Discordance between patient report and chart review of risk factors for antimicrobial resistance in ED patients.

OBJECTIVES: The objective of this study is to identify the level of agreement between patient self-report and chart review for presence of antimicrobial resistance (AR) risk factors in emergency department (ED) patients. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analysis of adult ED patients from July 2010 to January 2011. All ED patients 18 years or older were eligible. Exclusion criteria included pregnant women, prisoners, altered mental status, non-English speakers, traumas, and patients unable to provide consent. Data were obtained by ED patient interview and review of the preceding 3 months of the medical record. We report the difference between patient self-report and chart review of identifying 1 or more AR risk factors using McNemar's χ(2). The test statistic was also calculated for individual risk factors and significance adjusted for multiple comparisons (P < .003). Agreement was calculated using κ with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). Risk factor domains assessed included nursing home residence, recent health care utilization, current indwelling devices, and medical history. RESULTS: Among 289 patients, 1 or more risk factors were reported by 68% (95% CI, 63%-74%) of patients and found in 59% (95% CI, 53%-65%) of charts, a difference of 9.7% (95% CI, 5.3%-14%) (P < .001; κ = 0.72). Patients were more likely to report recent antibiotic use (42% vs 29%; P < .001; κ = 0.52) and recent surgery (17% vs 11%; P < .001; κ = 0.64). CONCLUSIONS: There is disagreement between ED patient self-report and medical record review for many AR risk factors. This could affect both clinical care and results of ED research studies relying on chart reviews. Patient self-report identifies a greater number of AR risk factors than chart review.

Depletion of CD4+ cells exacerbates the cutaneous response to acute and chronic UVB exposure.

Solid organ transplant recipients have a 60-250-fold increased likelihood of developing sunlight-induced squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) compared with the general population. This increased risk is linked to the immunosuppressive drugs taken by these patients to modulate T cell function, thus preventing organ rejection. To determine the importance of T cells in the development of cutaneous SCC, we examined the effects of selectively depleting Skh-1 mice of systemic CD4+ or CD8+ T cells, using monoclonal antibodies, on ultraviolet B (UVB) radiation-induced inflammation and tumor development. Decreases in systemic CD4+ but not CD8+ T cells significantly increased and prolonged the acute UVB-induced cutaneous inflammatory response, as measured by neutrophil influx, myeloperoxidase activity, and prostaglandin E2 levels. Significantly more p53+ keratinocytes were observed in UVB-exposed CD4-depleted than in CD4-replete mice, and this difference was abrogated in mice depleted of neutrophils before UVB exposure. Increased acute inflammation was associated with significantly increased tumor numbers in CD4-depleted mice chronically exposed to UVB. Furthermore, topical treatment with the anti-inflammatory drug celecoxib significantly decreased tumor numbers in both CD4-replete and CD4-depleted mice. Our findings suggest that CD4+ T cells play an important role in modulating both the acute inflammatory and the chronic carcinogenic response of the skin to UVB.