ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of two management programs on patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). DESIGN: A study with a quasi-experimental design was used to evaluate the effectiveness of two interventions (I1, I2) for the care of patients with COPD after a mean follow-up of 31.2months. SETTING: Primary Care Centres in two Barcelona Health Areas and their referral hospitals. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with COPD selected by simple random sampling using any disease code corresponding to COPD. INTERVENTIONS: I1: Integrated management program that was optimised and coordinated the resources. Training was given, as well as quality control of spirometry. I2: Isolated interventions like a call-centre. Care circuits and computerised clinical notes were shared. MAIN MEASUREMENTS: Variables were recorded as regards lung function, severity, use of inhalers, lifestyles, quality of life, and exacerbations. RESULTS: Of the 393 patients evaluated at the beginning, 120 and 104 (I1 and I2, respectively) received the final evaluation. With I1, there was a reduction in patients who smoked (P=.034). Lung function and quality of life did not change significantly in either group, but shortness of breath was slightly worse. There was an increase in the correct use of inhalers, although it only reached 48% and 61% with interventions I1 and I2, respectively. The percentage of patients with exacerbations decreased with I1 compared to that of I2 (P<.001), and there were less hospital admissions due to exacerbations with I2 compared to I1 (P<.003]). CONCLUSIONS: Both interventions achieved significant improvements, and no overall worsening of a chronic and progressive disease as is COPD.
Subject(s)
Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/therapy , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
We performed a systematic review of the literature to establish conclusive evidence of risk factors for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). Observational studies (cross-sectional, case-control, and cohort studies) the primary outcome of which was to assess risk factors for CAP in both hospitalized and ambulatory adult patients with radiologically confirmed pneumonia were selected. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale specific for cohort and case-control designs was used for quality assessment. Twenty-nine studies (20 case-control, 8 cohort, and 1 cross-sectional) were selected, with 44.8% of them focused on elderly subjects ≥65 years of age and 34.5% on mixed populations (participants' age >14 years). The median quality score was 7.44 (range 5-9). Age, smoking, environmental exposures, malnutrition, previous CAP, chronic bronchitis/chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, functional impairment, poor dental health, immunosuppressive therapy, oral steroids, and treatment with gastric acid-suppressive drugs were definitive risk factors for CAP. Some of these factors are modifiable. Regarding other factors (e.g., gender, overweight, alcohol use, recent respiratory tract infections, pneumococcal and influenza vaccination, inhalation therapy, swallowing disorders, renal and liver dysfunction, diabetes, and cancer) no definitive conclusion could be established. Prompt assessment and correction of modifiable risk factors could reduce morbidity and mortality among adult CAP patients, particularly among the elderly.
Subject(s)
Community-Acquired Infections , Pneumonia , Humans , Observational Studies as Topic , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a treatment that contains fibrin and high concentrations of growth factors with the potential to improve the healing of chronic wounds. This is the first update of a review first published in 2012. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether autologous PRP promotes the healing of chronic wounds. SEARCH METHODS: In June 2015, for this first update, we searched the Cochrane Wounds Specialised Register; the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library): Ovid MEDLINE; Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations); Ovid EMBASE; and EBSCO CINAHL. We also searched for ongoing and unpublished clinical trials in the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) (searched January 2015). We did not impose any restrictions with respect to language, date of publication, or study setting. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared autologous PRP with placebo or alternative treatments for any type of chronic wound in adults. We did not apply any date or language restrictions. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We used standard Cochrane methodology, including two reviewers independently selecting studies for inclusion, extracting data, and assessing risk of bias. MAIN RESULTS: The search identified one new RCT, making a total of 10 included RCTs (442 participants, 42% women). The median number of participants per RCT was 29 (range 10 to 117). Four RCTs recruited people with a range of chronic wounds; three RCTs recruited people with venous leg ulcers, and three RCTs considered foot ulcers in people with diabetes. The median length of treatment was 12 weeks (range 8 to 40 weeks).It is unclear whether autologous PRP improves the healing of chronic wounds generally compared with standard treatment (with or without placebo) (risk ratio (RR) 1.19, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.95 to 1.50; I(2) = 27%, low quality evidence, 8 RCTs, 391 participants). Autologous PRP may increase the healing of foot ulcers in people with diabetes compared with standard care (with or without placebo) (RR 1.22, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.49; I(2) = 0%, low quality evidence, 2 RCTs, 189 participants). It is unclear if autologous PRP affects the healing of venous leg ulcers (RR 1.02, 95% CI 0.81 to 1.27; I(2) = 0% ). It is unclear if there is a difference in the risk of adverse events in people treated with PRP or standard care (RR 1.05, 95% CI 0.29 to 3.88; I(2) = 0%, low quality evidence from 3 trials, 102 participants). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: PRP may improve the healing of foot ulcers associated with diabetes, but this conclusion is based on low quality evidence from two small RCTs. It is unclear whether PRP influences the healing of other chronic wounds. The overall quality of evidence of autologous PRP for treating chronic wounds is low. There are very few RCTs evaluating PRP, they are underpowered to detect treatment effects, if they exist, and are generally at high or unclear risk of bias. Well designed and adequately powered clinical trials are needed.
