Management of patients presenting with low back pain to a private hospital emergency department in Melbourne, Australia.

OBJECTIVE: Recent studies suggest many patients with non-specific low back pain presenting to public hospital EDs receive low-value care. The primary aim was to describe management of patients presenting with low back pain to the ED of a private hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and received a final ED diagnosis of non-specific low back pain. We also determined predictors of hospital admission. METHODS: Retrospective review of patients who presented with low back pain and received a final ED diagnosis of non-specific low back pain to Cabrini Malvern ED in 2015. Demographics, lumbar spinal imaging, pathology tests and medications were extracted from hospital records. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine independent predictors of hospital admission. RESULTS: Four hundred and fifty presentations were included (60% female); 238 (52.9%) were admitted to hospital. One hundred and seventy-seven (39.3%) patients received lumbar spine imaging. Two hundred and eighty (62.2%) patients had pathology tests and 391 (86.9%) received medications, which included opioids (n = 298, 66.2%), paracetamol (n = 219, 48.7%), NSAIDs (n = 161, 35.8%), benzodiazepines (n = 118, 26.2%) and pregabalin (n = 26, 5.8%). Predictors of hospital admission included older age (odds ratio [OR] 1.03, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.02-1.05), arrival by ambulance (OR 2.03, 95% CI 1.06-3.90) and receipt of pathology tests (OR 3.32, 95% CI 2.01-5.49) or computed tomography scans (OR 1.86, 95% CI 1.12-3.11). CONCLUSION: We observed high rates of imaging, pathology tests and hospital admissions compared with previous public hospital studies, while medication use was similar. Implementation of strategies to optimise evidence-based ED care is needed to reduce low-value care and improve patient outcomes.

Malignancy risk in Australian rheumatoid arthritis patients treated with anti-tumour necrosis factor therapy: an update from the Australian Rheumatology Association Database (ARAD) prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Tumour necrosis factor inhibitor (TNFi) therapy has been available for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients for several decades but data on the long-term risk of malignancy associated with its use is limited. Our aims were to assess malignancy risk in a cohort of Australian RA patients relative to the Australian population and to compare cancer risk for patients exposed to TNFi therapy versus a biologic-naïve group. METHODS: Demographic data for RA participants enrolled in the Australian Rheumatology Association Database (ARAD) before 31 Dec 2012 were matched to national cancer records in May 2016 (linkage complete to 2012). Standardised incidence ratios (SIRs) were used to compare malignancy incidence in TNFi-exposed and biologic-naïve ARAD participants with the Australian general population using site-, age- and sex-specific rates by calendar year. Malignancy incidence in TNFi-exposed participants and biologic-naïve RA patients, were compared using rate ratios (RRs), adjusted for age, sex, smoking, methotrexate use and prior malignancy. RESULTS: There were 107 malignancies reported after 10,120 person-years in the TNFi-exposed group (N = 2451) and 49 malignancies after 2232 person-years in the biologic-naïve group (N = 574). Compared with the general population, biologic-naïve RA patients showed an increased risk for overall malignancy (SIR 1.52 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.16, 2.02) prostate cancer (SIR 2.10, 95% CI 1.18, 4.12). The risk of lung cancer was increased for both biologic naïve and TNFi-exposed patients compared with the general population (SIR 2.69 (95% CI 1.43 to 5.68) and SIR 1.69 (95% CI 1.05 to 2.90) respectively). For the TNFi-exposed patients there was an increased risk of lymphoid cancers (SIR 1.82, 95% CI 1.12, 3.18). There were no differences between the exposure groups in the risk of cancer for any of the specific sites examined. CONCLUSIONS: Overall malignancy incidence was elevated for biologic-naïve RA patients but not for those exposed to TNFi. TNFi exposure did not increase malignancy risk beyond that experienced by biologic-naïve patients. Lung cancer risk was increased for both TNFi-treated and biologic-naïve RA patients compared with the general population suggesting that RA status or RA treatments other than TNFi may be responsible in some way.

The role of preoperative CEA in the management of colorectal cancer: A cohort study from two cancer centres.

