Practice patterns of virtual surgical planning: Survey of the reconstructive section of the American Head and Neck Society.

PURPOSE: Virtual surgical planning (VSP), with custom made implants and guides represents a recent major advance. Nonetheless, knowledge related to practice patterns is limited. The purpose of this study was to provide data from the AHNS Reconstruction Section related to practice patterns, perceived value of VSP, as well as elucidate specific situations which represent high value for the application of VSP. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A multi-center web-based survey consisting of 30 questions regarding practice patterns related to VSP practices delivered via email to 203 members of the AHNS Reconstructive Surgery Section at institutions across North America. RESULTS: There was a 34% response rate (70/203). A majority of the respondents (96%) used VSP in approximately 50% of their mandibular reconstruction cases, and in 42% of maxillary cases. 46% reported using patient specific implants >75% of cases. Respondents estimated that ~17% of patients received dental implant reconstruction. The majority of respondents (71.0%) did not know the cost of VSP at their institution. The remaining respondents indicated the average cost was $6680 per case. VSP was felt to be necessary as a teaching tool by 55.9%. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that a majority of respondents frequently utilize VSP in their practice for head and neck reconstruction. Complex, multi-unit reconstructions were felt to offer the greatest value when utilizing VSP. Future work should focus on increasing the rates of dental implant reconstruction in this population, optimizing value of VSP with careful case selection, and understanding the educational value and costs of these platforms.

Implementation of a Frailty Assessment and Targeted Care Interventions and Its Association with Reduced Postoperative Complications in Elderly Surgical Patients.

BACKGROUND: Older patients with frailty syndrome have a greater risk of poor postoperative outcomes. In this study, we used a RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and maintenance) framework to implement an assessment tool to identify frail patients and targeted interventions to improve their outcomes. STUDY DESIGN: We implemented a 5-question frailty assessment tool for patients 65 years and older admitted to the general and vascular surgery services from January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2019. Identified frail patients received evidence-based clinical orders and nursing care plan interventions tailored to optimize recovery. A RE-AIM framework was used to assess implementation effectiveness through provider and nurse surveys, floor audits, and chart review. RESULTS: Of 1,158 patients included in this study, 696 (60.1%) were assessed for frailty. Among these, 611 patients (87.8%) scored as frail or intermediately frail. After implementation, there were significant increases in the completion rates of frailty-specific care orders for frail patients, including delirium precautions (52.1% vs 30.7%; p < 0.001), aspiration precautions (50.0% vs 26.9%; p < 0.001), and avoidance of overnight vitals (32.5% vs 0%). Floor audits, however, showed high variability in completion of care plan components by nursing staff. Multivariate analysis showed significant decreases in 30-day complication rates (odds ratio 0.532; p < 0.001) after implementation. CONCLUSIONS: A frailty assessment was able to identify elderly patients for provision of targeted, evidence-based frailty care. Despite limited uptake of the assessment by providers and completion of care plan components by nursing staff, implementation of the assessment and care interventions was associated with substantial decreases in complications among elderly surgical patients.

Regression models for predicting physical and EQD2 plan parameters of two methods of hybrid planning for stage III NSCLC.

