Patient Experience Scores for Radiologists: Comparison With Nonradiologist Physicians and Changes After Public Posting in an Institutional Online Provider Directory.

BACKGROUND. Patients are increasingly using online information regarding patient experiences to guide care decisions. OBJECTIVE. The purpose of our study was to compare patient experience scores between radiologists and nonradiologist physicians and to assess changes in scores after their public posting in an online physician directory. METHODS. This retrospective study included data collected from May 1, 2017, to November 30, 2018, at a single large academic medical center. After all institutional outpatient visits, patients were e-mailed the Press Ganey Medical Practice Survey, which included 10 questions (answered using a Likert scale and converted to 100-point range) relating to the patient's experience with the specific provider for the encounter. Surveys were distributed to patients after radiology encounters if involving an image-guided invasive procedure. Mean scores for each question and the mean weighted overall score were displayed on each physician's publicly available profile on the hospital's online physician directory and were updated monthly. Scores were compared between radiologists and nonradiologist physicians; temporal changes were assessed. RESULTS. The response rate was 18.0% (96,057/533,983). After exclusions (23,989 surveys completed without provider ratings; 183 surveys evaluating physician assistants), 71,885 physician surveys were evaluated: 2703 surveys for 65 radiologists, 49,403 surveys for 916 physicians in 17 nonsurgical specialties, and 19,779 surveys for 262 physicians in 13 surgical specialties. Over the study period, the mean overall score was 95.6 for radiologists and 95.9 for nonradiologists (94.6 for surgical specialties, 96.4 for nonsurgical specialties). For the 10 individual questions, scores ranged for radiologists from 94.6 (time spent with patient) to 96.8 (friendliness/courtesy) and for nonradiologists from 94.6 (time spent with patient) to 97.0 (friendliness/courtesy). The mean overall score increased from the first month to the final month for radiologists from 94.2 to 97.1 and for nonradiologists from 95.7 to 96.3. For radiologists, the largest improvement was for instructions regarding postprocedure follow-up care (increased from 91.4 to 97.4). CONCLUSION. Radiologists received high scores on patient experience surveys when evaluated on encounters involving invasive procedures, achieving scores similar to those for other physicians. Scores improved over time, possibly related to online posting of survey results. CLINICAL IMPACT. The findings support the utility of implementing patient experience surveys in radiology.

Surgical management of pleuro-peritoneal fistula in chronic renal failure patient-safety and effectiveness.

BACKGROUND: Pleuro-peritoneal fistula (PPF) is a known complication arising in patients receiving continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) as a form of renal replacement therapy with an incidence of approximately 2% (1). Previous literature has shown that the recurrence rate of non-operative management of PPF to be ~45%. Video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) has been shown to be an effective and safe means of treating patients with PPF. However, to the author's knowledge, there is currently no sizeable case series that discuss the various intra-operative findings, operative techniques employed, post-operative complications, duration of peritoneal dialysis suspension and fistula recurrence in this particular patient group. METHODS: From January 2009 to January 2019, patients who underwent VATS for the repair of PPF at The Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Hong Kong were retrieved from the Clinical Data Analysis and Reporting System (CDARS). Patient's epidemiological data, comorbidities and surgical data were analyzed. RESULTS: There were 35 patients who underwent VATS PPF repair in our series. The mean age was 60.8 years (44 to 82 years), the (54.3%), mean operative time was 60.8 minutes (15-224 minutes). There were 8 patients (25.8%) who suffered from recurrence of pleural effusion after re-initiation of CAPD. Concomitant use of mechanical and talc pleurodesis was statistically significant in preventing PPF recurrence with an odds ratio of 0.1201 when compared to non-operative techniques. One patient suffered from hemothorax requiring re-operation on post-operative day one. There were no 30-day mortalities. CONCLUSIONS: VATS appears to be a safe and effective surgical treatment to prevent recurrence of continuous peritoneal dialysis associated PPF. Concomitant mechanical and talc pleurodesis appears to have additional benefit.