BACKGROUND: The primary aim of this study was to investigate whether a preoperative elevation in serum CEA is an independent prognostic factor for both 5-year overall and disease-free survival within an Australian patient cohort. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A retrospective study of a prospectively maintained colorectal neoplasia database for patients between January 2010 and June 2016 was performed. Patients were categorized into two groups according to the preoperative serum CEA level: low (<2.5), high CEA (≥2.5), and elevated (≥5 ng/ml); and further stratified by disease stage. Inclusion criteria were patients having had a resection for either a colonic or upper third rectal adenocarcinoma and with a preoperative CEA value. Data on patient demographics, mortality, and morbidity and survival were compiled. Five-year estimates of overall (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) were assessed. RESULTS: 623 patients met the inclusion criteria. The median patient age was 73 (range 22-97) and 55% female (n = 340). There were 572 colonic cancers and 51 rectal cancers. The median follow-up time was 25 months (range 1-71). Eight patients (1%) had a local recurrence and 62 patients (10%) had evidence of metastatic disease after the initial curative resection. The 5-year OS and DFS rates for patients with CEA level <2.5 ng/ml were 85% and 86% respectively, which were higher than those with CEA level ≥2.5 ng/ml (73% and 79% respectively). Independent predictors of recurrence were a CEA ≥5 ng/ml (HR 1.8; 95% CI 1.09-3.00; p = 0.002) and stage II (HR 5.33; 95% CI 1.59-17.90; p = 0.007) and stage III (HR 10.91; 95% CI 3.34-35.60; p=<0.001). A CEA ≥5 ng/ml was associated with a higher risk of death (HR 1.79; 95% CI 1.00-3.19; p = 0.046). CONCLUSION: Preoperative CEA levels were associated with age, BMI, ASA and tumour stage. Overall, CEA remains a reliable predictor of recurrence and survival after curative surgery in patients with colorectal cancer.

Impact of scribes on emergency medicine doctors' productivity and patient throughput: multicentre randomised trial.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the changes in productivity when scribes were used by emergency physicians in emergency departments in Australia and assess the effect of scribes on throughput. DESIGN: Randomised, multicentre clinical trial. SETTING: Five emergency departments in Victoria used Australian trained scribes during their respective trial periods. Sites were broadly representative of Australian emergency departments: public (urban, tertiary, regional referral, paediatric) and private, not for profit. PARTICIPANTS: 88 physicians who were permanent, salaried employees working more than one shift a week and were either emergency consultants or senior registrars in their final year of training; 12 scribes trained at one site and rotated to each study site. INTERVENTIONS: Physicians worked their routine shifts and were randomly allocated a scribe for the duration of their shift. Each site required a minimum of 100 scribed and non-scribed shifts, from November 2015 to January 2018. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physicians' productivity (total patients, primary patients); patient throughput (door-to-doctor time, length of stay); physicians' productivity in emergency department regions. Self reported harms of scribes were analysed, and a cost-benefit analysis was done. RESULTS: Data were collected from 589 scribed shifts (5098 patients) and 3296 non-scribed shifts (23 838 patients). Scribes increased physicians' productivity from 1.13 (95% confidence interval 1.11 to 1.17) to 1.31 (1.25 to 1.38) patients per hour per doctor, representing a 15.9% gain. Primary consultations increased from 0.83 (0.81 to 0.85) to 1.04 (0.98 to 1.11) patients per hour per doctor, representing a 25.6% gain. No change was seen in door-to-doctor time. Median length of stay reduced from 192 (interquartile range 108-311) minutes to 173 (96-208) minutes, representing a 19 minute reduction (P<0.001). The greatest gains were achieved by placing scribes with senior doctors at triage, the least by using them in sub-acute/fast track regions. No significant harm involving scribes was reported. The cost-benefit analysis based on productivity and throughput gains showed a favourable financial position with use of scribes. CONCLUSIONS: Scribes improved emergency physicians' productivity, particularly during primary consultations, and decreased patients' length of stay. Further work should evaluate the role of the scribe in countries with health systems similar to Australia's. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ACTRN12615000607572 (pilot site); ACTRN12616000618459.

Meaning and Purpose (MaP) therapy II: Feasibility and acceptability from a pilot study in advanced cancer.

