Equitable Care for Hypertension: Blood Pressure and Patient-Reported Outcomes of the RICH LIFE Cluster Randomized Trial.

BACKGROUND: Disparities in hypertension control are well documented but underaddressed. METHODS: RICH LIFE (Reducing Inequities in Care of Hypertension: Lifestyle Improvement for Everyone) was a 2-arm, cluster randomized trial comparing the effect on blood pressure (BP) control (systolic BP ≤140 mm Hg, diastolic BP ≤90 mm Hg), patient activation, and disparities in BP control of 2 multilevel interventions, standard of care plus (SCP) and collaborative care/stepped care (CC/SC). SCP included BP measurement standardization, audit and feedback, and equity-leadership training. CC/SC added roles to address social or medical needs. Primary outcomes were BP control and patient activation at 12 months. Generalized estimating equations and mixed-effects regression models with fixed effects of time, intervention, and their interaction compared change in outcomes at 12 months from baseline. RESULTS: A total of 1820 adults with uncontrolled BP and ≥1 other risk factors enrolled in the study. Their mean age was 60.3 years, and baseline BP was 152.3/85.5 mm Hg; 59.4% were women; 57.4% were Black, 33.2% were White, and 9.4% were Hispanic; 74% had hyperlipidemia; and 45.1% had type 2 diabetes. CC/SC did not improve BP control rates more than SCP. Both groups achieved statistically and clinically significant BP control rates at 12 months (CC/SC: 57.3% [95% CI, 52.7%-62.0%]; SCP: 56.7% [95% CI, 51.9%-61.5%]). Pairwise comparisons between racial and ethnic groups showed overall no significant differences in BP control at 12 months. Patients with coronary heart disease showed greater achievement of BP control in CC/SC than in SCP (64.0% [95% CI, 54.1%-73.9%] versus 50.8% [95% CI, 42.6%-59.0%]; P=0.04), as did patients in rural areas (67.3% [95% CI, 49.8%-84.8%] versus 47.8% [95% CI, 32.4%-63.2%]; P=0.01). Individuals in both arms experienced statistically and clinically significant reductions in mean systolic BP (CC/SC: -13.8 mm Hg [95% CI, -15.2 to -12.5]; SCP: -14.6 mm Hg [95% CI, -15.9 to -13.2]) and diastolic BP (CC/SC: -6.9 mm Hg [95% CI, -7.8 to -6.1]; SCP: -5.5 mm Hg [95% CI, -6.4 to -4.6]) over time. The difference in diastolic BP reduction between CC/SC and SCP over time was statistically significant (-1.4 mm Hg [95% CI, -2.6 to -0.2). Patient activation did not differ between arms. CC/SC showed greater improvements in patient ratings of chronic illness care (Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care score) over 12 months (0.12 [95% CI, 0.02-0.22]). CONCLUSIONS: Adding a collaborative care team to enhanced standard of care did not improve BP control but did improve patient ratings of chronic illness care.

Shared Decision-Making and Cardiovascular Health: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association.

Shared decision-making is increasingly embraced in health care and recommended in cardiovascular guidelines. Patient involvement in health care decisions, patient-clinician communication, and models of patient-centered care are critical to improve health outcomes and to promote equity, but formal models and evaluation in cardiovascular care are nascent. Shared decision-making promotes equity by involving clinicians and patients, sharing the best available evidence, and recognizing the needs, values, and experiences of individuals and their families when faced with the task of making decisions. Broad endorsement of shared decision-making as a critical component of high-quality, value-based care has raised our awareness, although uptake in clinical practice remains suboptimal for a range of patient, clinician, and system issues. Strategies effective in promoting shared decision-making include educating clinicians on communication techniques, engaging multidisciplinary medical teams, incorporating trained decision coaches, and using tools (ie, patient decision aids) at appropriate literacy and numeracy levels to support patients in their cardiovascular decisions. This scientific statement shines a light on the limited but growing body of evidence of the impact of shared decision-making on cardiovascular outcomes and the potential of shared decision-making as a driver of health equity so that everyone has just opportunities. Multilevel solutions must align to address challenges in policies and reimbursement, system-level leadership and infrastructure, clinician training, access to decision aids, and patient engagement to fully support patients and clinicians to engage in the shared decision-making process and to drive equity and improvement in cardiovascular outcomes.

