The Remote Assessment and Dynamic Response Program: Development of an In-Home Dementia-Related Care Needs Assessment to Improve Well-Being.

Background and Objectives: The Remote Assessment and Dynamic Response (READyR) Program was developed in order to address the current lack of early-stage dementia care planning programs that assess the care needs of persons with dementia. The goal was to create a program informed by care values and ongoing ecologically valid data. The objectives of this study are to describe the development and design process of the READyR Program, and to evaluate the utility of the READyR Program for identifying dementia-related care needs. Research Design and Methods: A prototype of the web-based READyR Program tool was first created using digital activity data that were collected by previous studies using a platform of multimodal sensors installed in the homes of older adult couples with and without dementia. Digital activity data were then mapped onto potential care values (e.g., safety & autonomy) to create a values-based needs assessment that is tailored to the individual care dyad. Next, evaluation of the READyR Program by 11 professional dementia care coordinators and case managers (across 3 semistructured focus groups) was used to explore the utility of READyR for assessing dementia-related needs. Qualitative description using conventional content analysis was used to iteratively code focus group data and to describe prevalent themes. Results: Prevalent focus groups themes included barriers to (e.g., family relationship strain) and facilitators of (e.g., tailored assessments) the optimal process for assessing dementia-related care needs by care coordinators, as well as advantages to (e.g., providing new objective insights into function, and routines) and disadvantages of (e.g., bringing up new questions about care) incorporating the remote monitoring data into a values-based needs assessment. Discussion and Implications: READyR has the potential to help family members, as well as care coordinators and providers, gain insight into the values-based care needs of persons with early-stage dementia. Clinical Trials Registration Number: NCT04542109.

Practicing the ABCDEs of Self-Care in Pandemic Times.

Updated several times a week with posts by a wide variety of authors, AJN's blog Off the Charts allows us to provide more timely-and often more personal-perspectives on professional, policy, and clinical issues. Best of the Blog is a regular column to draw the attention of AJN readers to posts we think deserve a wider audience. To read more, please visit: www.ajnoffthecharts.com.

It's All About the Relationship: Cognitively Intact Mother-Daughter Care Dyads in Hospice at Home.

Purpose of the Study: Adult daughters providing care to aging, ill mothers comprise the most prevalent caregiving dyad. Little is known, however, regarding relationship quality and its impact on care in these dyads, particularly in the context of cognitively intact patients at end of life in hospice. This interpretive descriptive work privileges voices of terminally ill mothers and care-partnering daughters in the home hospice context. Specific aims were to describe and interpret how mothers and daughters: (a) perceive relationship quality and (b) perceive how relationships have developed over time through health, chronic illness, and hospice. Design and Methods: Semistructured interviews were used to explore interdependent perceptions of relationship quality in 10 terminally-ill mother-adult daughter care dyads. A novel method of qualitative dyadic analysis was developed to analyze dyads in close parallel at both individual/descriptive and dyadic/interpretive levels, staying true to qualitative rigor. Results: A relationship quality spectrum emerged, from Close Friendship to Doing My Duty dyads. Women in Close Friendships revealed concordant narratives and emotionally satisfying relationships; women in neutral or troubled relationships revealed discordant relational stories. In these latter dyads, mothers reported more positive narratives; daughters spoke of relational problems. Implications: This work suggests deeper exploration of mother-daughter dyads within the hospice context and interventions at both individual and dyadic levels to serve relational needs of the dying and their families. The qualitative dyadic approach also offers utility for relational investigations of any dyad.

Relationship Quality in Non-Cognitively Impaired Mother-Daughter Care Dyads: A Systematic Review.

More than 60 million Americans provide care to a family member; roughly two thirds are women providing care to aging mothers. Despite the protective nature of relationship quality, little attention has been given to its role in mother-daughter care dyads, particularly in mothers without cognitive impairment. A systematic appraisal of peer-reviewed, English language research was conducted. Nineteen articles met criteria. When relationship quality is positive, mother-daughter dyads enjoy rewards and mutuality, even when conflict occurs. Daughters grow more emotionally committed to mothers' over the care trajectory, despite increasing demands. Daughters' commitment deepens as mothers physically decline, and mothers remain engaged, emotional partners. When relationship quality is ambivalent or negative, burden, conflict, and blame conspire, creating a destructive cycle. Avenues for continuing study, including utilizing the dyad as the unit of analysis, troubled dyads, longitudinal assessment, and end of life context, are needed before interventions to improve mother-daughter relationship quality may be successfully implemented.

