[Patients on oral anticancer drugs and coordinated pathway: CHIMORAL, feedback from care providers]. / Patients sous anticancéreux oraux et parcours coordonné : CHIMORAL, retour des acteurs de soins.

INTRODUCTION: Oral anticancer drugs have raised the question of how to follow-up these patients and how to coordinate this follow-up. The CHIMORAL study evaluated the involvement of primary care providers and a coordination by territorial health networks. Training/information tools were provided, as well as weekly nursing follow-up at home. METHODS: The operational feasibility of this model was assessed through a qualitative/quantitative analysis of territorial health network intervention and feedback from primary care providers. RESULTS: One hundred and fifty four patients received coordinated care, with nursing follow-up for 89% of them (average 6.3 weeks). One in three nurses, one in five pharmacists and one in ten doctors used the tools provided, 41% of which were used for training and 16% for the management of an adverse event. The main reasons for using the networks concerned adverse effects (34%) and came mainly from nurses (45%) and patients and their relatives (47%). Patients felt safe, with more responsive management. DISCUSSION: This intervention has strengthened the networks' links with primary care providers. The use of the community-based care system for adverse events was more frequent, with improved detection and patient awareness, with no observed impact on compliance. A proposed evolution is to maintain an in-home assessment for all patients and to define a frequency and duration of follow-up according to the patient's profile.

Evaluation of the breast cancer care network within the Lazio Region (Central Italy).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A summary indicator for evaluating the breast cancer network has never been measured at the regional level. The aim is to design treemaps providing a summary description of hospitals (including breast units) and Local Health Units (LHUs) in terms of their levels of performance within the breast cancer network of the Lazio region (central Italy). The treemap structure has an intuitive design and displays information from both general and specific analyses. METHODS: Patients admitted to the regional hospitals for malignant breast cancer (MBC) surgery in 2010-2017 were selected in a population-based cohort study. These quality indicators were calculated based on the international guidelines (EUSOMA, ESMO) to assess the performance in terms of volume of activity, surgery procedure, post-surgery assistance and timeliness of medical therapy or radiotherapy beginning. The quality indicators were calculated using administrative health data systematically collected at the regional level and were included in the treemap to represent the surgery or the post-surgery areas of the breast cancer clinical pathway. In order to allow aggregation of scores for different indicators belonging to the same clinical area, up to five evaluation classes were defined using the "Jenks Natural Breaks" algorithm. A score and a colour were assigned to each clinical area based on the ranking of the indicators involved. The analyses were performed on an annual basis, by the LHU of residence and by the hospital which performed the surgical intervention. RESULTS: In 2017, 6218 surgical interventions for MBC were performed in the hospitals of Lazio. The results showed a continuous increase of the level of performance over the years. Hospitals showed higher variability in the levels of performance than the LHUs. 36% of the evaluated hospitals reached a high level of performance. An audit of the S. Filippo Neri breast unit revealed incorrect coding of the input data. For this reason, the score for the indicator for the volume of wards was re-calculated and re-evaluated, with a subsequent improvement of the level of performance. Most LHUs achieved at least an average overall level of performance, with 20% of the LHUs reaching a high level of performance. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first attempt to apply the treemap logic to a single clinical network, in order to obtain a summary indicator for the evaluation of the breast cancer care network. Our results supply decision makers with a transparent instrument of governance for heterogeneous users, directing efforts improving and promoting equity of care. The treemaps could be reproduced and adapted for other local contexts, in order to limit inappropriateness and ensure uniform levels of breast cancer care within local areas. The next step is the evaluation of audit and feedback interventions to improve the quality of care and to guarantee homogeneous levels of care throughout the region.

Project PLACE: Enhancing community and academic partnerships to describe and address health disparities.