Hematopoiesis and RAS-driven myeloid leukemia differentially require PI3K isoform p110α.

The genes encoding RAS family members are frequently mutated in juvenile myelomonocytic leukemia (JMML) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). RAS proteins are difficult to target pharmacologically; therefore, targeting the downstream PI3K and RAF/MEK/ERK pathways represents a promising approach to treat RAS-addicted tumors. The p110α isoform of PI3K (encoded by Pik3ca) is an essential effector of oncogenic KRAS in murine lung tumors, but it is unknown whether p110α contributes to leukemia. To specifically examine the role of p110α in murine hematopoiesis and in leukemia, we conditionally deleted p110α in HSCs using the Cre-loxP system. Postnatal deletion of p110α resulted in mild anemia without affecting HSC self-renewal; however, deletion of p110α in mice with KRASG12D-associated JMML markedly delayed their death. Furthermore, the p110α-selective inhibitor BYL719 inhibited growth factor-independent KRASG12D BM colony formation and sensitized cells to a low dose of the MEK inhibitor MEK162. Furthermore, combined inhibition of p110α and MEK effectively reduced proliferation of RAS-mutated AML cell lines and disease in an AML murine xenograft model. Together, our data indicate that RAS-mutated myeloid leukemias are dependent on the PI3K isoform p110α, and combined pharmacologic inhibition of p110α and MEK could be an effective therapeutic strategy for JMML and AML.

Living donor age and kidney allograft half-life: implications for living donor paired exchange programs.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Living donor paired exchange programs assume that kidneys from living donors are of comparable quality and anticipated longevity. This study determined actual allograft t(1/2) within different recipient age groups (10-year increments) as a function of donor age (5-year increments), and juxtaposed these results against the probabilities of deceased donor transplantation, and exclusion from transplantation (death or removal from the wait-list). DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS: Data from the US Renal Data System (transplant dates 1988-2003 with follow-up through September 2007) were used to determine allograft t(1/2), whereas data from patients on the United Network for Organ Sharing waiting list between 2003 and 2005 (with follow-up through February 2010) were used to determine wait-list outcomes. RESULTS: With the exception of recipients aged 18-39 years, who had the best outcomes with donors aged 18-39 years, living donor age between 18 and 64 years had minimal effect on allograft t(1/2) (difference of 1-2 years with no graded association). The probability of deceased donor transplantation after 3 years of wait-listing ranged from 21% to 66% by blood type and level of sensitization, whereas the probability of being excluded from transplantation ranged from 6% to 27% by age, race, and primary renal disease. CONCLUSIONS: With the exception of recipients aged 18-39 years, living donor age between 18 and 64 years has minimal effect on allograft survival.

Variables to be controlled in the assessment of blood innate immune responses to Toll-like receptor stimulation.

Variability in TLR function influences susceptibility to infectious as well as immune-mediated diseases. Given the outbred nature of humans, identifying functional Toll-like receptor variability and its role in clinical disease requires such analysis to be conducted in large, often multi-centered cohorts. Yet the technically complex measurements involved in innate immune analysis benefit from centralized processing of samples. Centralization requires shipping of samples or prolonged storage, possibly even cryopreservation. Deviation from standard operating procedures (SOP) for sample procurement, storage and processing may alter the final innate immune read out. We here set out to define the impact of variables most likely to be encountered during large, multi-site studies: (i) the source of the sample, (ii) time between sample procurement to processing, and (iii) processing of fresh vs. cryopreserved samples. We found that all of these variables exert a profound impact on the final innate response to TLR stimulation. Specific innate responses appeared to be affected in response to specific TLR stimuli by a particular variable under study, proving it impossible to provide global generalizations. Based on our studies and other published work on this topic, we propose a minimal list of variables that have to be met for samples to be comparable within and across studies: a) timing between procurement and processing cannot vary by more than 10%; b) all samples have to be stored the same; and c) the source of samples needs to be the same. In summary, for innate immune analysis scrupulous adherence to standard operating procedures is paramount.