Physical Activity Among Rural Men: Barriers and Preferences.

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity positively affects health. Although 94% of Americans know the health benefits of regular physical activity, more than 75% do not achieve recommended levels. The objective of our study was to identify and define the key components of a physical activity intervention tailored to rural American men. METHODS: We recruited rural men (N = 447) via Amazon's Mechanical Turk online platform to complete a needs assessment survey focused on their interest in a physical activity intervention, preferred intervention features, and potential intervention objectives. Data were summarized by using descriptive statistics. A cumulative logistic regression model examined associations between the men's perceived importance of physical activity to health and their interest in a physical activity intervention. RESULTS: Almost all participants (97.7%) rated physical activity as "at least somewhat important" to their health, and 83.9% indicated they would be "at least somewhat interested" in participating in a physical activity intervention. On a scale of 1 (not at all a barrier) to 5 (very much a barrier), motivation (mean 3.4; 95% CI, 3.3-3.5), cold weather (mean, 3.4; 95% CI, 3.3-3.5), and tiredness (mean, 3.3; 95% CI, 3.2-3.4) were rated the biggest barriers to physical activity. Becoming fitter (54.1%) was the top reason for joining a physical activity program. Preferred delivery channels for receiving an intervention were mobile application (ranked from 1 being the most preferred and 9 being the least preferred: mean, 2.8; 95% CI, 2.70-3.09) and e-mail (mean, 4.2; 95% CI, 3.92-4.36). Rural men preferred interventions that taught them how to exercise and that could be done from home. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest US men in rural areas are receptive to physical activity programs. A systematic approach and a clear model of development are needed to tailor future physical activity interventions to the special needs of rural men.

AAAPT: Assessment of the Acute Pain Trajectory.

OBJECTIVE: Define and contrast acute pain trajectories vs. the aggregate pain measurements, summarize appropriate linear and nonlinear statistical analyses for pain trajectories at the patient level, and present methods to classify individual pain trajectories. Clinical applications of acute pain trajectories are also discussed. SETTING: In 2016, an expert panel involving the Analgesic, Anesthetic, and Addiction Clinical Trial Translations, Innovations, Opportunities, and Networks (ACTTION), American Pain Society (APS), and American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) established an initiative to create a pain taxonomy, named the ACTTION-APS-AAPM Pain Taxonomy (AAAPT), for the multidimensional classification of acute pain. The AAAPT panel commissioned the present report to provide further details on analysis of the individual acute pain trajectory as an important component of comprehensive pain assessment. METHODS: Linear mixed models and nonlinear models (e.g., regression splines and polynomial models) can be applied to analyze the acute pain trajectory. Alternatively, methods for classifying individual pain trajectories (e.g., using the 50% confidence interval of the random slope approach or using latent class analyses) can be applied in the clinical context to identify different trajectories of resolving pain (e.g., rapid reduction or slow reduction) or persisting pain. Each approach has advantages and disadvantages that may guide selection. Assessment of the acute pain trajectory may guide treatment and tailoring to anticipated symptom recovery. The acute pain trajectory can also serve as a treatment outcome measure, informing further management. CONCLUSIONS: Application of trajectory approaches to acute pain assessments enables more comprehensive measurement of acute pain, which forms the cornerstone of accurate classification and treatment of pain.

A Typology of New Long-term Opioid Prescribing in the Veterans Health Administration.

BACKGROUND: Narrow definitions of long-term opioid (LTO) use result in limited knowledge of the full range of LTO prescribing patterns and the rates of these patterns. OBJECTIVE: To investigate a model of new LTO prescribing typologies using latent class analysis. DESIGN: National administrative data from the VA Corporate Data Warehouse were accessed using the VA Informatics and Computing Infrastructure. Characterization of the typology of initial LTO prescribing was explored using latent class analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans initiating LTO during 2016 through the Veteran's Administration Healthcare System (N = 42,230). MAIN MEASURES: Opioid receipt as determined by VA prescription data, using the cabinet supply methodology. KEY RESULTS: Over one-quarter (27.7%) of the sample fell into the fragmented new long-term prescribing category, 39.8% were characterized by uniform daily new LTO, and the remaining 32.7% were characterized by uniform episodic LTO. Each of these three broad sub-groups also included two additional sub-groups (6 classes total in the model), characterized by the presence or absence of prior opioid prescriptions. CONCLUSIONS: New LTO prescribing in the VA includes uniform daily prescribing, uniform episodic prescribing, and fragmented prescribing. Future work is needed to elucidate the safety and efficacy of these prescribing patterns.