Living with multimorbidity: A qualitative exploration of shared experiences of patients, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals in managing symptoms in the United States.

AIMS: To elicit experiences of patients, family caregivers, and healthcare professionals in intermediate care units (IMCUs) in an academic medical centre in Baltimore, MD related to the challenges and intricacies of multimorbidity management to inform development of a multimorbidity symptom management toolkit. DESIGN: Experience-based co-design. METHODS: Between July and October 2021, patients aged 55 years and older with multimorbidity admitted to IMCUs at an academic medical centre in Baltimore, Maryland, USA were recruited and interviewed in person. Interdisciplinary healthcare professionals working in the IMCU were interviewed virtually. Participants were asked questions about their role in recognizing and treating symptoms, factors affecting the quality of life, symptom burden and trajectory over time, and strategies that have and have not worked for managing symptoms. An inductive thematic analysis approach was used for analysis. RESULTS: Twenty-three interviews were conducted: 9 patients, 2 family caregivers, and 12 healthcare professionals. Patients' mean age was 67.5 (±6.5) years, over half (n = 5) were Black or Hispanic, and the average number of comorbidities was 3.67. Five major themes that affect symptom management emerged: (1) the patient-provider relationship; (2) open and honest communication; (3) accessibility of resources during hospitalization and at discharge; (4) caregiver support, training, and education; and (5) care coordination and follow-up care. CONCLUSION: Patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals often have similar goals but different priorities for multimorbidity management. It is imperative to identify shared priorities and target holistic interventions that consider patient and caregiver experiences to improve outcomes. IMPLICATIONS FOR THE PROFESSION AND/OR PATIENT CARE AND IMPACT: This paper addresses the paucity of research related to the shared experience of disease trajectory and symptom management for people living with multimorbidity. We found that patients, caregivers, and healthcare professionals often have similar goals but different care and communication priorities. Understanding differing priorities will help better design interventions to support symptom management so people with multimorbidity can have the best possible quality of life. REPORTING METHOD: We have adhered to the Consolidated Criteria for Reporting Qualitative Studies (COREQ) guidelines in our reporting. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: This study has been designed and implemented with patient and public involvement throughout the process, including community advisory board engagement in the project proposal phase and interview guide development, and member checking in the data collection and analysis phases. The method we chose, experience-based co-design, emphasizes the importance of engaging members of a community to act as experts in their own life challenges. In the coming phases of the study, the public will be involved in developing and testing a new intervention, informed by these qualitative interviews and co-design events, to support symptom management for people with multimorbidity.

Use of electronic recruitment methods in a clinical trial of adults with gout.

BACKGROUND/AIMS: Electronic-based recruitment methods are increasingly utilized in clinical trials to recruit and enroll research participants. The cost-effectiveness of electronic-based methods and impact on sample generalizability is unknown. We compared recruitment yields, cost-effectiveness, and demographic characteristics across several electronic and traditional recruitment methods. METHODS: We analyzed data from the diet gout trial recruitment campaign. The diet gout trial was a randomized, controlled, cross-over trial that examined the effects of a dietary approaches to stop hypertension (DASH)-like diet on uric acid levels in adults with gout. We used four electronic medical record and four non-electronic medical record-based recruitment methods to identify and recruit potentially eligible participants. We calculated the response rate, screening visit completion rate, and randomization rate for each method. We also determined cost per response, the screening, and randomization for each method. Finally, we compared the demographic characteristics among individuals who completed the screening visit by recruitment method. RESULTS: Of the 294 adults who responded to the recruitment campaign, 51% were identified from electronic medical record-based methods. Patient portal messaging, an electronic medical record-based method, resulted in the highest response rate (4%), screening visit completion rate (37%), and randomization rate (21%) among these eight methods. Electronic medical record-based methods ($60) were more cost-effective per response than non-electronic medical record-based methods ($107). Electronic-based methods, including patient portal messaging and Facebook, had the highest proportion of White individuals screened (52% and 60%). Direct mail to non-active patient portal increased enrollment of traditionally under-represented groups, including both women and African Americans. CONCLUSION: An electronic medical record-based recruitment strategy that utilized the electronic medical record for participant identification and postal mailing for participant outreach was cost-effective and increased participation of under-represented groups. This hybrid strategy represents a promising approach to improve the timely execution and broad generalizability of future clinical trials.

