The relationship between perceptions of shared decision-making and patient-reported outcomes in a cross-sectional cohort of haemorrhoidectomy patients.

AIM: Shared decision-making between patients and clinicians is important to surgical practice and patients' perceptions of their healthcare experience. This study aims to measure associations between patients' perceptions of their shared decision-making (SDM) process and health-related quality of life among a cohort of patients choosing surgical management of an elective surgical procedure, haemorrhoidectomy. METHODS: This study is a single-site study based in Vancouver, Canada. Consecutive patients of five colorectal surgeons registered for elective haemorrhoidectomy between September 2016 and June 2020 were eligible to participate. Participants completed the CollaboRATE instrument which measures patients' perceptions of their SDM after the surgical consultation, along with a number of other patient-reported outcomes. RESULTS: The participation rate was 45.3%, with 157 patients scheduled for haemorrhoidectomy providing complete information. Unadjusted results found that participants having the most comorbidities reported better communication with their surgeon. The adjusted results show that socioeconomic status and depression were associated with lower CollaboRATE scores. There was no effect of sex, pain interference, anxiety or perceived health status on participants' CollaboRATE scores. CONCLUSION: This study found evidence that participants with lower economic status or those reporting depressive symptoms had worse perceptions of their SDM process with their surgeon. These findings suggest that special attention should be paid to the surgical decision-making process for these patient populations.

A Canadian centre's experience with prone retroperitoneoscopic adrenalectomy.

BACKGROUND: Minimally invasive adrenalectomy is the standard of care for the surgical management of benign adrenal disease. The transperitoneal laparoscopic approach (TLA) is the most common approach used worldwide; however, many centres have adopted a posterior retroperitoneoscopic approach (PRA), as it is reported to offer several advantages. We describe our experience with PRA. METHODS: We performed a retrospective review of the charts of patients who underwent minimally invasive adrenalectomy via PRA or TLA performed by a single endocrine surgeon between September 2010 and December 2019 at a tertiary academic centre in British Columbia, Canada. Patient and tumour characteristics, operative times and postoperative outcomes were compared between the 2 groups. RESULTS: During the study period, 58 patients underwent adrenalectomy via PRA, and 41 underwent adrenalectomy via TLA. The median American Society of Anesthesiologists score was higher in the TLA group than the PRA group (3.0 v. 2.6, p = 0.02). Adrenal glands were heavier in the TLA group than the PRA group (mean 63.4 g v. 19.2 g, p < 0.001). The mean anesthesia preparation time was shorter with PRA than with TLA (51.5 min v. 63.7 min, p < 0.001), as was mean operative time (77.9 min v. 118.4 min, p < 0.001) and mean hospital length of stay (2 d v. 4 d, p < 0.001). There was no difference in the complication rate between the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Our study shows that PRA offers shorter operative time and length of stay for appropriately selected patients. Thus, it has become the preferred approach at our centre for minimally invasive adrenalectomy.

Incontinence and Nocturia in Older Adults After Hip Fracture: Analysis of a Secondary Outcome for a Parallel Group, Randomized Controlled Trial.

Objective: To test the effect of a follow-up clinic on urinary incontinence (UI) and nocturia among older adults with hip fracture. Method: Fifty-three older adults (≥65 years) 3 to 12 months following hip fracture were enrolled and randomized to receive usual care plus the intervention (B4), or usual care (UC) only. The B4 group received management by health professionals, with need-based referrals. UI, nocturia, and quality of life were measured with questionnaires at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. Results: There were 48 participants included in this analysis, and at baseline, 44% of study participants self-reported UI. At final assessment, six out of 24 B4 participants and 12 out of 24 UC participants reported UI. Four out of five study participants reported nocturia at baseline; this did not decrease during the study. Discussion: Following hip fracture, many older adults report UI and most report nocturia. Health professionals should be aware of the high occurrence of urinary symptoms among older adults post hip fracture.

Gait Speed and Variability for Usual Pace and Pedestrian Crossing Conditions in Older Adults Using the GAITRite Walkway.

Objectives: To determine gait characteristics of community-dwelling older adults at different speeds and during a crosswalk simulation. Methods: Twenty-two older adults completed walking trials at self-selected slow, usual, and fast paces, and at a crosswalk simulation, using the GAITRite walkway. These objective measures were complemented by self-report health and mobility questionnaires. Results: Gait speeds at self-selected slow, usual, and fast paces were 98.7 (18.1) cm/s, 140.9 (20.4) cm/s, and 174.0 (20.6) cm/s, respectively, and at simulated crosswalk conditions was 144.2 (22.3) cm/s. For usual pace, right step length variability was 2.0 (1.4) cm and step time variability was 13.6 (7.2) ms, compared with 2.4 (1.3) cm and 17.3 (9.7) ms, respectively, for crosswalk conditions. Discussion: Our sample of healthy older adults walked at a speed exceeding standards for crossing urban streets; however, in response to a crosswalk signal, participants adopted a significantly faster and more variable gait.