Perspectives on Using Race in Pulmonary Function Testing: A National Survey Fellows and Program Directors.

BACKGROUND: Pulmonary function tests (PFTs) have historically used race-specific prediction equations. The recent American Thoracic Society guidelines recommend the use of a race-neutral approach in prediction equations. There are limited studies centering the opinions of practicing pulmonologists on the use of race in spirometry. Provider opinion will impact adoption of the new guideline. The aim of this study was to ascertain the beliefs of academic pulmonary and critical care providers regarding the use of race as a variable in spirometry prediction equations. METHODS: We report data from 151 open-ended responses from a voluntary, nationwide survey (distributed by the Association of Pulmonary Critical Care Medicine Program Directors) of academic pulmonary and critical care providers regarding the use of race in PFT prediction equations. Responses were coded using inductive and deductive methods, and a thematic content analysis was conducted. RESULTS: There was a balanced distribution of opinions among respondents supporting, opposing, or being unsure about the incorporation of race in spirometry prediction equations. Responses demonstrated a wide array of understanding related to the concept and definition of race and its relationship to physiology. CONCLUSIONS: There was no consensus among providers regarding the use of race in spirometry prediction equations. Concepts of race having biologic implications persist among pulmonary providers and will likely affect the uptake of the Global Lung Function Initiative per the American Thoracic Society guidelines.

Hospitalization as an opportunity to engage underserved individuals in shared decision-making for lung cancer screening: results from two randomized pilot trials.

PURPOSE: Medicare requires tobacco dependence counseling and shared decision-making (SDM) for lung cancer screening (LCS) reimbursement. We hypothesized that initiating SDM during inpatient tobacco treatment visits would increase LCS among patients with barriers to proactively seeking outpatient preventive care. METHODS: We collected baseline assessments and performed two pilot randomized trials at our safety-net hospital. Pilot 1 tested feasibility, acceptability, and preliminary efficacy of a nurse practitioner initiating SDM for LCS during hospitalization (Inpatient SDM). We collected qualitative data on barriers encountered during Pilot 1. Pilot 2 added a community health worker (CHW) to address barriers to LCS completion (Inpatient SDM + CHW-navigation). For both studies, preliminary efficacy was an intention-to-treat analysis of LCS completion at 3 months between intervention and comparator (furnishing of LCS decision aid only) groups. RESULTS: Baseline assessments showed that patients preferred in-person LCS discussions versus self-reviewing materials; overall 20% had difficulty understanding written information. In Pilot 1, 4% (2/52) in Inpatient SDM versus 2% (1/48, comparator) completed LCS (p = 0.6), despite 89% (89/100) desiring LCS. Primary care providers noted that competing priorities and patient factors (e.g., social barriers to keeping appointments) prevented the intervention from working as intended. In Pilot 2, 50% (5/10) in Inpatient SDM + CHW-navigation versus 9% (1/11, comparator) completed LCS (p < 0.05). Many patients were ineligible due to recent diagnostic chest CT (Pilot 1: 255/659; Pilot 2: 239/527). CONCLUSIONS: Inpatient SDM + CHW-navigation shows promise to improve LCS rates among underserved patients who smoke, but feasibility is limited by recent diagnostic chest CT among inpatients. Implementing CHW-navigation in other clinical settings may facilitate LCS for underserved patients. TRAIL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03276806 (8 September 2017); NCT03793894 (4 January 2019).

Second trimester amniotic fluid bisphenol A concentration is associated with decreased birth weight in term infants.

Bisphenol A (BPA) is an endocrine disrupting chemical with ubiquitous environmental exposure. Animal studies have demonstrated that in utero BPA exposure leads to increased adult body weight. Our aim was to characterize human fetal BPA exposure by measuring BPA concentration in second trimester amniotic fluid (AF) samples and to study its relationship with birth weight (BW) in full term infants. To achieve these goals, we developed a total BPA assay utilizing derivatization with pentafluorobenzyl followed by analysis with LC-ECAPCI-MS/MS with a limit of detection of 0.08ng/mL and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.25ng/mL. The mean BW of infants with AF BPA 0.40-2.0ng/mL was 241.8g less than infants with AF BPA less than the LOQ after controlling for covariates (p=0.049). No effect was seen outside this range indicating a non-monotonic effect. Our data suggest that low level BPA exposure in utero decreases BW and needs further study.