Subject(s)
Diabetic Foot/therapy , Platelet Transfusion/methods , Platelet-Rich Plasma , Varicose Ulcer/therapy , Wound Healing , Adult , Blood Transfusion, Autologous/methods , Chronic Disease , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) 2011 introduced a new multidimensional system (symptom/risk) for assessment chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The aim of this study was to explore the construct validity of the GOLD 2011 classification strategy; specifically, we evaluated its internal structure in terms of reliability and exploratory factor analysis (EFA). METHODS: Reliability (Cronbach alpha coefficient), correlations between variables and two successive EFA were performed to assess the internal structure of GOLD 2011. Symptoms (mMRC dyspnea score) and risk (number of previous year exacerbations and forced expiratory volume in the first second % of predicted) were selected as variables. RESULTS: The analysis included 679 COPD patients from two Spanish cohorts (71.4 ± 11.7 years). Alpha coefficient of the 3 items was 0.52 for the whole sample. Variables presented statistically significant correlations, but of low to moderate magnitude. A first EFA extracted only one factor accounting 52% of the total variance. A second EFA including four items (the three GOLD 2011 variables plus comorbidities as Charlson index score), extracted two-factors accounting for 65% of the total variance. The first factor included the three items of GOLD 2011, and the second contained only one variable (comorbidities). This solution was stable in patients with different levels of COPD severity. CONCLUSIONS: The available evidence suggests that GOLD 2011 strategy presented a low reliability, and its theorized multidimensionality was not confirm by EFA. Comorbidities appears as a separate and independent domain.
Subject(s)
Dyspnea/etiology , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/classification , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Dyspnea/physiopathology , Factor Analysis, Statistical , Female , Forced Expiratory Volume , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/physiopathology , Reproducibility of Results , Severity of Illness Index , SpainABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Autologous platelet-rich plasma (PRP) is a treatment that contains fibrin and high concentrations of growth factors and has the potential to aid wound healing. OBJECTIVES: To determine whether autologous PRP promotes the healing of chronic wounds. SEARCH METHODS: We searched the Cochrane Wounds Group Specialised Register (searched 15 August 2012); The Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) (The Cochrane Library 2012, Issue 8); Ovid MEDLINE (1950 to August Week 1 2012); Ovid MEDLINE (In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, August 14, 2012); Ovid EMBASE (1980 to 2012 Week 32); EBSCO CINAHL (1982 to 10 August 2012) and International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)(accessed 22 August 2012). No date or language restrictions were applied. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that compared autologous PRP with placebo or alternative treatments for any type of chronic wound in adults. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: Two review authors independently assessed each study against the inclusion criteria, extracted data and assessed risk of bias for all included trials. We calculated the risk ratio (RR) or the mean difference (MD) and time to wound healing was analysed as survival data using the hazard ratio (HR). We considered heterogeneity as significant when I(2) was >75%. MAIN RESULTS: Nine eligible RCTs were included, with a total of 325 participants of whom 44% were women. The median number of participants per RCT was 26 (range 10 to 86). Four RCTs recruited