Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome in children.

QUESTION: I frequently see adolescents with recurrent abdominal pain in my family medicine clinic. While the diagnosis frequently is a benign condition such as constipation, I recently heard that after 2 years of recurrent pain, an adolescent was diagnosed with anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome (ACNES). How is this condition diagnosed? What is the recommended treatment? ANSWER: Anterior cutaneous nerve entrapment syndrome, first described almost 100 years ago, is caused by entrapment of the anterior branch of the abdominal cutaneous nerve as it pierces the anterior rectus abdominis muscle fascia. The limited awareness of the condition in North America results in misdiagnosis and delayed diagnosis. Carnett sign-in which pain worsens when using a "hook-shaped" finger to palpate a purposefully tense abdominal wall-helps to confirm if pain originates from the abdominal viscera or from the abdominal wall. Acetaminophen and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs were not found to be effective, but ultrasound-guided local anesthetic injections seem to be an effective and safe treatment for ACNES, resulting in relief of pain in most adolescents. For those with ACNES and ongoing pain, surgical cutaneous neurectomy by a pediatric surgeon should be considered.

Translating and validating a Japanese version of the instrument for patient assessment of medical professionalism (J-IPAMP): a cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Although there are many tools to assess medical professionalism, they rarely address patients' perspectives. The instrument for patient assessment of medical professionalism (IPAMP) comprises 11 items and has been established and validated as a valuable tool for assessing trainees' professionalism from the patient's perspective. However, there is no instrument to assess professionalism from the patient's perspective in Japan. The purpose of the present study was to develop a Japanese version of the IPAMP (J-IPAMP) and test its validity and reliability. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional survey to examine the reliability and validity of the J-IPAMP in two hospitals (one each in an urban and rural area) in Japan. Receptionists or surveyors distributed the anonymous questionnaire to 276 inpatients; all participants were aged above 20 years and assigned to medical trainees. We evaluated its structural and criterion-related validity, as well as internal consistency reliability. RESULTS: Data of 235 (85.1%) patients were analyzed. Using the split-half validation technique, we performed an exploratory factor analysis (EFA) along with a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA). The EFA showed a one-factor solution. Then, to compare the model fitness between two models (the two-factor model from the original English version vs. unidimensional model suggested by the EFA), the CFA was performed. The CFA showed that almost all of the fit indices met their respective criteria and were approximately the same for the two models. Thus, we adopted a single-factor model. The Pearson correlation coefficients between the total J-IPAMP scores and the global ratings were 0.738, indicating adequate criterion-related validity. The Cronbach's alpha of the 11 items of the instrument was 0.96 (95% confidence interval: 0.96-0.97) and the omega value was 0.96, demonstrating acceptable internal consistency reliability. CONCLUSIONS: We developed the Japanese version of the IPAMP. Its validity and reliability were verified through analysis. This instrument can be utilized for professionalism education in the postgraduate training setting.

Translating and validating a Japanese version of the Patient Care Ownership Scale: a multicenter cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Patient care ownership (PCO) is an essential component in medical professionalism and is crucial for delivering high-quality care. The 15-item PCO Scale (PCOS) is a validated questionnaire for quantifying PCO in residents; however, no corresponding tool for assessing PCO in Japan exists. This study aimed to develop a Japanese version of the PCOS (J-PCOS) and validate it among Japanese medical trainees. METHODS: We performed a multicenter cross-sectional survey to test the validity and reliability of the J-PCOS. The study sample was trainees of postgraduate years 1-5 in Japan. The participants completed the J-PCOS questionnaire. Construct validity was assessed through exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses. Internal consistency reliability was examined by calculating Cronbach's alpha coefficients and inter-item correlations. RESULTS: During the survey period, 437 trainees at 48 hospitals completed the questionnaire. Exploratory factor analysis of the J-PCOS extracted four factors: assertiveness, sense of ownership, diligence, and being the "go-to" person. The second factor had not been identified in the original PCOS, which may be related to a unique cultural feature of Japan, namely, a historical code of personal conduct. Confirmatory factor analysis supported this four-factor model, revealing good model fit indices. The analysis results of Cronbach's alpha coefficients and inter-item correlations indicated adequate internal consistency reliability. CONCLUSIONS: We developed the J-PCOS and examined its validity and reliability. This tool can be used in studies on postgraduate medical education. Further studies should confirm its robustness and usefulness for improving PCO.

