Models of shared care for the management of psychotic disorder after first diagnosis in Ontario.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the provision of care for young people following first diagnosis of psychotic disorder. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using health administrative data. SETTING: Ontario. PARTICIPANTS: People aged 14 to 35 years with a first diagnosis of nonaffective psychotic disorder in Ontario between 2005 and 2015 (N=39,449). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Models of care, defined by psychosis-related service contacts with primary care physicians and psychiatrists during the 2 years after first diagnosis of psychotic disorder. RESULTS: During the 2-year follow-up period, 29% of the cohort received only primary care, 30% received only psychiatric care, and 32% received both primary and psychiatric care (shared care). Among the shared care group, 72% received care predominantly from psychiatrists, 20% received care predominantly from primary care physicians, and 9% received approximately equal care from psychiatry and primary care. Variation in patient and physician characteristics was observed across the different models of care. CONCLUSION: One in 3 young people with psychotic disorder received shared care during the 2-year period after first diagnosis. The findings highlight opportunities for increasing collaboration between primary care physicians and psychiatrists to enhance the quality of care for those with early psychosis.

Patient and Physician Factors Associated with First Diagnosis of Non-affective Psychotic Disorder in Primary Care.

Primary care physicians play a central role in pathways to care for first-episode psychosis, and their increased involvement in early detection could improve service-related outcomes. The aim of this study was to estimate the proportion of psychosis first diagnosed in primary care, and identify associated patient and physician factors. We used linked health administrative data to construct a retrospective cohort of people aged 14-35 years with a first diagnosis of non-affective psychosis in Ontario, Canada between 2005-2015. We restricted the sample to patients with help-seeking contacts for mental health reasons in primary care in the six months prior to first diagnosis of psychotic disorder. We used modified Poisson regression models to examine patient and physician factors associated with a first diagnosis of psychosis in primary care. Among people with early psychosis (n = 39,449), 63% had help-seeking contacts in primary care within six months prior to first diagnosis. Of those patients, 47% were diagnosed in primary care and 53% in secondary/tertiary care. Patients factors associated with lower likelihood of diagnosis in primary care included male sex, younger age, immigrant status, and comorbid psychosocial conditions. Physician factors associated with lower likelihood of diagnosis in primary care included solo practice model, urban practice setting, international medical education, and longer time since graduation. Our findings indicate that primary care is an important contact for help-seeking and diagnosis for a large proportion of people with early psychosis. For physicians less likely to diagnose psychosis in primary care, targeted resources and interventions could be provided to support them in caring for patients with early psychosis.

Incidence of Total Knee Arthroplasty After Arthroscopic Surgery for Knee Osteoarthritis: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: It is unclear whether arthroscopic resection of degenerative knee tissues among patients with osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee delays or hastens total knee arthroplasty (TKA); opposite findings have been reported. Objective: To compare the long-term incidence of TKA in patients with OA of the knee after nonoperative management with or without additional arthroscopic surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants: In this ad hoc secondary analysis of a single-center, assessor-blinded randomized clinical trial performed from January 1, 1999, to August 31, 2007, 178 patients were followed up through March 31, 2019. Participants included adults diagnosed with OA of the knee referred for potential arthroscopic surgery in a tertiary care center specializing in orthopedics in London, Ontario, Canada. All participants from the original randomized clinical trial were included. Data were analyzed from June 1, 2021, to October 20, 2022. Exposures: Arthroscopic surgery (resection or debridement of degenerative tears of the menisci, fragments of articular cartilage, or chondral flaps and osteophytes that prevented full extension) plus nonoperative management (physical therapy plus medications as required) compared with nonoperative management only (control). Main Outcomes and Measures: Total knee arthroplasty was identified by linking the randomized trial data with prospectively collected Canadian health administrative datasets where participants were followed up for a maximum of 20 years. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to compare the incidence of TKA between intervention groups. Results: A total of 178 of 277 eligible patients (64.3%; 112 [62.9%] female; mean [SD] age, 59.0 [10.0] years) were included. The mean (SD) body mass index was 31.0 (6.5). With a median follow-up of 13.8 (IQR, 8.4-16.8) years, 31 of 92 patients (33.7%) in the arthroscopic surgery group vs 36 of 86 (41.9%) in the control group underwent TKA (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 0.85 [95% CI, 0.52-1.40]). Results were similar when accounting for crossovers to arthroscopic surgery (13 of 86 [15.1%]) during follow-up (HR, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.53-1.44]). Within 5 years, the cumulative incidence was 10.2% vs 9.3% in the arthroscopic surgery group and control group, respectively (time-stratified HR for 0-5 years, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.41-2.75]); within 10 years, the cumulative incidence was 23.3% vs 21.4%, respectively (time-stratified HR for 5-10 years, 1.06 [95% CI, 0.45-2.51]). Sensitivity analyses yielded consistent results. Conclusions and Relevance: In this secondary analysis of a randomized clinical trial of arthroscopic surgery for patients with OA of the knee, a statistically significant association with delaying or hastening TKA was not identified. Approximately 80% of patients did not undergo TKA within 10 years of nonoperative management with or without additional knee arthroscopic surgery. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00158431.

