Estimating the obstetric co-morbidity burden using administrative data: The impact of the pregnancy-related assessment window.

BACKGROUND: Despite increased research using large administrative databases to identify determinants of maternal morbidity and mortality, the extent to which these databases capture obstetric co-morbidities is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact that the time window used to assess obstetric co-morbidities has on the completeness of ascertainment of those co-morbidities. METHODS: We conducted a five-year analysis of inpatient hospitalisations of pregnant women from 2010-2014 using the Nationwide Readmissions Database. For each woman, using discharge diagnoses, we identified 24 conditions used to create the Obstetric Comorbidity Index. Using various assessment windows for capturing obstetric co-morbidities, including the delivery hospitalisation only and all weekly windows from 7 to 280 days, we calculated the frequency and rate of each co-morbidity and the degree of underascertainment of the co-morbidity. Under each scenario, and for each co-morbidity, we also calculated the all-cause, 30-day readmission rate. RESULTS: There were over 3 million delivery hospitalisations from 2010 to 2014 included in this analysis. Compared with a full 280-day window, assessment of obstetric co-morbidities using only diagnoses made during the delivery hospitalisation would result in failing to identify over 35% of cases of chronic renal disease, 28.5% cases in which alcohol abuse was documented during pregnancy, and 23.1% of women with pulmonary hypertension. For seven other co-morbidities, at least 1 in 20 women with that condition would have been missed with exclusive reliance on the delivery hospitalisation for co-morbidity diagnoses. Not only would reliance on delivery hospitalisations have resulted in missed cases of co-morbidities, but for many conditions, estimates of readmission rates for women with obstetric co-morbidities would have been underestimated. CONCLUSIONS: An increasing proportion of maternal and child health research is based on large administrative databases. This study provides data that facilitate the assessment of the degree to which important obstetric co-morbidities may be underascertained when using these databases.

No Clinical Benefit to Treating Male Urinary Tract Infection Longer Than Seven Days: An Outpatient Database Study.

BACKGROUND: The optimal approach for treating outpatient male urinary tract infections (UTIs) is unclear. We studied the current management of male UTI in private outpatient clinics, and we evaluated antibiotic choice, treatment duration, and the outcome of recurrence of UTI. METHODS: Visits for all male patients 18 years of age and older during 2011-2015 with International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification codes for UTI or associated symptoms were extracted from the EPIC Clarity Database of 2 family medicine, 2 urology, and 1 internal medicine clinics. For eligible visits in which an antibiotic was prescribed, we extracted data on the antibiotic used, treatment duration, recurrent UTI episodes, and patient medical and surgical history. RESULTS: A total of 637 visits were included for 573 unique patients (mean age 53.7 [±16.7 years]). Fluoroquinolones were the most commonly prescribed antibiotics (69.7%), followed by trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (21.2%), nitrofurantoin (5.3%), and beta-lactams (3.8%). Antibiotic choice was not associated with UTI recurrence. In the overall cohort, longer treatment duration was not significantly associated with UTI recurrence (odds ratio [OR] = 1.95; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.91-4.21). Longer treatment was associated with increased recurrence after excluding men with urologic abnormalities, immunocompromising conditions, prostatitis, pyelonephritis, nephrolithiasis, and benign prostatic hyperplasia (OR = 2.62; 95% CI, 1.04-6.61). CONCLUSIONS: Our study adds evidence that men with UTI without evidence of complicating conditions do not need to be treated for longer than 7 days. Shorter duration of treatment was not associated with increased risk of recurrence. Shorter treatment durations for many infections, including UTI, are becoming more attractive to reduce the risk of resistance, adverse events, and costs.

Qualitative Analysis of Primary Care Provider Prescribing Decisions for Urinary Tract Infections.