The "Healthy Akame!" community - government - university collaboration for health: a community-based participatory mixed-method approach to address health issue in rural Japan.

BACKGROUND: Although Japan has a decentralized public health system, local governments have considered expert opinions over those of the community in decisions about public health programs. Differences in communities' interests may create gaps between health program objectives and implementation. We hypothesized that community-based participatory research (CBPR), which involves the community at every step, promotes effective program implementation and community empowerment. This study addressed the first step of CBPR, assessing community needs and developing tailored health program for a rural community in Japan. METHODS: In this sequential exploratory mixed-method study (qualitative followed by quantitative), we first formed a community advisory board (CAB) representing community organizations, city officials, and university researchers. The CAB conducted group discussions with community residents to identify the community's health issues and strengths. These group discussions were analyzed using thematic analysis, and the results were used to develop a questionnaire, which was subsequently sent to all households in the community to obtain priority scores for health issues and proposed action and to assess willingness to participate in community health program. The CAB then designed a program using the overall study results. RESULTS: Ten group discussions with 68 participants identified the following health issues: 1) diseases; 2) unhealthy behaviors; and 3) unsupportive environment. Nature, vacant lots, and local farms were considered local strengths. Of a total of 1470 households in the community, questionnaires were collected from 773 households. Cancer, lifestyle-related diseases, and cerebrovascular diseases were ranked as the most important health problems. Improving services and access to medical checkups, use of public space for exercise, local farming, and collaboration with the community health office were considered necessary to address these health problems. Considering feasibility and the availability of resources in the community, the CAB decided to focus on lifestyle-related diseases and designed activities centered on health awareness, nutrition, and exercise. These activities drew on community's strengths and were adapted to Japanese culture. CONCLUSIONS: The community's priority health problem was closely related to the epidemiology of diseases. The CBPR approach was useful for identifying community's needs and for designing a unique community health program that made use of local strengths.

Clinical impact of perinephric fat stranding detected on computed tomography in patients with acute pyelonephritis: a retrospective observational study.

Perinephric fat stranding (PFS) is often detected on computed tomography (CT) in patients with acute pyelonephritis (APN). However, its clinical impact remains unclear. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical impact of PFS detected on CT in patients with APN. This retrospective observational study included patients with APN who underwent CT (median age, 79.5 years). Patients were classified into PFS (patients with PFS observed on CT) and non-PFS (patients without PFS observed on CT) groups, which were further classified into bacteraemia and non-bacteraemia groups. Clinical findings between the groups were compared. Among 194 patients who underwent CT, 111 (57.2%) patients demonstrated PFS. The rate of bacteraemia was significantly higher in the PFS group than in the non-PFS group (55.2 vs. 23.1%, p < 0.001). CT findings other than PFS were not associated with bacteraemia. The median peak body temperature was significantly higher in the PFS group than in the non-PFS group (38.8 vs. 38.5 °C, p < 0.001); however, the duration of fever and in-hospital mortality rates were not significantly different between the groups. Concordance between blood and urine culture results was observed in 75.0% of the patients; the presence of PFS was not different between patients with concordant and discordant results, regardless of the pre-treatment antibiotic used. Our findings suggest that the presence of PFS in patients with APN predicts bacteraemia; thus, clinicians should consider obtaining blood cultures if PFS is found on CT in patients with APN, even if the patients had received antibiotics prior to admission.