BACKGROUND/PURPOSE: To establish regression models of physical and equivalent dose in 2 Gy per fraction (EQD2) plan parameters of two kinds of hybrid planning for stage III NSCLC. METHODS: Two kinds of hybrid plans named conventional fraction radiotherapy & stereotactic body radiotherapy (C&S) and conventional fraction radiotherapy & simultaneous integrated boost (C&SIB) were retrospectively made for 20 patients with stage III NSCLC. Prescription dose of C&S plans was 2 Gy × 30f for planning target volume of lymph node (PTVLN) and 12.5 Gy × 4f for planning target volume of primary tumor (PTVPT), while prescription dose of C&SIB plans was 2 Gy × 26f for PTVLN and sequential 2 Gy × 4f for PTVLN combined with 12.5 Gy × 4f for PTVPT. Regression models of physical and EQD2 plan parameters were established based on anatomical geometry features for two kinds of hybrid plans. The features were mainly characterized by volume ratio, min distance and overlapping slices thickness of two structures. The possibilities of regression models of EQD2 plan parameters were verified by spearman's correlation coefficients between physical and EQD2 plan parameters, and the influence on the consistence of fitting goodness between physical and EQD2 models was investigated by the correlations between physical and EQD2 plan parameters. Finally, physical and EQD2 models predictions were compared with plan parameters for two new patients. RESULTS: Physical and EQD2 plan parameters of PTVLN CI60Gy have shown strong positive correlations with PTVLN volume and min distance(PT to LN), and strong negative correlations with PTVPT volume for two kinds of hybrid plans. PTV(PT+LN) CI60Gy is not only correlated with above three geometry features, but also negatively correlated with overlapping slices thickness(PT and LN). When neck lymph node metastasis was excluded from PTVLN volume, physical and EQD2 total lung V20 showed a high linear correlation with corrected volume ratio(LN to total lung). Meanwhile, physical total lung mean dose (MLD) had a high linear correlation with corrected volume ratio(LN to total lung), while EQD2 total lung MLD was not only affected by corrected volume ratio(LN to total lung) but also volume ratio(PT to total lung). Heart D5, D30 and mean dose (MHD) would be more susceptible to overlapping structure(heart and LN). Min distance(PT to ESO) may be an important feature for predicting EQD2 esophageal max dose for hybrid plans. It's feasible for regression models of EQD2 plan parameters, and the consistence of the fitting goodness of physical and EQD2 models had a positive correlation with spearman's correlation coefficients between physical and EQD2 plan parameters. For total lung V20, ipsilateral lung V20, and ipsilateral lung MLD, the models could predict that C&SIB plans were higher than C&S plans for two new patients. CONCLUSION: The regression models of physical and EQD2 plan parameters were established with at least moderate fitting goodness in this work, and the models have a potential to predict physical and EQD2 plan parameters for two kinds of hybrid planning.

Actual and Missed Opportunities for End-of-Life Care Discussions With Oncology Patients: A Qualitative Study.

Importance: Early discussion of end-of-life (EOL) care preferences improves clinical outcomes and goal-concordant care. However, most EOL discussions occur approximately 1 month before death, despite most patients desiring information earlier. Objective: To describe successful navigation and missed opportunities for EOL discussions (eg, advance care planning, palliative care, discontinuation of disease-directed treatment, hospice care, and after-death wishes) between oncologists and outpatients with advanced cancer. Design, Setting, and Participants: This study is a secondary qualitative analysis of outpatient visits audio-recorded between November 2010 and September 2014 for the Studying Communication in Oncologist-Patient Encounters randomized clinical trial. The study was conducted at 2 US academic medical centers. Participants included medical, gynecological, and radiation oncologists and patients with stage IV malignant neoplasm, whom oncologists characterized as being ones whom they "…would not be surprised if they were admitted to an intensive care unit or died within one year." Data were analyzed between January 2018 and August 2020. Exposures: The parent study randomized participants to oncologist- and patient-directed interventions to facilitate discussion of emotions. Encounters were sampled across preintervention and postintervention periods and all 4 treatment conditions. Main Outcomes and Measures: Secondary qualitative analysis was done of patient-oncologist dyads with 3 consecutive visits for EOL discussions, and a random sample of 7 to 8 dyads from 4 trial groups was analyzed for missed opportunities. Results: The full sample included 141 patients (54 women [38.3%]) and 39 oncologists (8 women [19.5%]) (mean [SD] age for both patients and oncologists, 56.3 [10.0] years). Of 423 encounters, only 21 (5%) included EOL discussions. Oncologists reevaluated treatment options in response to patients' concerns, honored patients as experts on their goals, or used anticipatory guidance to frame treatment reevaluation. In the random sample of 31 dyads and 93 encounters, 35 (38%) included at least 1 missed opportunity. Oncologists responded inadequately to patient concerns over disease progression or dying, used optimistic future talk to address patient concerns, or expressed concern over treatment discontinuation. Only 4 of 23 oncologists (17.4%) had both an EOL discussion and a missed opportunity. Conclusions and Relevance: Opportunities for EOL discussions were rarely realized, whereas missed opportunities were more common, a trend that mirrored oncologists' treatment style. There remains a need to address oncologists' sensitivity to EOL discussions, to avoid unnecessary EOL treatment.

