Virtual Follow-Up in Patients Initiating Antineoplastic Treatment in the Ambulatory Setting.

PURPOSE: Initiating antineoplastic therapy can be distressful and affect patient retention of treatment-related side effects and safety protocols. Return visits can range from 8 to 28 days after treatment, during which patients may develop treatment-related questions and toxicities. This study's objective is to evaluate how implementing a follow-up phone call 24-48 hours after initial antineoplastic infusion, compared with standard pretreatment education, affects patient satisfaction and education retention. METHODS: We conducted a single-center pilot study where patients who were literate, English-speaking, with genitourinary malignancies, initiating intravenous chemotherapy or immunotherapy were eligible. The primary end point was patient knowledge retention. Secondary end points included patient satisfaction. The Leuven's Questionnaire Patient Knowledge Tool, a validated, standardized tool, was used to evaluate patient knowledge retention, with a higher score indicating more retention. Telephone follow-up was initiated 24-48 hours after initial infusion, where Leuven's Questionnaire was used to assess patient knowledge. A nurse then reinforced treatment-related education, reviewed notification parameters, and coordinated appropriate follow-up. One week later, participants were sent a follow-up Leuven's Questionnaire and standardized patient satisfaction assessment. RESULTS: Thirty-one patients with renal cell carcinoma, prostate, bladder, germ cell/testicular, or adrenal cancers were included in the study. Mean preintervention Leuven's Questionnaire score was 5.3 and mean postintervention score was 8.1 on a 1-10 scale (P < .0001). Ninety-seven percent of patients reported improved satisfaction postintervention. CONCLUSION: Proactive telephonic follow-up for oncology patients improves education retention, patient satisfaction, and has potential to improve patient safety and quality of care.

Effects of Molecular Weight and Surface Interactions on Polymer Diffusion in Confinement.

Understanding the transport and thermodynamics of polymers in confined spaces is helpful for many separation processes like water purification, drug delivery, and oil recovery. Specifically, for water purification, dextran has been used as a "model" foulant. Uncovering how these polymers interact in confinement can reduce the fouling of organic membranes and will lead to better separation processes overall. We have determined the diffusion coefficient, D, of dextran and sodium polyacrylate in convex lens-induced confinement using differential dynamic microscopy. In this setup, the gap height ranges continuously from 0.077-21.8 µm. It was found that polymer diffusion becomes slower in higher confinement, which is consistent with a change in the increase of the hydrodynamic resistance to macromolecule motion and depends on the surface properties. These findings indicate that dextran diffusion changes in confinement and can lead to a better understanding of separation processes.

Rare presentation and endovascular treatment of multifocal iliac venous stenoses due to right sided May-Thurner Syndrome.

May-Thurner Syndrome (MTS) is a well-recognized anatomical variant describing compression of the left common iliac vein and may manifest as lower extremity swelling, pain, ulceration, discoloration, and paresthesia. Right-sided MTS is documented in the literature, though exceedingly rare. Specifically, no current reports describe a multifocal stenoses of the right iliac vein due to anatomical variants associated with left sided IVC. We present a case involving a patient with this pathophysiology, radiographic/sonographic correlate imaging, and subsequent endovascular treatment.