An initiative to promote value-based stress test selection in primary care and cardiology clinics: A mixed methods evaluation.

OBJECTIVES: Exercise stress echocardiograms (stress echos) are overused, whereas exercise stress electrocardiograms (stress ECGs) can be an appropriate, lower-cost substitute. In this post hoc, mixed methods evaluation, we assessed an initiative promoting value-based, guideline-concordant ordering practices in primary care (PC) and cardiology clinics. METHODS: Change in percent of stress ECGs ordered of all exercise stress tests (stress ECGs and echos) was calculated between three periods: baseline (January 2019-February 2020); Period 1 with reduced stress ECG report turnaround time + PC-targeted education (began June 2020); and Period 2 with the addition of electronic health record-based alternative alert (AA) providing point-of-care clinical decision support. The AA was deployed in two of five PC clinics in July 2020, two additional PC clinics in January 2021, and one of four cardiology clinics in February 2021. Nineteen primary care providers (PCPs) and five cardiologists were interviewed in Period 2. RESULTS: Clinicians reported reducing ECG report turnaround time was crucial for adoption. PCPs specifically reported that value-based education helped change their practice. In PC, the percent of stress ECGs ordered increased by 38% ± 6% (SE) (p < 0.0001) from baseline to Period 1. Most PCPs identified the AA as the most impactful initiative, yet stress ECG ordering did not change (6% ± 6%; p = 0.34) between Periods 1 and 2. In contrast, cardiologists reportedly relied on their expertise rather than AAs, yet their stress ECGs orders increased from Period 1 to 2 to a larger degree in the cardiology clinic with the AA (12% ± 5%; p = 0.01) than clinics without the AA (6% ± 2%; p = 0.01). The percent of stress ECGs ordered was higher in Period 2 than baseline for both specialties (both p < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: This initiative influenced ordering behaviour in PC and cardiology clinics. However, clinicians' perceptions of the initiative varied between specialties and did not always align with the observed behaviour change.

Evolution of a Project to Improve Inpatient-to-Outpatient Dermatology Care Transitions: Mixed Methods Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: In-hospital dermatological care has shifted from dedicated dermatology wards to consultation services, and some consulted patients may require postdischarge follow-up in outpatient dermatology. Safe and timely care transitions from inpatient-to-outpatient specialty care are critical for patient health, but communication around these transitions can be disjointed, and workflows can be complex. OBJECTIVE: In this 3-phase quality improvement effort, we developed and evaluated an intervention that leveraged an electronic health record (EHR) feature, known as SmartPhrase, to enable a new workflow to improve transitions from inpatient care to outpatient dermatology. METHODS: Phase 1 (February-March 2021) included interviews with patients and process mapping with key stakeholders to identify gaps and inform an intervention: a SmartPhrase table and associated workflow to promote collection of patient information needed for scheduling follow-up and closed-loop communication between dermatology and scheduling teams. In phase 2 (April-May 2021), semistructured interviews-with dermatologists (n=5), dermatology residents (n=5), and schedulers (n=6)-identified pain points and refinements. In phase 3, the intervention was evaluated by triangulating data from these interviews with measured changes in scheduling efficiency, visit completion, and messaging volume preimplementation (January-February 2021) and postimplementation (April-May 2021). RESULTS: Preintervention pain points included unclear workflow for care transitions, limited patient input in follow-up planning, multiple messaging channels (eg, EHR based, email, and phone messages), and time-inefficient patient tracking. The intervention addressed most pain points; interviewees reported the intervention was easy to adopt and improved scheduling efficiency, workload, and patient involvement. More visits were completed within the desired timeframe of 14 days after discharge during the postimplementation period (21/47, 45%) than the preimplementation period (28/41, 68%; P=.03). The messaging workload also decreased from 88 scheduling-related messages sent for 25 patients before implementation to 30 messages for 8 patients after implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Inpatient-to-outpatient specialty care transitions are complex and involve multiple stakeholders, thus requiring multifaceted solutions. With deliberate evaluation, broad stakeholder input, and iteration, we designed and implemented a successful solution using a standard EHR feature, SmartPhrase, integrated into a standardized workflow to improve the timeliness of posthospital specialty care and reduce workload.