Achieving cancer health equity is a national imperative. Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States and in North Carolina (NC), where the disease disproportionately impacts traditionally underrepresented race and ethnic groups, those who live in rural communities, the impoverished, and medically disenfranchised and/or health-disparate populations at high-risk for cancer. These populations have worse cancer outcomes and are less likely to be participants in clinical research and trials. It is critical for cancer centers and other academic health centers to understand the factors that contribute to poor cancer outcomes, the extent to which they impact the cancer burden, and develop effective interventions to address them. Key to this process is engaging diverse stakeholders in the development and execution of community and population health assessments, and the subsequent programs and interventions designed to address the need across the catchment area. This chapter describes the processes and lessons learned of the Duke Cancer Institute's (DCI) long standing community partnerships that led to Project PLACE (Population Level Approaches to Cancer Elimination), a National Cancer Institute (NCI)-funded community health assessment reaching 2315 respondents in 7 months, resulting in a community partnered research agenda to advance cancer equity within the DCI catchment area. We illustrate the application of a community partnered health assessment and offer examples of strategic opportunities, successes, lessons learned, and implications for practice.

Two-stage, school and community-based population screening successfully identifies individuals and families at high-risk for type 2 diabetes: the Feel4Diabetes-study.

BACKGROUND: The implementation of population screening and early prevention strategies targeting individuals at high-risk for type 2 diabetes (T2D) seems to be a public health priority. The current work aimed to describe the screening procedure applied in the Feel4Diabetes-study and examine its effectiveness in identifying individuals and families at high risk, primarily for T2D and secondarily for hypertension, among vulnerable populations in low to middle-income countries (LMICs) and high-income countries (HICs) across Europe. METHODS: A two-stage screening procedure, using primary schools as the entry-point to the community, was applied in low socioeconomic status (SES) regions in LMICs (Bulgaria-Hungary), HICs (Belgium-Finland) and HICs under austerity measures (Greece-Spain). During the first-stage screening via the school-setting, a total of 20,501 parents (mothers and/or fathers) of schoolchildren from 11,396 families completed the Finnish Diabetes Risk Score (FINDRISC) questionnaire, while their children underwent anthropometric measurements in the school setting. Parents from the identified "high-risk families" (n = 4484) were invited to participate in the second-stage screening, including the measurement of fasting plasma glucose (FPG) and blood pressure (BP). In total, 3153 parents participated in the second-stage screening (mean age 41.1 ± 5.6 years, 65.8% females). RESULTS: Among parents who attended the second-stage screening, the prevalence of prediabetes (as defined by impaired fasting glucose; FPG 100-125 mg/dl) and T2D (FPG > 126 mg/dl) was 23.2 and 3.0% respectively, and it was found to be higher in the higher FINDRISC categories. The percentage of undiagnosed T2D among the participants identified with T2D was 53.5%. The prevalence of high normal BP (systolic BP 130-139 mmHg and/ or diastolic BP 85-89 mmHg) and hypertension (systolic BP ≥ 140 mmHg and/ or diastolic BP ≥ 90 mmHg) was 14 and 18.6% respectively, which was also higher in the higher FINDRISC categories. The percentage of cases not receiving antihypertensive treatment among the participants identified with hypertension was 80.3%. CONCLUSION: The findings of the current study indicate that the two-stage school and community-based screening procedure followed, effectively identified high-risk individuals and families in vulnerable populations across Europe. This approach could be potentially scalable and sustainable and support initiatives for the early prevention of T2D and hypertension. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The Feel4Diabetes-intervention is registered at https://clinicaltrials.gov/ (NCT02393872; date of trial registration: March 20, 2015).

[Childhood cancer in part of France: Key issues and organization of care in Corsica island]. / État des lieux des maladies onco-hématologiques pédiatriques en Corse et organisation des soins.

INTRODUCTION: In France, the management of pediatric cancers is carried out in reference hospitals that can delegate care to local health centres (LHC), forming "care networks". There is no LHC in Corsica, forcing children and their families to leave the island for all care in the reference centre. The aim of this study was to describe the situation in Corsica and to consider this organisation. METHODS: This is a descriptive preliminary study based on databases from the National Childhood Cancer Registry, "RHeOP" network and a patient questionnaire. We included over a period of 10 years all children with onco-hematological disease who resided in Corsica. RESULTS: The incidence of pediatric cancers since 2005 ranged from 5 to 12 new cases per year. The hospital centre of Timone (Marseille) was the reference centre for 73% of patients, followed by Nice University Hospital for 14%. Almost all the parents interviewed (90%) were in favour of creating an LHC and all of them highlighted many difficulties that, according to them, could be improved by the presence of a LHC in Corsica (organisation of travel, delay and distance from home…). However, there currently appears to be a lack of training for medical and paramedical staff to provide quality second-line care. CONCLUSION: The rates of pediatric onco-hematological diseases in Corsica may warrant the creation of an LHC on the island. Additional cost studies on the feasibility of an LHC in Corsica are needed to optimise the care and quality of life of these children and their families.