The RICH LIFE Project: A cluster randomized pragmatic trial comparing the effectiveness of health system only vs. health system Plus a collaborative/stepped care intervention to reduce hypertension disparities.

Disparities in the control of hypertension and other cardiovascular disease risk factors are well-documented in the United States, even among patients seen regularly in the healthcare system. Few existing approaches explicitly address disparities in hypertension care and control. This paper describes the RICH LIFE Project (Reducing Inequities in Care of Hypertension: Lifestyle Improvement for Everyone) design. METHODS: RICH LIFE is a two-arm, cluster-randomized trial, comparing the effectiveness of enhanced standard of care, "Standard of Care Plus" (SCP), to a multi-level intervention, "Collaborative Care/Stepped Care" (CC/SC), for improving blood pressure (BP) control and patient activation and reducing disparities in BP control among 1890 adults with uncontrolled hypertension and at least one other cardiovascular disease risk factor treated at 30 primary care practices in Maryland and Pennsylvania. Fifteen practices randomized to the SCP arm receive standardized BP measurement training; race/ethnicity-specific audit and feedback of BP control rates; and quarterly webinars in management practices, quality improvement and disparities reduction. Fifteen practices in the CC/SC arm receive the SCP interventions plus implementation of the collaborative care model with stepped-care components (community health worker referrals and virtual specialist-panel consults). The primary clinical outcome is BP control (<140/90 mm Hg) at 12 months. The primary patient-reported outcome is change from baseline in self-reported patient activation at 12 months. DISCUSSION: This study will provide knowledge about the feasibility of leveraging existing resources in routine primary care and potential benefits of adding supportive community-facing roles to improve hypertension care and reduce disparities. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.govNCT02674464.

The Self-Care of Heart Failure Index: A psychometric study.

BACKGROUND: The Self-Care of Heart Failure Index is an empirically tested instrument to measure self-care of heart failure patients across different populations and cultures. AIMS: To develop and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Nepali Self-Care of Heart Failure Index. DESIGN: This psychometric study used a cross-sectional, observational, study design to collect data. The study was guided and reported following the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guideline. METHODS: To develop and culturally validate Nepali Self-Care of Heart Failure Index, a combination of the recommended methods for cross-cultural validation studies were applied such as translation, back translation, expert committee review of the translated version and validity/reliability testing. Face and content validity were ensured using expert review. Construct validity was examined using exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis. Composite reliability scores were calculated for each sub-scale of the Nepali Self-Care of Heart Failure Index. RESULTS: A total of 221 heart failure patients in Nepal were enrolled in the study. Adequate face and content validity were ensured through expert review. Exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis supported the original three-factor model. Although the three factors explained only 41% of the variance, confirmatory factor analysis fit indexes and error measures were found reasonable. The composite reliability coefficients for self-care maintenance, management and confidence scale were 0.6, 0.7 and 0.8, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The Nepali Self-Care of Heart Failure Index is a theoretically based, culturally acceptable and appropriate instrument for use among Nepali heart failure patients. However, further studies are needed to refine its psychometric properties. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Access to reliable, valid and culturally appropriate instruments is crucial in describing the state of the problem as well as for developing and evaluating tailored and targeted self-care practice interventions for Nepali patients living with heart failure.

Association of sex, age and education level with patient reported outcomes in atrial fibrillation.