Living through the end: The phenomenon of dying at home.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the unique lived experiences of one patient who died at home and her family members, and to interpret how dying at home influenced patterns of bereavement for this patient's family. METHODS: Benner's (1985) interpretive phenomenological approach was employed to get at the embedded nature of the social phenomenon of dying at home, uncovering what may be taken for granted by participants - in this case, during and after the patient's home hospice course. The participants were a 78-year-old female diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis six months prior to death, her husband, and three of her four children. In line with the patient's wish to die at home, she voluntarily forewent food and drink when she no longer wished to watch her body deteriorate and felt that her life had run its course. She informed her family of this plan, and all were supportive. For data collection, separate single in-depth interviews were conducted with the deceased three months prior to death, and after death with three of her four children and her spouse of 60 years. For data analysis, the interview transcripts were coded for paradigm cases, exemplars, and themes. RESULTS: The paradigm case, "The Meaning of Being at Home," revealed that for study participants, remaining home with hospice provided a richly familiar, quiet, and safe environment for being together over time and focusing on relationships. Exemplars included "Driving Her Own Course" and "Not Being a Burden." Salient themes encompassed patient and family characteristics, support, emotions, the value of time, and aspects of the healthcare team. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: End-of-life care providers need to hold a patient-centered, family-focused view to facilitate patient and family wishes to remain home to die. Investigation into family relationships, from the perspectives of both patient and family members, longitudinally, may enrich understanding and ability and help patients to die at home.

Prevalence of and risk factors for oral human papillomavirus among young women in Costa Rica.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about the epidemiology of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) in Latin America. METHODS: Women (N = 5838) aged 22-29 in the control and vaccine arms of an HPV-16/18 vaccine trial in Costa Rica had oral, cervical, and anal specimens collected. Samples were tested for alpha mucosal HPV types (SPF10/LiPA25 version 1); a subset of oral samples (n = 500) was tested for cutaneous HPV types in the genera alpha, beta, gamma, mu, and nu. RESULTS: In the control arm (n = 2926), 1.9% of women had an oral alpha mucosal HPV detected, 1.3% had carcinogenic HPV, and 0.4% had HPV-16; similar patterns for non-16/18 HPV types were observed in the vaccine arm. Independent risk factors for any oral alpha mucosal HPV among women in the control arm included marital status (adjusted odds ratio [AOR], 3.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8-5.7 for single compared to married/living as married), number of sexual partners (AOR, 2.4; 95% CI, 1.0-6.1 for ≥4 partners compared to 0-1 partners), chronic sinusitis (AOR, 3.1; 95% CI, 1.5-6.7), and cervical HPV infection (AOR, 2.6; 95% CI, 1.4-4.6). Detection of beta HPV was common (18.6%) and not associated with sexual activity. CONCLUSIONS: Unlike cutaneous HPV types, alpha mucosal HPV types were uncommon in the oral region and were predominately associated with sexual behavior. Clinical Trials Registration. NCT00128661.

Reduced prevalence of oral human papillomavirus (HPV) 4 years after bivalent HPV vaccination in a randomized clinical trial in Costa Rica.

BACKGROUND: Human papillomavirus (HPV) infection, particularly with type 16, causes a growing fraction of oropharyngeal cancers, whose incidence is increasing, mainly in developed countries. In a double-blind controlled trial conducted to investigate vaccine efficacy (VE) of the bivalent HPV 16/18 vaccine against cervical infections and lesions, we estimated VE against prevalent oral HPV infections 4 years after vaccination. METHODS AND FINDINGS: A total of 7,466 women 18-25 years old were randomized (1∶1) to receive the HPV16/18 vaccine or hepatitis A vaccine as control. At the final blinded 4-year study visit, 5,840 participants provided oral specimens (91·9% of eligible women) to evaluate VE against oral infections. Our primary analysis evaluated prevalent oral HPV infection among all vaccinated women with oral and cervical HPV results. Corresponding VE against prevalent cervical HPV16/18 infection was calculated for comparison. Oral prevalence of identifiable mucosal HPV was relatively low (1·7%). Approximately four years after vaccination, there were 15 prevalent HPV16/18 infections in the control group and one in the vaccine group, for an estimated VE of 93·3% (95% CI = 63% to 100%). Corresponding efficacy against prevalent cervical HPV16/18 infection for the same cohort at the same visit was 72·0% (95% CI = 63% to 79%) (p versus oral VE = 0·04). There was no statistically significant protection against other oral HPV infections, though power was limited for these analyses. CONCLUSIONS: HPV prevalence four years after vaccination with the ASO4-adjuvanted HPV16/18 vaccine was much lower among women in the vaccine arm compared to the control arm, suggesting that the vaccine affords strong protection against oral HPV16/18 infection, with potentially important implications for prevention of increasingly common HPV-associated oropharyngeal cancer. ClinicalTrials.gov, Registry number NCT00128661.

