Telephone follow-up as a substitute for standard out-clinic follow-up in CPAP therapy for obstructive sleep apnea patients: a randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: This study assessed the feasibility of telephone follow-up consultations (TC) using an online data sharing and editing function (Airview™), as alternative to standard out-clinic follow-up consultations (SC) on adherence to continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Furthermore, we investigated compliance to follow-up consultations and examined potential influencing factors, including baseline AHI (apnea-hypopnea-index), age, and distance from home to the hospital on consultation compliance. METHODS: Two hundred OSA patients, with AHI ≥ 5 were randomly assigned (1:1) to receive TC or SC with follow-up after one month and 12 month of CPAP initiation. Adherence goal was defined as achieving ≥ 4 h of CPAP use daily in 70% of the days in a 365-days period. RESULTS: The proportion of participants achieving CPAP adherence was non-significantly lower in the TC group compared to the SC group (TC: 30% versus SC: 36%, adjusted OR 0.84, p = 0.59). Of participants who completed the study, the TC group had a significant average of 107 min less use of CPAP compared to the SC group (p = 0.048). However, a higher proportion of participants was compliant to consultations in the TC group. The only influencing factor found was increasing baseline AHI, which might be a predictor for compliance to consultations and adherence to CPAP therapy. CONCLUSION: TC might serve as substitute for SC in some part of the OSA population. If TC becomes a part of CPAP therapy management, it is important to consider patient characteristics and treatment-related issues to prevent decline in adherence.

Introduction of a systematic examination framework for chronic cough: a before-after cohort study in a clinical setting.

Cough is a condition that can be caused by several different mechanisms. There are numerous guidelines for diagnosing the cause of cough, yet the effect of a well-constructed examination framework has not been investigated. At the Department of Internal Medicine, Lillebaelt Hospital, Vejle, a systematic examination framework for diagnosing cough was introduced. Two hundred consecutive patients referred to the pulmonary outpatient clinic with cough were included. The first 100 patients (Group 1) were included before implementation of the examination framework and diagnosed as usual. The next 100 patients (Group 2) were examined using the systematic framework. The primary endpoint was the number of appointments required to establish a diagnosis. A multivariable Poisson regression was performed, adjusting for age, sex, body mass index, pulmonary function (FEV1/FVC), duration of cough, and smoking status. A diagnosis was established within 1-2 visits in 47% in Group 1 compared to 83% in Group 2. When adjusting for confounders, fewer appointments was required to establish a diagnosis in Group 2 (Incidence rate ratio = 0.713 (95% confidence interval: 0.592-0.859), P = 0.000). Using a systematic examination framework for diagnosing cough may reduce the number of appointments required to establish a diagnosis, seemingly without compromising the diagnostic outcome.

Withdrawal of Inhaled Corticosteroids in Patients with COPD - A Prospective Observational Study.

BACKGROUND: Inhaled corticosteroids (ICS) are widely used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but recent studies have raised doubts whether all COPD patients will benefit from ICS. This study evaluates in a real-life setting the effects of ICS withdrawal in patients with COPD. METHODS: The study was a prospective intervention study following patients with COPD for 6 months after abrupt withdrawal of ICS. FEV1 (L), blood eosinophilic count (x10E9/L) and number of exacerbations were measured at baseline, 1, 3 and 6 months after ICS withdrawal. RESULTS: Ninety-six patients (56 females (57.4%), mean age 70 years (51-94 years)) with COPD were included in the study. Eleven patients were excluded during the study period (7 patients died, 4 patients withdrew their consent during the study period). During the 6 months, 51 patients (60%) had resumed treatment with ICS, of whom 34 patients (68%) experienced an exacerbation during follow-up. No significant decline in FEV1 was seen in this group between baseline and after 6 months (ΔFEV1 0.07 L, p = 0.09). In the remaining 34 patients (40%) without ICS after 6 months of follow-up, 15 patients (44.1%) experienced an exacerbation. No significant decline was seen in FEV1 at baseline and after 6 months (ΔFEV1 0.04 L, p = 0.28). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in age (70.5 vs 69.6 years, p = 0.53), nor between FEV1 at baseline (0.96 L vs 1.00 L, p = 0.63) or eosinophilic count (0.25 x10E9/L vs 0.17 x10E9/L, p = 0.07). CONCLUSION: Abrupt withdrawal of ICS was possible in some patients. However, more than half of the patients resumed ICS during follow-up. Based on results from our study we were not able to foresee - from neither history of exacerbations nor eosinophilic count - whom will be able to manage without ICS and who will resume treatment with ICS.

Patients' Experiences of Nurse-Led Screening for Cardiovascular Risk in Rheumatoid Arthritis.

BACKGROUND: Patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) have increased morbidity and mortality due to cardiovascular disease (CVD). Screening for cardiovascular risk is recommended by the European League Against Rheumatism (EULAR). There is a lack of evidence of the experiences of RA patients who are screened for CVD. Such information is important in order to organize and further develop screening programmes for CVD in patients with RA. The aim of the present study was to explore RA patients' experiences of participation in nurse-led screening for CVD and to identify key issues for the future organization of screening programmes. METHODS: Three qualitative focus group interviews were carried out with 14 outpatients diagnosed with RA. The participants were stratified into groups, depending on whether they had a low-to-moderate or high ten-year risk of cardiovascular death according to the European Systematic Coronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) system. Data were analysed using meaning condensation to identify key themes. RESULTS: Five themes were identified: reactions to receiving the invitation to the screening consultation; screening consultation adapted to needs and RA; duration reflected needs; screening consultation brought a sense of relief; and motivation and sense of control. Regardless of their CV risk, the participants found it important that the screening consultation was adapted to their needs and their illness as RA had a major impact on their daily life. CONCLUSIONS: When planning future screening programmes for CVD for patients with RA, it is important that the screening consultation is individualized and tailored to patients' needs and their RA. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.