Informational Postcards Increase Engagement with Remote Monitoring Among Veterans with Pacemakers and Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillators: a Stepped-Wedge Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote monitoring (RM) of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) reduces morbidity and mortality. However, many patients are not adherent to RM. OBJECTIVE: To test the effect of informational postcards on RM adherence. DESIGN/PATIENTS: Stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial among Veterans with pacemakers and ICDs. INTERVENTION: In wave 1, Veterans who had sent at least 1 transmission within the past 2 years but had become non-adherent were randomly assigned to receive a postcard or no postcard. Those receiving postcards were randomized to 1 of 2 messages: (1) a"warning" postcard describing risks of non-adherence or (2) an "encouraging" postcard describing benefits of adherence. In wave 2, Veterans who had either not received a postcard in wave 1 or had since become non-adherent were mailed a postcard (again, randomized to 1 of 2 messages). Patients who did not send an RM transmission within 1 month were mailed a second, identical postcard. MAIN MEASURES: Transmission within 70 days. KEY RESULTS: Overall, 6351 Veterans were included. In waves 1 and 2, postcards were mailed to 5657 Veterans (2821 "warning" messages and 2836 "encouraging" messages). Wave 1 included 2178 Veterans as controls (i.e., not mailed a postcard), some of whom received a postcard in wave 2 if they remained non-adherent. In wave 2, 3473 postcards were sent. Of the 5657 patients mailed a postcard, 2756 (48.7%) sent an RM transmission within 70 days, compared to 530 (24.3%) of 2178 controls (absolute difference 24.4%, 95% confidence interval [CI] 22.2%, 26.6%). Of those who sent a transmission, 71.8% did so after the first postcard. Transmission rates at 70 days did not significantly differ between "warning" and "encouraging" messages (odds ratio 1.04, 95% CI 0.92, 1.18). CONCLUSIONS: Informational postcards led to a 24.4% absolute increase in adherence at 70 days among Veterans with pacemakers and ICDs who were non-adherent to RM.

Informational letters or postcards to initiate remote monitoring among veterans with pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators: A randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Remote monitoring (RM) of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs) is a Class 1, Level of Evidence A recommendation because of its multitude of clinical benefits. However, RM adherence rates are suboptimal, precluding patients from achieving these benefits. There is a need for direct-to-patient efforts to improve adherence. METHODS: In this national randomized, controlled trial conducted in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), 2120 patients with a pacemaker or ICD who had not sent an RM transmission for ≥1 year (and usually ≥3 years) while under VHA care for their device were randomly assigned to be mailed a postcard (n = 1076) or a detailed letter (n = 1044). The postcard described what RM does and its key benefits (reduced mortality and fewer in-person visits). The letter provided a similar message but included more details about RM benefits and the process. The primary outcome was an RM transmission sent within 90 days of mailing, and a secondary outcome was an RM transmission sent within 365 days. RESULTS: The primary outcome was achieved in 121 (11.3%) in the postcard and 96 patients (9.2%) in the letter group (p = .12). The secondary outcome was achieved in 266 (24.7%) and 239 (22.9%), respectively (p = .32). CONCLUSIONS: This randomized trial showed no significant difference in the proportion of chronically non-adherent patients who sent an RM transmission after receiving a low-cost postcard or a detailed, higher-cost letter encouraging their participation in RM. However, as only a minority of patients responded to either, further work is needed to engage patients in the life-saving benefits of RM.

Genetics professionals are key to the integration of genetic testing within the practice of frontline clinicians.