people with mixed chronic wounds (there were participants with wounds caused by more than one aetiology and participants who had wounds of several aetiologies in the same trial), three RCTs recruited people with venous leg ulcers and two RCTs considered foot ulcers in people with diabetes. The median length of treatment was 12 weeks (range eight to 40 weeks).One study was at low risk of bias, three studies were at high risk of bias with the remainder being at overall unclear risk of bias. The proportion of completely healed chronic wounds was reported in seven RCTs that compared PRP with standard treatment or placebo, with no statistically significant difference between the groups, in diabetic foot ulcers (RR 1.16; 95% CI 0.57 to 2.35), in venous leg ulcers (pooled RR 1.02; 95% CI 0.81 to 1.27; I(2)=0% ) and in mixed chronic wounds (pooled RR 1.85; 95% CI 0.76 to 4.51; I(2)=42%). The total area epithelialised at the end of the intervention was reported in three RCTs of mixed chronic wounds, there was no statistically significant difference between the groups (pooled MD -1.94 cm(2); 95% CI -4.74 to 0.86; I(2)=47%). The percentage of wound area healed was reported in two RCTs of mixed chronic wounds, and results were statistically significant in favour of the PRP group (RR 51.78%; 95% CI 32.70 to 70.86; I(2)= 0%). Wound complications like infection or necrosis were reported by three RCTs, and there was no statistically significant difference between groups (RR 1.08; 95% CI 0.31 to 3.73). Adverse effects were reported by three studies and there was no statistically significant difference between people treated with PRP and those not given PRP (pooled RR 1.07; 95% CI 0.32 to 3.58; I(2)=0%). AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: There is currently no evidence to suggest that autologous PRP is of value for treating chronic wounds. However, current evidence is based on a small number of RCTs, most of which are either at high or unclear risk of bias. Well-designed and adequately powered clinical trials are needed.
Subject(s)
Diabetic Foot/therapy , Platelet Transfusion/methods , Platelet-Rich Plasma , Varicose Ulcer/therapy , Wound Healing , Adult , Blood Transfusion, Autologous/methods , Chronic Disease , Female , Humans , Male , Randomized Controlled Trials as TopicABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: This review will identify and describe the content and assess the quality of available decision aids aimed at adults with advanced chronic kidney disease with medical indication to start dialysis who need to choose one of the two dialysis modalities. INTRODUCTION: The lack of evidence regarding the superiority of the different options for dialysis, hemodialysis, and peritoneal dialysis, indicated in advanced chronic kidney disease, makes the shared decision-making process especially important. INCLUSION CRITERIA: We will include decision aids from published studies and non-published material aimed at adults with advanced chronic kidney disease. METHODS: We will perform searches in MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, PsycINFO, the Cochrane Library, and Epistemonikos. In addition, we will search unpublished studies in OpenGrey, ClinicalTrials.gov, and Open Access Theses and Dissertations. We will also identify decision aids through a specific search in Google and by searching websites of nephrology societies or associations. We will include decision aids in English or Spanish aimed at adults with advanced chronic kidney disease with medical indication to start dialysis. Two independent reviewers will screen, select, and extract the data. General aspects and attributes of the decision aids will be collected. Their quality will be evaluated, and their recommendations for implementation in clinical practice will be analyzed.