OBJECTIVE: Meaning and Purpose (MaP) therapy aims to enhance meaning-based coping through a life review that focuses on the value and worth of the person, key relationships, sources of fulfillment, roles, and future priorities in living life out fully. We sought to test the feasibility and acceptability of a six-session model of MaP therapy against a wait-list control cohort in a pilot study seeking effect sizes on measures of adaptation. METHOD: We randomized patients with advanced cancer to MaP therapy or wait-list control, with measures administered at baseline and after 6-8 weeks. Wait-list patients could then crossover to receive therapy, with further measures collected postintervention. Adherence to the manualized model was sustained through weekly supervision and fidelity coding of recorded sessions. We used generalized estimating equations to control for baseline and any correlation of data.ResultFrom 134 eligible participants, 57 (43%) consented, and 40 of 45 (89%) offered therapy completed 6 sessions. Key barriers to consenting patients were poor health (15 refusers and 4 withdrawals) and death intervened in 6 participants. MaP therapy generated adequate effect sizes in posttraumatic growth (new possibilities, appreciation of life, and personal strength) and life attitudes (choices and goal seeking) to permit calculation of power for a formal randomized, controlled trial.Significance of resultsDelivery of this model of existentially oriented therapy is feasible and acceptable to patients. A properly powered randomized controlled trial is justified to examine the efficacy of this intervention.

Health literacy profile of recently hospitalised patients in the private hospital setting: a cross sectional survey using the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ).

BACKGROUND: Health service providers should understand and attend to the health literacy needs of their population in view of the known association between low health literacy and poorer health outcomes. This study aimed to determine the health literacy profile of patients treated at a large private hospital in Melbourne, Australia, and any associations between this profile and socio-economic position, health behaviours, health status and use of hospital services. METHODS: A mailed survey was sent to 9173 people aged ≥18 years with a hospital admission between February and October 2014. It included the Health Literacy Questionnaire (HLQ), a multidimensional tool comprising nine independent scales, and socio-demographic and clinical questions. For both respondents and non-respondents, we also extracted residential postcode and admission and follow up details from the Patient Administrative Services database. Differences in demographic, socio-economic and hospital use patterns between respondents and non-respondents were analysed using descriptive statistics. Regression-tests were used to identify differences in health literacy between socio-economic subgroups, with the magnitude of these differences determined using Cohen's d effect sizes. RESULTS: There were 3121 respondents (response rate: 35% excluding 154 returned invitations), the majority born in Australia (74.6%) and living in areas of high socio-economic advantage. Respondents were slightly older than non-respondents (mean (SD) age 65.6 (17.0) versus 60.6 (20.8) years) and included proportionately less females (51.9 versus 59.1%) but were similar with regard to other socio-demographic factors and health service use. Participants who did not speak English at home, reported lower scores across several HLQ scales, including those that measure health provider support and engagement. Those who smoked and reported low physical activity had lower scores for actively managing their health. No relationship was seen between HLQ scale scores and use of hospital services. CONCLUSIONS: Based upon the health literacy profile of a large cohort of patients attending a large private hospital, we found no relationship between HLQ scale scores and use of hospital services. However we did identify significant health literacy needs particularly among patients whose primary language at home was not English and patients needing assistance completing the survey. Identifying ways of addressing these needs may improve patient outcomes.

Novel modification of the Reported Edmonton Frail Scale.

OBJECTIVES: The Reported Edmonton Frail Scale (REFS) uses clock drawing as a measure of cognition. However, many patients in the acute hospital setting present with an inability to clock-draw. We considered an alternative method for assessing cognition based on a history of cognitive impairment. METHODS: We created a modified version of the REFS (mod-REFS), utilising the same domains as the REFS, in which a screening question of cognition substitutes the clock-drawing task. Data were collected from a prospective cohort study. RESULTS: Of 181 participants, frailty measured with either the REFS or the mod-REFS found equivalence. A comparison between clock drawing and cognitive question scores demonstrated a complete agreement for 152 patients (84%), a reduction in cognition score for 25 (14%) and an increase for 4 (2%). CONCLUSION: We suggest the mod-REFS will improve the frailty assessment in the acute hospital setting, overcoming the limitations associated with clock drawing.