Effectiveness of monthly and bimonthly follow-up of patients with well-controlled type 2 diabetes: a propensity score matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: On average, patients in Japan with type 2 diabetes mellitus have a clinical consultation every month, although evidence for a favorable follow-up interval is lacking. This study investigated whether the follow-up interval can be extended by comparing the clinical outcomes and cost for monthly versus bimonthly follow-up of patients with well-controlled diabetes mellitus. METHODS: We combined administrative claims data from the National Health Insurance and the Health Checkups Program data of Tsu city, Japan between 2011 and 2014 to conduct a retrospective cohort study of patients with well-controlled type 2 diabetes mellitus. Propensity scores were used to assemble a matched-pairs cohort from patients who had monthly and bimonthly follow-up. Equivalence between two groups was assessed by designating the proportion of patients who maintained good control of their diabetes in the subsequent year as a primary outcome. The proportion achieving target blood pressure and lipid levels, favorable lifestyle, and annual cost were compared as secondary outcomes. RESULTS: Of 12,145 participants, 693 with monthly follow-up and 693 with bimonthly follow-up were matched using propensity scores. In the monthly follow-up group 654 (94.4%) remained under good diabetic control, versus 658 (95.0%) in the bimonthly group (difference: 0.6%; 95% confidence interval: - 1.8 to 2.9%). All secondary outcomes were equivalent for the monthly and bimonthly follow-up groups except the proportion achieving target blood pressure, the proportion engaging in regular exercise, and annual cost. CONCLUSIONS: For patients with well-controlled diabetes mellitus, although frequent follow-up by a physician does not affect the control of blood glucose level in the subsequent year, the annual treatment cost becomes much higher. We suggest that patients with well-controlled diabetes can be followed up less often.

Family Caregivers' Perspectives for the Effect of Social Support on their Care Burden and Quality of Life: A Mixed-Method Study in Rural and Sub-Urban Central Japan.

Japan has adopted community-based integrated long-term care, which has shifted the burden of care from institutions to the home. However, family caregivers have received less attention compared with care recipients. Many family caregivers are also older adults, and it is important that caregivers receive appropriate support to alleviate the burden of care. In rural and sub-urban area with limited resources compared to urban area, it is necessary to know which support to be prioritized. Therefore, this study aimed to understand family caregivers' perceptions of social support, the type and source of support which were considered important, and how it affected their caregiving burden and quality of life (QOL). We conducted a convergent mixed-method study with 174 primary family caregivers of older adults receiving home care in rural and suburb area of Central Japan. The mixed-method approach enabled qualitative data to complement quantitative results. Strong family support and higher education had positive effects on QOL, while higher caregiving burden and longer duration of care had negative effects on QOL. Provision of tangible support from family and healthcare professionals was central in reducing caregiving burden and improving caregivers' QOL. Support from distant relatives or neighbors, which was deemed inappropriate by caregivers, had a negative effect on caregivers' emotional status. In conclusion, family caregivers perceived support positively, but the effects depended on who provided support. While tangible support from close family and professionals was perceived positively, support from neighbors or distant relatives should consider caregivers' needs and condition to avoid a negative impact.

Children and adolescents in institutional care versus traditional families: a quality of life comparison in Japan.