Comparing Shared Patient Networks Across Payers.

BACKGROUND: Measuring care coordination in administrative data facilitates important research to improve care quality. OBJECTIVE: To compare shared patient networks constructed from administrative claims data across multiple payers. DESIGN: Social network analysis of pooled cross sections of physicians treating prevalent colorectal cancer patients between 2003 and 2013. PARTICIPANTS: Surgeons, medical oncologists, and radiation oncologists identified from North Carolina Central Cancer Registry data linked to Medicare claims (N = 1735) and private insurance claims (N = 1321). MAIN MEASURES: Provider-level measures included the number of patients treated, the number of providers with whom they share patients (by specialty), the extent of patient sharing with each specialty, and network centrality. Network-level measures included the number of providers and shared patients, the density of shared-patient relationships among providers, and the size and composition of clusters of providers with a high level of patient sharing. RESULTS: For 24.5% of providers, total patient volume rank differed by at least one quintile group between payers. Medicare claims missed 14.6% of all shared patient relationships between providers, but captured a greater number of patient-sharing relationships per provider compared with the private insurance database, even after controlling for the total number of patients (27.242 vs 26.044, p < 0.001). Providers in the private network shared a higher fraction of patients with other providers (0.226 vs 0.127, p < 0.001) compared to the Medicare network. Clustering coefficients for providers, weighted betweenness, and eigenvector centrality varied greatly across payers. Network differences led to some clusters of providers that existed in the combined network not being detected in Medicare alone. CONCLUSION: Many features of shared patient networks constructed from a single-payer database differed from similar networks constructed from other payers' data. Depending on a study's goals, shortcomings of single-payer networks should be considered when using claims data to draw conclusions about provider behavior.

Mortality among referrals to a community-based intermediate care team.

OBJECTIVES: Intermediate care services have been introduced to help mitigate unnecessary hospital demand and premature placement in long-term residential care. Many patients are elderly and/or with complex comorbidities, but little consideration has been given to the palliative care needs of patients referred to intermediate care services. The objective of this study is to determine the proportion of patients referred to a community-based intermediate care team who died during care and up to 24 months after discharge and so to help inform the development of supportive and palliative care in this setting. METHODS: A retrospective cohort study of all 4770 adult patients referred to Northamptonshire Intermediate Care Team (ICT) between 11 April 2010 and 10 April 2011. RESULTS: Of 4770 patients referred, 60% were 75 years or older and 32% were 85 years of age or older. 4.0% of patients died during their ICT stay and 11% within 30 days of discharge. At the end of 12 months, 25% of the patients had died, increasing to 32% before the end of the second year. About 34% of all deaths occurred during the ICT stay or within 30 days of discharge, and a further 46% by the end of the first year. Male gender and higher age were associated with greater likelihood of death. CONCLUSIONS: It is important for ICT clinicians to consider immediate and longer-term palliative care needs among patients referred to ICTs. Care models involving ICTs and palliative care teams working together could enable more people with end-stage non-cancer illnesses to die at home.

Treatment Outcomes in Patients with Metastatic Neuroendocrine Tumors: a Retrospective Analysis of a Community Oncology Database.