Written instructions to patients to confirm pathology results: is this effective in the transmission of results?

BACKGROUND: Bowel cancer is the second most common internal malignancy in Australia. Bowel cancer is suited to community screening methods such as faecal occult blood testing and colonoscopy. Typical reporting of histopathology results after colonoscopy takes 3-5 days. Patients were given written instructions to call the clinician within 3-5 days to discuss the histopathology results. The objective of the study was to perform an audit whether patients call the clinician to discuss their histopathology results after undergoing a colonoscopy, gastroscopy or both. METHODS: A retrospective study was performed of patients attending for gastroscopy or colonoscopy at a single colorectal clinic at Cabrini Hospital, Melbourne, between 1 January and 31 December 2014. Age, pre-scope category and compliance with written instructions to callback were analysed. RESULTS: A total of 176 patients met the selection criteria, of whom 32.9% did not callback to discuss their histopathology results. Age and pre-scope category were independent predictors for patients to callback after endoscopy. The mean age of the patients who called back was higher (P < 0.01). Compared with patients who had a previous polyp or resection, patients in the pre-scope category of faecal occult blood testing/screening were more likely to callback (odds ratio: 4.37; 95% confidence interval: 1.17-16.31). CONCLUSION: Patients undergoing a colonoscopy for the purposes of screening and older patients were more likely to callback. Patients aged 62 years and younger were less likely to callback and should be targeted. Enhancements to the way information is presented to patients (e.g. video) should be considered for future studies.

Extending Awareness of Catholic Healthcare Ethics Among Junior Clinicians: A Qualitative Study.

As Catholic healthcare organizations form a substantive part of healthcare delivery in the USA and Australia, ethical standards for Catholic health care were developed to guide practice. This study examined junior staff's understanding of Catholic ethics. Using a qualitative descriptive design, we recruited 22 medical and nursing staff to interviews/focus groups. Though Catholic ethics seldom informed ethical approaches, the principles were acknowledged as being useful to support development of confident and respectful care approaches. Findings provide early insights into challenges faced in considering implementation of ethical codes across both secular and religious healthcare organizations, suggesting that a more creative and pastoral approach to dialoguing and implementing Catholic ethics is required.

Emergency consultants value medical scribes and most prefer to work with them, a few would rather not: a qualitative Australian study.

OBJECTIVE: The utilisation of medical scribes in the USA has enabled productivity gains for emergency consultants, though their personal experiences have not been widely documented. We aimed to evaluate the consultant experience of working with scribes in an Australian ED. METHODS: Emergency consultants working with scribes and those who declined to work with scribes were invited to participate in individual interviews (structured and semistructured questions) about scribes, scribe work and the scribe program in October 2016. RESULTS: Of 16 consultants, 13 participated in interviews, that is, 11 worked with scribes and 2 did not and 3 left Cabrini prior to the interviews. Consultants working with scribes found them most useful for capturing initial patient encounters, for finding information and completing discharge tasks. Scribes captured more details than consultants usually did. Editing was required for omissions, misunderstandings and rearranging information order, but this improved with increasing scribe experience. Consultants described changing their style to give more information to the patient in the room. Consultants felt more productive and able to meet demands. They also described enjoyment, less stress, less cognitive loading, improved ability to multitask, see complex patients and less fatigue.In interviews with the two consultants declining scribes, theme saturation was not achieved. Consultants declining scribes preferred to work independently. They did not like templated notes and felt that consultation nuances were lost. They valued their notes write-up time as time for cognitive processing of the presentation. They thought the scribe and computer impacted negatively on communication with the patient. CONCLUSION: Medical scribes were seen to improve physician productivity, enjoyment at work, ability to multitask and to lower stress levels. Those who declined scribes were concerned about losing important nuances and cognitive processing time for the case.

