A Predictive Model for Cesarean Among Low-Risk Nulliparous Women in Spontaneous Labor at Hospital Admission.

BACKGROUND: To determine if maternal characteristics measurable upon admission to hospital predict cesarean among low-risk spontaneously laboring nulliparous women. METHODS: We undertook a secondary analysis of data from a clinical trial of early labor support for nulliparous women carrying a singleton fetus in cephalic presentation at 37-41 weeks of gestation in British Columbia, Canada. Study participants did not have any discernible risk factors for cesarean at the onset of labor. We developed a prediction model using logistic regression from a sample of 1,302 participants. Internal validation of the model was accomplished by 10-fold cross validation, after which probability scores were calculated based on the mean logistic regression model. To determine the accuracy of our predictive model, we calculated the specificity and sensitivity and the area under the receiver operating curve. RESULTS: Advanced maternal age, shorter maternal height, greater gestational age, perception of labor lasting more than 24 hours, and mild or moderate contractions, less cervical dilation, and higher fetal station at time of hospital admission independently predicted cesarean. The C-statistic for the predictive model was 0.71 (0.64-0.75) and the sensitivity and specificity of the model were 0.80 (95% CI 0.76-0.84) and 0.48 (95% CI 0.44-0.52), respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Among nulliparous women without apparent risk for cesarean at the time of hospital admission, cesarean delivery can be predicted with 70 percent accuracy using routinely collected information. Tailoring intrapartum care to promote vaginal birth according to a prediction model for cesarean risk deserves further study among apparently low risk women.

Variation in guideline adherence in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma care: impact of patient and hospital characteristics.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this observational study was to assess the influence of patient, tumor, professional and hospital related characteristics on hospital variation concerning guideline adherence in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) care. METHODS: Validated, guideline-based quality indicators (QIs) were used as a tool to assess guideline adherence for NHL care. Multilevel logistic regression analyses were used to calculate variation between hospitals and to identify characteristics explaining this variation. Data for the QIs regarding diagnostics, therapy, follow-up and organization of care, together with patient, tumor and professional related characteristics were retrospectively collected from medical records; hospital characteristics were derived from questionnaires and publically available data. RESULTS: Data of 423 patients diagnosed with NHL between October 2010 and December 2011 were analyzed. Guideline adherence, as measured with the QIs, varied considerably between the 19 hospitals: >20 % variation was identified in all 20 QIs and high variation between the hospitals (>50 %) was seen in 12 QIs, most frequently in the treatment and follow-up domain. Hospital variation in NHL care was associated more than once with the characteristics age, extranodal involvement, multidisciplinary consultation, tumor type, tumor aggressiveness, LDH level, therapy used, hospital region and availability of a PET-scanner. CONCLUSION: Fifteen characteristics identified at the patient level and at the hospital level could partly explain hospital variation in guideline adherence for NHL care. Particularly age was an important determinant: elderly were less likely to receive care as measured in the QIs. The identification of determinants can be used to improve the quality of NHL care, for example, for standardizing multidisciplinary consultations in daily practice.

Development of quality indicators based on a multidisciplinary, evidence-based guideline on pediatric constipation.

Several clinical guidelines for childhood functional constipation have been developed, but none of them is accompanied by a set of quality indicators. It is important to gain insight into the quality of care in daily practice in order to improve the implementation of clinical guidelines. This can be done by developing and measuring quality indicators. We identified a set of quality indicators for diagnosis and treatment of children with functional constipation, based on the existing Dutch evidence-based multidisciplinary guideline 'Functional constipation in children between 0 and 18 years' and expert opinions of professionals and patients. Assessment of the initial 84 potential quality indicators was done by using a RAND-modified Delphi method. The final set consisted of seven representative quality indicators (one structure and six process quality indicators) for children with functional constipation, covering the dimensions of diagnosis, medical treatment, non-medical treatment and referral. This study describes a systematic method to develop a set of seven process and structure quality indicators that can be used to monitor quality of health care for children with functional constipation.

Improvement of hospital care for patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial (PEARL study).

BACKGROUND: Malignant lymphomas constitute a diverse group of cancers of lymphocytes. One well-known disease is Hodgkin's lymphoma; the others are classified as non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). NHLs are the most common hematologic neoplasms in adults worldwide, and in 2012 over 170,000 new cases were estimated in the United States and Europe.In previous studies, several practice gaps in hospital care for patients with NHL have been identified. To decrease this variation in care, the present study aims to perform a problem analysis in which barriers to and facilitators for optimal NHL care will be identified and, based on these findings, to develop (tailored) improvement strategies. Subsequently, we will assess the effectiveness, feasibility and costs of the improvement strategies. METHODS/DESIGN: Barriers and facilitators will be explored using the literature, using interviews and questionnaires among physicians involved in NHL care, and patients diagnosed with NHL. The results will be used to develop a tailored improvement strategy. A cluster randomized controlled trial involving 19 Dutch hospitals will be conducted. Hospitals will be randomized to receive either an improvement strategy tailored to the barriers and facilitators found or, a standard strategy of audit and feedback.The effects of both strategies will be evaluated using previously developed quality indicators. Adherence to the indicators will be measured before and after the intervention period based on medical records from newly diagnosed NHL patients. To study the feasibility of both strategies, a process evaluation will be additionally performed. Data about exposure to the different elements of the strategies will be collected using questionnaires. Economic evaluation from a healthcare perspective will compare the two implementation strategies, where the costs of the implementation strategy and changes in healthcare consumption will be assessed. DISCUSSION: The presence of variation in the use of diagnostic tests, treatment, and follow-up between different physicians in different hospitals in the Netherlands is important for patients. To reduce the existing variation in care, implementation of tailored interventions to improve NHL care is necessary. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial is registered at ClinicalTrial.gov as the PEARL study, registration number NCT01562509.