Patient-reported sleep and physical function during and after hospitalization.

PURPOSE: Poor sleep is associated with morbidity and mortality in the community; however, the health impact of poor sleep during and after hospitalization is poorly characterized. Our purpose was to describe trends in patient-reported sleep and physical function during and after hospitalization and evaluate sleep as a predictor of function after discharge. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of trial data with 232 adults followed for 3months after hospital discharge. Main measures were patient-reported surveys on sleep (Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index) and physical function (Katz Activities of Daily Living, Lawton Instrumental Activities of Daily Living, and Nagi Mobility Scale) were collected during hospitalization and at 1, 5, 9, and 13weeks postdischarge. RESULTS: Patient-reported sleep declined significantly during hospitalization and remained worse for 3months postdischarge (median Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index=8 vs. 6, p < .001). In parallel, mobility declined significantly from baseline and remained worse at each follow-up time (median Nagi score=2 vs. 0, p < .001). Instrumental activities of daily living similarly decreased during and after hospitalization, but basic activities of daily living were unaffected. In adjusted time-series logistic regression models, the odds of mobility impairment were 1.48 times higher for each 1-point increase in Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index score over time (95% CI 1.27-1.71, p < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported sleep worsened during hospitalization, did not improve significantly for 3months after hospitalization, and poor sleep was a significant predictor of functional impairment over this time. Sleep dysfunction that begins with hospitalization may persist and prevent functional recovery after discharge. TRIAL REGISTRATION: The primary study was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03321279.

Randomized evaluation of trial acceptability by INcentive (RETAIN): Study protocol for two embedded randomized controlled trials.

INTRODUCTION: The most common and conceptually sound ethical concerns with financial incentives for research participation are that they may (1) represent undue inducements by blunting peoples' perceptions of research risks, thereby preventing fully informed consent; or (2) represent unjust inducements by encouraging enrollment preferentially among the poor. Neither of these concerns has been shown to manifest in studies testing the effects of incentives on decisions to participate in hypothetical randomized clinical trials (RCTs), but neither has been assessed in real RCTs. METHODS AND ANALYSES: We are conducting randomized trials of real incentives embedded within two parent RCTs. In each of two trials conducted in parallel, we are randomizing 576 participants to one of three incentive groups. Following preliminary determination of patients' eligibility in the parent RCT, we assess patients' research attitudes, demographic characteristics, perceived research risks, time spent reviewing consent documents, ability to distinguish research from patient care, and comprehension of key trial features. These quantitative assessments will be supplemented by semi-structured interviews for a selected group of participants that more deeply explore patients' motivations for trial participation. The trials are each designed to have adequate power to rule out undue and unjust inducement. We are also exploring potential benefits of incentives, including possible increased attention to research risks and cost-effectiveness.

Alcohol-Related Diagnoses and All-Cause Hospitalization Among HIV-Infected and Uninfected Patients: A Longitudinal Analysis of United States Veterans from 1997 to 2011.

Individuals with HIV infection are living substantially longer on antiretroviral therapy, but hospitalization rates continue to be relatively high. We do not know how overall or diagnosis-specific hospitalization rates compare between HIV-infected and uninfected individuals or what conditions may drive hospitalization trends. Hospitalization rates among United States Veterans were calculated and stratified by HIV serostatus and principal diagnosis disease category. Because alcohol-related diagnoses (ARD) appeared to have a disproportional effect, we further stratified our calculations by ARD history. A multivariable Cox proportional hazards model was fitted to assess the relative risk of hospitalization controlling for demographic and other comorbidity variables. From 1997 to 2011, 46,428 HIV-infected and 93,997 uninfected patients were followed for 1,497,536 person-years. Overall hospitalization rates decreased among HIV-infected and uninfected patients. However, cardiovascular and renal insufficiency admissions increased for all groups while gastrointestinal and liver, endocrine, neurologic, and non-AIDS cancer admissions increased among those with an alcohol-related diagnosis. After multivariable adjustment, HIV-infected individuals with an ARD had the highest risk of hospitalization (hazard ratio 3.24, 95 % CI 3.00, 3.49) compared to those free of HIV infection and without an ARD. Still, HIV alone also conferred increased risk (HR 2.08, 95 % CI 2.04, 2.13). While decreasing overall, risk of all-cause hospitalization remains higher among HIV-infected than uninfected individuals and is strongly influenced by the presence of an ARD.