Medical scribes have no impact on the patient experience of an emergency department.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate patient perceptions of medical scribes in the ED and to test for scribe impacts on ED Net Promoter Scores, Press Ganey Surveys and other patient-centred topics. METHODS: Exploratory semi-structured interviews were conducted in the ED during wait times after scribed consultations. Interview results were used to derive topics relating to scribes. Items addressing these topics from validated surveys were combined with items from widely used patient satisfaction questionnaires. Questionnaires were administered in the ED by face-to-face approach while patients were waiting for admission/discharge or test results. Patients and doctors were blinded to the purpose of the questionnaire. The survey evaluated for non-inferiority of scribed consultations, using Net Promoter Scores, Press Ganey questions and questions specific to the presence of the scribe. RESULTS: Patient interviews did not identify any negative views regarding the presence of scribes during consultations. Thematic saturation was achieved after seven interviews. Two hundred and fifty-eight patients were approached to complete the questionnaire, and 215 participated (83%); 95 and 118 participants in the scribed and non-scribed groups, respectively. There was no difference between scribed and non-scribed consultations on the following measures of satisfaction: the Net Promoter Score, Press Ganey questions, quality of information received from doctors, communication, privacy concerns or inhibition about revealing private information and room crowding. CONCLUSION: We found no evidence that scribes reduce patient satisfaction during emergency consultations, nor prompt discomfort that might cause a patient to withhold information.

Feasibility evaluation of a pilot scribe-training program in an Australian emergency department.

Objective Medical scribes have an emerging and expanding role in health, particularly in Emergency Medicine in the US. Scribes assist physicians with documentation and clerical tasks at the bedside while the physician consults with his or her patient. Scribes increase medical productivity. The aim of the present study was to examine the feasibility of a pilot hospital-administered scribe-training program in Australia and to evaluate the ability of an American training course (Medical Scribe Training Systems) to prepare trainee scribes for clinical training in an emergency department in Australia. Methods The present study was a pilot, prospective, observational cohort study from September 2015 to February 2016 at Cabrini Emergency Department, Melbourne. Scribe trainees were enrolled in the pre-work course and then trained clinically. Feasibility of training scribes and limited efficacy testing of the course was undertaken. Results The course was acceptable to users and demand for training exists. There were many implementation tasks and issues experienced and resources were required to prepare the site for scribe implementation. Ten trainees were enrolled for preclinical training. Six candidates undertook clinical training, five achieved competency (required seven to 16 clinical shifts after the preclinical course). The training course was helpful and provided a good introduction to the scribe role. The course required adaptation to a non-US setting and the specific hospital setting. In addition, it needed more detail in some common emergency department topics. Conclusion Training scribes at a hospital in Australia is feasible. The US training course used can assist with preclinical training. Course modification is required. What is known about the topic? Scribes increase emergency physician productivity in Australia. There is no previous work on how to train scribes in Australia. What does this paper add? We show that implementing a scribe-training program is feasible and that a training package can be purchased from the US to train scribes in Australia and that it is useful. We also show the adaptation that the course may require to meet Australian emergency department needs. What are the implications for practitioners? Scribes could become an additional member of the emergency department team in Australia and can be trained locally.

Religious leaders' perceptions of advance care planning: a secondary analysis of interviews with Buddhist, Christian, Hindu, Islamic, Jewish, Sikh and Bahá'í leaders.

BACKGROUND: International guidance for advance care planning (ACP) supports the integration of spiritual and religious aspects of care within the planning process. Religious leaders' perspectives could improve how ACP programs respect patients' faith backgrounds. This study aimed to examine: (i) how religious leaders understand and consider ACP and its implications, including (ii) how religion affects followers' approaches to end-of-life care and ACP, and (iii) their implications for healthcare. METHODS: Interview transcripts from a primary qualitative study conducted with religious leaders to inform an ACP website, ACPTalk, were used as data in this study. ACPTalk aims to assist health professionals conduct sensitive conversations with people from different religious backgrounds. A qualitative secondary analysis conducted on the interview transcripts focussed on religious leaders' statements related to this study's aims. Interview transcripts were thematically analysed using an inductive, comparative, and cyclical procedure informed by grounded theory. RESULTS: Thirty-five religious leaders (26 male; mean 58.6-years-old), from eight Christian and six non-Christian (Jewish, Buddhist, Islamic, Hindu, Sikh, Bahá'í) backgrounds were included. Three themes emerged which focussed on: religious leaders' ACP understanding and experiences; explanations for religious followers' approaches towards end-of-life care; and health professionals' need to enquire about how religion matters. Most leaders had some understanding of ACP and, once fully comprehended, most held ACP in positive regard. Religious followers' preferences for end-of-life care reflected family and geographical origins, cultural traditions, personal attitudes, and religiosity and faith interpretations. Implications for healthcare included the importance of avoiding generalisations and openness to individualised and/ or standardised religious expressions of one's religion. CONCLUSIONS: Knowledge of religious beliefs and values around death and dying could be useful in preparing health professionals for ACP with patients from different religions but equally important is avoidance of assumptions. Community-based initiatives, programs and faith settings are an avenue that could be used to increase awareness of ACP among religious followers' communities.