Actitud hacia la prevención de lesiones por presión en estudiantes de enfermería: cuestionario APuP / Attitude towards pressure injury prevention in nursing students: the APuP questionnaire

OBJETIVOS: Conocer la actitud hacia la prevención de las lesiones por presión que tienen los estudiantes y las estudiantes del Grado en Enfermería. Objetivos secundarios: a) realizar la valoración psicométrica de la versión española del cuestionario Attitudes towards Pressure ulcer Prevention (APuP) (Actitudes hacia la prevención de las UPP) en población de estudiantes y b) identificar los factores formativos asociados con la actitud. MÉTODOS: Estudio observacional transversal, llevado a cabo en la Universidad de Jaén mediante un cuestionario online en estudiantes de los 4 cursos del Grado en Enfermería. Se utilizó el análisis de Rasch para establecer las propiedades psicométricas del cuestionario. Se calculó la puntuación de actitud y su asociación con variables formativas. Para estimar el tamaño del efecto se usó la diferencia estandarizada de medias (d de Cohen). RESULTADOS: Se analizaron un total de 188 cuestionarios válidos. La puntuación media obtenida en el cuestionario APuP fue 22,60 (44,23% del máximo). El cuestionario presenta una buena consistencia global (α = 0,74) y los índices de ajuste de los ítems fueron buenos. Se encontró una actitud menos positiva en estudiantes que habían realizado prácticas clínicas (p < 0,0001) y los de los cursos superiores (p < 0,0001). Existe una correlación inversa entre la puntuación de actitud y la puntuación de conocimientos (r = -0,46). CONCLUSIONES: El cuestionario APuP (versión española) es un instrumento válido y fiable para su uso en estudiantes de enfermería. La actitud hacia la prevención no es positiva en estos estudiantes y se evidencia un posible efecto de la realización de prácticas clínicas y el aumento de conocimientos en una actitud menos favorable

OBJECTIVES: To explore the attitude towards pressure injury prevention of nursing students. Secondary objectives: a) To establish the psychometric properties of the questionnaire of Attitudes towards the prevention of pressure ulcer (APuP) -Spanish version- in student population, and b) To identify the educational factors associated with the attitude. METHODS: A cross-sectional observational and validation study was carried out with students of the four years of the Bachelor in Nursing in the University of Jaén (Spain) using an online survey. Rasch analysis was used to establish the psychometric properties of the questionnaire. Also, the score of attitude and its association with educational variables were analysed. The standardised median difference (Cohen's d) was used to estimate the effect size. RESULTS: A total of 188 valid questionnaires were analysed. The average score obtained in the APuP questionnaire was 22.60 (44.23% of the maximum). The questionnaire has a good overall internal consistency (α=0.74) and the item fit indices were good. It was found a less positive attitude in students who had done clinical placements (p < 0.0001) and those in higher years (p < 0.0001). There is an inverse correlation between the attitude score and the knowledge score (r= -0.46). CONCLUSIONS: The questionnaire of attitudes towards prevention of pressure ulcers (APuP) Spanish version is a valid and reliable instrument to use in nursing students. The attitude towards prevention is not positive in these students and there is some evidence for a possible effect of clinical placements and increased knowledge over a less favourable attitude

Case Management on the Front Lines of COVID-19: The Importance of the Individualized Care Plan Across Care Settings.