Teledermatology to Facilitate Patient Care Transitions From Inpatient to Outpatient Dermatology: Mixed Methods Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Both clinicians and patients have increasingly turned to telemedicine to improve care access, even in physical examination-dependent specialties such as dermatology. However, little is known about whether teledermatology supports effective and timely transitions from inpatient to outpatient care, which is a common care coordination gap. OBJECTIVE: Using mixed methods, this study sought to retrospectively evaluate how teledermatology affected clinic capacity, scheduling efficiency, and timeliness of follow-up care for patients transitioning from inpatient to outpatient dermatology care. METHODS: Patient-level encounter scheduling data were used to compare the number and proportion of patients who were scheduled and received in-clinic or video dermatology follow-ups within 14 and 90 days after discharge across 3 phases: June to September 2019 (before teledermatology), June to September 2020 (early teledermatology), and February to May 2021 (sustained teledermatology). The time from discharge to scheduling and completion of patient follow-up visits for each care modality was also compared. Dermatology clinicians and schedulers were also interviewed between April and May 2021 to assess their perceptions of teledermatology for postdischarge patients. RESULTS: More patients completed follow-up within 90 days after discharge during early (n=101) and sustained (n=100) teledermatology use than at baseline (n=74). Thus, the clinic's capacity to provide follow-up to patients transitioning from inpatient increased from baseline by 36% in the early (101 from 74) and sustained (100 from 74) teledermatology periods. During early teledermatology use, 61.4% (62/101) of the follow-ups were conducted via video. This decreased significantly to 47% (47/100) in the following year, when COVID-19-related restrictions started to lift (P=.04), indicating more targeted but still substantial use. The proportion of patients who were followed up within the recommended 14 days after discharge did not differ significantly between video and in-clinic visits during the early (33/62, 53% vs 15/39, 38%; P=.15) or sustained (26/53, 60% vs 28/47, 49%; P=.29) teledermatology periods. Interviewees agreed that teledermatology would continue to be offered. Most considered postdischarge follow-up patients to be ideal candidates for teledermatology as they had undergone a recent in-person assessment and might have difficulty attending in-clinic visits because of competing health priorities. Some reported patients needing technological support. Ultimately, most agreed that the choice of follow-up care modality should be the patient's own. CONCLUSIONS: Teledermatology could be an important tool for maintaining accessible, flexible, and convenient care for recently discharged patients needing follow-up care. Teledermatology increased clinic capacity, even during the pandemic, although the timeliness of care transitions did not improve. Ultimately, the care modality should be determined through communication with patients to incorporate their and their caregivers' preferences.

A 360 degree mixed-methods evaluation of a specialized COVID-19 outpatient clinic and remote patient monitoring program.

BACKGROUND: Our goals are to quantify the impact on acute care utilization of a specialized COVID-19 clinic with an integrated remote patient monitoring program in an academic medical center and further examine these data with stakeholder perceptions of clinic effectiveness and acceptability. METHODS: A retrospective cohort was drawn from enrolled and unenrolled ambulatory patients who tested positive in May through September 2020 matched on age, presence of comorbidities and other factors. Qualitative semi-structured interviews with patients, frontline clinician, and administrators were analyzed in an inductive-deductive approach to identify key themes. RESULTS: Enrolled patients were more likely to be hospitalized than unenrolled patients (N = 11/137 in enrolled vs 2/126 unenrolled, p = .02), reflecting a higher admittance rate following emergency department (ED) events among the enrolled vs unenrolled, though this was not a significant difference (46% vs 25%, respectively, p = .32). Thirty-eight qualitative interviews conducted June to October 2020 revealed broad stakeholder belief in the clinic's support of appropriate care escalation. Contrary to beliefs the clinic reduced inappropriate care utilization, no difference was seen between enrolled and unenrolled patients who presented to the ED and were not admitted (N = 10/137 in enrolled vs 8/126 unenrolled, p = .76). Administrators and providers described the clinic's integral role in allowing health services to resume in other areas of the health system following an initial lockdown. CONCLUSIONS: Acute care utilization and multi-stakeholder interviews suggest heightened outpatient observation through a specialized COVID-19 clinic and remote patient monitoring program may have contributed to an increase in appropriate acute care utilization. The clinic's role securing safe reopening of health services systemwide was endorsed as a primary, if unmeasured, benefit.

