Women's Health Information-Seeking Experiences and Preferences for Health Communications on FDA-Regulated Products: A Qualitative Study in Urban Area.

A key part of any effort to ensure informed health care decision-making among the public is access to reliable and relevant health-related information. We conducted focus groups with women from three generations across the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area to explore their information-seeking motivations, perceptions, challenges, and preferences regarding three FDA-regulated products: drugs, vaccines, and medical devices. The youngest generation discussed seeking health information for their children; the other two sought information for their own needs. All participants noted that finding health information appropriate to their reading level was a challenge, as was identifying reliable sources of information. All generations identified in-person and live interactions as their preferred method of communication and health care providers as their preferred source for information. All three generations recognized the usefulness of websites, and the two older generations acknowledged the advantages of brochures. Our findings suggest approaches the FDA could consider to improve communications: (a) supporting in-person and live health information interactions; (b) leveraging the agency's standing with the public to highlight it as a leading source of validated health information; (c) increasing the FDA website's visibility in internet searches and making its navigation easier; and (d) using multi-pronged approaches and media for various audiences.

Demystifying the Digital Divide: Disparities in Telerehabilitation Readiness Among Older Adults in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate readiness of older rehabilitation users in the United States to participate in video-based telerehabilitation and assess disparities in readiness among racial and ethnic minoritized populations, socioeconomically disadvantaged populations, and rural-dwelling older adults. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study using nationally representative survey data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study from 2015 and 2020. Survey-weighted regression models, accounting for complex survey design, were used to generate estimates of readiness and evaluate disparities across racial and ethnic, socioeconomic, and geographic subgroups. Odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated for each comparison. SETTING: Home or community rehabilitation environments. PARTICIPANTS: A cohort of 5274 home or community-based rehabilitation users aged 70 years or older (N=5274), representing a weighted 33,576,313 older adults in the United States. INTERVENTIONS: Not applicable. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Video-based telerehabilitation readiness was defined consistent with prior work; unreadiness was defined as lacking ownership of internet-enabled devices, limited proficiency of use, or living with severe cognitive, visual, or hearing impairment. Telerehabilitation readiness was categorized as "Ready" or "Unready". RESULTS: Approximately 2 in 3 older rehabilitation users were categorized as ready to participate in video-based rehabilitation. Significantly lower rates of readiness were observed among those living in rural areas (OR=0.75, 95% CI: 0.60-0.94), financially strained individuals (OR=0.37, 95% CI: 0.26-0.53), and among individuals identifying as Black or Hispanic (as compared with non-Hispanic White older adults: Non-Hispanic Black [OR=0.23, 95% CI: 0.18-0.30]; Hispanic [OR=0.17, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.27]). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight significant disparities in the readiness to uptake video-based telerehabilitation. Policy and practice interventions to address telerehabilitation readiness should focus not only on improving broadband access but also on technology ownership and training to ensure equitable adoption in populations with lower baseline readiness.