PURPOSE: Genetic tests have become widely available. We sought to understand the use of genetic tests in the practice of frontline clinicians within the United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). METHODS: We administered a web-based survey to clinicians at 20 VA facilities. Physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and pharmacists were eligible. We excluded genetics providers and clinicians not seeing patients. We used multiple logistic regression to evaluate the associations between clinician characteristics and experience with genetics. RESULTS: The response rate was 11.3% (1207/10,680) and of these, 909 respondents were eligible. Only 20.8% of the respondents reported feeling prepared to use genetic tests and 13.0% of the respondents were currently ordering genetic tests; although, it was usually only 1 or 2 a year. Delivery of genetic tests without involving genetics providers was preferred by only 7.9% of the respondents. Characteristics positively associated with currently ordering genetic tests included practice in clinical and research settings, believing improving genetics knowledge could alter their practice, feeling prepared to use genetic tests, and referral of at least 1 patient to genetics in the past year. CONCLUSION: Most VA clinicians don't feel prepared to use genetic tests. Those with genetic testing experience are more likely to consult genetics providers. The demand for genetics providers should increase as frontline clinicians use genetic tests in their practice.

Effects of a patient-centered digital health intervention in patients referred to cardiac rehabilitation: the Smart HEART clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) improves outcomes in heart disease yet remains vastly underutilized. Remote CR enhanced with a digital health intervention (DHI) may offer higher access and improved patient-centered outcomes over non-technology approaches. We sought to pragmatically determine whether offering a DHI improves CR access, cardiac risk profile, and patient-reported outcome measures. METHODS: Adults referred to CR at a tertiary VA medical center between October 2017 and December 2021 were offered enrollment into a DHI alongside other CR modalities using shared decision-making. The DHI consisted of remote CR with a structured, 3-month home exercise program enhanced with multi-component coaching, a commercial smartphone app, and wearable activity tracker. We measured completion rates among DHI participants and evaluated changes in 6-min walk distance, cardiovascular risk factors, and patient-reported outcomes from pre- to post-intervention. RESULTS: Among 1,643 patients referred to CR, 258 (16%) consented to the DHI where the mean age was 60 ± 9 years, 93% were male, and 48% were black. A majority (90%) of the DHI group completed the program. Over 3-months, significant improvements were seen in 6MWT (mean difference [MD] -29 m; 95% CI, 10 to 49; P < 0.01) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (MD -11 mg/dL; 95% CI, -17 to -5; P < 0.01), and the absolute proportion of patients who reported smoking decreased (10% vs 15%; MD, -5%; 95% CI, -8% to -2%; P < 0.01) among DHI participants with available data. No adverse events were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The addition of a DHI-enhanced remote CR program was delivered in 16% of referred veterans and associated with improved CR access, markers of cardiovascular risk, and healthy behaviors in this real-world study. These findings support the continued implementation of DHIs for remote CR in real-world clinical settings. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02791685 (07/06/2016).

Agent Orange Exposure and Risk of Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis among U.S. Veterans.

Rationale: There is limited literature exploring the relationship between military exposures and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Objectives: To evaluate whether exposure to Agent Orange is associated with an increased risk of IPF among veterans. Methods: We used Veterans Health Administration data to identify patients diagnosed with IPF between 2010 and 2019. We restricted the cohort to male Vietnam veterans and performed multivariate logistic regression to examine the association between presumptive Agent Orange exposure and IPF. We conducted sensitivity analyses restricting the cohort to army veterans (highest theoretical burden of exposure, surrogate for dose response) and a more specific case definition of IPF. Fine-Gray competing risk models were used to evaluate age to IPF diagnosis. Measurements and Main Results: Among 3.6 million male Vietnam veterans, 948,103 (26%) had presumptive Agent Orange exposure. IPF occurred in 2.2% of veterans with Agent Orange exposure versus 1.9% without exposure (odds ratio, 1.14; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.12-1.16; P < 0.001). The relationship persisted after adjusting for known IPF risk factors (odds ratio, 1.08; 95% CI, 1.06-1.10; P < 0.001). The attributable risk among exposed veterans was 7% (95% CI, 5.3-8.7%; P < 0.001). Numerically greater risk was observed when restricting the cohort to 1) Vietnam veterans who served in the army and 2) a more specific definition of IPF. After accounting for the competing risk of death, veterans with Agent Orange exposure were still more likely to develop IPF. Conclusions: Presumptive Agent Orange exposure is associated with greater risk of IPF. Future research should validate this association and investigate the biological mechanisms involved.