Nursing Workflow Change in a COVID-19 Inpatient Unit Following the Deployment of Inpatient Telehealth: Observational Study Using a Real-Time Locating System.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic prompted widespread implementation of telehealth, including in the inpatient setting, with the goals to reduce potential pathogen exposure events and personal protective equipment (PPE) utilization. Nursing workflow adaptations in these novel environments are of particular interest given the association between nursing time at the bedside and patient safety. Understanding the frequency and duration of nurse-patient encounters following the introduction of a novel telehealth platform in the context of COVID-19 may therefore provide insight into downstream impacts on patient safety, pathogen exposure, and PPE utilization. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to evaluate changes in nursing workflow relative to prepandemic levels using a real-time locating system (RTLS) following the deployment of inpatient telehealth on a COVID-19 unit. METHODS: In March 2020, telehealth was installed in patient rooms in a COVID-19 unit and on movable carts in 3 comparison units. The existing RTLS captured nurse movement during 1 pre- and 5 postpandemic stages (January-December 2020). Change in direct nurse-patient encounters, time spent in patient rooms per encounter, and total time spent with patients per shift relative to baseline were calculated. Generalized linear models assessed difference-in-differences in outcomes between COVID-19 and comparison units. Telehealth adoption was captured and reported at the unit level. RESULTS: Change in frequency of encounters and time spent per encounter from baseline differed between the COVID-19 and comparison units at all stages of the pandemic (all P<.001). Frequency of encounters decreased (difference-in-differences range -6.6 to -14.1 encounters) and duration of encounters increased (difference-in-differences range 1.8 to 6.2 minutes) from baseline to a greater extent in the COVID-19 units relative to the comparison units. At most stages of the pandemic, the change in total time nurses spent in patient rooms per patient per shift from baseline did not differ between the COVID-19 and comparison units (all P>.17). The primary COVID-19 unit quickly adopted telehealth technology during the observation period, initiating 15,088 encounters that averaged 6.6 minutes (SD 13.6) each. CONCLUSIONS: RTLS movement data suggest that total nursing time at the bedside remained unchanged following the deployment of inpatient telehealth in a COVID-19 unit. Compared to other units with shared mobile telehealth units, the frequency of nurse-patient in-person encounters decreased and the duration lengthened on a COVID-19 unit with in-room telehealth availability, indicating "batched" redistribution of work to maintain total time at bedside relative to prepandemic periods. The simultaneous adoption of telehealth suggests that virtual care was a complement to, rather than a replacement for, in-person care. However, study limitations preclude our ability to draw a causal link between nursing workflow change and telehealth adoption. Thus, further evaluation is needed to determine potential downstream implications on disease transmission, PPE utilization, and patient safety.

Primary Care 2.0: A Prospective Evaluation of a Novel Model of Advanced Team Care With Expanded Medical Assistant Support.

PURPOSE: Assess effectiveness of Primary Care 2.0: a team-based model that incorporates increased medical assistant (MA) to primary care physician (PCP) ratio, integration of advanced practice clinicians, expanded MA roles, and extended the interprofessional team. METHODS: Prospective, quasi-experimental evaluation of staff/clinician team development and wellness survey data, comparing Primary Care 2.0 to conventional clinics within our academic health care system. We surveyed before the model launch and every 6-9 months up to 24 months post implementation. Secondary outcomes (cost, quality metrics, patient satisfaction) were assessed via routinely collected operational data. RESULTS: Team development significantly increased in the Primary Care 2.0 clinic, sustained across all 3 post implementation time points (+12.2, +8.5, + 10.1 respectively, vs baseline, on the 100-point Team Development Measure) relative to the comparison clinics. Among wellness domains, only "control of work" approached significant gains (+0.5 on a 5-point Likert scale, P = .05), but was not sustained. Burnout did not have statistically significant relative changes; the Primary Care 2.0 site showed a temporal trend of improvement at 9 and 15 months. Reversal of this trend at 2 years corresponded to contextual changes, specifically, reduced MA to PCP staffing ratio. Adjusted models confirmed an inverse relationship between team development and burnout (P <.0001). Secondary outcomes generally remained stable between intervention and comparison clinics with suggestion of labor cost savings. CONCLUSIONS: The Primary Care 2.0 model of enhanced team-based primary care demonstrates team development is a plausible key to protect against burnout, but is not sufficient alone. The results reinforce that transformation to team-based care cannot be a 1-time effort and institutional commitment is integral.

Predicting and Responding to Clinical Deterioration in Hospitalized Patients by Using Artificial Intelligence: Protocol for a Mixed Methods, Stepped Wedge Study.

BACKGROUND: The early identification of clinical deterioration in patients in hospital units can decrease mortality rates and improve other patient outcomes; yet, this remains a challenge in busy hospital settings. Artificial intelligence (AI), in the form of predictive models, is increasingly being explored for its potential to assist clinicians in predicting clinical deterioration. OBJECTIVE: Using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety (SEIPS) 2.0 model, this study aims to assess whether an AI-enabled work system improves clinical outcomes, describe how the clinical deterioration index (CDI) predictive model and associated work processes are implemented, and define the emergent properties of the AI-enabled work system that mediate the observed clinical outcomes. METHODS: This study will use a mixed methods approach that is informed by the SEIPS 2.0 model to assess both processes and outcomes and focus on how physician-nurse clinical teams are affected by the presence of AI. The intervention will be implemented in hospital medicine units based on a modified stepped wedge design featuring three stages over 11 months-stage 0 represents a baseline period 10 months before the implementation of the intervention; stage 1 introduces the CDI predictions to physicians only and triggers a physician-driven workflow; and stage 2 introduces the CDI predictions to the multidisciplinary team, which includes physicians and nurses, and triggers a nurse-driven workflow. Quantitative data will be collected from the electronic health record for the clinical processes and outcomes. Interviews will be conducted with members of the multidisciplinary team to understand how the intervention changes the existing work system and processes. The SEIPS 2.0 model will provide an analytic framework for a mixed methods analysis. RESULTS: A pilot period for the study began in December 2020, and the results are expected in mid-2022. CONCLUSIONS: This protocol paper proposes an approach to evaluation that recognizes the importance of assessing both processes and outcomes to understand how a multifaceted AI-enabled intervention affects the complex team-based work of identifying and managing clinical deterioration. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): PRR1-10.2196/27532.