BACKGROUND: In atrial fibrillation (AF), there are known sex and sociodemographic disparities in clinical outcomes such as stroke. We investigate whether disparities also exist with respect to patient-reported outcomes. We explored the association of sex, age, and education level with patient-reported outcomes (AF-related quality of life, symptom severity, and emotional and functional status). METHODS: The PaTH AF cohort study recruited participants (N = 953) with an AF diagnosis and age ≥ 18 years across 4 academic medical centers. We performed longitudinal multiple regression with random effects to determine if individual characteristics were associated with patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: Women reported poorer functional status (ß - 2.23, 95% CI: -3.52, - 0.94) and AF-related quality of life (ß - 4.12, 95% CI: -8.10, - 0.14), and higher symptoms of anxiety (ß 2.08, 95% CI: 0.76, 3.40), depression (ß 1.44, 95% CI: 0.25, 2.63), and AF (ß 0.29, 95% CI: 0.08, 0.50). Individuals < 60 years were significantly (p < 0.05) more likely to report higher symptoms of depression, anxiety, and AF, and poorer AF-related quality of life. Lack of college education was associated with reporting higher symptoms of AF (ß 0.42, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.68), anxiety (ß 1.86, 95% CI: 0.26, 3.45), and depression (ß 1.11, 95% CI: 0.15, 2.38), and lower AF-related quality of life (ß - 4.41, 95% CI: -8.25, - 0.57) and functional status. CONCLUSION: Women, younger adults, and individuals with lower levels of education reported comparatively poor patient-reported outcomes. These findings highlight the importance of understanding why individuals experience AF differently based on certain characteristics.

The impact of an innovative curriculum to introduce patient safety and quality improvement content.

BACKGROUND: The Fuld Fellows Program provides selected pre-licensure nursing students with a foundation in the science of patient safety, quality improvement and leadership through coursework and a mentored experience working on a quality improvement project. We evaluated this program's impact on Fellows' patient safety competence and systems thinking. METHODS: Cohorts I-VI (n = 116) completed pre-post program evaluation that included measurement of patient safety competence through the Health Professional Education in Patient Safety Survey (H-PEPSS) and systems thinking using the Systems Thinking Scale. Pre- and post-program H-PEPSS and Systems Thinking Scale scores were compared using the Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Test. The Fellows were compared to non-Fellows on patient safety competence and systems thinking using t-tests. RESULTS: Patient safety competence on all H-PEPSS scales improved from baseline to end of program: teamwork (2.6 to 3.1), communication (2.1 to 3.2), managing risk (2.2 to 3.3), human environment (2.8 to 3.7), recognize and respond to risk (2.7 to 3.6), and culture (2.9 to 3.8) (p < 0.05). The Fellows, in comparison to the non-Fellows, reported a significantly higher (p < 0.05) mean change score in five of the six H-PEPSS subscales. Fellows' mean systems thinking score increased from 66 ± 7 at baseline to 70 ± 6 at program completion (p < 0.05), this mean post completion score was significantly higher than the non-Fellows reported mean STS score of 62 ± 7. CONCLUSION: The Fuld Fellows Program effectively facilitated patient safety and quality improvement and systems thinking learning among pre-licensure nursing students. This program can serve as a model for integrating quality and safety concepts into health professionals' curricula.

Academic-clinical service partnerships are innovative strategies to advance patient safety competence and leadership in prelicensure nursing students.

Nurse-graduates today must be prepared to practice in a complicated healthcare system with numerous safety challenges. Although patient safety and quality competencies are a priority in nursing education, effective strategies for applying this knowledge into practice are needed. To meet this challenge, the Helene Fuld Leadership Program for the Advancement of Patient Safety and Quality at Johns Hopkins School of Nursing has developed an academic-clinical service partnership. Students are assigned to mentored, quality improvement projects in which they complete 100 hours over 2 semesters. This partnership links the Fuld Fellows with an interprofessional network of Johns Hopkins Medical Entity clinical Quality Improvement leaders. The partnerships have lead to manuscripts, professional job opportunities, and quality networking for both our students and mentors. Our strategic, academic-service partnership has improved student knowledge of patient safety principles and promoted nursing competence in patient safety with the development of future patient safety and QI nurse leaders.

Factors associated with missed assessments in a 2-year longitudinal study of acute respiratory distress syndrome survivors.

