Exploring the Telephone Call Experience of Patients with Non-English Language Preference in Primary Care vs. Specialty.

BACKGROUND: Latine people, comprising 18.5% of the US population, constitute the largest ethnic minority group, with nearly one-third self-identifying as having non-English language preference (NELP). Despite the importance of the telephone in health care access, there is limited understanding of how NELP patients navigate telephone calls with primary and specialty care clinics. OBJECTIVE: This qualitative study aims to capture how Spanish speakers with NELP characterize their telephone call experiences with primary and specialty care clinics. DESIGN: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 24 Spanish-speaking participants from primary care clinics with a sizeable proportion of patients who prefer to communicate in a language other than English at an urban academic medical center in Boston, MA. PARTICIPANTS: Participants were selected from primary care clinics that were well-equipped to serve Spanish-speaking patients. A total of 24 Spanish-speaking patients with NELP, mainly women (83%), with a mean age of 55.8 years, participated. They represented diverse countries of origin, with an average length of time in the USA of 21.7 years. APPROACH: Interview questions prompted participants to describe their telephone call experiences with front desk staff, with attention to interpreter availability, ancillary assistance, health outcomes stemming from a lack of language services, and emotional consequences of language discordance on calls. KEY RESULTS: Patients perceived primary care clinics as providing familiarity and language concordance during telephone interactions, contrasting with specialty care clinics, seen as sources of monolingual English communication. Participants utilized various strategies, such as requesting interpreters, using concise English phrases, or seeking assistance from acquaintances, relatives, or primary care clinic staff, to mitigate language barriers. CONCLUSIONS: The findings underscore significant challenges faced by Spanish-speaking patients with NELP in ambulatory specialty care telephone calls. The study emphasizes the importance of creating inclusive multilingual telephone environments, standardizing interpreter access, and reflecting the diversity of the communities served.

Comments on "Risk of mortality of node-negative, ER/PR/HER2 breast cancer subtypes in T1, T2, and T3 tumors" by Parise CA and Caggiano V, Breast Cancer Res Treat, 2017.

We would like to express our opinion regarding a Parise and Caggiano paper recently published in your journal. We certainly believe this is a great contribution, since it found that node-negative HER2 (+) breast cancer patients have better survival contrary to the common knowledge. This finding could reflect the consequences of targeted therapies that are changing the natural history of the disease. However, we think that such an interesting analysis could also have been done with stage III and IV patients, since this group of people could benefit greatly from these findings. In fact, new guidelines now recommend the use of HER2-specific therapy for stage IV patients with positive markers, even for life if they do not show signs of progression. Additionally, we would like to discuss the value of adding the Ki-67 marker to the classification proposed by the authors, because several papers consider it an important prognostic factor.

Inter-pathologist and pathology report agreement for ovarian tumor characteristics in the Nurses' Health Studies.

BACKGROUND: Grade and histotype of ovarian carcinomas are often used as surrogates of molecular subtypes. We examined factors affecting pathologists' reproducibility in two prospective studies. METHODS: Two pathologists independently reviewed slides from 459 incident ovarian cancers in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and NHSII. We described agreement on tumor characteristics using percent agreement and Cohen's standard kappa (κ) coefficients. We used logistic regression, with disagreement as the outcome, to evaluate the contribution of case and tumor characteristics to agreement. RESULTS: Inter-rater agreement was 95% (κ = 0.81) for carcinoma versus borderline, 89% (κ = 0.58) for grade and 85% (κ = 0.71) for histotype. Inter-rater grading disagreement was higher for non-serous histotypes (OR = 4.66, 95% CI 2.09-10.36) and lower for cancers with bizarre atypia (OR = 0.13, 95% CI 0.04-0.38). Agreement with original pathology reports was 94% (κ = 0.73) for carcinoma versus borderline, 78% (κ = 0.60) for histotype, and 79% (κ = 0.24) for grade. Grading disagreement was significantly lower for tumors with 'solid, pseudoendometrioid or transitional' (SET) architecture (OR = 0.08, 95%CI 0.01-0.84). Date of original diagnosis, hospital type, number of slides available for review, tumor stage, and slide quality were not related to agreement. CONCLUSION: Overall, inter-rater agreement for tumor type and grade for archival tissue specimens was good. Agreement between the consensus review and original pathology reports was lower. Factors contributing to grading disagreement included non-serous histotype, absence of bizarre atypia, and absence of SET architecture.

Cluster analysis of COVID-19 recovery center patients at a clinic in Boston, MA 2021-2022: impact on strategies for access and personalized care.