Preoperative Medical Testing and Falls in Medicare Beneficiaries Awaiting Cataract Surgery.

PURPOSE: Delaying cataract surgery is associated with an increased risk of falls, but whether routine preoperative testing delays cataract surgery long enough to cause clinical harm is unknown. We sought to determine whether the use of routine preoperative testing leads to harm in the form of delayed surgery and falls in Medicare beneficiaries awaiting cataract surgery. DESIGN: Retrospective, observational cohort study using 2006-2014 Medicare claims. PARTICIPANTS: Medicare beneficiaries 66+ years of age with a Current Procedural Terminology claim for ocular biometry. METHODS: We measured the mean and median number of days between biometry and cataract surgery, calculated the proportion of patients waiting ≥ 30 days or ≥ 90 days for surgery, and determined the odds of sustaining a fall within 90 days of biometry among patients of high-testing physicians (testing performed in ≥ 75% of their patients) compared with patients of low-testing physicians. We also estimated the number of days of delay attributable to high-testing physicians. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Incidence of falls occurring between biometry and surgery, odds of falling within 90 days of biometry, and estimated delay associated with physician testing behavior. RESULTS: Of 248 345 beneficiaries, 16.4% were patients of high-testing physicians. More patients of high-testing physicians waited ≥ 30 days and ≥ 90 days to undergo surgery (31.4% and 8.2% vs. 25.0% and 5.5%, respectively; P < 0.0001 for both). Falls before surgery in patients of high-testing physicians increased by 43% within the 90 days after ocular biometry (1.0% vs. 0.7%; P < 0.0001). The adjusted odds ratio of falling within 90 days of biometry in patients of high-testing physicians versus low-testing physicians was 1.10 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.19; P = 0.008). After adjusting for surgical wait time, the odds ratio decreased to 1.07 (95% CI, 1.00-1.15; P = 0.06). The delay associated with having a high-testing physician was approximately 8 days (estimate, 7.97 days; 95% CI, 6.40-9.55 days; P < 0.0001). Other factors associated with delayed surgery included patient race (non-White), Northeast region, ophthalmologist ≤ 40 years of age, and low surgical volume. CONCLUSIONS: Overuse of routine preoperative medical testing by high-testing physicians is associated with delayed surgery and increased falls in cataract patients awaiting surgery.

Does Community Outsourcing Improve Timeliness of Care for Veterans With Obstructive Sleep Apnea?

BACKGROUND: Providing timely access to care has been a long-standing priority for the Veterans Affairs Healthcare System. Recent strategies to reduce long wait times have focused on purchasing community care by a fee-for-service model. Whether outsourcing Veterans Affairs (VA) specialty care to the community improves access is unclear. OBJECTIVES: We compared time from referral to treatment among Veterans whose care was provided by VA versus community care purchased by the VA, using obstructive sleep apnea as an example condition. METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study of Northern California Veterans seeking sleep apnea care through the San Francisco VA Healthcare System between 2012 and 2018. We used multivariable linear regression with propensity score matching to investigate the relationship between time to care delivery and care setting (VA provided vs. VA-purchased community care). A total of 1347 Northern California Veterans who completed sleep apnea testing within the VA and 88 Veterans who completed sleep apnea testing in the community had complete data for analysis. RESULTS: Among Northern California Veterans with obstructive sleep apnea, outsourcing of care to the community was associated with longer time from referral to therapy (mean±SD, 129.6±82.8 d with VA care vs. 252.0±158.8 d with community care, P<0.001) and greater loss to follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that purchasing community care may lead to care fragmentation and not improve wait times nor improve access to subspecialty care for Veterans.

Implementation Strategies for Frontline Healthcare Professionals: People, Process Mapping, and Problem Solving.