Impact of human papillomavirus vaccination on cervical cytology screening, colposcopy, and treatment.

The impact of human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination on cervical screening, colposcopy, and treatment is incompletely understood. In 2004-2005, investigators in the Costa Rica Vaccine Trial randomized 7,466 women aged 18-25 years, 1:1, to receive HPV vaccination or hepatitis A vaccination. The worst-ever cytology diagnosis and the 4-year cumulative proportions of colposcopy referral and treatment by vaccination arm were compared for 2 cohorts. The total vaccinated cohort included 6,844 women who provided cervical samples. The naive cohort included 2,284 women with no evidence of previous HPV exposure. In the total vaccinated cohort, HPV-vaccinated women had a significant (P = 0.01) reduction in cytological abnormalities: 12.4% for high-grade lesions and 5.9% for minor lesions. Colposcopy referral was reduced by 7.9% (P = 0.03) and treatment by 11.3% (P = 0.24). Greater relative reductions in abnormal cytology (P < 0.001) were observed for HPV-vaccinated women in the naive cohort: 49.2% for high-grade lesions and 18.1% for minor lesions. Colposcopy referral and treatment were reduced by 21.3% (P = 0.01) and 45.6% (P = 0.08), respectively, in the naive cohort. The overall impact on health services will be modest in the first years after vaccine introduction among young adult women, even in regions with high coverage.

2012 updated consensus guidelines for the management of abnormal cervical cancer screening tests and cancer precursors.

A group of 47 experts representing 23 professional societies, national and international health organizations, and federal agencies met in Bethesda, MD, September 14-15, 2012, to revise the 2006 American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology Consensus Guidelines. The group's goal was to provide revised evidence-based consensus guidelines for managing women with abnormal cervical cancer screening tests, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) following adoption of cervical cancer screening guidelines incorporating longer screening intervals and co-testing. In addition to literature review, data from almost 1.4 million women in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Medical Care Plan provided evidence on risk after abnormal tests. Where data were available, guidelines prescribed similar management for women with similar risks for CIN 3, AIS, and cancer. Most prior guidelines were reaffirmed. Examples of updates include: Human papillomavirus-negative atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance results are followed with co-testing at 3 years before return to routine screening and are not sufficient for exiting women from screening at age 65 years; women aged 21-24 years need less invasive management, especially for minor abnormalities; postcolposcopy management strategies incorporate co-testing; endocervical sampling reported as CIN 1 should be managed as CIN 1; unsatisfactory cytology should be repeated in most circumstances, even when HPV results from co-testing are known, while most cases of negative cytology with absent or insufficient endocervical cells or transformation zone component can be managed without intensive follow-up.

Risk of precancer determined by HPV genotype combinations in women with minor cytologic abnormalities.

BACKGROUND: Studies suggest that testing for individual human papillomavirus (HPV) genotypes can improve risk stratification in women with minor cytologic abnormalities. We evaluated genotyping for HPV16, HPV16/18, and HPV16/18/45 in carcinogenic HPV-positive women with atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance (ASCUS) and low-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion (LSIL) cytology. METHODS: For women enrolled in the ASCUS-LSIL Triage Study (ALTS), we calculated the age-stratified (<30 and 30+ years) positivity and cumulative risk over two years of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 3 or worse (CIN3+) when testing positive or negative for three genotype combinations: HPV16, HPV16/18, and HPV16/18/45. RESULTS: Among women with ASCUS cytology, HPV16 positivity was 17.1% and increased to 22.0% (P < 0.001) for HPV16/18 and 25.6% (P < 0.001) for HPV16/18/45. Among women with LSIL cytology, HPV16 positivity was 21.1% and increased to 30.0% (P < 0.001) for HPV16/18 and 34.0% (P = 0.017) for HPV16/18/45. Regardless of cytology and age group, the greatest risk difference between test positives and test negatives was observed for HPV16 with decreasing risk stratification for HPV16/18 and HPV16/18/45. However, testing negative for any of the three combinations while being positive for another carcinogenic type still implied a two-year risk of CIN3+ of 7.8% or more. CONCLUSIONS: Although genotyping for HPV16, 18, and 45 provided additional risk stratification in carcinogenic HPV-positive women with minor cytologic abnormalities, the risk among genotype-negative women was still high enough to warrant immediate colposcopy referral. IMPACT: HPV genotyping in HPV-positive women with minor cytologic abnormalities will likely not alter clinical management. Adding HPV45 to genotyping assays is not warranted.