Subject(s)
Renal Dialysis , Renal Insufficiency, Chronic , Adult , Decision Making, Shared , Decision Support Techniques , Humans , Renal Insufficiency, Chronic/therapy , Review Literature as TopicABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: There is very little evidence of the similarity of the mechanics of maternal and bottle feeding. We assessed the mechanics of sucking in exclusive breastfeeding, exclusive bottle feeding, and mixed feeding. The hypothesis established was that physiological pattern for suckling movements differ depending on the type of feeding. According to this hypothesis, babies with breastfeeding have suckling movements at the breast that are different from the movements of suckling a teat of babies fed with bottle. Children with mixed feeding mix both types of suckling movements. METHODS: Cross-sectional study of infants aged 21-28 days with only maternal feeding or bottle feeding (234 mother-infant pairs), and a randomized open cross-over field trial in newborns aged 21-28 days and babies aged 3-5 months with mixed feeding (125 mother-infant pairs). Primary outcome measures were sucks and pauses. RESULTS: Infants aged 21-28 days exclusively bottle-fed showed fewer sucks and the same number of pauses but of longer duration compared to breastfeeding. In mixed feeding, bottle feeding compared to breastfeeding showed the same number of sucks but fewer and shorter pauses, both at 21-28 days and at 3-5 months. The mean number of breastfeedings in a day (in the mixed feed group) was 5.83 +/- 1.93 at 21-28 days and 4.42 +/- 1.67 at 3-5 months. In the equivalence analysis of the mixed feed group, the 95% confidence interval for bottle feeding/breastfeeding ratio laid outside the range of equivalence, indicating 5.9-8.7% fewer suction movements, and fewer pauses, and shorter duration of them in bottle feeding compared with breastfeeding. CONCLUSIONS: The mechanics of sucking in mixed feeding lay outside the range of equivalence comparing bottle feeding with breastfeeding, although differences were small. Children with mixed feeding would mix both types of sucking movements (breastfeeding and bottle feeding) during the learning stage and adopt their own pattern.
Subject(s)
Bottle Feeding , Breast Feeding , Feeding Behavior , Infant Behavior , Mouth/physiology , Adult , Cross-Over Studies , Cross-Sectional Studies , Feeding Behavior/physiology , Female , Humans , Infant , Infant, Newborn , Male , Random Allocation , VacuumABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Autologous plasma rich in platelets (PRP) is a derived blood product whose application in clinical practice is growing. A systematic review was conducted to evaluate its efficacy and safety. STUDY DESIGN AND METHODS: A search was performed in electronic databases. Randomized controlled clinical trials (RCTs) in adult patients were included and assessed for methodologic quality. The main outcomes were "tissue regeneration" and "safety." Relative risks (RRs) and standardized mean differences (SMDs) were calculated to show pooled estimates for these outcomes. When the results heterogeneity was more than 50 percent, a sensitivity analysis was performed. RESULTS: Twenty RCTs were included (11 of oral and maxillofacial surgery, 7 of chronic skin ulcers, and 2 of surgery wounds). Four RCTs evaluated the depth reduction in gingival recession in chronic periodontitis; the SMD was 0.54 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.16 to 0.92) mm, favorable to PRP. Three RCTs evaluated the clinical attachment level in chronic periodontitis; the SMD was 0.33 (95% CI, -0.71 to 1.37) mm. Six RCTs assessed the complete skin epithelialization in wound ulcers; the RR was 1.40 (95% CI, 0.85 to 2.31). Only 6 RCTs reported adverse effects without differences between groups. CONCLUSIONS: PRP improves the gingival recession but not the clinical attachment level in chronic periodontitis. In the complete healing process of chronic skin ulcers, the results are inconclusive. There are little data about PRP safety. There are several methodologic limitations and, consequently, future research should focus on strong and well-designed RCTs that assess the efficacy and safety of PRP.
Subject(s)
Blood Transfusion, Autologous , Platelet Transfusion , Safety , Wound Healing , Chronic Disease , Chronic Periodontitis/surgery , Humans , Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic , Skin Ulcer/therapy , Surgery, Oral/methodsABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The diagnosis and treatment of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in Spain continues to present challenges, and problems are exacerbated when there is a lack of coordinated follow-up between levels of care. This paper sets out the protocol for assessing the impact of an integrated management model for the care of patients with COPD. The new model will be evaluated in terms of 1) improvement in the rational utilization of health-care services and 2) benefits reflected in improved health status and quality of life for patients. METHODS/DESIGN: A quasi-experimental study of the effectiveness of a COPD management model called COPD PROCESS. The patients in the study cohorts will be residents of neighborhoods served by two referral hospitals in Barcelona, Spain. One area comprises the intervention group (n = 32,248 patients) and the other the control group (n = 32,114 patients). The study will include pre- and post-intervention assessment 18 months after the program goes into effect. Analyses will be on two datasets: clinical and administrative data available for all patients, and clinical assessment information for a cohort of 440 patients sampled randomly from the intervention and control areas. The main endpoints will be the hospitalization rates in the two health-care areas and quality-of-life measures in the two cohorts. DISCUSSION: The COPD PROCESS model foresees the integrated multidisciplinary management of interventions at different levels of the health-care system through coordinated routine clinical practice. It will put into practice diagnostic and treatment procedures that are based on current evidence, multidisciplinary consensus, and efficient use of available resources. Care pathways in this model are defined in terms of patient characteristics, level of disease severity and the presence or absence of exacerbation. The protocol covers the full range of care from primary prevention to treatment of complex cases.