Effect of Aspirin Versus Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Thromboprophylaxis on Medication Satisfaction and Out-of-Pocket Costs: A Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Clinical Trial.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend low-molecular-weight heparin for thromboprophylaxis after orthopaedic trauma. However, recent evidence suggests that aspirin is similar in efficacy and safety. To understand patients' experiences with these medications, we compared patients' satisfaction and out-of-pocket costs after thromboprophylaxis with aspirin versus low-molecular-weight heparin. METHODS: This study was a secondary analysis of the PREVENTion of CLots in Orthopaedic Trauma (PREVENT CLOT) trial, conducted at 21 trauma centers in the U.S. and Canada. We included adult patients with an operatively treated extremity fracture or a pelvic or acetabular fracture. Patients were randomly assigned to receive 30 mg of low-molecular-weight heparin (enoxaparin) twice daily or 81 mg of aspirin twice daily for thromboprophylaxis. The duration of the thromboprophylaxis, including post-discharge prescription, was based on hospital protocols. The study outcomes included patient satisfaction with and out-of-pocket costs for their thromboprophylactic medication measured on ordinal scales. RESULTS: The trial enrolled 12,211 patients (mean age and standard deviation [SD], 45 ± 18 years; 62% male), 9725 of whom completed the question regarding their satisfaction with the medication and 6723 of whom reported their out-of-pocket costs. The odds of greater satisfaction were 2.6 times higher for patients assigned to aspirin than those assigned to low-molecular-weight heparin (odds ratio [OR]: 2.59; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 2.39 to 2.80; p < 0.001). Overall, the odds of incurring any out-of-pocket costs for thromboprophylaxis medication were 51% higher for patients assigned to aspirin compared with low-molecular-weight heparin (OR: 1.51; 95% CI: 1.37 to 1.66; p < 0.001). However, patients assigned to aspirin had substantially lower odds of out-of-pocket costs of at least $25 (OR: 0.15; 95% CI: 0.12 to 0.18; p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Use of aspirin substantially improved patients' satisfaction with their medication after orthopaedic trauma. While aspirin use increased the odds of incurring any out-of-pocket costs, it protected against costs of ≥$25, potentially improving health equity for thromboprophylaxis. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic Level II . See Instructions for Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.

Skin Antisepsis before Surgical Fixation of Extremity Fractures.

BACKGROUND: Studies evaluating surgical-site infection have had conflicting results with respect to the use of alcohol solutions containing iodine povacrylex or chlorhexidine gluconate as skin antisepsis before surgery to repair a fractured limb (i.e., an extremity fracture). METHODS: In a cluster-randomized, crossover trial at 25 hospitals in the United States and Canada, we randomly assigned hospitals to use a solution of 0.7% iodine povacrylex in 74% isopropyl alcohol (iodine group) or 2% chlorhexidine gluconate in 70% isopropyl alcohol (chlorhexidine group) as preoperative antisepsis for surgical procedures to repair extremity fractures. Every 2 months, the hospitals alternated interventions. Separate populations of patients with either open or closed fractures were enrolled and included in the analysis. The primary outcome was surgical-site infection, which included superficial incisional infection within 30 days or deep incisional or organ-space infection within 90 days. The secondary outcome was unplanned reoperation for fracture-healing complications. RESULTS: A total of 6785 patients with a closed fracture and 1700 patients with an open fracture were included in the trial. In the closed-fracture population, surgical-site infection occurred in 77 patients (2.4%) in the iodine group and in 108 patients (3.3%) in the chlorhexidine group (odds ratio, 0.74; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55 to 1.00; P = 0.049). In the open-fracture population, surgical-site infection occurred in 54 patients (6.5%) in the iodine group and in 60 patients (7.3%) in the chlorhexidine group (odd ratio, 0.86; 95% CI, 0.58 to 1.27; P = 0.45). The frequencies of unplanned reoperation, 1-year outcomes, and serious adverse events were similar in the two groups. CONCLUSIONS: Among patients with closed extremity fractures, skin antisepsis with iodine povacrylex in alcohol resulted in fewer surgical-site infections than antisepsis with chlorhexidine gluconate in alcohol. In patients with open fractures, the results were similar in the two groups. (Funded by the Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research; PREPARE ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT03523962.).

Ability of Caprini and Padua risk-assessment models to predict venous thromboembolism in a nationwide Veterans Affairs study.