Patient and surgeon experiences with video visits in plastic surgery-toward a data-informed scheduling triage tool.

BACKGROUND: Coronavirus disease 2019 provided the impetus for unprecedented adoption of telemedicine. This study aimed to understand video visit adoption by plastic surgery providers; and patient and surgeon perceptions about its efficacy, value, accessibility, and long-term viability. A secondary aim was to develop the proposed 'Triage Tool for Video Visits in Plastic Surgery' to help determine visit video eligibility. METHODS: This mixed-methods evaluation assessed provider-level scheduling data from the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at Stanford Health Care to quantify telemedicine adoption and semi-structured phone interviews with patients (n = 20) and surgeons (n = 10) to explore stakeholder perspectives on video visits. RESULTS: During the 13-week period after the local stay-at-home orders due to coronavirus disease 2019, 21.4% of preoperative visits and 45.5% of postoperative visits were performed via video. Video visits were considered acceptable by patients and surgeons in plastic surgery in terms of quality of care but were limited by the inability to perform a physical examination. Interviewed clinicians reported that long-term viability needs to be centered around technology (eg, connection, video quality, etc) and physical examinations. Our findings informed a proposed triage tool to determine the appropriateness of video visits for individual patients that incorporates visit type, anesthesia, case, surgeon's role, and patient characteristics. CONCLUSION: Video technology has the potential to facilitate and improve preoperative and postoperative patient care in plastic surgery but the following components are needed: patient education on taking high-quality photos; standardized clinical guidelines for conducting video visits; and an algorithm-assisted triage tool to support scheduling.

Patient and Clinician Perspectives of New and Return Ambulatory Teleneurology Visits.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the adoption and perceived utility of video visits for new and return patient encounters in ambulatory neurology subspecialties. METHODS: Video visits were launched in an academic, multi-subspecialty, ambulatory neurology clinic in March 2020. Adoption of video visits for new and return patient visits was assessed using clinician-level scheduling data from March 22 to May 16, 2020. Perceived utility of video visits was explored via a clinician survey and semistructured interviews with clinicians and patients/caregivers. Findings were compared across 5 subspecialties and 2 visit types (new vs return). RESULTS: Video visits were adopted rapidly; all clinicians (n = 65) integrated video visits into their workflow within the first 6 weeks, and 92% of visits were conducted via video, although this varied by subspecialty. Utility of video visits was higher for return than new patient visits, as indicated by surveyed (n = 48) and interviewed clinicians (n = 30), aligning with adoption patterns. Compared with in-person visits, clinicians believed that it was easier to achieve a similar physical examination, patient-clinician rapport, and perceived quality of care over video for return rather than new patient visits. Of the 25 patients/caregivers interviewed, most were satisfied with the care provided via video, regardless of visit type, with the main limitation being the physical examination. DISCUSSION: Teleneurology was robustly adopted for both new and return ambulatory neurology patients during the COVID-19 pandemic. Return patient visits were preferred over new patient visits, but both were feasible. These results provide a foundation for developing targeted guidelines for sustaining teleneurology in ambulatory care.

Rapid Implementation of Video Visits in Neurology During COVID-19: Mixed Methods Evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Telemedicine has been used for decades. Despite its many advantages, its uptake and rigorous evaluation of feasibility across neurology's ambulatory subspecialties has been sparse. However, the COVID-19 pandemic prompted health care systems worldwide to reconsider traditional health care delivery. To safeguard health care workers and patients, many health care systems quickly transitioned to telemedicine, including across neurology subspecialties, providing a new opportunity to evaluate this modality of care. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the accelerated implementation of video visits in ambulatory neurology during the COVID-19 pandemic, we used mixed methods to assess adoption, acceptability, appropriateness, and perceptions of potential sustainability. METHODS: Video visits were launched rapidly in ambulatory neurology clinics of a large academic medical center. To assess adoption, we analyzed clinician-level scheduling data collected between March 22 and May 16, 2020. We assessed acceptability, appropriateness, and sustainability via a clinician survey (n=48) and semistructured interviews with providers (n=30) completed between March and May 2020. RESULTS: Video visits were adopted rapidly; overall, 65 (98%) clinicians integrated video visits into their workflow within the first 6 implementation weeks and 92% of all visits were conducted via video. Video visits were largely considered acceptable by clinicians, although various technological issues impacted their satisfaction. Video visits were reported to be more convenient for patients, families, and caregivers than in-person visits; however, access to technology, the patient's technological capacity, and language difficulties were considered barriers. Many clinicians expressed optimism about future utilization of video visits in neurology. They believed that video visits promote continuity of care and can be incorporated into their practice long-term, although several insisted that they can never replace the in-person examination. CONCLUSIONS: Video visits are an important addition to clinical care in ambulatory neurology and are anticipated to remain a permanent supplement to in-person visits, promoting patient care continuity, and flexibility for patients and clinicians alike.