BACKGROUND: A good quality of life (QOL) is important for the physical and mental well-being of all children. However, young people who live in an institutional setting may face different challenges than those who are raised in a traditional family. While a few quantitative studies of institutionalized children's QOL have been conducted, no research has investigated the QOL of young people living in Children's Homes (CHs) in Japan. This research compared the QOL of children and adolescents in Japan who live in CHs with that of children and adolescents living in traditional families. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted in July 2016 with 204 students (grades three through nine), 47 of whom lived in a CH, and 157 of whom lived in a traditional family. Ages ranged from 8 to 15 years (CH: 55.8% Female, 44.2% Male; Traditional: 54.1% Female, 45.9% Male). Participants answered the kid-Kinder Lebensqualität Fragebogen (Translated from German: Children's quality of life questionnaire; KINDL®) Japanese Version, which covers six subscales of QOL; they filled in the questionnaires at home. Analysis of variance was used to compare QOL between the two samples. RESULTS: The total QOL score for all students (combined elementary school students and junior high school students) from CHs was statistically significantly lower than that for students from traditional families. Scores for the subscales, emotional well-being and family, were also significantly lower for CH young people than for those in traditional families. While elementary pupils in CHs reported lower QOL than those in traditional families, no significant differences in QOL were seen between junior high school students from CHs and their peers from traditional families. CONCLUSIONS: The findings presented support previous research showing that the QOL of elementary school students living in CHs is significantly lower than that of their peers in traditional families. However, this difference was not observed among junior high school students. This contrast suggests that QOL changes with age. Future research is needed to evaluate the determinants of QOL among all generations and family contexts.

Le syndrome de compression du nerf cutané antérieur chez l'enfant.

QUESTION: À ma clinique de médecine familiale, je vois souvent des adolescents souffrant de douleur abdominale récurrente. Le diagnostic est fréquemment un problème bénin comme la constipation, mais j'ai récemment entendu dire qu'un adolescent, après 2 ans de douleur récurrente, avait reçu un diagnostic de syndrome de compression du nerf cutané antérieur (ACNES). Comment ce problème est-il diagnostiqué, et quel est le traitement recommandé? RÉPONSE: Le syndrome de compression du nerf cutané antérieur, décrit initialement il y a près de 100 ans, est causé par la compression de la branche antérieure du nerf cutané abdominal qui empiète sur le fascia du muscle grand droit antérieur de l'abdomen. La connaissance limitée de ce problème en Amérique du Nord entraîne des diagnostics erronés et un retard dans le diagnostic réel. Le signe de Carnett, selon lequel la douleur s'aggrave lors de la palpation de la paroi abdominale intentionnellement tendue avec un doigt « en forme de crochet ¼, aide à confirmer si la douleur provient des viscères abdominaux ou de la paroi abdominale. L'acétaminophène et les anti-inflammatoires non stéroïdiens ne se sont pas révélés efficaces, mais des injections locales d'anesthésiques guidées par échographie semblent un traitement sûr et efficace pour l'ACNES, et elles entraînent un soulagement de la douleur chez la plupart des adolescents. Pour ceux dont l'ACNES et les douleurs persistent, il y a lieu d'envisager une neurectomie cutanée par un chirurgien pédiatrique.

Association between Excessive Alcohol Use and Alcohol-Related Injuries in College Students: A Multi-Center Cross-Sectional Study in Japan.

Alcohol-related injuries in college students are a major public health problem worldwide. We clarified the association between excessive drinking and alcohol-related injuries in Japanese college students. This was a cross-sectional study with a self-administered questionnaire. From January to March 2013, we sampled all college students and graduate students aged 20 years or older during annual health examinations at three colleges in Mie Prefecture in Japan. The questionnaire assessed the frequency of alcohol drinking, amount of alcohol consumed per day, binge drinking during the past year, alcohol-related injuries during the past year, and demographic data. Logistic regression analysis was conducted on the association between excessive alcohol use and alcohol-related injuries. A total of 2,842 students underwent health examinations, of whom 2,177 (76.6%) completed the questionnaire. Subjects included 1,219 men (56.0%) and 958 women (44.0%). Eighty-eight men (7.2%) and 93 women (9.7%) were classified as excessive weekly drinkers, while 693 men (56.8%) and 458 women (47.8%) were determined to be binge drinkers. Eighty-one men (6.6%) and 26 women (2.7%) had experienced alcohol-related injuries during the past year. In the logistic regression analysis, binge drinkers (odds ratio 25.6 [8.05-81.4]) and excessive weekly drinkers (odds ratio 3.83 [2.41-6.09]) had a history of significantly more alcohol-related injuries, even after adjusting for age and sex. In conclusion, alcohol-related injuries in college students in Japan were strongly associated with excessive drinking. As a strategy for preventing such injuries in this population, an interventional study is required to identify effective methods for reducing excessive alcohol use.