2012 updated consensus guidelines for the management of abnormal cervical cancer screening tests and cancer precursors.

A group of 47 experts representing 23 professional societies, national and international health organizations, and federal agencies met in Bethesda, MD, September 14-15, 2012, to revise the 2006 American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology Consensus Guidelines. The group's goal was to provide revised evidence-based consensus guidelines for managing women with abnormal cervical cancer screening tests, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) and adenocarcinoma in situ (AIS) following adoption of cervical cancer screening guidelines incorporating longer screening intervals and co-testing. In addition to literature review, data from almost 1.4 million women in the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Medical Care Plan provided evidence on risk after abnormal tests. Where data were available, guidelines prescribed similar management for women with similar risks for CIN 3, AIS, and cancer. Most prior guidelines were reaffirmed. Examples of updates include: Human papillomavirus-negative atypical squamous cells of undetermined significance results are followed with co-testing at 3 years before return to routine screening and are not sufficient for exiting women from screening at age 65 years; women aged 21-24 years need less invasive management, especially for minor abnormalities; postcolposcopy management strategies incorporate co-testing; endocervical sampling reported as CIN 1 should be managed as CIN 1; unsatisfactory cytology should be repeated in most circumstances, even when HPV results from co-testing are known, while most cases of negative cytology with absent or insufficient endocervical cells or transformation zone component can be managed without intensive follow-up.

Prevalence of and risk factors for anal human papillomavirus infection among young healthy women in Costa Rica.

BACKGROUND: Anal cancer is caused by human papillomavirus (HPV), yet little is known about anal HPV infection among healthy young women. METHODS: A total of 2017 sexually active women in the control arm of an HPV-16/18 vaccine trial had a single anal specimen collected by a clinician at the 4-year study visit. Samples were tested for HPV by SPF(10) PCR/DEIA/LiPA(25), version 1. RESULTS: A total of 4% of women had HPV-16, 22% had oncogenic HPV, and 31% had any HPV detected in an anal specimen. The prevalence of anal HPV was higher among women who reported anal intercourse, compared with those who did not (43.4% vs 28.4%; P< .001). Among women who reported anal intercourse, cervical HPV (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 5.3 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 3.4-8.2]), number of sex partners (aOR, 2.2 [95% CI, 1.1-4.6] for ≥ 4 partners), and number of anal intercourse partners (aOR, 1.9 [95% CI, 1.1-3.3] for ≥ 2 partners) were independent risk factors for anal HPV detection. Among women who reported no anal intercourse, cervical HPV (aOR, 4.7 [95% CI, 3.7-5.9]), number of sex partners (aOR, 2.4 [95% CI, 1.7-3.4] for ≥ 4 partners), and report of anal fissures (aOR, 2.3 [95% CI, 1.1-4.8]) were associated with an increased odds of anal HPV detection. CONCLUSION: Anal HPV is common among young women, even those who report no anal sex, and was associated with cervical HPV infection. Anal fissures in women who report never having had anal intercourse may facilitate HPV exposure. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT00128661.

American Cancer Society, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and American Society for Clinical Pathology screening guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

An update to the American Cancer Society (ACS) guideline regarding screening for the early detection of cervical precancerous lesions and cancer is presented. The guidelines are based on a systematic evidence review, contributions from 6 working groups, and a recent symposium cosponsored by the ACS, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology, which was attended by 25 organizations. The new screening recommendations address age-appropriate screening strategies, including the use of cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, follow-up (eg, the management of screen positives and screening intervals for screen negatives) of women after screening, the age at which to exit screening, future considerations regarding HPV testing alone as a primary screening approach, and screening strategies for women vaccinated against HPV16 and HPV18 infections.

American Cancer Society, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and American Society for Clinical Pathology screening guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

An update to the American Cancer Society (ACS) guideline regarding screening for the early detection of cervical precancerous lesions and cancer is presented. The guidelines are based on a systematic evidence review, contributions from 6 working groups, and a recent symposium cosponsored by the ACS, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology, which was attended by 25 organizations. The new screening recommendations address age-appropriate screening strategies, including the use of cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, follow-up (eg, the management of screen positives and screening intervals for screen negatives) of women after screening, the age at which to exit screening, future considerations regarding HPV testing alone as a primary screening approach, and screening strategies for women vaccinated against HPV16 and HPV18 infections.

American Cancer Society, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and American Society for Clinical Pathology screening guidelines for the prevention and early detection of cervical cancer.