Are Anesthesia and Surgery during Infancy Associated with Decreased White Matter Integrity and Volume during Childhood?

BACKGROUND: Anesthetics have neurotoxic effects in neonatal animals. Relevant human evidence is limited. We sought such evidence in a structural neuroimaging study. METHODS: Two groups of children underwent structural magnetic resonance imaging: patients who, during infancy, had one of four operations commonly performed in otherwise healthy children and comparable, nonexposed control subjects. Total and regional brain tissue composition and volume, as well as regional indicators of white matter integrity (fractional anisotropy and mean diffusivity), were analyzed. RESULTS: Analyses included 17 patients, without potential confounding central nervous system problems or risk factors, who had general anesthesia and surgery during infancy and 17 control subjects (age ranges, 12.3 to 15.2 yr and 12.6 to 15.1 yr, respectively). Whole brain white matter volume, as a percentage of total intracranial volume, was lower for the exposed than the nonexposed group, 37.3 ± 0.4% and 38.9 ± 0.4% (least squares mean ± SE), respectively, a difference of 1.5 percentage points (95% CI, 0.3 to 2.8; P = 0.016). Corresponding decreases were statistically significant for parietal and occipital lobes, infratentorium, and brainstem separately. White matter integrity was lower for the exposed than the nonexposed group in superior cerebellar peduncle, cerebral peduncle, external capsule, cingulum (cingulate gyrus), and fornix (cres) and/or stria terminalis. The groups did not differ in total intracranial, gray matter, and cerebrospinal fluid volumes. CONCLUSIONS: Children who had anesthesia and surgery during infancy showed broadly distributed, decreased white matter integrity and volume. Although the findings may be related to anesthesia and surgery during infancy, other explanations are possible.

Monte Carlo Simulations Comparing Fisher Exact Test and Unequal Variances t Test for Analysis of Differences Between Groups in Brief Hospital Lengths of Stay.

BACKGROUND: We examined type I and II error rates for analysis of (1) mean hospital length of stay (LOS) versus (2) percentage of hospital LOS that are overnight. These 2 end points are suitable for when LOS is treated as a secondary economic end point. METHODS: We repeatedly resampled LOS for 5052 discharges of thoracoscopic wedge resections and lung lobectomy at 26 hospitals. RESULTS: Unequal variances t test (Welch method) and Fisher exact test both were conservative (ie, type I error rate less than nominal level). The Wilcoxon rank sum test was included as a comparator; the type I error rates did not differ from the nominal level of 0.05 or 0.01. Fisher exact test was more powerful than the unequal variances t test at detecting differences among hospitals; estimated odds ratio for obtaining P < .05 with Fisher exact test versus unequal variances t test = 1.94, with 95% confidence interval, 1.31-3.01. Fisher exact test and Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney had comparable statistical power in terms of differentiating LOS between hospitals. CONCLUSIONS: For studies with LOS to be used as a secondary end point of economic interest, there is currently considerable interest in the planned analysis being for the percentage of patients suitable for ambulatory surgery (ie, hospital LOS equals 0 or 1 midnight). Our results show that there need not be a loss of statistical power when groups are compared using this binary end point, as compared with either Welch method or Wilcoxon rank sum test.

First-Attempt Intubation Success of Video Laryngoscopy in Patients with Anticipated Difficult Direct Laryngoscopy: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing the C-MAC D-Blade Versus the GlideScope in a Mixed Provider and Diverse Patient Population.

BACKGROUND: Intubation success in patients with predicted difficult airways is improved by video laryngoscopy. In particular, acute-angle video laryngoscopes are now frequently chosen for endotracheal intubation in these patients. However, there is no evidence concerning whether different acute-angle video laryngoscopes can be used interchangeably in this scenario and would allow endotracheal intubation with the same success rate. We therefore tested whether first-attempt intubation success is similar when using a newly introduced acute-angle blade, that is an element of an extended airway management system (C-MAC D-Blade) compared with a well-established acute-angle video laryngoscope (GlideScope). METHODS: In this large multicentered prospective randomized controlled noninferiority trial, patients requiring general anesthesia for elective surgery and presenting with clinical predictors of difficult laryngoscopy were randomly assigned to intubation using either the C-MAC D-Blade or the GlideScope video laryngoscope. The hypothesis was that first-attempt intubation success using the new device (D-Blade) is no >4% less than the established device (GlideScope), which would determine noninferiority of the new instrument versus the established instrument. The secondary outcomes we observed included intubation success with multiple attempts and airway-related complications within 7 days of enrollment. RESULTS: Eleven hundred patients were randomly assigned to either video laryngoscope. Intubation success rate on first attempt was 96.2% in the GlideScope group and 93.4% in the C-MAC D-Blade group. Although the absolute difference between the 2 groups was only 2.8%, the 90.35% upper confidence limit of the difference exceeded the predefined margin (4.98%), indicating a rejection of the noninferiority hypothesis for first-attempt intubation success. For attending anesthesiologists, and upon multiple attempts, intubation success did not differ between systems. Pharyngeal injury was noted in 1% of the patients, and the incidence did not differ between interventional groups. CONCLUSIONS: Head-to-head comparison in this large multicenter trial revealed that the newly introduced C-MAC D-Blade does not yield the same first-attempt intubation success as the GlideScope in patients with predicted difficult laryngoscopy except in the hands of attending anesthesiologists. Additional research would be necessary to identify potential causes for this difference. Intubation success rates were very high with both systems, indicating that acute-angle video laryngoscopy is an exceptionally successful strategy for the initial approach to endotracheal intubation in patients with predicted difficult laryngoscopy.