BACKGROUND: There are known disparities in COVID-19 resource utilization that may persist during the recovery period for some patients. We sought to define subpopulations of patients seeking COVID-19 recovery care in terms of symptom reporting and care utilization to better personalize their care and to identify ways to improve access to subspecialty care. METHODS: Prospective study of adult patients with prior COVID-19 infection seen in an ambulatory COVID-19 recovery center (CRC) in Boston, Massachusetts from April 2021 to April 2022. Hierarchical clustering with complete linkage to differentiate subpopulations was done with four sociodemographic variables: sex, race, language, and insurance status. Outcomes included ICU admission, utilization of supplementary care, self-report of symptoms. RESULTS: We included 1285 COVID-19 patients referred to the CRC with a mean age of 47 years, of whom 71% were female and 78% White. We identified 3 unique clusters of patients. Cluster 1 and 3 patients were more likely to have had intensive care unit (ICU) admissions; Cluster 2 were more likely to be White with commercial insurance and a low percentage of ICU admission; Cluster 3 were more likely to be Black/African American or Latino/a and have commercial insurance. Compared to Cluster 2, Cluster 1 patients were more likely to report symptoms (ORs ranging 2.4-3.75) but less likely to use support groups, psychoeducation, or care coordination (all p < 0.05). Cluster 3 patients reported greater symptoms with similar levels of community resource utilization. CONCLUSIONS: Within a COVID-19 recovery center, there are distinct groups of patients with different clinical and socio-demographic profiles, which translates to differential resource utilization. These insights from different subpopulations of patients can inform targeted strategies which are tailored to specific patient needs.

Recurrence of Urinary Tract Infections due to Escherichia coli and Its Association with Antimicrobial Resistance.

We analyzed the association between antibiotic resistance and recurrent urinary tract infection (rUTI) by Escherichia coli. Susceptibility levels to 14 antimicrobial agents and the presence of extended-spectrum ß-lactamases (ESBL) were established using MicroScan. Incidences of multidrug resistant (MDR), extensively drug resistant (XDR), and ESBL-producer isolates as well as rUTIs were estimated. The time to recurrence was established adjusted for number of antibiotic-resistant families and MDR as predictors of interest, respectively. Overall, 8,553 urinary tract infection (UTI) cases related to E. coli, including 963 rITU, were analyzed with levels of resistance >30% in all cases, except for amikacin, nitrofurantoin, and carbapenems. The incidence of rUTI was of 11.3%, being 46.5%, 24.3%, and 42.5% for MDR, XDR, and ESBLs, respectively. Bivariate analysis showed that rUTI was associated with age, gender, resistance to specific antimicrobials, MDR, and XDR. The number of antibiotic families tested as resistant, MDR, XDR, gender, and age were associated with time to recurrence when adjusted for number of antibiotic families, and MDR, gender, and age were related when adjusted for MDR. High rates of antibiotic resistance to the usual antibiotics was observed in E. coli causing UTI, with female sex, age, and antibiotic resistance being risk factors for the development of rUTI.

Study of the Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Version of the Measure of Moral Distress for Health Care Professionals (MMD-HP-SPA).

BACKGROUND: The early detection of moral distress requires a validated and reliable instrument. The aim of this study was to carry out an advanced analysis of the psychometric properties of the moral distress scale for health professionals (MMD-HP-SPA) by performing a validation of the construct and its internal and external reliability. METHODS: We performed a multicentre cross-sectional study in health professionals belonging to the Andalusian public health system. Construct validity was performed by exploratory (n = 300) and confirmatory (n = 275) factor analysis (EFA/CFA) in different subgroups; we also analysed the internal consistency and temporal reliability of the scale. RESULTS: 384 doctors and 191 nurses took part in the survey. The overall mean for moral distress was 128.5 (SD = 70.9), 95% CI [122.7-134.3], and it was higher in nurses at 140.5 (SD = 74.9) than in doctors at 122.5 (SD = 68.1), F = 8.37 p < 0.01. The EFA produced a model of five components which accounted for 54.8% of the variance of the model. The CFA achieved a goodness of fit of Chi2 = 972.4; AIC = 1144.3; RMSEA = 0.086; CFI = 0.844; TLI = 0.828; NFI = 0.785. CONCLUSIONS: The MMD-HP-SPA scale has solid construct validity, excellent internal consistency, optimal temporal reliability, and underlying dimensions which effectively explore the causes of moral distress in health professionals, thus guaranteeing its use in hospital and community settings.