Subject(s)
Patient Care Management/organization & administration , Primary Health Care/methods , Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive/therapy , Disease Management , Evaluation Studies as Topic , Humans , Process Assessment, Health CareABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Indications for the revascularization treatment of peripheral arterial disease (PAD) generate much discussion, and practice varies significantly among hospitals. This study looked at patients with PAD admitted to all hospitals of the Catalan Health Service and analyzed patterns of revascularization techniques with subsequent amputation procedures. METHODS: We used the clinical-administrative registry of admissions of all patients in the hospitals of Catalonia, north-east Spain, between 2009 and 2014. We analyzed the clinical course of patients admitted with PAD throughout their successive hospital admissions. Variability between hospitals was described for the revascularization techniques and amputations performed. Endovascular outcomes were compared with those from open surgery. RESULTS: Annually, there were 9,828 admissions with PAD and 631 major amputations. Eight hospitals accounted for 52% of all admissions, and endovascular techniques occurred predominantly in high-tech, high-resolution or reference hospitals. The ratio of admissions involving endovascular techniques/open surgery varied from 0.02 to 3.73 according to the hospital, and had a correlation of -0.175 (P=0.447) with the percentage of performed major amputations and of 0.122 (P=0.598) ratio of minor / major amputations. At the end of the 6 studied years, endovascular revascularization resulted in lower patency and more minor amputations than open surgery, but had the same percentage of major amputations (10.3% vs. 10.7%, P=0.526) and lower in-hospital mortality (7.1% vs. 9.5%, P<0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions of PAD are centralized in complex hospitals and have an important variability depending on the treating hospital. Hospital variability in revascularization techniques seems to have no impact on leg salvage. Endovascular and surgical revascularization would result in similar percentages of major amputations.
Subject(s)
Amputation, Surgical/statistics & numerical data , Endovascular Procedures/statistics & numerical data , Peripheral Arterial Disease/mortality , Peripheral Arterial Disease/surgery , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/statistics & numerical data , Adult , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Amputation, Surgical/trends , Endovascular Procedures/trends , Female , Hospital Mortality , Humans , Lower Extremity/blood supply , Male , Middle Aged , Patient Admission/trends , Practice Patterns, Physicians'/trends , Risk Assessment , Risk Factors , Spain/epidemiology , Survival Analysis , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To assess the monetary savings resulting from a pharmacist intervention on the appropriateness of prescribed drugs in community-dwelling polymedicated (≥8 drugs) elderly people (≥70 years). METHOD: An evaluation of pharmaceutical expenditure reduction was performed within a randomised, multicentre clinical trial. The study intervention consisted of a pharmacist evaluation of all drugs prescribed to each patient using the "Good Palliative-Geriatric Practice" algorithm and the "Screening Tool of Older Persons Prescriptions/Screening Tool to Alert doctors to Right Treatment" criteria (STOPP/START). The control group followed the routine standard of care. A time horizon of one year was considered and cost elements included human resources and drug expenditure. RESULTS: 490 patients (245 in each group) were analysed. Both groups experienced a decrease in drug expenditure 12 months after the study started, but this decrease was significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (-14.3% vs.-7.7%; p=0.041). Total annual drug expenditure decreased 233.75 /patient (95% confidence interval [95%CI]: 169.83-297.67) in the intervention group and 169.40 /patient (95%CI: 103.37-235.43) in the control group over a one-year period, indicating that 64.30 would be the drug expenditure savings per patient a year attributable to the study intervention. The estimated return per Euro invested in the programme would be 2.38 per patient a year on average. CONCLUSIONS: The study intervention is a cost-effective alternative to standard care that could generate a positive return of investment.