Implementation science is focused on developing and evaluating methods to reduce gaps between research and practice. As healthcare organizations become increasingly accountable for equity, quality, and value, attention has been directed to identifying specific implementation strategies that can accelerate the adoption of evidence-based therapies into clinical practice. In this perspective, we offer three simple, practical strategies that can be used by frontline healthcare providers who are involved in on-the-ground implementation: people (stakeholder) engagement, process mapping, and problem solving. As a use case example, we describe the iterative application of these strategies to the implementation of a new home sleep apnea testing program for patients in the Veterans Health Administration (VA) healthcare system.

Impact of Longitudinal Virtual Primary Care on Diabetes Quality of Care.

BACKGROUND: Lack of healthcare access to due to physician shortages is a significant driver of telemedicine expansion in rural areas. Telemedicine is effective for management of chronic conditions such as diabetes but its effectiveness in primary care settings is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate differences in diabetes care before and after implementation of a longitudinal virtual primary care program. DESIGN: Propensity score-matched cohort study utilizing difference-in-differences analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with diabetes who received care at VA primary care clinics between January 2018 and December 2019 where the Virtual Integrated Multisite Patient Aligned Care Teams (V-IMPACT) program was implemented. EXPOSURE: Patient participation in at least one V-IMPACT visit while usual care patients did not participate in V-IMPACT. MAIN MEASURES: The primary outcome was change in hemoglobin A1C (HbA1C) and secondary outcomes included change in the proportion of patients meeting diabetes quality indicators: blood pressure control, statin use, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor blockers (ACEi/ARB) use, and annual microalbuminuria testing. KEY RESULTS: Our propensity-matched cohort included 9010 patients split evenly between those who participated in V-IMPACT and those who remained in usual in-person care. Among individuals with diabetes who participated in V-IMPACT, the change in mean HbA1C was - 0.055% (95% CI - 0.088 to - 0.022%) while those in usual care had a - 0.047% (95% CI - 0.080 to - 0.014%) change before and after program implementation. We observed a 5.1% (95% CI 2.4 to 7.7%) absolute increase in the proportion prescribed statins in the V-IMPACT group, a 5.3% (95% CI 2.5 to 8.2%) increase prescribed ACE/ARBs, and a 4.6% (95% 1.7 to 7.5%) increase in completed yearly microalbuminuria testing. V-IMPACT was not associated with a significant difference in the proportion with controlled blood pressure at < 140/90 or < 130/90 mmHg thresholds. CONCLUSIONS: Quality of diabetes care delivered by a longitudinal virtual primary care model was similar if not better than traditional in-person care.

Simplifying Measurement of Adenoma Detection Rates for Colonoscopy.

BACKGROUND: Adenoma detection rate (ADR) is the colonoscopy quality metric with the strongest association to interval or "missed" cancer. Accurate measurement of ADR can be laborious and costly. AIMS: Our aim was to determine if administrative procedure codes for colonoscopy and text searches of pathology results for adenoma mentions could estimate ADR. METHODS: We identified US Veterans with a colonoscopy using Current Procedure Terminology (CPT) codes between January 2013 and December 2016 at ten Veterans Affairs sites. We applied simple text searches using Microsoft SQL Server full-text searches to query all pathology notes for "adenoma(s)" or "adenomatous" text mentions to calculate ADRs. To validate our identification of colonoscopy procedures, endoscopists of record, and adenoma detection from the electronic health record, we manually reviewed a random sample of 2000 procedure and pathology notes from the 10 sites. RESULTS: Structured data fields were accurate in identification of colonoscopies being performed (PPV = 0.99; 95% CI 0.99-1.00) and identifying the endoscopist of record (PPV of 0.95; 95% CI 0.94-0.96) for ADR measurement. Simple text searches of pathology notes for adenoma mentions had excellent performance statistics as follows: sensitivity 0.99 (95% CI 0.98-1.00), specificity 0.93 (95% CI 0.92-0.95), NPV 0.99 (95% CI 0.98-1.00), and PPV 0.93 (0.91-0.94) for measurement of ADR. There was no clinically significant difference in the estimates of overall ADR vs. screening ADR (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Measuring ADR using administrative codes and text searches from pathology results is an efficient method to broadly survey colonoscopy quality.