BACKGROUND: To evaluate participant-related variables associated with missing assessment(s) at follow-up visits during a longitudinal research study. METHODS: This is a prospective, longitudinal, multi-site study of 196 acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) survivors. More than 30 relevant sociodemographic, physical status, and mental health variables (representing participant characteristics prior to ARDS, at hospital discharge, and at the immediately preceding follow-up visit) were evaluated for association with missed assessments at 3, 6, 12, and 24-month follow-up visits (89-95% retention rates), using binomial logistic regression. RESULTS: Most participants were male (56%), white (58%), and ≤ high school education (64%). Sociodemographic characteristics were not associated with missed assessments at the initial 3-month visit or subsequent visits. The number of dependencies in Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) at hospital discharge was associated with higher odds of missed assessments at the initial visit (OR: 1.26, 95% CI: 1.12, 1.43). At subsequent 6-, 12-, and 24 months visits, post-hospital discharge physical and psychological status were not associated with subsequent missed assessments. Instead, the following were associated with lower odds of missed assessments: indicators of poorer health prior to hospital admission (inability to walk 5 min (OR: 0.46; 0.23, 0.91), unemployment due to health (OR: 0.47; 0.23, 0.96), and alcohol abuse (OR: 0.53; 0.28, 0.97)) and having the preceding visit at the research clinic rather than at home/facility, or by phone/mail (OR: 0.54; 0.31, 0.96). Inversely, variables associated with higher odds of missed assessments at subsequent visits include: functional dependency prior to hospital admission (i.e. dependency with > = 2 Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs) (OR: 1.96; 1.08, 3.52), and missing assessments at preceding visit (OR: 2.26; 1.35, 3.79). CONCLUSIONS: During the recovery process after hospital discharge, dependencies in physical functioning (e.g. ADLs, IADLs) prior to hospitalization and at hospital discharge were associated with higher odds of missed assessments. Conversely, other indicators of poorer health at baseline were associated with lower odds of missed assessments after the initial post-discharge visit. To reduce missing assessments, longitudinal clinical research studies may benefit from focusing additional resources on participants with dependencies in physical functioning prior to hospitalization and at hospital discharge.

Atrial Fibrillation Symptoms and Sex, Race, and Psychological Distress: A Literature Review.

BACKGROUND: Atrial fibrillation (AF) symptoms are a major component of treatment decisions for patients with AF and impact quality of life and functional ability yet are poorly understood. OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to determine what is known about the prevalence of symptoms and the association of symptoms to AF characteristics, psychological distress, sex, and race. METHODS: We performed a structured review of AF symptoms as of March 2016 using PubMed, EMBASE, and CINAHL and reference searches of retrieved articles. Full-text, published, peer-reviewed, English-language articles were examined. Articles were included if they reported original research data on symptom prevalence and type among patients with AF. RESULTS: The 3 most common symptoms were dyspnea, palpitations, and fatigue. The results suggested that, although AF characteristics are not a significant predictor of symptoms, tachycardia, female sex, race, and psychological distress have a positive association to symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: There is a scarcity of research examining symptoms in AF. Furthermore, the inconsistency in measurement methods and the failure to include diverse populations in AF research make it difficult to draw definitive conclusions from the current literature. Given the prevalence of AF in the United States and the impact of symptoms on quality of life and healthcare use, further research examining predictors of symptoms and interventions to alleviate symptoms is crucial.

Social Support Moderates the Relationship Between Perceived Stress and Quality of Life in Patients With a Left Ventricular Assist Device.

BACKGROUND: Living with a left ventricular assist device has significant psychosocial sequelae that affect health-related quality of life (HRQOL). OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to (1) describe psychosocial indicators of stress including perceived stress, depression, fatigue, and coping; (2) examine relationships among stress indicators by level of perceived stress; (3) examine relationships among indicators of stress and clinical outcomes; and (4) test the moderation of social support on the relationship between stress and clinical outcomes. METHODS: Participants were recruited from 2 outpatient clinics in a cross-sectional study design. Standardized measures were self-administered via survey. Descriptive statistics, correlation, and multiple linear regression analysis were conducted. RESULTS: The sample (N = 62) was mostly male (78%), black (47%), and married (66%), with a mean age of 56.5 ± 13 years. The overall sample had a moderate stress profile: moderate perceived stress (mean, 11.7 ± 7), few depressive symptoms (mean, 3.2 ± 3.9), and moderate fatigue (mean, 14.3 ± 9.1). Increased perceived stress was associated with fatigue, depressive symptoms, and maladaptive coping (P < .001). Regression analysis demonstrated that perceived stress and fatigue were significant correlates of overall HRQOL (adj. R = 0.41, P < .0001). Social support moderated the relationship between perceived stress and HRQOL, controlling for fatigue (R = 0.49, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Individuals living with left ventricular assist device with high perceived stress have worse depressive symptoms, fatigue, and coping. The influence of high social support to improve the relationship between stress and HRQOL underscores the importance of a comprehensive plan to address psychosocial factors.