A comparison of the results of prospective and retrospective cohort studies in the field of digestive surgery.

PURPOSE: We compared the results of prospective and retrospective cohort studies in the field of digestive surgery to clarify whether the results of prospective cohort studies were more similar to those of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of the results to compare the results of RCTs with those of cohort studies in meta-analyses of 18 digestive surgical topics. The data from the prospective and retrospective cohort studies were combined. The summary estimates of each design were compared with those of RCTs. We used the Z score to investigate discrepancies. RESULTS: Twenty-nine outcomes of 11 topics were investigated in 289 cohort studies (prospective, n = 69; retrospective, n = 220). These were compared with the outcomes of 123 RCTs. In comparison to retrospective studies, the summary estimates of the prospective cohort studies were more similar to those of the RCTs [19/29 (prospective) vs. 10/29 (retrospective), P = 0.035). Five of the 29 outcomes of prospective studies and 6 of 29 outcomes of retrospective studies (P = 0.99) showed significant discrepancies in comparison to RCTs. CONCLUSIONS: In the digestive surgical field, the results of prospective cohort studies tended to be more similar to those of RCTs than retrospective studies; however, there were no significant discrepancies between the two types of cohort study.

Evidence of surgical outcomes fluctuates over time: results from a cumulative meta-analysis of laparoscopic versus open appendectomy for acute appendicitis.

BACKGROUND: In surgical trials, complex variables such as equipment development and surgeons' learning curve are involved. The evidence obtained in these trials can thus fluctuate over time. We explored the stability of the evidence obtained during surgery by conducting a cumulative meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials for open and laparoscopic appendectomy. METHODS: We conducted a cumulative meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing laparoscopic appendectomy with open appendectomy for acute appendicitis, a topic with the greatest number of trials in the gastroenterological surgical field. We searched the MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, and CINAHL databases up to September 2014 and reviewed the bibliographies. Outcomes were the incidence of intra-abdominal abscess, incidence of wound infection, operative time, and length of hospital stay. We used the 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) of effect size for the significance test. RESULTS: Sixty-four trials were included in this analysis. Of the 51 trials addressing intra-abdominal abscesses, our cumulative meta-analysis of trials published up to and including 2001 demonstrated statistical significance in favor of open appendectomy (cumulative odds ratio [OR] 2.35, 95 % CI 1.30-4.25). The effect size in favor of open procedures began to disappear after 2001, leading to an insignificant result with an overall cumulative OR of 1.32 (95 % CI 0.84-2.10) when laparoscopic appendectomy was compared with open appendectomy. CONCLUSIONS: The evidence regarding treatment effectiveness changed over time, after treatment effectiveness became significant in trials comparing laparoscopic and open appendectomy. Observing only the 95 % confidence interval of effect size from a meta-analysis may not provide conclusive results.

Development of a questionnaire to measure primary care physicians' scope of practice.

BACKGROUND: Despite an increase in research devoted to primary care attributes, the patient benefits and educational aspects of broad scope practice of primary care physicians (PCPs) have not been well studied, due to a lack of validated measurement in each country. The objective of this study was to develop and validate the Scope of Practice Inventory (SPI) to measure physicians' scope of practice within the Japanese primary care setting. METHODS: The questionnaire was developed in seven phases: 1) item generation, 2) consensus method for necessity of each item, 3) Delphi process for the importance of each item, 4) pilot tests to limit the number of items, 5) preliminary cross-sectional study to examine factor structure and to validate the construct validity, 6) evaluation of internal consistency and intra-class reliability, and 7) evaluation of external validity. To confirm the interpretability of the SPI, the determinants of the SPI using a generalized linear model were evaluated. RESULTS: Among 359 items generated by a focus group, 180 reached a defined consensus on face and content validity after the Delphi process. After deletion of items with Kappa values less than 0.6, 120 items were selected for the preliminary study. The principle component analysis using responses from 451 PCPs eliminated 52 items. The final 68-point SPI had three subdomains: Inpatient care, 25 items; Urgent care and minor procedures, 27 items; and Ambulatory care, 16 items. Internal consistency and test-retest reliability for total SPI and each subdomain revealed acceptable reliability. Male sex, less years since graduation, working in a hospital, sub-urban or rural setting, having remote experience, and having board certification as a PCP were positively associated with higher SPI. CONCLUSIONS: We developed a self-administered 68-point scale, the SPI, which had satisfactory validity and reliability. Primary care quality and educational research using SPI are expected to contribute to comprehensive and efficient health care systems in the future.