Leveraging Telehealth to improve access to care: a qualitative evaluation of Veterans' experience with the VA TeleSleep program.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea is common among rural Veterans, however, access to diagnostic sleep testing, sleep specialists, and treatment devices is limited. To improve access to sleep care, the Veterans Health Administration (VA) implemented a national sleep telemedicine program. The TeleSleep program components included: 1) virtual clinical encounters; 2) home sleep apnea testing; and 3) web application for Veterans and providers to remotely monitor symptoms, sleep quality and use of positive airway pressure (PAP) therapy. This study aimed to identify factors impacting Veteran's participation, satisfaction and experience with the TeleSleep program as part of a quality improvement initiative. METHODS: Semi-structured interview questions elicited patient perspectives and preferences regarding accessing and engaging with TeleSleep care. Rapid qualitative and matrix analysis methods for health services research were used to organize and describe the qualitative data. RESULTS: Thirty Veterans with obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) recruited from 6 VA telehealth "hubs" participated in interviews. Veterans reported positive experiences with sleep telemedicine, including improvements in sleep quality, other health conditions, and quality of life. Access to care improved as a result of decreased travel burden and ability of both clinicians and Veterans to remotely monitor and track personal sleep data. Overall experiences with telehealth technology were positive. Veterans indicated a strong preference for VA over non-VA community-based sleep care. Patient recommendations for change included improving scheduling, continuity and timeliness of communication, and the equipment refill process. CONCLUSIONS: The VA TeleSleep program improved patient experiences across multiple aspects of care including a reduction in travel burden, increased access to clinicians and remote monitoring, and patient-reported health and quality of life outcomes, though some communication and continuity challenges remain. Implementing telehealth services may also improve the experiences of patients served by other subspecialties or healthcare systems.

Cardiac Rehabilitation: Under-Utilized Globally.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is grossly under-utilized. This review summarizes current knowledge about degree of CR utilization, reasons for under-utilization, and strategies to increase use. RECENT FINDINGS: ICCPR's global CR audit quantified for the first time the number of additional CR spots needed per year to treat indicated patients, so there are programs they may use. The first randomized trial of automatic/systematic CR referral has shown it results in significantly greater patient completion. Moreover, the recent update of the Cochrane review on interventions to increase use has provided unequivocal evidence on the significant impact of clinician CR encouragement at the bedside; a course is now available to train clinicians. The USA is leading the way in implementing automatic referral with inpatient-clinician CR discussions. Suggestions to triage patients based on risk to less resource-intensive, unsupervised program models could simultaneously expand capacity and support patient adherence.

Home-Based Cardiac Rehabilitation: A Scientific Statement From the American Association of Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation, the American Heart Association, and the American College of Cardiology.

Cardiac rehabilitation (CR) is an evidence-based intervention that uses patient education, health behavior modification, and exercise training to improve secondary prevention outcomes in patients with cardiovascular disease. CR programs reduce morbidity and mortality rates in adults with ischemic heart disease, heart failure, or cardiac surgery but are significantly underused, with only a minority of eligible patients participating in CR in the United States. New delivery strategies are urgently needed to improve participation. One potential strategy is home-based CR (HBCR). In contrast to center-based CR services, which are provided in a medically supervised facility, HBCR relies on remote coaching with indirect exercise supervision and is provided mostly or entirely outside of the traditional center-based setting. Although HBCR has been successfully deployed in the United Kingdom, Canada, and other countries, most US healthcare organizations have little to no experience with such programs. The purpose of this scientific statement is to identify the core components, efficacy, strengths, limitations, evidence gaps, and research necessary to guide the future delivery of HBCR in the United States. Previous randomized trials have generated low- to moderate-strength evidence that HBCR and center-based CR can achieve similar improvements in 3- to 12-month clinical outcomes. Although HBCR appears to hold promise in expanding the use of CR to eligible patients, additional research and demonstration projects are needed to clarify, strengthen, and extend the HBCR evidence base for key subgroups, including older adults, women, underrepresented minority groups, and other higher-risk and understudied groups. In the interim, we conclude that HBCR may be a reasonable option for selected clinically stable low- to moderate-risk patients who are eligible for CR but cannot attend a traditional center-based CR program.