PURPOSE: Metastatic neuroendocrine tumors (mNETs) are rare, heterogeneous tumors that present diagnostic and treatment challenges, with limited data on the management of mNETs in clinical practice. The present study was designed to identify current diagnostic and treatment patterns in mNET patients treated in the US community oncology setting. METHODS: Patient-level data was collected from medical records of adults with mNETs from the Vector Oncology Data Warehouse, a comprehensive US community oncology network database. RESULTS: Of the 263 patients included (median follow-up, 22 months; range, 0.1-193.9), 30.4% (80/263) had intestinal tumors, 11.0% (29/263) had pancreatic, and 58.6% (154/263) had tumors of other or unknown location. Progression-free survival (PFS) from the start of first-line therapy differed significantly by tumor grade (log rank P = 0.0016) and location (P = 0.0044), as did overall survival (OS) (grade, P < 0.0001; location, P = 0.0068). Median PFS and OS for patients with undocumented tumor grade were shorter than for patients with G1/G2 tumors and longer than patients with G3 tumors. Median PFS and OS for patients with other or unknown tumors were shorter than for patients with intestinal tumors. CONCLUSIONS: While potentially confounded by the high number of patients with other or unknown tumor locations, this retrospective study of patients in a US community oncology setting identified the importance of awareness of tumor grade and tumor location at diagnosis, as these were direct correlates of PFS and OS.

A pooled analysis of individual patient data from National Clinical Trials Network clinical trials of concurrent chemoradiotherapy for limited-stage small cell lung cancer in elderly patients versus younger patients.

BACKGROUND: Platinum and etoposide with thoracic radiation followed by prophylactic cranial irradiation constitute the standard treatment for limited-stage small cell lung cancer (LS-SCLC). Many patients with LS-SCLC are elderly with comorbidities. METHODS: Individual patient data were collected from 11 phase 2 or 3 trials for LS-SCLC conducted by the National Clinical Trials Network and activated from 1990 to 2010. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS); the secondary endpoints were progression-free survival (PFS), the rate of severe adverse events, and off-treatment reasons. The outcomes were compared for patients 70 years old or older (elderly patients) and patients younger than 70 years (younger patients). RESULTS: Individual patient data from 1049 younger patients (81%) and 254 elderly patients (19%) were analyzed. In the multivariate model, elderly patients, in comparison with younger patients, had worse OS (hazard ratio [HR], 1.38; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.18-1.63; median OS for elderly patients, 17.8 months; OS for younger patients, 23.5 months) and worse PFS (HR, 1.19; 95% CI, 1.03-1.39; median PFS for elderly patients, 10.6 months; median PFS for younger patients, 12.3 months). Elderly patients, in comparison with younger patients, experienced more grade 5 adverse events (8% vs 3%; P < .01) and more grade 3 or higher dyspnea (11% vs 7%; P = .03) but less grade 3 or higher esophagitis/dysphagia (14% vs 19%; P = .04) and less grade 3 or higher vomiting (11% vs 17%; P = .01). Elderly patients completed treatment less often, discontinued treatment because of adverse events and patient refusal more frequently, and died during treatment more frequently. CONCLUSIONS: Elderly patients with LS-SCLC have worse PFS and OS and more difficulty in tolerating therapy. Future trials should incorporate assessments of elderly patients, novel monitoring of adverse events, and more tolerable radiation and systemic therapies.

Evaluating Breast Cancer Care Coordination at a Rural National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center Using Network Analysis and Geospatial Methods.

BACKGROUND: Variation in cancer care coordination may affect care quality and patient outcomes. We sought to characterize the impact of geographic access to and dispersion of cancer care providers on variation in care coordination. METHODS: Using electronic health record data from 2,507 women diagnosed with breast cancer at a National Cancer Institute Comprehensive Cancer Center from April 2011 to September 2015, a breast cancer patient-sharing physician network was constructed. Patient "care networks" represent the subnetworks of physicians with whom the focal patient had a clinical encounter. Patient care networks were analyzed to generate two measures of care coordination, care density (ratio of observed vs. potential connections between physicians), and clustering (extent to which physicians form connected triangles). RESULTS: The breast cancer physician network included 667 physicians. On average, the physicians shared patients with 12 other physicians. Patients saw an average of 8 physicians during active treatment. In multivariable models adjusting for patient sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, we observed that greater travel burden (>2 hours) and lower geographic dispersion were associated with higher care density (P < 0.05 and P < 0.001, respectively) but lower care network clustering (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Variation in network-based measures of care coordination is partially explained by patient travel burden and geographic dispersion of care. IMPACT: Improved understanding of factors driving variation in patient care networks may identify patients at risk of receiving poorly coordinated cancer care.

