Impact of a Student Pharmacist Pilot Focused on the Transitions of Care Process From Emergency Department Visits to Family Medicine Follow-Up in a Rural Patient Setting.

INTRODUCTION: Few would argue that emergency department utilization volumes do not tax the health system. Currently, there is not a process defined by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services for transitioning this patient population back to their primary physicians following emergency department visits. Resource limitations in a rural family medicine setting create barriers to dedicate focus on this important transitional care management from urgent care visits to primary care office. OBJECTIVE: To describe a novel pilot process for transitional care management from the emergency department utilizing pharmacy student extenders to overcome resource limitation at a rural family medicine clinic and establish follow-up primary physician contact. METHODS: From a master list provided, student pharmacists proactively telephoned patients and reviewed medication changes while assisting with scheduling follow-up appointments at the patient's primary physician clinic. RESULTS: The result of these efforts increased the communication with patients and resulted in a 26% (10/38) increase in follow-up appointments scheduled with a total increase of an additional 7 patients adhering to follow-up transitional appointment. CONCLUSION: This approach utilizing student extenders is a feasible and sustainable process that can increase patient contact when resources are limited, while serving as an educational tool for next generation providers.

Age-dependent Characteristics in Women with Breast Cancer: Mastectomy and Reconstructive Trends at an Urban Academic Institution.

Breast reconstruction is an important aspect of treatment after breast cancer. Postmastectomy reconstruction bears a significant impact on a woman's postsurgical confidence, sexuality, and overall well-being. Previous studies have inferred that women under age 40 years have unique characteristics that distinguish them from an older cohort. Identifying age-dependent trends will assist with counseling women on mastectomy and reconstruction. To identify age-dependent trends, 100 consecutive women were sampled from a prospectively maintained breast reconstruction database at an urban academic institution from June 2010 through June 2013. Women were placed into two cohorts <40 and ≥40 as well cohorts by decade (20s, 30s, 40s, 50s, and 60s). Statistical trends were reported as odds of risk per year of increasing age using logistic regression; linear regression, χ(2), and Fischer's exact were used to compare <40 and ≥40 and split cohorts for comparison. Comorbidities, tumor staging, oncologic treatment including chemotherapy and radiation, disease characteristics and genetics, and mastectomy, reconstructive and symmetry procedures were evaluated. Statistical analysis was performed using SAS software. In 100 patients of the sample study cohort, 151 reconstructions were performed. Increasing age was associated with one or more comorbidities [odds ratio (OR) = 1.07, P = 0.005], whereas younger age was associated with metastatic disease (OR = 0.88, P = 0.006), chemotherapy (OR = 0.94, P = 0.01), and radiation (OR = 0.94, P = 0.006); split cohorts demonstrated similar trends (P < 0.005). Mastectomy and reconstructive characteristics associated with younger age included bilateral mastectomy (OR = 0.94, P = 0.004), tissue expander (versus autologous flap) (OR = 0.94, P = 0.009), extra high implant type (OR = 0.94, P = 0.049), whereas increasing use of autologous flaps and contralateral mastopexy symmetry procedures (OR = 1.09, P = 0.02) were associated with an aging cohort. Increasing age was not associated with an increasing likelihood of complications (P = 0.75). Age-related factors play a role in the treatment of patients with breast cancer. Younger women typically present with more aggressive features requiring oncologic treatment including chemotherapy and radiation. Mastectomy and reconstructive choices also demonstrate age-dependent characteristics. Women in younger age groups are more likely to pursue risk-reduction procedures and implant-based strategies, whereas older women had a higher propensity for abdominal-based autologous reconstruction. In addition, preferential reconstructive strategies correlate with age-dependent archetypical features of the breast (higher profile implants in younger patients; autologous reconstruction on affected side mimicking natural ptosis, and contralateral mastopexy in older patients). These trends seem to be consistent with each increasing year of age. Age-related preferences and expectations, age-dependent body habitus and breast shape, and lifetime risk play a role in the choices pursued for mastectomy and reconstruction.

Evaluating Autologous Lipofilling for Parry-Romberg Syndrome-Associated Defects: A Systematic Literature Review and Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Parry-Romberg syndrome (PRS) is a rare craniofacial disease that causes progressive hemifacial atrophy of the soft tissue before spontaneously entering remission. Autologous fat grafting may provide a less invasive alternative, producing aesthetically pleasing results while avoiding the need for traditional microsurgical free flap coverage. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was conducted. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied. The case report highlights the technique using two-dimensional and three-dimensional photography. RESULTS: Our review yielded 31 articles in addition to our case describing 147 cases of lipofilling to correct PRS soft-tissue defects. Patients underwent an average of 2.2 procedures, receiving on average 95 mL of grafted fat. Disease severity was classified into mild (41%), moderate (42%), and severe (17%) in the identified patients. Increasing disease severity correlated with an increasing number of procedures and fat-grafting volumes to achieve adequate aesthetic outcomes (mean, 1.5 and 38 mL; 2.3 and 81 mL; 3.7 and 129 mL, respectively). Reported benefits over flap-based reconstructions included reductions in cost (40%), operative time (50%), donor-site morbidity (52%), and rate of complications (33%). Aesthetic benefits cited included improved skin quality (65%), more natural contours (1%), and more natural facial expressions (10%). CONCLUSION: Fat grafting for correction of PRS-associated soft-tissue defects is receiving heightened acceptance for its ability to restore natural facial contours. While additional fat-grafting procedures may be required with increased disease severity, autologous fat grafting may be a beneficial option as a sole modality to correct PRS-associated soft-tissue atrophy.