Skin Cancer.

Skin cancer accounts for most malignancies across the globe. They are primarily divided into melanoma and nonmelanoma skin malignancies. Nonmelanoma skin cancer includes basal cell carcinoma and squamous cell carcinoma. Fair skin and chronic ultraviolet B exposure are the most important risk factors. Primary prevention is achieved by avoiding sun exposure and tanning beds.

A systematic review of instruments for early detection of autism spectrum disorders

Only a small percentage of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders are diagnosed before they are three years old, although earlier detection and intervention would reduce the disabilities associated with the disorder. In addition, as children get older, treatments are more costly and difficult and the results less satisfactory. Considering the importance of detecting autism early, the objective of this study is to identify the instruments that can be used to detect signs of autism before children are 2 years old, and which of these instruments have been validated in the Spanish population. By searching in several research databases, we compared the existing instruments and their main characteristics. We found that some instruments can be used to assess a possible autism spectrum disorder before children are 2 years old, with acceptable sensitivity, specificity and reliability indexes. However, only a few instruments have been validated for the Spanish population, some of which have not been specifically designed for early detection. For this reason, a tool needs to be developed to detect the warning signs of autism spectrum disorders before the age of 2 which can be applied as part of the protocol for pediatric check-ups

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Embarazo ectópico abdominal / Abdominal ectopic pregnancy

El embarazo ectópico abdominal ocurre con escasa frecuencia. Se refiere al implante del embarazo en algunas de las estructuras de la cavidad abdominal, generalmente se asocia a una alta incidencia en la mortalidad materna y fetal; la mortalidad materna es siete veces mayor que en el embarazo tubárico y hasta 90 veces más que en el embarazo normal. El caso que a continuación se presenta es una paciente con antecedentes de salud previa, que asistió al Hospital Provincial de Bengo, municipio de Dande de la República Popular de Angola, en septiembre de 2013. Se le diagnosticó un embarazo a término con una deficiente atención prenatal. Se detectó perdida genital y ausencia de latidos cardiacos fetales. Se le comenzó la inducción del parto, y al no tener progreso, se realizó la cesaría hallándose un embarazo ectópico abdominal. Se realizó la extracción de un recién nacido a término muerto y gran parte de la placenta.

Abdominal ectopic pregnancy is not frequent. It refers to the extrauterine implantation of pregnancy in some of the abdominal cavity structures, generally associated with a high incidence of maternal and fetal mortality; rates of maternal mortality have been reported as high as sevenfold higher than in tubal pregnancy, and up to ninetyfold higher than normal pregnancy. This case report (September 2013) presents a patient with previous history, she attended to Bengo Provincial Hospital, Dandede municipality, People’s Angola Republic. The pregnancy was detected at term with poor prenatal care. Genital loss and absence of fetal heartbeats were observed. The Induction of labor was initiated, having not progress; a cesarean section was performed, finding an abdominal ectopic pregnancy. The removal of a stillborn at term and great part of the placenta was performed.

Colostomía perineal en el carcinoma recto vaginal / Perineal colostomy in recto-vaginal carcinoma

Se realizó una variante quirúrgica en una paciente con cáncer recto-vaginal, con infiltración del tercio inferior y cara lateral derecha del recto, muy próximo al esfínter del ano. La técnica consistió, previo diagnóstico por biopsia, en realizar excérecis del tumor que comprometió al parapeto derecho y el tercio inferior de vagina, terminando con una colostomía perineal, conservando algunas fibras del esfínter del ano. Se dejó drenaje en ambos lados y se reconstruyó resto de la vagina. Se logró buena continencia rectal del paciente, con buen estado de satisfacción. No hubo complicaciones y actualmente defeca sin dificultad. Ha tenido seguimiento por consulta de Oncoginecología del Hospital III Congreso de Pinar del Río. La intervención se llevó a cabo en una hora.

A surgical alternative was performed in a patient suffering from rectovaginal cancer infiltrating the lower third and lateral right aspect of the rectum, so closed to anal sphincter. Operative technique consisted of a previous diagnosis by biopsy, besides, exceresis of the tumor that compromised right pararectum and lower third of vagina, ending in perineal colostomy preserving some fibers of anal sphincter. Drainage was performed in both sides and the rest of the vagina was reconstructed. A good rectal continence and well being were obtained, observing no complications, the patient defecates without difficulties, this case is followed up at "III Congreso Hospital" in Pinar del Rio. Operative procedures lasted an hour.