Evaluation of Outcomes of the Busan Community-based Palliative Care Project in Korea.

PURPOSE: This study aimed to evaluate the outcomes of a community-based palliative care project conducted in Busan city, Korea, from 2013 to 2015. METHODS: We selected four outcome indices based on the project's outcomes derived from a logic model and used a longitudinal and cross-sectional comparative design approach depending on the outcome index. RESULTS: The utilization rate of palliative care increased from 9.2% in 2012 to 41.9% in 2015. Regarding symptom changes in 65 patients receiving palliative care at 3 and 6 months (mean age = 72 years, standard deviation = 9.64, 55.4% women), pain, anxiety, and depression had improved. Quality of life was higher among palliative care patients compared with patients who did not receive palliative care (t = 2.09, p = .039). Regarding recognition of palliative care, civil servants at public health centers who participated in the pilot project (2013-2014) scored higher than those at public health centers who began participation in 2015 (t = 2.67, p = .008). CONCLUSION: This is the first study in Korea that systematically evaluated community-based palliative care. The Busan Community-based Palliative Care Project improved the quality of life of palliative care patients by providing services at an appropriate level and by raising the recognition of palliative care in the community. To increase the utilization ratio of palliative care and the quality of service, strategies should be developed to supplement medical support systems.

The Prevalence and Risk for Herpes Zoster Infection in Adult Patients With Diabetes Mellitus in the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network.

OBJECTIVES: Herpes zoster (HZ) is a common infection in Canada that can result in serious and long-term complications. People with diabetes may be at an increased risk for HZ. The objectives of this study were to develop and validate a case definition of HZ diagnosis based on electronic medical records; determine a prevalence estimate for HZ in adult patients in the Canadian Primary Care Sentinel Surveillance Network (CPCSSN) and assess the association between HZ and diabetes. METHODS: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study. Patients 18 years of age or older who had made at least 1 visit to their primary health-care providers within the past 2 years in the CPCSSN were included. These data came from a 2015 extract of CPCSSN data, and a subsample of 289 patients was used to validate our case definition. Prevalences were estimated for the overall population and for people with diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, cancer or HIV. Risk ratios were modelled for these conditions. RESULTS: The sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive values for HZ were 100%, 73.8%, 83.9% and 100%, respectively. The 1-year prevalence of HZ in the CPCSSN data was 0.32%. The prevalence of HZ was higher in females (0.35%) than in males (0.28%). People with diabetes have an increased risk for HZ infection (RR 2.64, 95% CI 2.34, 2.99). CONCLUSIONS: People with diabetes have an increased risk for the diagnosis of HZ infection in the primary care setting in Canada. Women over the age of 65 years with diabetes and/or other chronic conditions are at greatest risk for developing HZ.

Prevalência de tuberculose e conhecimento da rede de saúde nos municípios assistidos pelo Programa Mais Médicos para o Brasil no interior do Ceará / Prevalence of tuberculosis and knowledge of the health network in the municipalities assisted by the Mais Médicos Program for Brazil in the interior of Ceará