Subject(s)
Cost Savings/statistics & numerical data , Health Expenditures/statistics & numerical data , Polypharmacy , Prescription Drugs/economics , Aged , Female , Humans , Male , SpainSubject(s)
Benzodiazepines/adverse effects , Pneumonia/chemically induced , Pneumonia/mortality , Female , Humans , MaleABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: A few population-based studies assessing the etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in both hospitalized and ambulatory patients, with special emphasis on the etiologic role of viral infections, have been reported. The purpose of this study was to assess microbiological differences according to initial site of care in patients with community-acquired pneumonia. METHODS: We studied 496 patients > 14 years of age collected from the study samples of three population-based studies carried out in the same geographical area ("Maresme" region in the Mediterranean coast in Barcelona, Spain) with the same methodology over an 8-year period (1987-1995). RESULTS: Fifty-six percent of patients were hospitalized and 44% were treated at home. Of the 474 patients with etiological evaluation, 195 patients had an identifiable etiology (overall diagnostic yield 41%). Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most common causative organism. Viral infection was diagnosed in 26.5% of hospitalized patients vs. 13.2% of ambulatory patients (P=0.03). Twenty-five percent of the 68 patients with documented etiology treated at home had Chlamydia pneumoniae infection compared with 14.3% of those treated in the hospital. Ten percent of hospitalized patients had pneumonia caused by two pathogens compared with 9.7% of ambulatory patients. The association of viruses and bacteria was the most frequent cause of dual infection (79% inpatients, 67% outpatients). CONCLUSIONS: This study has provided information on etiology of community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalized patients and in patients treated at home. A considerable proportion of patients had viral pneumonia, frequently requiring hospital admission for inpatient care.
Subject(s)
Community-Acquired Infections/etiology , Home Care Services/statistics & numerical data , Hospitalization/statistics & numerical data , Pneumonia/etiology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Bronchoalveolar Lavage/methods , Female , Humans , Male , Middle AgedABSTRACT
AIMS: Studies defined as case-control do not always use this design. We aimed to estimate the frequency of mislabelled case-control studies in published articles in the area of diabetes and to identify the predictors of incorrect labelling. METHODS: We searched Medline and Web of Science for articles with "diabetes" and "case control" in title and filtered for language (English/Romance) and period (January 2010-December 2014). Inclusion criteria were: (1) statement to use a case-control design in title, (2) to be a final full-length publication and (3) to have original data in the area of diabetes. Three independent reviewers went through titles, looked for full texts and reviewed them. Discrepancies were settled with a fourth reviewer. Expert epidemiologist advice was requested in case of doubt. OUTCOME VARIABLE: case-control mislabelling; addressed predictors: publication year, journal impact factor and journal subject. STATISTICS: proportion of mislabelled CC articles and assessment of predictors by multivariate logistic regression analysis. RESULTS: We retrieved 362 articles, 251 of them fulfilling inclusion criteria. The proportion of mislabelled CC studies was 43.8% (confidence interval 95% 37.7-50.0%). Most mislabelled studies had a cross-sectional design (82.7%). Predictors of mislabelling were publication year, journal impact factor and journal area. CONCLUSIONS: A relevant subset of studies defined as case-control in the area of diabetes correspond to mislabelled cross-sectional studies. Incorrect labelling misleads readers regarding the interpretation of results and the cause-effect hypothesis. Researchers, reviewers and editors should be aware of and commit to settle this issue.