OBJECTIVE: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a preventable complication of hospitalization. Risk-stratification is the cornerstone of prevention. The Caprini and Padua are two of the most commonly used risk-assessment models (RAMs) to quantify VTE risk. Both models perform well in select, high-risk cohorts. Although VTE RAMs were designed for use in all hospital admissions, they are mostly tested in select, high-risk cohorts. We aim to evaluate the two RAMs in a large, unselected cohort of patients. METHODS: We analyzed consecutive first hospital admissions of 1,252,460 unique surgical and non-surgical patients to 1298 Veterans Affairs facilities nationwide between January 2016 and December 2021. Caprini and Padua scores were generated using the Veterans Affairs' national data repository. We determined the ability of the two RAMs to predict VTE within 90 days of admission. In secondary analyses, we evaluated prediction at 30 and 60 days, in surgical vs non-surgical patients, after excluding patients with upper extremity deep vein thrombosis, in patients hospitalized ≥72 hours, after including all-cause mortality in a composite outcome, and after accounting for prophylaxis in the predictive model. We used area under the receiver operating characteristic curves (AUCs) as the metric of prediction. RESULTS: A total of 330,388 (26.4%) surgical and 922,072 (73.6%) non-surgical consecutively hospitalized patients (total N = 1,252,460) were analyzed. Caprini scores ranged from 0 to 28 (median, 4; interquartile range [IQR], 3-6); Padua scores ranged from 0-13 (median, 1; IQR, 1-3). The RAMs showed good calibration and higher scores were associated with higher VTE rates. VTE developed in 35,557 patients (2.8%) within 90 days of admission. The ability of both models to predict 90-day VTE was low (AUCs: Caprini, 0.56; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.56-0.56; Padua, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.58-0.59). Prediction remained low for surgical (Caprini, 0.54; 95% CI, 0.53-0.54; Padua, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.56-0.57) and non-surgical patients (Caprini, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.58-0.59; Padua, 0.59; 95% CI, 0.59-0.60). There was no clinically meaningful change in predictive performance in any of the sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Caprini and Padua RAM scores have low ability to predict VTE events in a cohort of unselected consecutive hospitalizations. Improved VTE RAMs must be developed before they can be applied to a general hospital population.

Age-stratified comparison of active surveillance versus radiofrequency ablation for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma using decision analysis.

BACKGROUND: Papillary thyroid microcarcinomas may be treated with radiofrequency ablation, active surveillance, or surgery. The objective of this study was to use mathematical modeling to compare treatment alternatives for papillary thyroid microcarcinomas among those who decline surgery. We hypothesized that radiofrequency ablation would outperform active surveillance in avoiding progression and surgery but that the effect size would be small for older patients. METHODS: We engaged stakeholders to identify meaningful long-term endpoints for papillary thyroid microcarcinoma treatment-(1) cancer progression/surgery, (2) need for thyroid replacement therapy, and (3) permanent treatment complication. A Markov decision analysis model was created to compare the probability of these endpoints after radiofrequency ablation or active surveillance for papillary thyroid microcarcinomas and overall cost. Transition probabilities were extracted from published literature. Model outcomes were estimated to have a 10-year time horizon. RESULTS: The primary outcome yielded a number needed to treat of 18.1 for the avoidance of progression and 27.4 for the avoidance of lifelong thyroid replacement therapy for radiofrequency ablation compared to active surveillance. However, as patient age increased, the number needed to treat to avoid progression increased from 5.2 (age 20-29) to 39.1 (age 60+). The number needed to treat to avoid lifelong thyroid replacement therapy increased with age from 7.8 (age 20-29) to 59.3 (age 60+). The average 10-year cost/treatment for active surveillance and radiofrequency ablation were $6,400 and $11,700, respectively, translating to a cost per progression-avoided of $106,500. CONCLUSION: As an alternative to active surveillance, radiofrequency ablation may have a greater therapeutic impact in younger patients. However, routine implementation may be cost-prohibitive for most patients with papillary thyroid microcarcinomas.

Pragmatic design and inclusion of patient-partner representatives improves participant experience in clinical research.