INTRODUÇÃO: A tuberculose (TB) é uma doença conhecida há milhares de anos. No entanto, permanece ainda como um dos principais problemas de saúde pública em todo mundo. OBJETIVO: Verificar prevalência de tuberculose e o suporte e conhecimento da rede de saúde nos municípios assistidos pelo Programa Mais Médicos para o Brasil (PMMB) no interior do Ceará. Desenho do estudo: corte transversal. MÉTODOS: Estudo com médicos bolsistas do PMMB que atuam em 30 municípios das macrorregiões de saúde Cariri e Centro Sul do Ceará, através de questionário padronizado confeccionado por supervisores e tutores do PMMB. A coleta ocorreu em novembro 2017. RESULTADOS: Responderam ao questionário 202 médicos (93,5% do total). 94,6% dos médicos responderam que suas Unidades Básicas de Saúde (UBS) seguem algum protocolo para acompanhamento destes pacientes. 97% dos médicos responderam que conhecem a rede de atenção à saúde ofertada ao paciente com tuberculose em seu município, os 3% que desconhecem justificaram que: "não tem nenhum paciente com tuberculose, não teve a oportunidade de conhecer a rede de atenção"; "não tem o serviço disponível no município"; a "gestão mudou e não informou como seria o fluxo". Foi verificada uma prevalência de 61 pacientes com TB cadastrados, 57 destes são acompanhados pelas UBSs. A notificação do paciente foi feita pelo médico em 22,8% dos casos, pelo enfermeiro em 24,8%, e pelo médico e enfermeiro em 52,5%. 94,6% dos médicos informaram que há garantia do encaminhamento do paciente para o centro de referência quando necessário e 5,4% que não há, sendo as seguintes justificativas: "embora exista o serviço as vagas são escassas e nem todos conseguem atendimento especializado" e "não há centro de referência para tuberculose pactuado pelo município. DISCUSSÃO: O Brasil segue a proposta da OMS no que diz respeito às prioridades relacionadas à detecção precoce de casos, ao tratamento do paciente e a cura. O número de novos casos de TB no Ceará em 2017 foi 3.851, destes 338 no Cariri e 147 no Sertão Central. Em novembro de 2017, 246 casos foram diagnosticados no Ceará, 23 na região do Cariri e 13 no Sertão Central. Neste estudo, verificou-se uma prevalência de 61 casos de TB, 93,4% destes são acompanhados pelos médicos do PMMB, 6,6% não é acompanhado. CONCLUSÃO: O controle da tuberculose é uma das suas áreas estratégicas a ser aplicada em todo o território nacional, as ações de controle da tuberculose devem ser desempenhadas na Atenção Básica.(AU)

[Patient-sharing networks : New approaches in the analysis and transformation of geographic variation in healthcare]. / Virtuelle Behandlernetzwerke : Neue Ansätze zur Analyse und Veränderung räumlicher Versorgungsunterschiede.

The analysis of geographic variations has spurred arguments that area of residence determines access to and quality of healthcare. In this paper we argue that unwarranted geographic variations can be traced back to actions of individual patients and their healthcare providers (doctors, hospitals). These actors interact in a complicated web of shared responsibilities. Designing effective interventions to reduce unwarranted geographic variations may therefore depend on methods to identify these interactions and communities of providers with a shared accountability. In the US, Canada, and Germany, routine data have been used to identify self-organized informal or virtual networks of physicians and hospitals, so-called patient-sharing networks (PSNs). This is an emerging field of analysis. We attempt to provide a brief report on the state of work in progress. It can be shown that variation between PSNs in a given area is effectively greater than variation between regions. While this suggests that reducing unwarranted variation needs to start at the level of PSN, methods to identify PSNs still vary widely. We compare epidemiological approaches and approaches based on graph theory and social network analysis. We also present some preliminary findings of exploratory analyses based on comprehensive claims data of physician practices in Germany. Defining PSNs based on usual provider relationships helps to create distinctive patient populations while PSNs may not be mutually exclusive. Social network analysis, on the other hand, appears better equipped to differentiate between provider communities with stronger and weaker ties; it does not yield distinctive patient populations. To achieve accountability and to support change management, analytic methods to describe PSNs still need refinement. There are first projects in Germany which use PSNs as an intervention platform in order to achieve improved cooperation and reduce unwarranted variation in their care processes.

Delivery of Community-Based Palliative Care: Findings from a Time and Motion Study.