Heart Failure Rehospitalization and Delayed Decision Making: The Impact of Self-care and Depression.

BACKGROUND: Rehospitalization soon after discharge can be distressing for persons with heart failure (HF) and places a heavy burden on the healthcare system. OBJECTIVE: We investigated and explored the association of self-care decision making variables with (1) rehospitalization within 30 days of discharge and (2) delay in seeking medical assistance (delayed decision making). METHODS: A cross-sectional, explanatory sequential mixed methods design (quan > qual) was used to survey 127 hospitalized HF patients and interview 15 of these participants to explain their survey responses. The survey assessed rehospitalization within 30 days of discharge, delayed decision making, HF self-care, and psychosocial factors influencing self-care. RESULTS: The likelihood of delaying the decision to be hospitalized was more than 5 times higher among those with high depressive symptoms (odds ratio, 5.33; 95% confidence interval, 2.14-13.28). Those who delayed going to the hospital were uncertain about their prognosis and did not feel their symptoms were urgent. The likelihood of being rehospitalized within 30 days was more than doubled among those with high depressive symptoms (OR, 2.31; 95% confidence interval, 1.01-5.31). Those who were rehospitalized within 30 days were less likely to consult healthcare professionals in their decision making and wanted immediate relief from their symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: We recommend a patient-centered approach to help HF patients identify and adequately self-manage symptoms. The strong association between high depressive symptoms and rehospitalization within 30 days as well as delayed decision making highlights the critical need for clinicians to carefully assess and address depression among HF patients.

Using vignettes to understand heart failure self-care.

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore hospitalised heart failure (HF) patients' self-care decisions. BACKGROUND: Heart failure self-care is integral to maintain and manage health, and may prevent unnecessary HF hospitalisations. Nevertheless, self-care remains challenging for patients, and using vignettes offer a new perspective to understand patient HF self-care decision-making. DESIGN: This qualitative descriptive analysis was conducted as part of a mixed methods study. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 20) to elicit patient decisions about self-care in responses to three vignettes, which varied in symptom severity. Content analysis was used to extract quotes describing participant responses. RESULTS: Participants were on average 60 years old, primarily male, African American, unemployed and highly symptomatic (NYHA Class III or IV). Overall, participants were able to identify when symptoms required a decision to seek urgent medical attention, but had difficulty identifying the appropriate decision to make in response to less acute symptoms such as swelling. CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms other than shortness of breath were challenging for patients to interpret and manage appropriately. Understanding how to apply HF knowledge to alleviate symptoms was also difficult. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Vignettes may be a helpful tool to prompt patient-healthcare provider communication about self-care management and prompt discussions about appropriate self-care decisions in response to varying levels of symptom severity.

Engaging patients with heart failure into the design of health system interventions: Impact on research methods.

The purpose of this study was to engage patients with heart failure (HF) to assess if changes are needed in a research study design, methods and outcomes when transferring interventions used in urban/community hospitals to rural hospital settings. A qualitative structured interview was conducted with eight patients with a diagnosis of HF admitted to two rural hospitals. Patients validated the study design, measures and outcomes, but identified one area that should be added to the study protocol, symptom experience. Results validated that the intervention, methods and outcomes for the planned study were important, but modifications to the study protocol resulted. Patient engagement in the conceptualization of research is essential to guide patient-centered studies.

Provider-to-Provider Communication during Transitions of Care from Outpatient to Acute Care: A Systematic Review.