Association of Longitudinal Change in High-Sensitivity Troponin with All-Cause Mortality in Coronary Artery Disease: The Heart and Soul Study.

BACKGROUND: Serial increases in high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTnT) have been associated with death in community-dwelling adults, but the association remains uninvestigated in those with coronary artery disease (CAD). METHODS: We measured hs-cTnT at baseline and after 5 years in 635 ambulatory Heart and Soul Study patients with CAD. We also performed echocardiography at rest and after treadmill exercise at baseline and after 5 years. Participants were subsequently followed for the outcome of death. We used a multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards model to evaluate the association between 5-year change in hs-cTnT and subsequent all-cause mortality. RESULTS: Of the 635 subjects, there were 386 participants (61%) who had an increase in hs-cTnT levels between baseline and year 5 measurements (median increase 5.6 pg/mL, IQR 3.2-9.9 pg/mL). There were 182 deaths after a mean 4.2-year follow-up after the year 5 visit. After adjusting for clinical variables, a >50% increase in hs-cTnT between baseline and year 5 was associated with a nearly 2-fold increased risk of death from any cause (hazard ratio 1.7, 95% confidence interval 1.1-2.7). When addition of year 5 hs-cTnT was compared to a model including clinical variables and baseline hs-cTnT, there was a modest but statistically significant increase in C-statistic from 0.82 to 0.83 (p = 0.04). CONCLUSION: In ambulatory patients with CAD, serial increases in hs-cTnT over time are associated with an increased risk of death.

Geographic Variation in Cardiac Rehabilitation Participation in Medicare and Veterans Affairs Populations: Opportunity for Improvement.

BACKGROUND: Cardiac rehabilitation is strongly recommended after myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass surgery, but it is historically underused. We sought to evaluate variation in cardiac rehabilitation participation across the United States. METHODS: From administrative data from the Veterans Affairs (VA) healthcare system and a 5% Medicare sample, we used International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision codes to identify patients hospitalized for myocardial infarction, percutaneous coronary intervention, or coronary artery bypass surgery from 2007 to 2011. After excluding patients who died in ≤30 days of hospitalization, we calculated the percentage of patients who participated in ≥1 outpatient visits for cardiac rehabilitation during the 12 months after hospitalization. We estimated adjusted and standardized rates of participation in cardiac rehabilitation by state using hierarchical logistic regression models. RESULTS: Overall, participation in cardiac rehabilitation was 16.3% (23 403/143 756) in Medicare and 10.3% (9123/88 826) in VA. However, participation rates varied widely across states, ranging from 3.2% to 41.8% in Medicare and 1.2% to 47.6% in VA. Similar regional variation was observed in both populations. Patients in the West North Central region (Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota) had the highest participation, whereas those in the Pacific region (Alaska, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington) had the lowest participation in both Medicare (33.7% versus 10.6%) and VA (16.6% versus 5.1%) populations. Significant hospital-level variation was also present, with participation ranging from 3% to 75% in Medicare and 1% to 43% in VA. CONCLUSIONS: Cardiac rehabilitation participation remains low overall in both Medicare and VA populations. However, remarkably similar regional variation exists, with some regions and hospitals achieving high rates of participation in both populations. This provides an opportunity to identify best practices from higher performing hospitals and regions that could be used to improve cardiac rehabilitation participation in lower performing hospitals and regions.

Ascertainment of Aspirin Exposure Using Structured and Unstructured Large-scale Electronic Health Record Data.