Recent Trends of Infectious Complications Following Heart Transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Heart transplantation is a life-saving procedure that has seen improvements in transplant and patient outcomes due to advances in immunosuppression and prevention of posttransplantation infectious episodes (IEps). This study systematically evaluates IEps in the modern era of heart transplantation at Stanford University Medical Center. METHODS: This is a single-center retrospective review that includes 279 consecutive adult heart transplantation recipients from January 2008 to September 2017. Baseline demographic, clinical, serological, and outcomes information were collected. Kaplan-Meier estimator was used to assess survival stratified by IEp occurrence within the first year. RESULTS: A total of 600 IEps occurred in 279 patients (2.15 IEps per patient) during a median follow-up period of 3 years. Overall survival was 83.3% (95% confidence interval [CI], 76.2-88.4) at 1 year posttransplantation for those with any IEp compared with 93.0% (95% CI, 87.2-96.4) in those without IEp (P = 0.07). Bacterial IEps were the most common (n = 375; 62.5%), followed by viral (n = 180; 30.0%), fungal (n = 40; 6.7%), and parasitic (n = 5; 0.8%). IEps by Gram-negative bacteria (n = 210) outnumbered those by Gram-positive bacteria (n = 142). Compared with prior studies from our center, there was a decreased proportion of viral (including cytomegalovirus), fungal (including Aspergillus spp. and non-Aspergillus spp. molds), and Nocardia infections. There were no IEps due to Mycobacterium tuberculosis, Pneumocystis jirovecii, or Toxoplasma gondii. CONCLUSIONS: A significant reduction in viral, fungal, and Nocardia IEps after heart transplantation was observed, most likely due to advancements in immunosuppression and preventive strategies, including pretransplant infectious diseases screening and antimicrobial prophylaxis.

Outcomes of patients with infection related to a ventricular assist device after heart transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Despite significant advances in durable mechanical support survival, infectious complications remain the most common adverse event after ventricular assist device (VAD) implantation and the leading cause of early death after transplantation. In this study, we aim to describe our local infectious epidemiology and review short-term survival and infectious incidence rates in the post-transplantation period and assess risk factors for infectious episodes after transplantation. METHODS: Retrospective single-center study of all consecutive adult heart transplant patients from 2008 to 2017. Survival data were estimated and summarized using the Kaplan-Meier method. We quantified and evaluated the difference in the incidence rate between patients with and without infection using a Fine-Gray model. The outcome of interest is the time to first infection diagnosis with post-transplant death as the competing event. RESULTS: Among 278 heart transplant patients, 74 (26.5%) underwent LVAD implantation. Twenty-one patients (28.3%) developed an infection while supported by an LVAD. When compared to patients supported by an LVAD without a preceding infection, BMI was significantly greater (31.2 vs 27.8 kg/m2 , P = .03). Median follow-up post-transplantation was 3.01 years. Significant risk factors for the competing risk regression for infection after heart transplantation include LVAD infection (HR 1.94, [95% CI] 1.11-3.39, P = .020) and recipient COPD (HR 2.14, [95% CI] 1.39-3.32, P = .001) when adjusted for recipient age, gender, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and body mass index. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with LVAD-related infection had a significantly increased risk of infectious complications after heart transplantation. Further research on the avoidance of induction agents and reduced maintenance immunosuppression in this patient population is warranted.

Cut it out! Thoracic surgeon's approach to pulmonary mucormycosis and the role of surgical resection in survival.

