 (95% CI: 21.8-22.9) and 22.1 (95% CI:21.4-22.8) items, respectively. Control sites had 20.8 (95% CI: 20.3-21.3); 20.9 (95% CI: 20.3-21.5) and 21.7 (95% CI: 20.8-22.6) items at the same time-points. There was a small but statistically significant higher availability in intervention sites at 6 months (difference-in-difference (DID) = 1.43, P < 0.001), which was not seen by 12 months (DID = 0.37, P = 0.53). Greater difference between intervention and control sites starting in the bottom quartile of supply availability was seen at 6 months (DID = 4.0, P = 0.0002), with no significant difference by 12 months (DID = 1.5, P = 0.154). No change was seen in procurement sources with ~5% procured by patients with some rates as high as 29% (oxytocin). CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of the BetterBirth Program, incorporating supply availability, resulted in modest improvements with catch-up by control facilities by 12 months. Supply-chain coaching may be most beneficial in sites starting with lower supply availability. Efforts are needed to reduce reliance on patient-funding for some critical medications. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov #NCT02148952; Universal Trial Number: U1111-1131-5647.

Benchmarks for interpretation of score differences on the SF-36 health survey for patients with diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate clinical and social benchmarks for interpretation of score differences on the Short-Form 36 Health Survey, and apply these benchmarks to populations with diabetes mellitus (DM). METHODS: Using survival and logistic regression models, we reanalyzed data from three US cohorts: the Medical Outcomes Study (N = 3,445; 541 patients with DM), the Medicare Health Outcomes Survey (N = 78,183; 16,388 patients with DM), and the QualityMetric 2009 Norming Study (N = 4,040; 580 patients with DM). Outcome variables were mortality, hospitalization, current inability to work, and loss of ability to work. RESULTS: Benchmarks were robust across disease groups, but varied according to age and score level. A 1-point lower score on the Physical Function, General Health, and Physical Component Summary scales was associated with a 1.05 to 1.09 relative risk (RR) of mortality for the typical patient with DM, with stronger associations in the younger age groups. For several scales (Physical Function, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, Vitality, Social Function, and Role Emotional), the associations with mortality also depended on score level, with stronger associations in the lower score ranges (i.e., patients in worse health). A 1-point lower score on the Physical Function, Role Physical, Bodily Pain, General Health, Vitality, Social Function, and Physical Component Summary scales implied a 1.02 to 1.04 RR of hospitalization, a 1.07 to 1.12 RR of being unable to work, and a 1.04 to 1.07 RR of losing the ability to work. CONCLUSIONS: A 1-point lower score on selected Short-Form 36 Health Survey scales is associated with an excess risk of up to 9% for mortality and 12% for inability to work.