The 9-Item Physician Documentation Quality Instrument (PDQI-9) score is not useful in evaluating EMR (scribe) note quality in Emergency Medicine.

BACKGROUND: Scribes are assisting Emergency Physicians by writing their electronic clinical notes at the bedside during consultations. They increase physician productivity and improve their working conditions. The quality of Emergency scribe notes is unevaluated and important to determine. OBJECTIVE: The primary objective of the study was to determine if the quality of Emergency Department scribe notes was equivalent to physician only notes, using the Physician Documentation Quality Instrument, Nine-item tool (PDQI-9). METHODS: This was a retrospective, observational study comparing 110 scribed to 110 non-scribed Emergency Physician notes written at Cabrini Emergency Department, Australia. Consultations during a randomised controlled trial of scribe/doctor productivity in 2016 were used. Emergency physicians and nurses rated randomly selected, blinded and de-identified notes, 2 raters per note. Comparisons were made between paired scribed and unscribed notes and between raters of each note. Characteristics of individual raters were examined. The ability of the tool to discriminate between good and poor notes was tested. RESULTS: The PDQI-9 tool has significant issues. Individual items had good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha=0.93), but there was very poor agreement between raters (Pearson's r=0.07, p=0.270). There were substantial differences in PDQI-9 scores allocated by each rater, with some giving typically lower scores than others, F(25,206)=1.93, p=0.007. The tool was unable to distinguish good from poor notes, F(3,34)=1.15, p=0.342. There was no difference in PDQI-9 score between scribed and non-scribed notes. CONCLUSIONS: The PDQI-9 documentation quality tool did not demonstrate reliability or validity in evaluating Emergency Medicine consultation notes. We found no evidence that scribed notes were of poorer quality than non-scribed notes, however Emergency scribe note quality has not yet been determined.

Second opinion for degenerative spinal conditions: an option or a necessity? A prospective observational study.

BACKGROUND: Second opinions may improve quality of patient care. The primary objective of this study was to determine the concordance between first and second diagnoses and opinions regarding need for spinal surgery among patients with back or neck pain that have been recommended spinal surgery. METHODS: We performed a prospective observational study of patients who had been recommended for spinal surgery and received a second opinion between May 2011 and May 2012 at the Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein on the advice of their health insurance company. A physiatrist and orthopaedic surgeon independently performed the second assessment. If both agreed surgery was indicated, or consensus could not be reached, participants attended a spine review panel for a final recommendation. Descriptive analyses compared diagnoses and management plans of the first and second opinions. RESULTS: Of 544 referred patients, 16 (2.9%) did not meet inclusion criteria, 43 (7.9%) refused participation and 485 were included. Diagnoses differed from the first opinion for 290 (59.8%). Diagnoses of cervical and lumbar radiculopathy were concordant in 36/99 (36.4%) and 116/234 (49.6%) respectively. The second opinion was for conservative treatment for 168 (34.6%) participants, 27 (5.6%) were not considered to have a spine condition, and 290 (59.8%) were referred to the review board. 60 participants did not attend the board review and therefore did not receive a final recommendation. Board review was conservative treatment for an additional 67 participants, 20 were not considered to have a spine condition and 143 participants were recommended surgery. Overall, 33.6% received a final opinion of surgery (143/425) although only 66 (15.5%) received the same surgical recommendation, 235 (55.3%) were advised to have conservative treatment, and 47 (11.1%) were not considered to have a spinal diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: We found a large discordance between first and second opinions regarding diagnosis and need for spinal surgery. This suggests that obtaining a second opinion could reduce potentially unnecessary surgery. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN07143259 . Registered 21 November 2011.