Access to a regular primary care physician among young people with early psychosis in Ontario, Canada.

AIM: Access to a primary care physician in early psychosis facilitates help-seeking and engagement with psychiatric treatment. We examined access to a regular primary care physician in people with early psychosis, compared to the general population, and explored factors associated with access. METHODS: Using linked health administrative data from Ontario (Canada), we identified people aged 14-35 years with a first diagnosis of nonaffective psychotic disorder (n = 39 449; 2005-2015). We matched cases to four randomly selected general population controls based on age, sex, neighbourhood, and index date (n = 157 796). We used modified Poisson regression to estimate prevalence ratios (PR) for access to a regular primary care physician in the year prior to first diagnosis of psychotic disorder, and the sociodemographic and clinical factors associated with access. RESULTS: A larger proportion of people with early psychosis had a regular primary care physician, relative to the general population (89% vs. 68%; PR = 1.30, 95%CI = 1.30-1.31). However, this was accounted for by a higher prevalence of comorbidities among people with psychosis, and this association was no longer present after adjustment (PR = 0.97, 95%CI = 0.97, 0.98). People with early psychosis who were older, male, refugees and those residing in lower income or high residential instability neighbourhoods were less likely to have a regular primary care physician. CONCLUSION: Approximately one in ten young people with early psychosis in Ontario lack access to a regular primary care physician. Strategies to improve primary care physician access are needed for management of physical comorbidities and to ensure continuity of care.

Secondary surgical intervention after primary glaucoma filtration surgery: an Ontario population-based study.

OBJECTIVE: To identify factors associated with secondary surgical intervention after glaucoma filtration surgery. DESIGN: Population-based retrospective cohort. METHODS: Patient records with billing claims for a primary glaucoma filtration surgery occurring between April 2003 and March 2015 were identified. Each identified record was examined for instances of secondary glaucoma surgeries within the patient's first postoperative year. Baseline characteristics of patients who required secondary surgical intervention were compared with those who did not. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was used to calculate hazard ratios. RESULTS: Within a cohort of 10,097 patients, 349 (3.46%) underwent a secondary surgical intervention within the first postoperative year. Interventions were less frequent after surgeries that included an indwelling drainage device (HR=0.58 95% CI, 0.37-0.89), phacoemulsification (HR=0.33, 0.21-0.52), or both (HR=0.09, 0.03-0.31). Patients with preoperative aminoglycoside and mydriatic exposure had significantly increased risk of secondary surgical intervention (HR=3.19, 1.89-5.36) and (HR=2.32, 1.49-3.61). Patients who underwent surgery on their contralateral eye experienced secondary surgical interventions more frequently: 7.44 per 10,000 person-days (versus 1.18 per 10,000 person-days, p < 0.0001). No significant differences in the rates of secondary surgical intervention were observed for patients taking different classes of glaucoma medications or those exposed to higher amounts of benzalkonium chloride. CONCLUSIONS: In Ontario, the overall rates of secondary surgical interventions in the first postoperative year are low but significantly higher in certain patient populations. Further work is required to address the higher rate of secondary surgical intervention in patients with a history of certain perioperative eye drop medications and those who require sequential-bilateral procedures.

Effects of Transmission Bottlenecks on the Diversity of Influenza A Virus.

We investigate the fate of de novo mutations that occur during the in-host replication of a pathogenic virus, predicting the probability that such mutations are passed on during disease transmission to a new host. Using influenza A virus as a model organism, we develop a life-history model of the within-host dynamics of the infection, deriving a multitype branching process with a coupled deterministic model to capture the population of available target cells. We quantify the fate of neutral mutations and mutations affecting five life-history traits: clearance, attachment, budding, cell death, and eclipse phase timing. Despite the severity of disease transmission bottlenecks, our results suggest that in a single transmission event, several mutations that appeared de novo in the donor are likely to be transmitted to the recipient. Even in the absence of a selective advantage for these mutations, the sustained growth phase inherent in each disease transmission cycle generates genetic diversity that is not eliminated during the transmission bottleneck.

The rationale for probiotics improving reproductive health and pregnancy outcome.

PROBLEM: Medical problems of most importance to reproductive health of women differ to some extent between the developed world and resource-disadvantaged countries. Nevertheless, many share a common link in microbial involvement. METHOD OF STUDY: A review of the peer-reviewed literature on microbiota, probiotics, and reproductive health. RESULTS: Indigenous and probiotic lactobacilli express properties antagonistic to pathogens, but complementary to host immunity. These organisms are associated with conception, reducing the risk of infection, as well as potentially lowering the risk of a number of complications of pregnancy that otherwise lead to maternal and infant mortality and morbidity. CONCLUSIONS: The ability to manipulate the microbiome and to improve immunity through probiotics holds much promise. The lack of improvements over the past 40 years in managing urogenital infections in women is incomprehensible. Support for innovative diagnostic and treatment options is needed, including testing and implementing probiotic therapies, especially for women with poor access to healthcare and good nutrition.