BACKGROUND: Mucormycosis portends a poor prognosis with mortality rates ranging from 50% to 70% in pulmonary mucormycosis (PM) and up to 95% in disseminated disease. However, detailed outcomes data have been lacking. It remains unknown how to identify patients who would benefit from surgical resection. OBJECTIVES: We present our experience with patients undergoing surgical resection for PM, including an analysis of factors affecting postoperative survival. We also describe a thoracic surgeon's approach through illustrative cases. PATIENTS/METHODS: We conducted a single-centre retrospective study of all adult patients with PM who received antifungal therapy and underwent surgical resection or who received antifungal therapy alone at Stanford between January 2004 and June 2018. RESULTS: Twelve patients received antifungal therapy and underwent surgical resection and 13 patients received antifungal therapy alone. From infection onset to death (or right-censoring if still alive), patients who underwent surgical resection had a median survival of 406 days (mean, 561.3; range, 22-2510), and patients who received antifungal therapy alone had a median survival of 28 days (mean, 66.7; range, 8-447). In patients who underwent surgical resection, median postoperative survival time was 154 days (range, 11-2495), in-hospital mortality was 16.7%, and 1-year mortality was 50.0%. Age, primary disease, ASA status, extrapulmonary dissemination, laterality, multilobar involvement, number of lesions, largest lesion size, platelet count, surgical approach, type of resection or extent of resection were not significantly associated with postoperative survival. CONCLUSIONS: Surgical resection significantly increases survival and should be strongly considered for selected patients with PM.

Factors associated with high functioning despite distress in post-9/11 veterans.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to identify modifiable factors associated with perceived functioning among veterans with high symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). METHOD: Two hundred fifty-one post-9/11 veterans completed a survey of psychosocial symptoms and functioning; a subset participated in a follow-up survey (n = 109). Latent profile analysis (LPA) at baseline identified groups that differed by level of functioning (high/low). Items utilized in the LPA analysis were derived from the World Health Organization Quality of Life-Bref self-report measure. Veterans with high PTSD symptoms in both groups were compared and logistic regression was utilized to predict group membership. RESULTS: Veterans with high functioning/high symptoms (n = 45) had significantly lower alcohol use and sleep problems, and higher postdeployment social support, posttraumatic growth, and optimism than veterans with low functioning/high symptoms (n = 100). Fewer sleep difficulties and higher postdeployment social support and optimism were associated with membership in the high functioning/high symptom group. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the importance of identifying factors that can facilitate higher social, occupational, and general functional capacity for those with high levels of PTSD symptomatology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Onset Patterns and Course of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.

Background: Epidemiologic studies of myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) have examined different aspects of this disease separately but few have explored them together. Objective: Describe ME/CFS onset and course in one United States-based cohort. Methods: One hundred and fifty subjects fitting Fukuda 1994 CFS criteria completed a detailed survey concerning the initial and subsequent stages of their illness. Descriptive statistics, graphs, and tables were used to illustrate prevalence and patterns of characteristics. Results: The most common peri-onset events reported by subjects were infection-related episodes (64%), stressful incidents (39%), and exposure to environmental toxins (20%). For 38% of subjects, more than 6 months elapsed from experiencing any initial symptom to developing the set of symptoms comprising their ME/CFS. Over time, the 12 most common symptoms persisted but declined in prevalence, with fatigue, unrefreshing sleep, exertion-related sickness, and flu-like symptoms declining the most (by 20-25%). Conversely, cognitive symptoms changed the least in prevalence, rising in symptom ranking. Pregnancy, menopause, and menstrual cycles exacerbated many women's symptoms. Fatigue-related function was not associated with duration of illness or age; during the worst periods of their illness, 48% of subjects could not engage in any productive activity. At the time of survey, 47% were unable to work and only 4% felt their condition was improving steadily with the majority (59%) describing a fluctuating course. Ninety-seven percent suffered from at least one other illness: anxiety (48%), depression (43%), fibromyalgia (39%), irritable bowel syndrome (38%), and migraine headaches (37%) were the most diagnosed conditions. Thirteen percent came from families where at least one other first-degree relative was also afflicted, rising to 27% when chronic fatigue of unclear etiology was included. Conclusions: This paper offers a broad epidemiologic overview of one ME/CFS cohort in the United States. While most of our findings are consistent with prior studies, we highlight underexamined aspects of this condition (e.g., the evolution of symptoms) and propose new interpretations of findings. Studying these aspects can offer insight and solutions to the diagnosis, etiology, pathophysiology, and treatment of this condition.

Emotion regulation mediates the relationship between ACES and physical and mental health.