Subject(s)
Case-Control Studies , Diabetes Mellitus/epidemiology , Epidemiologic Research Design , Terminology as Topic , Cross-Sectional Studies , Humans , Journal Impact Factor , MEDLINEABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: To determine whether there are differences between the prognostic factors associated with 30-days mortality in patients 65-84 year-old and patients over 84 years hospitalized for community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). PATIENTS AND METHOD: An observational study with retrospective data collection was carried out in a representative sample of all CAP in-patients of 27 general hospitals. Data regarding comorbidities, signs and symptoms on admission, radiological and laboratory examinations, and complications during hospitalization were recorded. RESULTS: 1,191 CAP patients were studied, 80.1% in the 65-84 age group and 19.9% in the over 84 age group. Mortality during the first 30 days was 11.9% in the younger group and 20.7% in the older (p < 0.001). In the younger group, the multivariate analysis showed the following independent prognostic factors: general discomfort (odds ratio [OR] = 3.93), respiratory rate > 30/min (OR = 5.02), atrial fibrillation (OR = 3.57), dementia (OR = 9.18), and hospitalization during the previous year (OR = 3.74). In the older group, independent prognostic factors were cancer (OR = 8.4) and renal failure (3.32). Age significantly modified the effect of altered mental state, tachypnea, tachycardia, hyperglycemia, and dementia on mortality. CONCLUSIONS: In people over 84 years, except cancer and renal failure, classic CAP prognostic factors used in severity indexes do not distinguish those who will die from those who will not. Therefore, these factors must be interpreted with caution.
Subject(s)
Pneumonia/mortality , Aged , Aged, 80 and over , Community-Acquired Infections/mortality , Female , Humans , Male , PrognosisSubject(s)
Diabetes, Gestational , Blood Glucose , Cohort Studies , Female , Glucose Tolerance Test , Humans , Pregnancy , Research DesignABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To describe the development of a novel on-line database aimed to serve as a source of information concerning healthcare interventions appraised for their clinical value and appropriateness by several initiatives worldwide, and to present a retrospective analysis of the appraisals already included in the database. METHODS AND FINDINGS: Database development and a retrospective analysis. The database DianaHealth.com is already on-line and it is regularly updated, independent, open access and available in English and Spanish. Initiatives are identified in medical news, in article references, and by contacting experts in the field. We include appraisals in the form of clinical recommendations, expert analyses, conclusions from systematic reviews, and original research that label any health care intervention as low-value or inappropriate. We obtain the information necessary to classify the appraisals according to type of intervention, specialties involved, publication year, authoring initiative, and key words. The database is accessible through a search engine which retrieves a list of appraisals and a link to the website where they were published. DianaHealth.com also provides a brief description of the initiatives and a section where users can report new appraisals or suggest new initiatives. From January 2014 to July 2015, the on-line database included 2940 appraisals from 22 initiatives: eleven campaigns gathering clinical recommendations from scientific societies, five sets of conclusions from literature review, three sets of recommendations from guidelines, two collections of articles on low clinical value in medical journals, and an initiative of our own. CONCLUSIONS: We have developed an open access on-line database of appraisals about healthcare interventions considered of low clinical value or inappropriate. DianaHealth.com could help physicians and other stakeholders make better decisions concerning patient care and healthcare systems sustainability. Future efforts should be focused on assessing the impact of these appraisals in the clinical practice.
Subject(s)
Databases, Factual , Delivery of Health Care , Health Services , Web Browser , Decision Making , Humans , Retrospective StudiesABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: Community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is not considered a professional disease, and the effect of different occupations and working conditions on susceptibility to CAP is unknown. The aim of this study is to determine whether different jobs and certain working conditions are risk factors for CAP. METHODOLOGY: Over a 1-year period, all radiologically confirmed cases of CAP (n=1,336) and age- and sex-matched controls (n=1,326) were enrolled in a population-based case-control study. A questionnaire on CAP risk factors, including work-related questions, was administered to all participants during an in-person interview. RESULTS: The bivariate analysis showed that office work is a protective factor against CAP, while building work, contact with dust and sudden changes of temperature in the workplace were risk factors for CAP. The occupational factor disappeared when the multivariate analysis was adjusted for working conditions. Contact with dust (previous month) and sudden changes of temperature (previous 3 months) were risk factors for CAP, irrespective of the number of years spent working in these conditions, suggesting reversibility. CONCLUSION: Some recent working conditions such as exposure to dust and sudden changes of temperature in the workplace are risk factors for CAP. Both factors are reversible and preventable.