Objectives: Patient engagement in the design and implementation of clinical trials is necessary to ensure that the research is relevant and responsive to patients. The PREP-IT trials, which include 2 pragmatic trials that evaluate different surgical preparation solutions in orthopaedic trauma patients, followed the patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR) methodology throughout the design, implementation, and conduct. We conducted a substudy within the PREP-IT trials to explore participants' experiences with trial participation. Methods: At the final follow-up visit (12 months after their fracture), patients participating in the PREP-IT trials were invited to participate in the substudy. After providing informed consent, participants completed a questionnaire that asked about their experience and satisfaction with participating in the PREP-IT trials. Descriptive statistics are used to report the findings. Results: Four hundred two participants participated in the substudy. Most participants (394 [98%]) reported a positive experience, and 376 (94%) participants felt their contributions were appreciated. The primary reasons for participation were helping future patients with fracture (279 [69%]) and to contribute to science (223 [56%]). Two hundred seventeen (46%) participants indicated that their decision to participate was influenced by the minimal time commitment. Conclusions: Most participants reported a positive experience with participating in the PREP-IT trials. Altruism was the largest motivator for participating in this research. Approximately half of the participants indicated that the pragmatic, low-participant burden design of the trial influenced their decision to participate. Meaningful patient engagement, a pragmatic, and low-burden protocol led to high levels of participant satisfaction.

Outcomes after endoscopic local excision of early-stage gastric adenocarcinoma in the United States.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Local excision (LE) for early-stage gastric cancer has expanded in the United States over recent years, however, national outcomes are unknown. The objective of the study was to evaluate national survival outcomes following LE for early-stage gastric cancer. METHODS: Patients with resectable gastric adenocarcinoma between 2010 and 2016 were identified from the National Cancer Database then classified by LE curability into eCuraA (high) and eCuraC (low) according to Japanese Gastric Cancer Association guidelines. Demographics, clinical/provider descriptors, and perioperative/survival outcomes were extracted. Propensity-weighted cox proportional hazards regression assessed factors associated with overall survival. RESULTS: Patients were stratified into eCuraA (N = 1167) and eCuraC (N = 13,905) subgroups. Postoperative 30-day mortality (0% vs 2.8%, p < 0.001) and readmission (2.3% vs 7.8%, p = 0.005) favored LE. Local excision was not associated with survival on propensity-weighted analyses. However, among eCuraC patients, LE was associated with higher likelihood of positive margins (27.1% vs 7.0%, p < 0.001), which was the strongest predictor of poor survival (HR 2.0, p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Although early morbidity is low, oncologic outcomes following LE are compromised for eCuraC patients. These findings support careful patient selection and treatment centralization in the early adoption phase of LE for gastric cancer.

Eliciting Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer Treatment Preferences Using Clinical Vignettes: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE: While surgical resection has been the traditional standard treatment for small (≤1 cm), differentiated thyroid cancers, active surveillance (AS) and radiofrequency ablation (RFA) are increasingly considered. The aim of this study was to explore patient preferences in thyroid cancer treatment using a series of clinical vignettes. METHODS: Thyroid cancer survivors and general population volunteers were recruited to rank experience-driven clinical vignettes in order of preference. Rankings were compared using Wilcoxon signed rank. Formative qualitative methods were used to develop and refine clinical vignettes that captured 4 treatments-thyroid lobectomy (TL), total thyroidectomy (TT), AS, and RFA-along with 6 treatment complications. Content was validated via interviews with 5 academic subspecialists. RESULTS: Nineteen volunteers participated (10 survivors, 9 general population). Treatment complications were ranked lower than uncomplicated counterparts in 99.0% of cases, indicating excellent comprehension. Counter to our hypothesis, among uncomplicated vignettes, median rankings were 1 for AS, 2 for RFA, 3.5 for TL, and 5 for TT. Trends were consistent between thyroid cancer survivors and the general population. AS was significantly preferred over RFA (P = .02) and TT (P < .01). Among surgical options, TL was significantly preferred over TT (P < .01). CONCLUSION: When treatments for low-risk thyroid cancer are described clearly and accurately through clinical vignettes, patients may be more likely to choose less invasive treatment options over traditional surgical resection.