Inappropriate use of ambulance services by elderly patients with less urgent medical needs.

Elderly patients with less urgent medical needs represent a high proportion of all emergency patients in Japan; this trend is gradually increasing, presenting a burden on the emergency medical system. To design effective interventions, it is important to understand the basic characteristics of emergency service use. For elderly Japanese patients, there is currently no detailed report on less urgent cases (LUC), or those cases that could be diagnosed by primary care physicians. Since there is a need for a timely reporting of detailed LUC data, we used data of 2004-2006 from an immediately available database at the Yao Tokushukai General Hospital. With a focus on LUC, we analyzed 7,800 cases of elderly patients, aged over 65 years, who were transported via ambulance to a secondary emergency hospital in Osaka. Of these, 3,354 patients (43.0%) were classified as having initial emergencies and were given outpatient care in the emergency department, and 1,544 patients (19.8%) were LUC, in which 541 subjects (6.9%) may have used ambulance services somewhat inappropriately owing to a lack of alternate transportation. In the remaining 1,003 patients, ambulance use could have been avoided if primary care clinics were available at night and during holidays. We therefore focus on three important points: awareness-raising activities to prevent inappropriate ambulance use, strengthening of transport services to healthcare facilities, and expanding primary care clinic office hours. This study is the first detailed report on the use of ambulance services in Japan by elderly patients with less urgent medical needs.

[Comparison between alcoholic patients and primary care patients for the use of the ambulance].

OBJECTIVE: Though heavy drinkers and patients with alcohol dependence make use of the ambulance more frequently as compared with the general population, there are few data on the alcohol-related use of the emergency department (ED) in Japan. METHOD: A cross sectional study was conducted. 170 patients with alcohol dependence in one clinic and 306 primary care patients across two clinics provided demographic data and answered some questions about the use of emergency ambulance services over the age of 20. The questions asked included whether use of the ambulance caused injuries, as well as AUDIT-C (primary care patients only). In this study, multiple logistic regression analysis was used. RESULT: The use of emergency ambulance services by patients with alcohol dependence was 4.68 times more than primary care patients, and the occurrence of ambulance-caused injuries was 6.03 times higher, as determined by multiple logistic regression. Among primary care patients, AUDIT-C positive patients (male; 5 points or more, female; 3 points or more) were 37 (12.2%), and the occurrence of ambulance-caused injuries was 3.32 times higher. CONCLUSION: Like with other countries, in Japan, heavy drinkers and patients with alcohol dependence lead to a significant increase in the use of emergency ambulance services as well as ambulance-caused injuries.

Effectiveness of individual nutrition counselling for the prevention of undernutrition among elderly people living in depopulated areas: secondary analysis of a model project in Tsu city.