PURPOSE: Since the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), and the disease known as COVID-19, case management has emerged as a critical intervention in the treatment of cases, particularly for patients with severe symptoms and medical complications. In addition, case managers have been on the front lines of the response across the health care spectrum to reduce risks of contagion, including among health care workers. The purpose of this article is to discuss the case management response, highlighting the importance of individual care plans to provide access to the right care and treatment at the right time to address both the consequences of the disease and patient comorbidities. PRIMARY PRACTICE SETTINGS: The COVID-19 response spans the full continuum of health and human services, including acute care, subacute care, workers' compensation (especially catastrophic case management), home health, primary care, and community-based care. IMPLICATIONS FOR CASE MANAGEMENT PRACTICE: From the earliest days of the pandemic, case managers have assumed an important role on the front lines of the medical response to COVID-19, ensuring that procedures are in place for managing a range of patients: those who were symptomatic but able to self-isolate and care for themselves at home; those who had serious symptoms and needed to be hospitalized; and those who were asymptomatic and needed to be educated about the importance of self-isolating. Across the care spectrum, individualized responses to the clinical and psychosocial needs of patients with COVID-19 in acute care, subacute care, home health, and other outpatient settings have been guided by the well-established case management process of screening, assessing, planning, implementing, following up, transitioning, and evaluating. In addition, professional case managers are guided by values such as advocacy, ensuring access to the right care and treatment at the right time; autonomy, respecting the right to self-determination; and justice, promoting fairness and equity in access to resources and treatment. The value of justice also addresses the sobering reality that people from racial and ethnic minority groups are at an increased risk of getting sick and dying from COVID-19. Going forward, case management will continue to play a major role in supporting patients with COVID-19, in both inpatient and outpatient settings, with telephonic follow-up and greater use of telehealth.

Refocusing cancer multidisciplinary team meetings in the United Kingdom: comparing urology with other specialties.

INTRODUCTION: Multidisciplinary team (MDT) meetings have been the gold standard of cancer care in the UK since the 1990s. We aimed to identify the views of urology cancer MDT members in the UK on improving the functioning of meetings and compare them with those of other specialties to manage the increasing demand on healthcare resources and enhance the care of complex cancer cases. METHODS: We analysed data from 2 national surveys distributed by Cancer Research UK focusing on the views of 2,294 and 1,258 MDT members about cancer MDT meetings. FINDINGS: Most breast, colorectal, lung and urology cancer MDT members felt meetings could be improved in the following areas: time for meeting preparation in job plans, streamlining of patients, auditing meeting decisions and prioritising complex cases. Most urology respondents (87%) agreed some patients could be managed outside a full MDT discussion, but this was lower for other specialties (lung 78%, breast 75%, colorectal 64%). CONCLUSIONS: To facilitate decisions on which patients require discussion in an MDT meeting, factors adding to case complexity across all tumour types were identified, including rare tumour type, cognitive impairment and previous treatment failure. This study confirms that urology MDT members are supportive of changing from reviewing all new cancer diagnoses to discussing complex cases but managing others with a more protocolised pathway. The mechanisms for how to do this and how to ensure the safety of patients require further clarification.

Changes in Advance Care Planning for Nursing Home Residents During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

OBJECTIVE: Describe the care preference changes among nursing home residents receiving proactive Advance Care Planning (ACP) conversations from health care practitioners during the COVID-19 pandemic. DESIGN: Retrospective chart review. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Nursing home residents (n = 963) or their surrogate decision makers had at least 1 ACP conversation with a primary health care practitioner between April 1, 2020, and May 30, 2020, and made decisions of any changes in code status and hospitalization preferences. METHODS: Health care practitioners conducted ACP conversations proactively with residents or their surrogate decision makers at 15 nursing homes in a metropolitan area of the southwestern United States between April 1, 2020, and May 30, 2020. ACP conversations reviewed code status and goals of care including Do Not Hospitalize (DNH) care preference. Resident age, gender, code status, and DNH choice before and after the ACP conversations were documented. Descriptive data analyses identified significant changes in resident care preferences before and after ACP conversations. RESULTS: Before the most recent ACP discussion, 361 residents were full code status and the rest were Out of Hospital Do Not Resuscitate (DNR). Of the individuals with Out of Hospital DNR, 188 residents also chose DNH. After the ACP conversation, 88 residents opted to change from full code status to Out of Hospital DNR, thereby increasing the percentage of residents with Out of Hospital DNR from 63% to 72%. Almost half of the residents decided to keep or change to the DNH care option after the ACP conversation. CONCLUSION AND IMPLICATIONS: Proactive ACP conversations during COVID-19 increased DNH from less than a quarter to almost half among the nursing home residents. Out of Hospital DNR increased by 9%. It is important for all health care practitioners to proactively review ACP with nursing home residents and their surrogate decision makers during a pandemic, thereby ensuring care consistent with personal goals of care and avoiding unnecessary hospitalizations.