Ability of Caprini and Padua Risk-Assessment Models to Predict Venous Thromboembolism in a Nationwide Study.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a preventable complication of hospitalization. Risk-stratification is the cornerstone of prevention. The Caprini and Padua are the most commonly used risk-assessment models to quantify VTE risk. Both models perform well in select, high-risk cohorts. While VTE risk-stratification is recommended for all hospital admissions, few studies have evaluated the models in a large, unselected cohort of patients. Methods: We analyzed consecutive first hospital admissions of 1,252,460 unique surgical and non-surgical patients to 1,298 VA facilities nationwide between January 2016 and December 2021. Caprini and Padua scores were generated using the VA's national data repository. We first assessed the ability of the two RAMs to predict VTE within 90 days of admission. In secondary analyses, we evaluated prediction at 30 and 60 days, in surgical versus non-surgical patients, after excluding patients with upper extremity DVT, in patients hospitalized ≥72 hours, after including all-cause mortality in the composite outcome, and after accounting for prophylaxis in the predictive model. We used area under the receiver-operating characteristic curves (AUC) as the metric of prediction. Results: A total of 330,388 (26.4%) surgical and 922,072 (73.6%) non-surgical consecutively hospitalized patients (total n=1,252,460) were analyzed. Caprini scores ranged from 0-28 (median, interquartile range: 4, 3-6); Padua scores ranged from 0-13 (1, 1-3). The RAMs showed good calibration and higher scores were associated with higher VTE rates. VTE developed in 35,557 patients (2.8%) within 90 days of admission. The ability of both models to predict 90-day VTE was low (AUCs: Caprini 0.56 [95% CI 0.56-0.56], Padua 0.59 [0.58-0.59]). Prediction remained low for surgical (Caprini 0.54 [0.53-0.54], Padua 0.56 [0.56-0.57]) and non-surgical patients (Caprini 0.59 [0.58-0.59], Padua 0.59 [0.59-0.60]). There was no clinically meaningful change in predictive performance in patients admitted for ≥72 hours, after excluding upper extremity DVT from the outcome, after including all-cause mortality in the outcome, or after accounting for ongoing VTE prophylaxis. Conclusions: Caprini and Padua risk-assessment model scores have low ability to predict VTE events in a cohort of unselected consecutive hospitalizations. Improved VTE risk-assessment models must be developed before they can be applied to a general hospital population.

Association of individual low-income status and area deprivation with mortality in multiple myeloma.

INTRODUCTION: Lower individual-level socioeconomic status (SES) and area-level SES have each been associated with poor survival outcomes among patients with multiple myeloma (MM). A body of literature suggests that individual-level SES may be differentially associated with mortality depending on area-level SES, and vice versa. This study assessed the effect of the cross-level interaction between individual low-income status and area deprivation on mortality among patients with MM. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This retrospective cohort study used the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare data (2006-2016). Individuals were defined as having low income if they were dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid and/or if they received the Low-Income Subsidy. The county-level Social Deprivation Index (SDI) was linked to individual-level SEER-Medicare data and categorized into quintiles, from the least deprived (Quintile 1) to the most deprived (Quintile 5). Adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) for the associations between low-income status, area deprivation, and all-cause mortality were estimated from a mixed-effects Cox proportional-hazards (PH) model. RESULTS: The mortality hazard was higher for individuals with low income than individuals without low income in all quintiles of area deprivation, with the exception of Quintile 5 (Quintile 1: HR 1.53 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.32-1.77]; Quintile 2: HR 1.17 [95%CI: 1.01-1.36]; Quintile 3: HR 1.34 [95%CI: 1.18-1.53]; Quintile 4: HR 1.33 [95%CI: 1.17-1.52]; Quintile 5: HR 1.09 [95%CI: 0.96-1.23]). Among individuals without low income, individuals residing in the most deprived area had a higher mortality hazard than individuals residing in the least deprived area (HR: 1.22 [95%CI: 1.03-1.45]). In contrast, among individuals with low income, residing in a more deprived area, Quintile 2, was associated with a lower hazard of death than residing in the least deprived area, Quintile 1 (HR: 0.82 [95%CI: 0.67-0.99]), and there was no statistically significant difference between Quintile 1 and Quintiles 3, 4, and 5. DISCUSSION: In this analysis, there was a statistically significant cross-level interaction between individual low-income status and area deprivation on mortality. More research is needed to fully understand the mechanism behind these associations, but the findings show that patients and their health should be considered in the context of where they live.