Inappropriate choices and durations of therapy for urinary tract infections (UTI) are a common and widespread problem. In this qualitative study, we sought to understand why primary care providers (PCPs) choose certain antibiotics or durations of treatment and the sources of information they rely upon to guide antibiotic-prescribing decisions. We conducted semi-structured interviews with 18 PCPs in two family medicine clinics focused on antibiotic-prescribing decisions for UTIs. Our interview guide focused on awareness and familiarity with guidelines (knowledge), acceptance and outcome expectancy (attitudes), and external barriers. We followed a six-phase approach to thematic analysis, finding that many PCPs believe that fluoroquinolones achieve more a rapid and effective control of UTI symptoms than trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole or nitrofurantoin. Most providers were unfamiliar with fosfomycin as a possible first-line agent for the treatment of acute cystitis. PCPs may be misled by advanced patient age, diabetes, and recurrent UTIs to make inappropriate choices for the treatment of acute cystitis. For support in clinical decision making, few providers relied on guidelines, preferring instead to have decision support embedded in the electronic medical record. Knowing the PCPs' knowledge gaps and preferred sources of information will guide the development of a primary care-specific antibiotic stewardship intervention for acute cystitis.

Laparoscopic Surgeons' Perspectives on Risk Factors for and Prophylaxis of Trocar Site Hernias: A Multispecialty National Survey.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Although trocar site hernias (TSHs) occur in only 1.5% to 1.8% of all laparoscopic procedures, TSHs can present serious postoperative complications. The purpose of this study was to survey surgeons who are active members of the Society of Laparoendoscopic Surgeons (SLS) to elicit their experiences with TSHs, including fascial closure preferences. METHODS: After reviewing the clinical and epidemiological literature to compile relevant questions, an anonymous survey was designed using Qualtrics web-based software. The survey link was emailed to all SLS members. Descriptive analyses included frequencies, percentages, and χ2 or Fisher's exact tests to assess statistical associations. RESULTS: There were 659 SLS members who completed the survey: 323 general surgeons, 242 gynecologists, 45 colorectal surgeons, 25 bariatric surgeons, and 24 urologists. Nearly 7 in 10 respondents (68.4%) reported at least 1 patient developing a TSH within the previous decade. Compared with other specialties, bariatric surgeons had the smallest proportion of respondents reporting fascial closure for 10- to 12-mm trocars (68%) and the largest proportion indicating no fascial closure for trocars of any size (28%) (P < .01). Among all respondents, 86.6%, 15.3%, and 2.4% close 10- to 12-mm, 8-mm, and 5-mm ports, respectively, without differences according to surgical volume or practice setting. Approximately 6% reported no fascial closure for any size. CONCLUSION: Port size remains one of the main risk factors for TSH development, with most respondents closing only 10- to 12-mm ports regardless of surgical volume or practice setting. The general trend for port closure for bariatric surgeons is significantly different from that of other surgeons.

Exploring classification of birth defects severity in national hospital discharge databases compared to an active surveillance program.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the extent to which the severity of birth defects could be differentiated using severity of illness (SOI) and risk of mortality (ROM) measures available in national discharge databases. METHODS: Data from the 2012-14 National Inpatient Sample (NIS) was used to identify hospitalizations with one or more major birth defects reported annually to the National Birth Defects Prevention Network using the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Edition, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis codes. Each hospitalization also contained a 4-level SOI and 4-level ROM classification measure. For each birth defect and for each individual birth defect-related ICD-9-CM code, we calculated mean and median SOI and ROM, the proportion of hospitalizations in each level of SOI and ROM, the inpatient mortality rate, and level of agreement between various existing or derived severity proxies in the NIS and the Texas Birth Defects Registry (TBDR). RESULTS: Mean SOI ranged from 1.5 (cleft lip alone) to 3.7 (single ventricle), and mean ROM ranged from 1.1 (cleft lip alone) to 3.9 (anencephaly). As a group, critical congenital heart defects had the highest average number of co-occurring defects, mean SOI, and ROM, whereas orofacial and genitourinary defects had the lowest SOI and ROM. We found strong levels of agreement between TBDR severity classifications and NIS severity classifications defined using Level 3 or 4 SOI or ROM Level 3 or 4. CONCLUSIONS: This preliminary investigation demonstrated how severity indices of birth defects could be differentiated and compared to a severity algorithm of an existing surveillance program.