OBJECTIVE: Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) have consistently been associated with a range of negative psychological and physical outcomes in adulthood. Despite the strength of this association, no studies to date have investigated psychological processes that might underlie this relationship. The current study evaluated emotion regulation as a potential mediator between ACEs and three outcomes: PTSD symptoms, depression and poor physical health, all of which are frequently co-occurring among women with ACEs. METHOD: Mediational analyses were conducted with baseline data from a sample of 290 women enrolled in a clinical trial for PTSD. Emotion regulation was assessed with the Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale (DERS), PTSD with the Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5 (PCL-5), depression with the Brief Symptom Inventory Depression subscale (BSI-D) and physical health with a shortened version of Medical Outcomes Study Short Form (SF-8). RESULTS: Emotion regulation significantly mediated the relationship between ACEs and all three outcomes. The estimates of the standardized indirect effects of ACEs on the health outcomes as mediated through DERS scores were as follows: PTSD ß = 0.1, p < .001; depression ß = 0.16, p < .001; physical health ß = 0.07, p = .002. CONCLUSION: Interventions that focus on improving emotion regulation skills might provide an efficient "transdiagnostic" treatment strategy for both psychological and physical health problems. The study successfully tested a mediational model that identified a common pathway influencing both mental and physical health symptoms. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Deconstructing post-exertional malaise in myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome: A patient-centered, cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Post-exertional malaise (PEM) is considered to be the hallmark characteristic of myalgic encephalomyelitis/ chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS). Yet, patients have rarely been asked in formal studies to describe their experience of PEM. OBJECTIVES: To describe symptoms associated with and the time course of PEM. METHODS: One hundred and fifty subjects, diagnosed via the 1994 Fukuda CFS criteria, completed a survey concerning 11 symptoms they could experience after exposure to two different types of triggers. We also inquired about onset and duration of PEM and included space for subjects to write in any additional symptoms. Results were summarized with descriptive statistics; McNemar's, paired t-, Fisher's exact and chi-square goodness-of-fit tests were used to assess for statistical significance. RESULTS: One hundred and twenty-nine subjects (90%) experienced PEM with both physical and cognitive exertion and emotional distress. Almost all were affected by exertion but 14 (10%) reported no effect with emotion. Fatigue was the most commonly exacerbated symptom but cognitive difficulties, sleep disturbances, headaches, muscle pain, and flu-like feelings were cited by over 30% of subjects. Sixty percent of subjects experienced at least one inflammatory/ immune-related symptom. Subjects also cited gastrointestinal, orthostatic, mood-related, neurologic and other symptoms. Exertion precipitated significantly more symptoms than emotional distress (7±2.8 vs. 5±3.3 symptoms (median, standard deviation), p<0.001). Onset and duration of PEM varied for most subjects. However, 11% reported a consistent post-trigger delay of at least 24 hours before onset and 84% endure PEM for 24 hours or more. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides exact symptom and time patterns for PEM that is generated in the course of patients' lives. PEM involves exacerbation of multiple, atypical symptoms, is occasionally delayed, and persists for extended periods. Highlighting these characteristics may improve diagnosis of ME/CFS. Incorporating them into the design of future research will accelerate our understanding of ME/CFS.

Depression as a moderator of STAIR Narrative Therapy for women with post-traumatic stress disorder related to childhood abuse.

Background: Depression among those who have experienced childhood abuse is associated with earlier onset, more persistent and severe symptoms, more frequent relapse, and poorer treatment outcomes across a variety of psychiatric disorders. In addition, individuals with a history of childhood abuse are more likely to develop post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) co-occurring with depression. Objective: This study evaluated whether severity of depression moderated the outcome in a PTSD treatment for childhood abuse survivors. Specifically, we assessed whether individuals with significant depression obtained better outcomes when provided with a two-module treatment which included a skills training component with behavioral activation interventions, Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation (STAIR) followed by a trauma-focused component, Narrative Therapy, as compared to two control conditions where one component (STAIR or Narrative Therapy) was replaced with Supportive Counseling. Method: Participants were 104 women with PTSD related to childhood abuse. Participants were randomized into three conditions: (1) STAIR plus Narrative Therapy (SNT), (2) STAIR plus Supportive Counseling (SSC), and (3) Supportive Counseling plus Narrative Therapy (SCNT). Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-IV (CAPS-IV) PTSD symptom severity was assessed at pre-treatment, post-treatment, and 3 and 6 month follow-up. Results: Participants with severe depression showed superior PTSD symptom reduction following SNT, while those in the other two conditions experienced a loss of improvement after treatment ended. A similar finding was obtained among those with moderate depression, while among those with low levels of depression, outcomes did not differ across the three treatment conditions. Conclusions: Childhood abuse survivors with severe depression obtained superior outcomes in a treatment that combined skills training with trauma-focused work. Skills packages which contain behavioral activation interventions in combination with trauma-focused work may be particularly beneficial for patients with childhood abuse and severe depression.