The Effect of Diabetes on the Perioperative Outcomes of Colorectal Cancer Surgery Patients.

There are approximately 1.3 million patients in Australia with diabetes. Conflicting reports exist in the literature as to the effect of diabetes on the outcomes of colorectal cancer patients. We hypothesized that patients with diabetes would have poorer perioperative outcomes, and that diabetes was an independent risk factor for both 30-day mortality and perioperative morbidity. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of diabetes on perioperative colorectal cancer surgery outcomes, as compared to a diabetes-free reference population, and to examine factors affecting perioperative risk. We conducted an analysis of a prospectively collected, clinician-led colorectal cancer database of patients from 2010-2015. Patients with diabetes were compared to patients without diabetes on a range of perioperative outcomes. Pearson χ-squared tests, Wilcoxon rank sum tests and t-tests were employed for univariate analyses. Confounding factors were controlled for by separate logistic and linear regression analyses. The Huber-White Sandwich Estimator was used to calculate robust standard errors. A total of 1725 patients were analysed over 1745 treatment episodes in the study period with 267 patients (268 episodes) with diabetes studied. Diabetes contributed to medical, surgical complications, and increased length of inpatient stay in univariate analyses. Multivariable analysis adjusted for variables independently associated with each outcome revealed that diabetes was an independent contributor to an increased risk of surgical complications, with no significant effect on medical complications, return to the operating room, 30-day mortality, or readmission within 30 days. In this study, where overall baseline morbidity and mortality levels are low, the effect of diabetes alone on perioperative surgical outcomes appears to be overstated with control of associated perioperative risk factors such as cardiac, renal and respiratory factors being more important.

Multicentre randomised placebo-controlled trial of oral anticoagulation with apixaban in systemic sclerosis-related pulmonary arterial hypertension: the SPHInX study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is a severe and costly multiorgan autoimmune connective tissue disease characterised by vasculopathy and fibrosis. One of the major causes of SSc-related death is pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), which develops in 12-15% of patients with SSc and accounts for 30-40% of deaths. In situ thrombosis in the small calibre peripheral pulmonary vessels resulting from endothelial dysfunction and an imbalance of anticoagulant and prothrombotic mediators has been implicated in the complex pathophysiology of SSc-related PAH (SSc-PAH), with international clinical guidelines recommending the use of anticoagulants for some types of PAH, such as idiopathic PAH. However, anticoagulation has not become part of standard clinical care for patients with SSc-PAH as only observational evidence exists to support its use. Therefore, we present the rationale and methodology of a phase III randomised controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the efficacy, safety and cost-effectiveness of anticoagulation in SSc-PAH. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This Australian multicentre RCT will compare 2.5 mg apixaban with placebo, in parallel treatment groups randomised in a 1:1 ratio, both administered twice daily for 3 years as adjunct therapy to stable oral PAH therapy. The composite primary outcome measure will be the time to death or clinical worsening of PAH. Secondary outcomes will include functional capacity, health-related quality of life measures and adverse events. A cost-effectiveness analysis of anticoagulation versus placebo will also be undertaken. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethical approval for this RCT has been granted by the Human Research Ethics Committees of all participating centres. An independent data safety monitoring board will review safety and tolerability data for the duration of the trial. The findings of this RCT are to be published in open access journals. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12614000418673, Pre-results.