Lenguajes enfermeros estandarizados y planes de cuidados. Percepción de su empleo y utilidad en atención primaria / Standardized nursing languages and care plans. Perception of use and utility in primary healthcare

OBJETIVO: Identificar la opinión de las enfermeras de atención primaria sobre el uso y la utilidad de los planes de cuidados y los lenguajes estandarizados tradicionales en la práctica asistencial. DISEÑO: Estudio descriptivo, transversal, multicéntrico. EMPLAZAMIENTO: Equipos y dispositivos de atención primaria en Cataluña. PARTICIPANTES: Se estimó una muestra necesaria de 1.668 enfermeras y se aplicó una técnica de muestreo consecutivo. INTERVENCIONES: Cuestionario de acceso on-line con preguntas sobre la percepción de facilidad, utilidad y uso de los planes de cuidados y los lenguajes estandarizados tradicionales. Mediciones: Estadísticos descriptivos con proporciones, medidas de tendencia central y de dispersión. La significación estadística se estableció si p ≤ 0,05. RESULTADOS: Se analizaron 1.813 cuestionarios. Las participantes opinaron que los planes de cuidados tienen un valor añadido medio, aunque su uso es con frecuencia incorrecto. Refirieron un nivel de conocimientos adecuado sobre los lenguajes estandarizados, y en su mayoría (81%) opinaron que son difíciles de emplear en la práctica y que son poco útiles para representar la prestación de cuidados y sus resultados (78%). Independientemente de su nivel académico y de los años de experiencia, valoraron como insuficiente la claridad (p = 0,058), facilidad de uso (p = 0,240) y utilidad de los lenguajes estandarizados (p = 0,039). CONCLUSIONES: Las enfermeras urgen a introducir cambios en el uso de los planes de cuidados, incluyendo el cambio de lenguaje, para mejorar los datos y la información que revierta positivamente la prestación de cuidados para la mejora de los resultados de salud de las personas beneficiarias de los servicios de atención primaria

OBJECTIVE: To identify opinions of Primary Healthcare nurses on the use and usefulness of standardised nursing care plans and traditional nursing language systems in the practice settings. DESIGN: Multicentre, observational, cross-sectional study. SETTING: Primary Healthcare centres in Catalonia. PARTICIPANTS: Sample size was estimated at 1,668 registered nurses. Consecutive sampling was applied. INTERVENTIONS: On-line survey containing questions on ease, usefulness, and use of nursing care plans and standardised nursing language systems. Measurements: Descriptive statistics, including percentages, central tendency, and dispersion measures. Statistical significance was set at P ≤ .05. RESULTS: The final analysis included 1,813 questionnaires. Participants stated that care plans have a medium added value, however their use is frequently incorrect. They stated to have a fair level of knowledge on traditional standardised nursing languages, and most were of the opinion that these languages are difficult to use in practice (81%) and not useful to represent nursing care provision and its outcomes (78%). Regardless of their education level and years of experience, the participants assessed as insufficient the clarity (P = .058), ease of use (P = .240), and usefulness (P = .039) of these language systems in practice. CONCLUSIONS: Nurses say that urgent changes are required in the use of care plans. This includes changing the language systems, and improving data and information that positively impacts on the provision of nursing care, as well as to enhance the health outcomes of the individuals receiving Primary Healthcare services

Understanding how midwives employed by the National Health Service facilitate women's alternative birthing choices: Findings from a feminist pragmatist study.

UK legislation and government policy favour women's rights to bodily autonomy and active involvement in childbirth decision-making including the right to decline recommendations of care/treatment. However, evidence suggests that both women and maternity professionals can face challenges enacting decisions outside of sociocultural norms. This study explored how NHS midwives facilitated women's alternative physiological birthing choices-defined in this study as 'birth choices that go outside of local/national maternity guidelines or when women decline recommended treatment of care, in the pursuit of a physiological birth'. The study was underpinned by a feminist pragmatist theoretical framework and narrative methodology was used to collect professional stories of practice via self-written narratives and interviews. Through purposive and snowball sampling, a diverse sample in terms of age, years of experience, workplace settings and model of care they operated within, 45 NHS midwives from across the UK were recruited. Data were analysed using narrative thematic that generated four themes that described midwives' processes of facilitating women's alternative physiological births: 1. Relationship building, 2. Processes of support and facilitation, 3. Behind the scenes, 4. Birth facilitation. Collectively, the midwives were involved in a wide range of alternative birth choices across all birth settings. Fundamental to their practice was the development of mutually trusting relationships with the women which were strongly asserted a key component of safe care. The participants highlighted a wide range of personal and advanced clinical skills which was framed within an inherent desire to meet the women's needs. Capturing what has been successfully achieved within institutionalised settings, specifically how, maternity providers may benefit from the findings of this study.