Planteamiento: La depresión entre los que han sufrido malos tratos en la infancia se asocia con un inicio más temprano, síntomas más persistentes y graves, recaídas más frecuentes y peores resultados de tratamiento en una variedad de trastornos psiquiátricos. Además, las personas con abuso infantil son más propensas a desarrollar un TEPT concurrente con la depresión. Objetivo: Este estudio evaluó si la gravedad de la depresión moderaba el resultado en un tratamiento de TEPT para sobrevivientes de maltrato infantil. Específicamente, evaluamos si los individuos con depresión significativa obtenían mejores resultados cuando se les proporcionaba un tratamiento de dos módulos que incluía un componente de entrenamiento en habilidades con intervenciones de activación conductual, Entrenamiento de habilidades en regulación afectiva e Interpersonal (STAIR, siglas en inglés de Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation), seguido de un componente centrado en el trauma, Terapia Narrativa (TN), en comparación con dos condiciones de control en las que un componente (el STAIR o la TN) se sustituía por terapia de apoyo (TA). Métodos: Los participantes fueron 104 mujeres con TEPT relacionado con maltrato infantil. Los participantes fueron asignados al azar a tres condiciones: (1) STAIR más Terapia Narrativa (STN) (2) STAIR más terapia de apoyo (STA) y (3) terapia de apoyo más Terapia Narrativa (TATN). Se evaluó la gravedad de los síntomas de TEPT con el CAPS-IV al inicio del tratamiento, después del tratamiento y en el seguimiento a los 3 y 6 meses. Resultados: Los participantes con depresión grave mostraron una mayor reducción de los síntomas de TEPT después de la Terapia Narrativa de STAIR, mientras que los de las otras dos condiciones experimentaron una pérdida de mejoría una vez finalizado el tratamiento. Se encontró un resultado similar entre los que tenían depresión moderada, mientras que entre los que tenían un nivel bajo de depresión, los resultados no difirieron entre las tres condiciones de tratamiento. Conclusión: Los supervivientes de maltrato infantil con depresión grave obtuvieron resultados superiores en un tratamiento que combina entrenamiento de habilidades con el trabajo centrado en el trauma. Los paquetes de habilidades que contienen intervenciones de activación conductual en combinación con el trabajo centrado en el trauma pueden ser particularmente beneficiosos para pacientes con abuso infantil y depresión grave.

A randomized controlled trial of a smartphone app for posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms.

OBJECTIVE: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is highly prevalent in the population, but relatively few affected individuals receive treatment for it. Smartphone applications (apps) could help address this unmet need by offering sound psychoeducational information and evidence-based cognitive behavioral coping tools. We conducted a randomized controlled trial to assess the efficacy of a free, publicly available smartphone app (PTSD Coach) for self-management of PTSD symptoms. METHOD: One hundred 20 participants who were an average of 39 years old, mostly women (69.2%) and White (66.7%), recruited primarily through online advertisements, were randomized to either a PTSD Coach (n = 62) or a waitlist condition (n = 58) for 3 months. Web-administered self-report measures of PTSD, PTSD symptom coping self-efficacy, depression, and psychosocial functioning were conducted at baseline, posttreatment, and 3 months following treatment. RESULTS: Following the intent-to-treat principle, repeated-measures analyses of variance (ANOVAs) revealed that at posttreatment, PTSD Coach participants had significantly greater improvements in PTSD symptoms (p = .035), depression symptoms (p = .005), and psychosocial functioning (p = .007) than did waitlist participants; however, at posttreatment, there were no significant mean differences in outcomes between conditions. A greater proportion of PTSD Coach participants achieved clinically significant PTSD symptom improvement (p = .018) than waitlist participants. CONCLUSION: PTSD Coach use resulted in significantly greater improvements in PTSD symptoms and other outcomes relative to a waitlist condition. Given the ubiquity of smartphones, PTSD Coach may provide a wide-reaching, convenient public health intervention for individuals with PTSD symptoms who are not receiving care. (PsycINFO Database Record

An assessment of the construct validity of the ICD-11 proposal for complex posttraumatic stress disorder.

BACKGROUND: A new diagnosis, complex posttraumatic stress disorder (CPTSD), is set to be introduced in the 11th revision to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD-11). Studies have supported a unique group of trauma-exposed individuals who exhibit symptoms consistent with CPTSD proposals. No studies have yet tested the proposed latent symptom structure of CPTSD proposed for ICD-11. This study tests the factorial validity of CPTSD and assesses the role of a range of risk factors to predict CPTSD. METHOD: A large sample (N = 453) of treatment-seeking adult victims of childhood sexual abuse completed self-report measures of CPTSD. Confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was used to compare a set of alternative factor models of CPTSD. RESULTS: Just less than half of the sample met the diagnostic criteria for CPTSD (42.8%). CFA results supported the factorial validity of the ICD-11 proposals for CPTSD. Being female and experiencing a greater number of sexual abuse acts during childhood were more strongly associated with PTSD than CPTSD symptoms. Regarding symptoms, anxiety was more strongly associated with PTSD than CPTSD, whereas higher levels of dysthymia were more strongly associated with CPTSD than PTSD symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Results provide initial evidence regarding the factorial validity of the proposed ICD-11 model of CPTSD. In addition, current results support the proposals of the ICD-11 that exposure to abuse during early development is associated with a greater likelihood of CPTSD than PTSD. The study contributes to a growing body of empirical data supporting the construct validity of CPTSD as a unique diagnostic entity. (PsycINFO Database Record