An economic evaluation of the costs of training a medical scribe to work in Emergency Medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To undertake a cost analysis of training medical scribes in an ED. METHODS: This was a pilot, observational, single-centre study at Cabrini ED, Melbourne, Australia, studying the costs of initiating a scribe programme from the perspective of the hospital and Australian Health sector. Recruitment and training occurred between August 2015 and February 2016 and comprised of a prework course (1 month), prework training sessions and clinical training shifts for scribe trainees (2-4 months, one shift per week) who were trained by emergency physicians. Costs of start-up, recruitment, administration, preclinical training, clinical training shifts and productivity changes for trainers were calculated. RESULTS: 10 trainees were recruited to the prework course, 9 finished, 6 were offered clinical training after simulation assessment, 5 achieved competency. Scribes required clinical training ranging from 68 to 118 hours to become competent after initial classroom training. Medical students (2) required 7 shifts to become competent, premedical students (3) 8-16 shifts, while a trainee from an alternative background did not achieve competency. Based on a scribe salary of US$15.91/hour (including 25% on-costs) plus shift loadings, costs were: recruitment and start-up US$3111, education US$1257, administration US$866 and clinical shift costs US$1137 (overall cost US$6317 per competent scribe). Physicians who trained the clinical trainee scribes during shifts did not lose productivity. CONCLUSIONS: Training scribes outside the USA is feasible using an on-line training course and local physicians. It makes economic sense to hire individuals who can work over a long period of time to recoup training costs. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12615000607572.

Complete Pathological Response After Neoadjuvant Long-Course Chemoradiotherapy for Rectal Cancer and Its Relationship to the Degree of T3 Mesorectal Invasion.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have shown significantly improved outcomes (reduced local recurrence and improved overall survival) for patients achieving a complete pathological response from neoadjuvant chemoradiotherapy. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to document the complete pathological response rate and outcomes in patients receiving preoperative long-course chemoradiotherapy stratified for the extent of T3 mesorectal invasion measured on preoperative imaging. DESIGN: This is a retrospective study of prospectively collected data, of patients with rectal cancer in the Cabrini Monash University Department of Surgery colorectal neoplasia database, incorporating data from Cabrini Hospital and The Alfred Hospital, identifying patients entered between January 2010 and June 2014. PATIENTS AND SETTINGS: One hundred eighteen patients with T3 rectal cancer met the selection criteria for the study; 26 achieved complete pathological response (22%). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcomes in terms of complete pathological response and oncological outcomes such as disease-free and overall survival were analyzed. RESULTS: Patients with complete pathological response had significantly less preoperative invasion than those with no complete pathological response (p < 0.001). Depth of invasion was the only variable associated with complete pathological response (p < 0.002), and the likelihood of complete pathological response decreased by 35% for every millimeter of invasion. Complete pathological response was associated with increased disease-free survival (p = 0.018) and a lower risk of cancer progression (p = 0.046). Depth of invasion was associated with an increased risk of death after surgery; HR increased by 1.07 (95% CI, 1.00-1.15) for each 1-mm increase in invasion. LIMITATIONS: This was a retrospective study with the usual limitations, although these were minimized through the use of a clinician-driven prospective database. CONCLUSIONS: The smaller the degree of T3 invasion, the higher the chance of achieving complete pathological response (up to 35%), which is associated with improved disease-free and overall survival. A higher complete pathological response rate is observed in early T3 disease in comparison with more extensive T3 invasion.

Medical scribes in emergency medicine produce financially significant productivity gains for some, but not all emergency physicians.

OBJECTIVE: The present study aims to determine if a scribe in an Australian ED can assist emergency physicians to work with increased productivity and to investigate when and where to allocate a scribe and to whom. METHODS: This was a prospective observational single-centre study conducted at a private ED in Melbourne. It evaluated one American scribe and five doctors over 6 months. A scribe is a trained assistant who performs non-clinical tasks usually performed by the doctor. The primary outcomes were patients/hour/doctor and billings/patient. Additional analyses included individual doctor productivity, productivity by ED region, shift time, day of the week and physician learning curves. Door-to-doctor time, time spent on ambulance bypass and door-to-discharge time were examined, also complaints or issues with the scribe. RESULTS: There was an overall increase in doctor consultations of 0.11 (95%CI 0.07-0.15) primary consultations per hour (13%). There was variation seen between individual doctors (lowest increase 0.06 [6%] to highest increase 0.12 [15%]). Billings per patients, door-to-doctor, door-to-discharge and ambulance bypass times remained the same. There was no advantage to allocating a scribe to a specific time of day, day of week or region of the ED. There was no learning period found. CONCLUSIONS: In the present study, scribe usage was associated with overall improvements in primary consultations per hour of 13% per scribed hour, and this varied depending on the physician. There is an economic argument for allocating scribes to some emergency physicians on days, evenings and weekends, not to trainees.