The influence of the type and design of the anesthesia record on ASA physical status scores in surgical patients: paper records vs. electronic anesthesia records.

BACKGROUND: The American Society of Anesthesiologists Physical Status classification (ASA PS) of surgical patients is a standard element of the preoperative assessment. In early 2013, the Department of Anesthesia was notified that the distribution of ASA PS scores for sampled patients at the University of Iowa had recently begun to deviate from national comparison data. This change appeared to coincide with the transition from paper records to a new electronic Anesthesia Information Management System (AIMS). We hypothesized that the design of the AIMS was unintentionally influencing how providers assigned ASA PS values. METHODS: Primary analyses were based on 12-month blocks of data from paper records and AIMS. For the purpose of analysis, ASA PS was dichotomized to ASA PS 1 and 2 vs. ASA PS >2. To ensure that changes in ASA PS were not due to "real" changes in our patient mix, we examined other relevant covariates (e.g. age, weight, case distribution across surgical services, emergency vs. elective surgeries etc.). RESULTS: There was a 6.1 % (95 % CI: 5.1-7.1 %) absolute increase in the fraction of ASA PS 1&2 classifications after the transition from paper (54.9 %) to AIMS (61.0 %); p < 0.001. The AIMS was then modified to make ASA PS entry clearer (e.g. clearly highlighting ASA PS on the main anesthesia record). Following the modifications, the AS PS 1&2 fraction decreased by 7.7 % (95 % CI: 6.78-8.76 %) compared to the initial AIMS records (from 61.0 to 53.3 %); p < 0.001. There were no significant or meaningful differences in basic patient characteristics and case distribution during this time. CONCLUSION: The transition from paper to electronic AIMS resulted in an unintended but significant shift in recorded ASA PS scores. Subsequent design changes within the AIMS resulted in resetting of the ASA PS distributions to previous values. These observations highlight the importance of how user interface and cognitive demands introduced by a computational system can impact the recording of important clinical data in the medical record.

Elective endovascular treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms: a management case series of patient outcomes after institutional change to admit patients principally to postanesthesia care unit rather than to intensive care.

BACKGROUND: Our intention in this case series was to review the postoperative care and neurologic outcomes of patients who had undergone elective endovascular treatment of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. The case series is unique managerially in that a progressively increasing percentage of patients were admitted to the postanesthesia care unit (PACU; 1:2 nurse-to-patient ratio) and subsequently to the neurosurgical ward (1:3 nurse-to-patient ratio) instead of directly to the intensive care unit (ICU; 1:1 nurse-to-patient ratio). METHODS: A retrospective review was performed of 170 consecutive elective endovascular procedures to treat unruptured intracranial aneurysms between July 2009 and September 2012. Data included patient, aneurysm, procedural characteristics, and adverse events within 96 hours after the procedure. Rates of ICU admission and perioperative neurologic adverse events were compared over time. RESULTS: Although direct ICU admission rates decreased over time (P < 0.0001) from 100% to 15%, perioperative neurologic event rates did not change (P = 0.79). Sixteen of 170 patients experienced perioperative neurologic events. The percentages of patients with neurologic events who died or had deficits that did not resolve before discharge were 38% (3 of 8) among patients directly admitted to the ICU versus 38% (3 of 8) among those first admitted to the PACU. Although the duration of anesthesia was greater among patients admitted to the ICU, duration was not useful in predicting decisions on the day of surgery for individual patients. The duration of anesthesia also was not meaningfully associated with information available preoperatively (i.e., for use when scheduling the case). CONCLUSIONS: In centers in which PACU and ward care are comparable to those in this case series, in the absence of intraoperative events with the potential for ongoing cerebral ischemia, most patients undergoing elective endovascular treatment of unruptured cerebral aneurysms can be managed without direct ICU admission. Scheduling all these procedures by using the mean historical anesthesia duration is reasonable.