BACKGROUND: Aspirin impacts risk for important outcomes such as cancer, cardiovascular disease, and gastrointestinal bleeding. However, ascertaining exposure to medications available both by prescription and over-the-counter such as aspirin for research and quality improvement purposes is a challenge. OBJECTIVES: Develop and validate a strategy for ascertaining aspirin exposure, utilizing a combination of structured and unstructured data. RESEARCH DESIGN: This is a retrospective cohort study. SUBJECTS: In total, 1,869,439 Veterans who underwent usual care colonoscopy 1999-2014 within the Department of Veterans Affairs. MEASURES: Aspirin exposure and dose were obtained from an ascertainment strategy combining query of structured medication records available in electronic health record databases and unstructured data extracted from free-text progress notes. Prevalence of any aspirin exposure and dose-specific exposure were estimated. Positive predictive value and negative predictive value were used to assess strategy performance, using manual chart review as the reference standard. RESULTS: Our combined strategy for ascertaining aspirin exposure using structured and unstructured data reached a positive predictive value and negative predictive value of 99.2% and 97.5% for any exposure, and 92.6% and 98.3% for dose-specific exposure. Estimated prevalence of any aspirin exposure was 36.3% (95% confidence interval: 36.2%-36.4%) and dose-specific exposure was 35.4% (95% confidence interval: 35.3%-35.5%). CONCLUSIONS: A readily accessible approach utilizing a combination of structured medication records and query of unstructured data can be used to ascertain aspirin exposure when manual chart review is impractical.

Inflammation as a predictor of disease course in posttraumatic stress disorder and depression: A prospective analysis from the Mind Your Heart Study.

BACKGROUND: Prior research has focused largely on the pro-inflammatory states of PTSD and depression, with few studies evaluating the direction of inflammation's association with these disorders. To clarify whether inflammation plays a role in the development of PTSD or depression, we assessed the predictive value of inflammatory biomarkers on the courses of these conditions in a cohort of Veterans. METHODS: This research was part of the Mind Your Heart Study, a prospective cohort study designed to examine PTSD-related health outcomes. Between 2008 and 2010, 746 San Francisco area Veterans Administration patients were enrolled. At baseline, inflammatory biomarkers were measured from fasting morning venous blood draws, and cortisol and catecholamine levels were measured from 24-hour urine samples. PTSD was diagnosed using the PTSD Checklist at baseline and annual follow-up. Depression was evaluated using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire at baseline and follow-up. Ordinal logistic regression models were used to assess the predictive value of baseline biomarker levels on clinically relevant courses of PTSD and depression categorized and ordered as none, resolved, developed, and chronic. RESULTS: After adjustment for age and sex, elevated levels of white blood cell count (OR = 1.27(1.10-1.47), p = 0.001), C-reactive protein (OR = 1.20(1.04-1.39), p = 0.02), fibrinogen (OR = 1.19(1.03-1.38), p = 0.02), and ESR (OR = 1.17(1.00-1.36, p = 0.05), and decreased levels of urine cortisol (OR = 0.84(0.71-0.99), p = 0.04) were significant predictors of poorer courses of PTSD. Elevated levels of WBC count (OR = 1.31(1.14-1.50), p < 0.001), CRP (OR = 1.24(1.07-1.43), p = 0.003), fibrinogen (OR = 1.26(1.09-1.46), p = 0.002), and catecholamines (OR = 1.17(1.01-1.36), p = 0.04) were significant predictors of poorer courses of depression. After additionally controlling for physical activity, elevated WBC count (p = 0.002) and decreased levels of urine cortisol (p = 0.05) remained significant predictors of PTSD course, and elevated WBC count (p = 0.001), CRP (p = 0.03), and fibrinogen (p = 0.02) remained significant predictors of depression course. After adjusting for all significant variables, elevated WBC count (p = 0.02) was a significant predictor of a poorer course of PTSD, and elevated WBC count (p = 0.04) and platelet count (p = 0.03) were significant predictors of a poorer course of depression. CONCLUSIONS: Increased levels of several inflammatory biomarkers were associated with significantly increased odds of clinically worse courses of PTSD and depression. Inflammation may be a target for prevention and treatment of these mental health disorders.

