Shared Medical Appointments: Impact on Clinical and Quality Outcomes in Veterans With Diabetes.

Managing diabetes poses substantial challenges to the over 29.1 million Americans afflicted, and is financially overwhelming to the US health care system. One potential strategy is utilizing a group approach to care delivery or shared medical appointment (SMA). The purpose of this 3-year retrospective VA study was to investigate differences in clinical and quality outcome measures in veterans with type 2 diabetes who used SMAs and those who received only usual care (UC) one-on-one with their doctor. This observational, 2-group cohort study used abstracted medical records from a large Midwestern Veterans Administration hospital. Clinical outcome metrics included hemoglobin A1c (hbA1c), systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and emergency department (ED) visits. Quality outcomes included Veterans' Administration (VA) Department of Defense clinical practice guidelines for the management of diabetes. A total of 988 total VA cases were examined retrospectively over 3 years: 371 cases had used SMAs and 617 were in the UC cohort, and had never attended a diabetes SMA. The study period used abstracted VA medical records from 2008 to 2010. There were no statistically significant differences in HbA1c, systolic blood pressure, and ED visits between groups; however, hbA1c for individuals who attended SMAs was 8.55 (standard deviation [SD] = 1.72) and UC was 7.49 (SD = 1.28) (P < .001). All clinical outcomes were worse at baseline for the SMA cohort. UC had mean ED visits/3 years (mean = 18.62, SD = 13.53, P < .001) versus SMA participants (mean = 27.97, SD = 14.00, P <. 001), revealing a propensity for high health care utilization. SMA providers had statistically significant differences over UC cases on quality measures, including ordering annual ophthalmology and podiatry examinations (P < .001) and prescribing aspirin and angiotension-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-I). SMAs may provide a venue for assessing and delivering quality care for patients with type 2 diabetes. More research is needed to ascertain effective strategies for diabetes disease management in high-risk patients.

The determinants of poor respiratory health status in adults living with human immunodeficiency virus infection.

The increased longevity afforded by combination antiretroviral therapy in developed countries has led to an increased concern regarding senescence-related diseases in patients with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. Previous epidemiologic analyses have demonstrated an increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, as well as a significant burden of respiratory symptoms in HIV-infected patients. We performed the St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire (SGRQ) in 199 HIV-positive men, and determined the predominant factors contributing to poor respiratory-related health status. In univariate analyses, worse SGRQ scores were associated with respiratory-related variables such as greater smoking pack-year history (p=0.028), lower forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1) (p<0.001), and worse emphysema severity as quantified by computed tomographic imaging (p=0.017). In addition, HIV-specific variables, such as a history of plasma viral load >100,000 copies/mL (p=0.043), lower nadir CD4 cell count (p=0.040), and current CD4 cell count ≤350 cells/µL (p=0.005), as well as elevated levels of inflammatory markers, specifically plasma interleukin (IL)-6 (p=0.002) and alpha-1 antitrypsin (p=0.005) were also associated with worse SGRQ scores. In a multiple regression model, FEV1, current CD4 count ≤350 cells/µL, and IL-6 levels remained significant contributors to reduced respiratory-related health status. HIV disease activity as measured by HIV-related immunosuppression in conjunction with the triggering of key inflammatory pathways may be important determinants of worse respiratory health status among HIV-infected individuals. Limitations of this analysis include the absence of available echocardiograms, diffusion capacity and lung volume testing, and an all-male cohort due to the demographics of the clinic population.

Cost-Effectiveness of Antiretroviral Therapy for Multidrug-Resistant HIV: Past, Present, and Future.

In the early years of the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) era, HIV with resistance to two or more agents in different antiretroviral classes posed a significant clinical challenge. Multidrug-resistant (MDR) HIV was an important cause of treatment failure, morbidity, and mortality. Treatment options at the time were limited; multiple drug regimens with or without enfuvirtide were used with some success but proved to be difficult to sustain for reasons of tolerability, toxicity, and cost. Starting in 2006, data began to emerge supporting the use of new drugs from the original antiretroviral classes (tipranavir, darunavir, and etravirine) and drugs from new classes (raltegravir and maraviroc) for the treatment of MDR HIV. Their availability has enabled patients with MDR HIV to achieve full and durable viral suppression with more compact and cost-effective regimens including at least two and often three fully active agents. The emergence of drug-resistant HIV is expected to continue to become less frequent in the future, driven by improvements in the convenience, tolerability, efficacy, and durability of first-line HAART regimens. To continue this trend, the optimal rollout of HAART in both rich and resource-limited settings will require careful planning and strategic use of antiretroviral drugs and monitoring technologies.