Qualitative inquiry from multiple perspectives of barriers and facilitators of oral health care for adults with disabilities.

AIMS: Adults with special health care needs (ASHCN) face significant disparities in access to oral health care and subsequent health outcomes, resulting from several etiologies. This study investigated perspectives of patients, caregivers, and providers to better understand care barriers and facilitators for ASHCN. METHODS: We conducted 26 semi-structured interviews with a purposive sample from an academic clinic specializing in oral health care for ASHCN with disabilities [patients (N = 4), caregivers (N = 8), and providers (N = 14)], and thematically analyzed transcripts for care barriers and facilitators. RESULTS: Three overarching themes that encompassed overlapping barriers and facilitators of oral health care for ASHCN emerged: relational aspects, provider training/experience, and infrastructure aspects. Themes include intersecting perceptions of factors that hinder or help oral health care and management of ASHCN. CONCLUSIONS: Building relationships with patients, inherent empathetic provider characteristics, and accommodating clinical infrastructure are imperative to facilitate oral health care for ASHCN. The primary themes revealed in this study are facilitators to care when they are present, and barriers to care when they are absent. No individual theme stands alone as a single contributor to quality care, and the provision of care for ASHCN relies on coordination of providers, patients, caregivers, and the overarching infrastructure.

Total thyroidectomy is more cost-effective than radioactive iodine as an alternative to antithyroid medication for Graves' disease.

BACKGROUND: Patients with Graves' disease treated with radioactive iodine report worse quality of life than those treated by thyroidectomy. However, radioactive iodine is often selected due to lower risk of complications and lower cost. The objective of this study was to estimate the cost-effectiveness of radioactive iodine versus total thyroidectomy for treatment of Graves' disease. METHODS: A Markov decision-analytic model was created to simulate clinical outcomes and costs of medication-refractory Graves' disease treated with radioactive iodine or total thyroidectomy. Complication rates and utilities were derived from published data. Costs were extracted from national Medicare reimbursement rates. We conducted 1-way, 2-way, and probabilistic sensitivity analyses to identify factors that influence cost-effectiveness and reflect uncertainty in model parameters. The willingness-to-pay threshold was set at $100,000/quality-adjusted life-years. RESULTS: Total thyroidectomy yielded 23.6 quality-adjusted life-years versus 20.9 quality-adjusted life-years for radioactive iodine. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio was $2,982 per quality-adjusted life-years, indicating that surgery is highly cost-effective relative to radioactive iodine. Surgery was more cost effective than radioactive iodine in 88.2% of model simulations. Sensitivity analyses indicate that the model outcomes are driven predominantly by posttreatment quality of life, with contributing effects from rates of treatment complications and the impact of these complications on quality of life. CONCLUSION: For patients with Graves' disease who either cannot tolerate or are refractory to antithyroid drugs, thyroidectomy is more cost-effective than radioactive iodine. Future research should validate reported differences in quality of life between these 2 treatment modalities.

Constructing Health State Descriptions for Low-Risk Thyroid Cancer: Stakeholder Engagement and Formative Qualitative Research.

OVERVIEW: This paper describes stakeholder involvement and formative qualitative research in the creation of health state descriptions (HSDs) or vignettes for low-risk thyroid cancer. The aim of this project was to engage stakeholders in the contribution of a novel set of HSDs, an important first step in the process of assessing value in thyroid cancer health states. METHODS: We draw upon formative, descriptive qualitative methods, following a multi-stage framework of data collection. We conducted individual semi-structured interviews, cognitive interviews, and focus groups with thyroid cancer patients, community providers, academic subspecialists, and participants with no thyroid cancer diagnosis (N = 31). The HSDs went through several iterations over the course of a year, in collaboration with a highly engaged community advisory board, laying the groundwork for HSDs that are comprehensible, comparable, and appropriate for stated-preference research. FINDINGS: Thyroid cancer survivors compared their experiences with those described in the HSDs. Feedback included concern for the emotional well-being of study participants who would be reading them. Providers were attuned to the need for clinical accuracy and made suggestions to reflect their clinical experience, including for patients with complications or disease progression. The pilot participants with no thyroid cancer were particularly valuable in promoting the need to simplify language and maximize readability. DISCUSSION: Stakeholder engagement was critical to being responsive to feedback as the iterations were refined and presented. Continuous engagement and consultation with multiple sources strengthened the HSDs. A secondary outcome from this project is that stakeholders expressed interest in adapting the HSDs into decision aids for people newly diagnosed with low-risk thyroid cancer.