BACKGROUND: Use of palliative care has increased substantially as the population ages and as evidence for its benefits grows. However, there is limited information regarding which care activities are necessary for delivering high-quality, interdisciplinary, community-based palliative care. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to identify and measure the discrete clinical and administrative activities completed by a multidisciplinary team in a hospice provider-led model for providing community-based palliative care. STUDY DESIGN: A time and motion study was conducted at three care settings within a large hospice and palliative care network and a process map was drawn to describe the personnel and activities recorded. METHODS: Researchers recorded activities performed by clinical and administrative staff. Activities were categorized into those related to patient care, administrative duties, care coordination, and other. A process map of palliative care delivery was created and descriptive statistics were used to calculate the proportion of time spent on discrete activities and within each activity category. RESULTS: Over 50 hours of activities were recorded during which the clinicians interacted with 25 patients and engaged in 20 distinct tasks. Physicians spent 94% of their time on tasks related to patient care and 1% on administrative tasks. Nurse practitioners and registered nurses spent 82% and 53% of their time on patient-related tasks and 2% and 37% on administrative tasks, respectively. CONCLUSION: The delivery of palliative care is interdisciplinary and involves numerous discrete tasks and activities. Understanding the components of a community-based palliative care model is the first step to designing incentives to encourage its spread.

Intrauterine balloon tamponade for management of severe postpartum haemorrhage in a perinatal network: a prospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of intrauterine balloon tamponade (IUBT) for management of severe postpartum haemorrhage (PPH). To identify the factors predicting IUBT failure. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Ten maternity units in a perinatal network. POPULATION: Women treated by IUBT from July 2010 to March 2013. METHODS: The global IUBT success rate was expressed as the number of women with severe PPH who were successfully treated by IUBT divided by the total number treated by IUBT. IUBT failure was defined as the need for arterial embolisation or surgery. Logistic regression analysis was used to estimate factors predicting IUBT failure. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Global IUBT success rate. Factors associated with IUBT failure. RESULTS: Intrauterine balloon tamponade was attempted in 226 women: 171 after vaginal delivery (VD) (75.7%) and 55 during or after caesarean delivery (CD) (24.3%). The global success rate was 83.2% (188/226) and was significantly higher after VD (152/171, 88.9%) than CD (36/55, 65.5%, P < 0.01). The percentage of CD was significantly higher in the failure group (50.0 versus 19.1%, P < 0.01), as was mean (SD) estimated blood loss before IUBT: 1508 ± 675 ml versus 1064 ± 476, P < 0.01. Coagulopathy was significantly more frequent in the failure group (50.0% versus 17.2%, P < 0.01). CD [Odds ratio (OR) 3.5; 95% CI 1.6-7.6], estimated blood loss before IUBT (OR 3.2; 95% CI 1.5-6.8) and coagulopathy (OR 5.6; 95% CI 2.5-13.0) were predictive of IUBT failure. CONCLUSION: Intrauterine balloon tamponade is an effective method for treating severe PPH. Early balloon deployment before the development of coagulopathy increases its success rate. TWEETABLE ABSTRACT: Intrauterine balloon tamponade is effective for achieving haemostasis in intractable postpartum haemorrhages.

Quality of Posttreatment Care Among Breast Cancer Survivors in the University of California Athena Breast Health Network (Athena).

INTRODUCTION: Multiple oncology providers are involved in the initial breast cancer treatment. To better understand the patterns and quality of posttreatment breast cancer care, we surveyed patients who had been treated at each of the 5 University of California (UC) cancer centers. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We identified breast cancer patients diagnosed in 2008-2009 from hospital tumor registries; invitations for the mailed survey on posttreatment care were sent between September 2011 and November 2012. The survey requested information on the number and type of provider visits, discussion of key topics, use of treatment summaries, and survivorship care plans (SCP). RESULTS: A total of 329 patients completed the survey. The mean age of respondents was 60.5 years, and they were 3.2 years since diagnosis (range, 1.6-4.8 years). A total of 82% had continued posttreatment care at a UC facility, and they reported high numbers of clinical follow-up visits, with an average of > 2 providers (range, 1-5). Surgery-only patients reported an average of 4 to 5 office visits a year; patients who received surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy reported 5 to 6 office visits a year. Overall, 45% of women reported receiving a treatment summary; receipt of a SCP was reported by 59%, occurring significantly more often among those in follow-up at a UC (P = .004). CONCLUSION: Patients reported visits to multiple providers during their follow-up care, in excess of what is recommended by current guidelines. This was in spite of many women reporting that they had received a SCP.