Patient and Operational Factors Do Not Substantively Affect the Annual Departmental Quality of Anesthesiologists' Clinical Supervision and Nurse Anesthetists' Work Habits.

INTRODUCTION: Although safety climate, teamwork, and other non-technical skills in operating rooms probably influence clinical outcomes, direct associations have not been shown, at least partially due to sample size considerations. We report data from a retrospective cohort of anesthesia evaluations that can simplify the design of prospective observational studies in this area. Associations between non-technical skills in anesthesia, specifically anesthesiologists' quality of clinical supervision and nurse anesthetists' work habits, and patient and operational factors were examined. METHODS: Eight fiscal years of evaluations and surgical cases from one hospital were included. Clinical supervision by anesthesiologists was evaluated daily using a nine-item scale. Work habits of nurse anesthetists were evaluated daily using a six-item scale. The dependent variables for both groups of staff were binary, whether all items were given the maximum score or not. Associations were tested with patient and operational variables for the entire day. RESULTS: There were 40,718 evaluations of faculty anesthesiologists by trainees, 53,772 evaluations of nurse anesthetists by anesthesiologists, and 296,449 cases that raters and ratees started together. Cohen's d values were small (≤0.10) for all independent variables, suggesting a lack of any clinically meaningful association between patient and operational factors and evaluations given the maximum scores. For supervision quality, the day's count of orthopedic cases was a significant predictor of scores (P = 0.0011). However, the resulting absolute marginal change in the percentage of supervision scores equal to the maximum was only 0.8% (99% confidence interval: 0.2% to 1.4%), i.e., too small to be of clinical or managerial importance. Neurosurgical cases may have been a significant predictor of work habits (P = 0.0054). However, the resulting marginal change in the percentage of work habits scores equal to the maximum, an increase of 0.8% (99% confidence interval: 0.1% to 1.6%), which was again too small to be important. CONCLUSIONS: When evaluating the effect of assigning anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists with different clinical performance quality on clinical outcomes, supervision quality and work habits scores may be included as independent variables without concern that their effects are confounded by association with the patient or case characteristics. Clinical supervision and work habits are measures of non-technical skills. Hence, these findings suggest that non-technical performance can be judged by observing the typical small sample size of cases. Then, associations can be tested with administrative data for a far greater number of patients because there is unlikely to be a confounding association between patient and case characteristics and the clinicians' non-technical performance.

Minimal Clinically Important Change of Movement Pain in Musculoskeletal Pain Conditions.

Movement pain, which is distinct from resting pain, is frequently reported by individuals with musculoskeletal pain. There is growing interest in measuring movement pain as a primary outcome in clinical trials, but no minimally clinically important change (MCIC) has been established, limiting interpretations. We analyzed data from 315 participants who participated in previous clinical trials (65 with chronic Achilles tendinopathy; 250 with fibromyalgia) to establish an MCIC for movement pain. A composite movement pain score was defined as the average pain (Numeric Rating Scale: 0-10) during 2 clinically relevant activities. The change in movement pain was calculated as the change in movement pain from pre-intervention to post-intervention. A Global Scale (GS: 1-7) was completed after the intervention on perceived change in health status. Participants were dichotomized into non-responders (GS ≥4) and responders (GS <3). Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated to determine threshold values and corresponding sensitivity and specificity. We used the Euclidean method to determine the optimal threshold point of the Receiver operating characteristic curve to determine the MCIC. The MCIC for raw change in movement pain was 1.1 (95% confidence interval [CI]: .9-1.6) with a sensitivity of .83 (95% CI: .75-.92) and specificity of .79 (95% CI: .72-.86). For percent change in movement pain the MCIC was 27% (95% CI: 10-44%) with a sensitivity of .79 (95% CI: .70-.88) and a specificity of .82 (95% CI: .72-.90). Establishing an MCIC for movement pain will improve interpretations in clinical practice and research. PERSPECTIVE: A minimal clinically important change (MCIC) of 1.1- points (95% CI: .9-1.6) for movement pain discriminates between responders and non-responders to rehabilitation. This MCIC provides context for interpreting the meaningfulness of improvement in pain specific to movement tasks.