CKD Progression and Economic Burden in Individuals With CKD Associated With Type 2 Diabetes.

Rationale & Objective: To evaluate progression patterns and associated economic outcomes, using estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) and urine albumin-creatinine ratio (UACR) based on the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) risk categories, among patients with type 2 diabetes (T2D) and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Study Design: Patients with T2D and moderate- or high-risk CKD were selected from the Optum electronic health records database (January 2007-December 2019). Progression patterns and post-progression economic outcomes were assessed. Setting & Participants: Adults with T2D and CKD in clinical settings. Predictor: Baseline KDIGO risk categories. Outcomes: Progression to a more severe KDIGO risk category; healthcare resource utilization and medical costs. Analytical Approach: Progression probability was estimated using cumulative incidence. Healthcare resource utilization and costs were compared across progression groups. Results: Of 269,187 patients (mean age 65.6 years) with T2D and CKD of moderate or high baseline risk, 18.9% progressed to the very high-risk category within 5 years. Among moderate-risk patients, 17.8% of CKD stage G1-A2, 44.0% of stage G2-A2, and 61.3% of stage G3a-A1 patients progressed to a higher KDIGO risk category. Among high-risk patients, 63.9% of stage G3b-A1/G3a-A2 and 56.0% of stage G2-A3 patients progressed to very high risk. Within the same eGFR stage, a higher UACR stage was associated with 4- to 7-times higher risk of progressing to very high risk and faster eGFR decline. Nonprogressors had lower annual medical costs ($16,924) than patients who progressed from moderate risk to high risk ($22,117, P < 0.05), from high risk to very high risk ($32,204, P < 0.05), and from moderate risk to very high risk ($35,092, P < 0.05). Limitations: Infrequent lab testing might have caused lags in identifying progression; medical costs were calculated using unit costs. Conclusions: Patients with T2D and CKD of moderate or high risk per KDIGO risk categories had high probabilities of progression, incurring a substantial economic burden. The results highlight the value of UACR in CKD management.

Epidemiology of public transportation use among older adults in the United States.

BACKGROUND: Attending healthcare appointments and participating in social activities are important for older adults, but these activities are often limited by transportation barriers. Public transportation may bridge these gaps, but little is known about older public transportation users. This study compares the characteristics of older adults who use public transportation to those who do not. DESIGN: Cross-sectional analysis of data from Round 5 of the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS). We identified 5696 urban community dwelling older adults, and calculated national estimates of those who reported public transportation use in the last month and those who used transit to see their regular doctor. We evaluated the age and sex-adjusted associations between economic and clinical characteristics and recent use of public transportation using survey-weighted logistic regression. RESULTS: Nearly 1 in 10 (n = 555/5696, weighted n = 3,122,583) urban-dwelling older adults in the United States reported use of public transportation in the last month, and over 20% of users (weighted n = 658,850) relied on transit to see their regular doctor. Compared to non-users, those who reported using transit were significantly more likely to be younger and identify as non-Hispanic Black or Hispanic. Financially strained older adults were more likely to have recently relied on public transportation (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.62, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-2.44), but frailty (aOR = 0.61, 95% CI 0.41-0.91) and living in an area with cracked or broken sidewalks (aOR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.27-0.46) were both associated with lower odds of public transportation use. CONCLUSION: More than 3 million older adults in the United States reported recently using public transportation, with over 600,000 relying on these services to visit their doctor. With increasing investment in public infrastructure on the horizon, centering the unique medical, economic, and social needs of older transit users is critical to ensure urban communities remain age-friendly.