An update to the American Cancer Society (ACS) guideline regarding screening for the early detection of cervical precancerous lesions and cancer is presented. The guidelines are based on a systematic evidence review, contributions from six working groups, and a recent symposium co-sponsored by the ACS, American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology (ASCCP), and American Society for Clinical Pathology (ASCP), which was attended by 25 organizations. The new screening recommendations address age-appropriate screening strategies, including the use of cytology and high-risk human papillomavirus (HPV) testing, follow-up (e.g., management of screen positives and screening interval for screen negatives) of women after screening, age at which to exit screening, future considerations regarding HPV testing alone as a primary screening approach, and screening strategies for women vaccinated against HPV16/18 infections.

Low risk of type-specific carcinogenic HPV re-appearance with subsequent cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2/3.

Carcinogenic human papillomavirus (HPV) infections are very common after sexual debut and nearly all become undetectable ("clear") within a few years. Following clearance, the long-term risks of type-specific HPV re-appearance and subsequent risk of cervical intraepithelial neoplasia grade 2 or worse (CIN2+) are not well defined. In the 7-year, population-based cohort study in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, we studied how often type-specific carcinogenic HPV infections re-appeared after clearance and how often re-appearance led to CIN2+. We considered 1,740 carcinogenic HPV infections detected by MY09/11 PCR among 2,805 women (18-91 years old, median 34) who were actively followed at 6- or 12-month intervals. We identified women with one or more type-specific HPV infections that cleared and re-appeared and further defined a subgroup of "definite clearance and re-appearance" (≥2 intervening negative results over a period of ≥1 year). We determined the absolute risk of CIN2+ among the different groups. p values are two-sided. Only 7.7% (81/1,052) of HPV-infected women had intervening negative results. Very few (3.7%, 39/1,052) had "definite clearance and re-appearance", of which 5.1% (2/39) subsequently persisted to a diagnosis of CIN2. There were zero CIN3+ lesions. Extremely few women (2/2,805 of women in our cohort) had a type-specific carcinogenic HPV infection clear, re-appear and lead to CIN2+. If confirmed, this argues against vaccination to avoid re-appearance that leads to precursor lesions and against the need of frequent HPV screening after initial negative results.

Switch from cytology-based to human papillomavirus test-based cervical screening: implications for colposcopy.

Human papillomavirus (HPV) testing is more sensitive than cytology; some cervical cancer prevention programs will switch from cytology to carcinogenic HPV test-based screening. The objective of our study is to evaluate the clinical implications of a switch to HPV test-based screening on performance and workload of colposcopy. Women in the population-based, 7-year Guanacaste cohort study were screened at enrollment using cytology. We also took another specimen for HPV DNA testing and collected magnified cervical photographic images (cervigrams). A final case diagnosis (≥cervical intraepithelial neoplasia [CIN] grade 3, CIN2,

Evaluation of the polyclonal ELISA HPV serology assay as a biomarker for human papillomavirus exposure.

BACKGROUND: Seropositivity to human papillomavirus (HPV)16 and 18 antibodies is used as a measure of cumulative HPV exposure and as a stratifier of HPV exposure for vaccine efficacy analyses. Overall performance of these assays, as a measure of HPV exposure, has not been evaluated. METHODS: Using data from the enrollment phase of the HPV16/18 vaccine trial in Costa Rica, we evaluated the performance of the polyclonal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) HPV16 and 18 serological assays as a measure of HPV exposure. Biologic (e.g., HPV infection at the cervix) and behavioral characteristics (e.g., lifetime number of sexual partners) with known associations with current and past HPV infection were used to define cases and controls (HPV exposed vs. not exposed). Prevaccination serum was measured for antibodies against HPV16 and 18 by ELISA; cervical samples were tested for HPV DNA using PCR SPF10/LiPA25. ELISA results were analyzed using receiver-operator characteristic curves; performance was evaluated at the manufacturer set cut point (HPV16 = 8, HPV18 = 7) and at cut points chosen to optimize sensitivity and specificity (HPV16 = 34, HPV18 = 60). RESULTS: Defining cases as type-specific HPV DNA positive with high-grade abnormal cytology (i.e., combined molecular and microscopic markers of infection), HPV16-ELISA gave sensitivity that was lower at the optimal cut point than the manufacturer cut point (62.2 compared with 75.7, respectively; P = 0.44). However, specificity was higher (85.3 compared with 70.4, respectively; P < 0.0001). Similarly, HPV18-ELISA gave sensitivity that was lower at the optimal cut point than the manufacturer cut point (34.5 compared with 51.7, respectively; P = 0.40), with higher specificities (94.9 compared with 72.6, respectively; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Modifying cut points did not improve the low sensitivity. The low sensitivity of this assay does not support its use for risk stratification or clinical settings.