Objectives: To examine the effectiveness of nutrition counselling (NC) in preventing undernutrition in elderly people living in depopulated areas. Design: Participants were elderly people aged at least 65 years living in a depopulated area. Participants completed self-administered questionnaires evaluating nutritional status, frailty and body composition at the start of the study, after a non-NC period (3-month control) and after an NC period (3-month intervention). During the NC period, participants attended monthly 1-hour NC sessions over 3 months. Sessions were conducted in three areas (A, B and C), and the schedule was staggered so that the NC period in one area was conducted simultaneously with the non-NC period of the next. All sessions within an area were attended by the same registered dietitian. Outcomes were assessed three times: before the non-NC period, after the non-NC period and after the NC period. The effects of NC were assessed by comparing the results between the non-NC and NC periods of all participants, using the Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel stratified test. Outcome measures: The primary outcome was undernutrition, as determined by the Mini Nutritional Assessment-Short Form. Secondary outcomes were Dietary Diversity Score (DVS), body weight and frailty. Body composition was also assessed. Results: Of 106 individuals who joined the project, 61 completed the project and were analysed. The NC in this study had no effect on the primary outcome. DVS in area A was significantly higher after the NC period than after the non-NC period (p=0.012). Frailty in area C was significantly lower after the NC period than after the non-NC period (p=0.025). NC had no significant effects on the other outcomes. Conclusions: NC improved food variety but did not improve nutritional status, frailty or body composition.

Direct Link Between Cardiac Failure and Global Cerebral Atrophy in a Young Adult: A Case Report on Reduced Cerebral Artery Blood Flow.

BACKGROUND Heart failure is associated with structural brain abnormalities, including atrophy of multiple brain regions. Previous studies have reported brain atrophy in middle-aged patients with systolic heart failure. In this report, we present the case of a 21-year-old woman with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, cardiac failure, and global cerebral atrophy due to reduced cerebral artery blood flow. We also discuss the impact of brain atrophy in this young adult patient with severe heart failure and no risk factors for atherosclerosis. CASE REPORT A 21-year-old woman with dyspnea and leg edema was admitted to our hospital. After several examinations, an endomyocardial biopsy led to a diagnosis of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, and transthoracic ultrasound cardiography revealed that her left ventricular ejection fraction was 36%. One year after the first hospitalization, her heart failure was classified as New York Heart Association Class III. Magnetic resonance imaging showed severe global brain atrophy, and single-photon emission computed tomography combined with brain computed tomography showed reduced blood flow to the entire brain. She had no risk factors for atherosclerosis and no atherosclerotic changes to her brain or carotid arteries, but her neuropsychological and neurological findings indicated more pronounced brain and cognitive dysfunction. CONCLUSIONS This young adult patient with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, cardiac failure, and global cerebral atrophy showed reduced cerebral artery blood flow and cognitive impairment. The findings of this report indicate that low cardiac output may directly cause brain atrophy in patients with systolic heart failure.

Effect of Daily Multidisciplinary Team Reflection in Ambulatory Care: A Qualitative Analysis.

PURPOSE: Research suggests that daily previsit team huddling leads to improved teamwork, however there are no reports on the effect and mechanism of daily team reflection in primary care practice. To help healthcare professionals to integrate fragmented information and to enhance continuity, we previously developed and implemented a daily multidisciplinary team reflection (DMDTR) approach. The present study aimed to construct a conceptual diagram illustrating how participation in DMDTR influence medical care in an ambulatory clinic. PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: In this qualitative study, we analyzed data from semi-structured interviews (n = 12) conducted with physicians, nurses, and medical assistants who regularly participated in DMDTR. Modified grounded theory approach (M-GTA) was adopted as the analysis method, and structure-construction qualitative research method (SCQRM) was used as a meta-theory to determine the number of cases correlatively with the research objectives. RESULTS: Our conceptual diagram demonstrated that, through DMDTR, team members shared fragmented information to gain a more holistic view of the patient and discuss diverse points of view, a process that resulted in real-time problem solving through collaboration. This team approach showed benefit to each discipline and improves the care attributes of contextuality, coordination, accessibility, accountability, continuity, and comprehensiveness of care. CONCLUSION: We generated a conceptual diagram showing that DMDTR embodies a team approach that leads to improved care attributes, which results in enhanced quality of primary care.