Subject(s)
Occupational Diseases/epidemiology , Occupational Exposure/statistics & numerical data , Pneumonia, Bacterial/epidemiology , Case-Control Studies , Community-Acquired Infections/epidemiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Risk FactorsABSTRACT
STUDY OBJECTIVE: To assess the usefulness of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) in the diagnosis and treatment approach of patients with community-acquired pneumonia (CAP). DESIGN: Population-based case-control study. SETTING: A mixed residential-industrial urban area of 74,368 adult inhabitants in the Maresme region (Barcelona, Spain). PATIENTS: From December 1993 to November 1995, all subjects who were > 14 years of age, were living in the area, and had received a diagnosis of CAP, which had been confirmed by chest radiographs and compatible clinical outcome, were registered. Patients from residential care facilities were excluded. Serum samples were assayed for CRP in the acute phase of the disease. Data from 201 patients with CAP were compared with 84 healthy control subjects matched by age, sex, and municipality, as well as with 25 patients with initially suspected pneumonia that was not confirmed at follow-up. Median CRP levels were 110.7, 1.9, and 31.9 mg/L, respectively. The thresholds of the test for discriminating among these three groups of subjects were 11.0 and 33.15 mg/L. RESULTS: Eighty-nine patients (44.8%) had an identifiable etiology. The most common pathogens were Streptococcus pneumoniae, viruses, and Chlamydia pneumoniae, followed by Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Legionella pneumophila, and Coxiella burnetii. There were statistically significant differences in the median CRP levels in pneumococcal (166.0 mg/L) and L pneumophila (178.0 mg/L) etiologies compared to other causative pathogens. Lower levels of CRP were found in pneumonia caused by viruses and C burnetii as well as in negative microbiological findings. The median CRP levels in hospitalized patients were significantly higher than in outpatients (132.0 vs 76.9 mg/L, respectively; p < 0.001). Considering a cut point of 106 mg/L in men and 110 mg/L in women for deciding about the appropriateness of inpatient care, CRP levels showed a sensitivity of 80.51% and a specificity of 80.72%. CONCLUSIONS: Serum CRP level is a useful marker for establishing the diagnosis of CAP in adult patients with lower respiratory tract infections. High CRP values are especially high in patients with pneumonias caused by S pneumoniae or L pneumophila. Moreover, high CRP values are suggestive of severity, which may be of value in deciding about the appropriateness of inpatient care.
Subject(s)
C-Reactive Protein/analysis , Community-Acquired Infections/diagnosis , Pneumonia/diagnosis , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Biomarkers/blood , Case-Control Studies , Community-Acquired Infections/microbiology , Female , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Pneumonia/microbiology , Severity of Illness Index , Urban PopulationABSTRACT
BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the incidence of falls according to socio-demographic and health factors, and to determine their physical, psychological and social consequences. SUBJETS AND METHOD: Population-based prospective study, which included a representative cohort of 448 elderly community-dwellers, aged 65 or more living in the city of Mataró (Spain). We made a baseline evaluation, which was repeated after a one-year follow up, consisting of a standardized questionnaire on socio-demographic characteristics, physical activity, tests of physical and cognitive function, history of falls during the previous year, the Falls Efficacy Scale, and associated chronic conditions. Follow-up interviews at intervals of one month over 12 months, consisting of a standardized questionnaire aimed at detecting and describing any fall occurred during the previous month. RESULTS: 25.1% (95% CI, 18.8-31.4) of males and 37.0% (95% CI, 31.2-42.8) of females fell. Multiple falls were observed in 3.8% of men and 10.9% of women. 203 falls were reported, providing a crude incidence rate of 30.9 falls per 100 men-years (95% CI, 23.3-41.0) and 56.5 falls per 100 women-years (95% CI, 46.5-68.8). A positive association with falls was found with age, reduced physical and cognitive function, associated chronic conditions and previous falls. 71.1% of falls had physical consequences, with 7.7% of fractures, and 21.7% needed medical aid. 64.4% of fallers feared of falling again. CONCLUSIONS: Our study shows a pattern of high incidence of falls among the elderly living in the Spanish non-institutionalized community. Our data confirm that adverse consequences derived from the falls are frequent and often severe, which makes falls one of the major problems of elderly people.