Shortening self-report mental health symptom measures through optimal test assembly methods: Development and validation of the Patient Health Questionnaire-Depression-4.

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to develop and validate a short form of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), a self-report questionnaire for assessing depressive symptomatology, using objective criteria. METHODS: Responses on the PHQ-9 were obtained from 7,850 English-speaking participants enrolled in 20 primary diagnostic test accuracy studies. PHQ unidimensionality was verified using confirmatory factor analysis, and an item response theory model was fit. Optimal test assembly (OTA) methods identified a maximally precise short form for each possible length between one and eight items, including and excluding the ninth item. The final short form was selected based on prespecified validity, reliability, and diagnostic accuracy criteria. RESULTS: A four-item short form of the PHQ (PHQ-Dep-4) was selected. The PHQ-Dep-4 had a Cronbach's alpha of 0.805. Sensitivity and specificity of the PHQ-Dep-4 were 0.788 and 0.837, respectively, and were statistically equivalent to the PHQ-9 (sensitivity = 0.761, specificity = 0.866). The correlation of total scores with the full PHQ-9 was high (r = 0.919). CONCLUSION: The PHQ-Dep-4 is a valid short form with minimal loss of information of scores when compared to the full-length PHQ-9. Although OTA methods have been used to shorten patient-reported outcome measures based on objective, prespecified criteria, further studies are required to validate this general procedure for broader use in health research. Furthermore, due to unexamined heterogeneity, there is a need to replicate the results of this study in different patient populations.

Evaluating Screening Tests for Depression in Post-Stroke Older Adults.

BACKGROUND: Uncertainty surrounds which screening test to use in older patients with poststroke depression, in whom symptoms of depression are more complex and often occur in conjunction with other comorbidities. We evaluated screening tests for depression among a cohort of older ambulatory individuals with comorbid ischemic heart disease and prior stroke. METHODS: We administered 4 depression screening instruments to 148 participants with ischemic heart disease and self-reported stroke from The Heart and Soul Study. Instruments included the 10-item Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D), 9-item and 2-item versions of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9 and PHQ-2), and the Whooley questions, a 2-item yes/no questionnaire. We administered the computerized version of the National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule as a gold standard. RESULTS: Of the 148 participants, 35 (24%) had major depression. The Whooley questions demonstrated the highest sensitivity for detection (89%), followed by the CES-D (80%), PHQ-2 with cut point ≥2 (79%), PHQ-9 (51%), and PHQ-2 with cut point ≥3 (32%). The Whooley questions had a specificity of 0.66, a positive likelihood ratio of 2.61, and a negative likelihood ratio of 0.82. We observed no significant difference in the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve across the 4 instruments. CONCLUSION: In a cohort of ambulatory older adults with coronary heart disease and prior stroke, depression occurred in a fourth of the participants. The simple Whooley questions screening instrument can efficiently detect depression with a high sensitivity in this population, one representative of older patients commonly encountered within a primary care setting.

Poststroke Depression: A Scientific Statement for Healthcare Professionals From the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Poststroke depression (PSD) is common, affecting approximately one third of stroke survivors at any one time after stroke. Individuals with PSD are at a higher risk for suboptimal recovery, recurrent vascular events, poor quality of life, and mortality. Although PSD is prevalent, uncertainty remains regarding predisposing risk factors and optimal strategies for prevention and treatment. This is the first scientific statement from the American Heart Association on the topic of PSD. Members of the writing group were appointed by the American Heart Association Stroke Council's Scientific Statements Oversight Committee and the American Heart Association's Manuscript Oversight Committee. Members were assigned topics relevant to their areas of expertise and reviewed appropriate literature, references to published clinical and epidemiology studies, clinical and public health guidelines, authoritative statements, and expert opinion. This multispecialty statement provides a comprehensive review of the current evidence and gaps in current knowledge of the epidemiology, pathophysiology, outcomes, management, and prevention of PSD, and provides implications for clinical practice.