BACKGROUND: Most research on transitions of care has focused on the transition from acute to outpatient care. Little is known about the transition from outpatient to acute care. We conducted a systematic review of the literature on the transition from outpatient to acute care, focusing on provider-to-provider communication and its impact on quality of care. METHODS: We searched the MEDLINE, CINAHL, Scopus, EMBASE, and Cochrane databases for English-language articles describing direct communication between outpatient providers and acute care providers around patients presenting to the emergency department or admitted to the hospital. We conducted double, independent review of titles, abstracts, and full text articles. Conflicts were resolved by consensus. Included articles were abstracted using standardized forms. We maintained search results via Refworks (ProQuest, Bethesda, MD). Risk of bias was assessed using a modified version of the Downs' and Black's tool. RESULTS: Of 4009 citations, twenty articles evaluated direct provider-to-provider communication around the outpatient to acute care transition. Most studies were cross-sectional (65%), conducted in the US (55%), and studied communication between primary care and inpatient providers (62%). Of three studies reporting on the association between communication and 30-day readmissions, none found a significant association; of these studies, only one reported a measure of association (adjusted OR for communication vs. no communication, 1.08; 95% CI 0.92-1.26). DISCUSSION: The literature on provider-to-provider communication at the transition from outpatient to acute care is sparse and heterogeneous. Given the known importance of communication for other transitions of care, future studies are needed on provider-to-provider communication during this transition. Studies evaluating ideal methods for communication to reduce medical errors, utilization, and optimize patient satisfaction at this transition are especially needed.

Cooccurrence of and remission from general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms after acute lung injury: a 2-year longitudinal study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the cooccurrence, and predictors of remission, of general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during 2-year follow-up in survivors of acute lung injury treated in an ICU. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study, with follow-up at 3, 6, 12, and 24 months post-acute lung injury. SETTING: Thirteen medical and surgical ICUs in four hospitals. PATIENTS: Survivors among 520 patients with acute lung injury. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The outcomes of interest were measured using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale anxiety and depression subscales (scores ≥ 8 indicating substantial symptoms) and the Impact of Event Scale-Revised (scores ≥ 1.6 indicating substantial posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms). Of the 520 enrolled patients, 274 died before 3-month follow-up; 186 of 196 consenting survivors (95%) completed at least one Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Impact of Event Scale-Revised assessment during 2-year follow-up, and most completed multiple assessments. Across follow-up time points, the prevalence of suprathreshold general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms ranged from 38% to 44%, 26% to 33%, and 22% to 24%, respectively; more than half of the patients had suprathreshold symptoms in at least one domain during 2-year follow-up. The majority of survivors (59%) with any suprathreshold symptoms were above threshold for two or more types of symptoms (i.e., general anxiety, depression, and/or posttraumatic stress disorder). In fact, the most common pattern involved simultaneous general anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. Most patients with general anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during 2-year follow-up had suprathreshold symptoms at 24-month (last) follow-up. Higher Short-Form-36 physical functioning domain scores at the prior visit were associated with a greater likelihood of remission from general anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms during follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of acute lung injury survivors had clinically significant general anxiety, depression, or posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and these symptoms tended to co-occur across domains. Better physical functioning during recovery predicted subsequent remission of general anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

Nutritional Interventions in Heart Failure: A Systematic Review of the Literature.

BACKGROUND: Heart failure (HF) is a major health care burden and there is a growing need to develop strategies to maintain health and sustain quality of life in persons with HF. The purpose of this review is to critically appraise the components of nutrition interventions and to establish an evidence base for future advances in HF nutrition research and practice. METHODS AND RESULTS: Cinahl, Pubmed, and Embase were searched to identify articles published from 2005 to 2015. A total of 17 randomized controlled trials were included in this review. Results were divided into 2 categories of nutrition-related interventions: (1) educational and (2) prescriptive. Educational interventions improved patient outcomes such as adherence to dietary restriction in urine sodium levels and self-reported diet recall. Educational and prescriptive interventions resulted in decreased readmission rates and patient deterioration. Adherence measurement was subjective in many studies. Evidence showed that a normal-sodium diet and 1-liter fluid restriction along with high diuretic dosing enhanced B-type natriuretic peptide, aldosterone, tumor necrosis factor α, and interleukin-6 markers. CONCLUSIONS: Educational nutrition interventions positively affect patient clinical outcomes. Although clinical practice guidelines support a low-sodium diet and fluid restriction, research findings have revealed that a low-sodium diet may be harmful. Future research should examine the role of macronutrients, food quality, and energy balance in HF nutrition.