Evaluation of the breast cancer care network within the Lazio Region (Central Italy).

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: A summary indicator for evaluating the breast cancer network has never been measured at the regional level. The aim is to design treemaps providing a summary description of hospitals (including breast units) and Local Health Units (LHUs) in terms of their levels of performance within the breast cancer network of the Lazio region (central Italy). The treemap structure has an intuitive design and displays information from both general and specific analyses. METHODS: Patients admitted to the regional hospitals for malignant breast cancer (MBC) surgery in 2010-2017 were selected in a population-based cohort study. These quality indicators were calculated based on the international guidelines (EUSOMA, ESMO) to assess the performance in terms of volume of activity, surgery procedure, post-surgery assistance and timeliness of medical therapy or radiotherapy beginning. The quality indicators were calculated using administrative health data systematically collected at the regional level and were included in the treemap to represent the surgery or the post-surgery areas of the breast cancer clinical pathway. In order to allow aggregation of scores for different indicators belonging to the same clinical area, up to five evaluation classes were defined using the "Jenks Natural Breaks" algorithm. A score and a colour were assigned to each clinical area based on the ranking of the indicators involved. The analyses were performed on an annual basis, by the LHU of residence and by the hospital which performed the surgical intervention. RESULTS: In 2017, 6218 surgical interventions for MBC were performed in the hospitals of Lazio. The results showed a continuous increase of the level of performance over the years. Hospitals showed higher variability in the levels of performance than the LHUs. 36% of the evaluated hospitals reached a high level of performance. An audit of the S. Filippo Neri breast unit revealed incorrect coding of the input data. For this reason, the score for the indicator for the volume of wards was re-calculated and re-evaluated, with a subsequent improvement of the level of performance. Most LHUs achieved at least an average overall level of performance, with 20% of the LHUs reaching a high level of performance. CONCLUSIONS: This is the first attempt to apply the treemap logic to a single clinical network, in order to obtain a summary indicator for the evaluation of the breast cancer care network. Our results supply decision makers with a transparent instrument of governance for heterogeneous users, directing efforts improving and promoting equity of care. The treemaps could be reproduced and adapted for other local contexts, in order to limit inappropriateness and ensure uniform levels of breast cancer care within local areas. The next step is the evaluation of audit and feedback interventions to improve the quality of care and to guarantee homogeneous levels of care throughout the region.

Use of Chronic Care Management Among Primary Care Clinicians.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicade Services (CMS) initiated chronic care management (CCM) codes to reimburse clinicians for coordination activities, but little is known about uptake over time. We find that primary care clinicians drove increasing use over 4 years-a trend that may reflect either new coordination activities or new reimbursements for existing activities. That 5% of chronic care management was denied by Medicare underscores the need for future work evaluating facilitators and barriers to use. Such insight is especially vital given the large number of eligible beneficiaries that have not received chronic care management to date, as well as the limited number of clinicians who currently deliver these services.

Toward Understanding the Value of Missing Social Determinants of Health Data in Care Transition Planning.

BACKGROUND: Social determinants of health play an important role in the likelihood of readmission and therefore should be considered in care transition planning. Unfortunately, some social determinants that can be of value to care transition planners are missing in the electronic health record. Rather than trying to understand the value of data that are missing, decision makers often exclude these data. This exclusion can lead to failure to design appropriate care transition programs, leading to readmissions. OBJECTIVES: This article examines the value of missing social determinants data to emergency department (ED) revisits, and subsequent readmissions. METHODS: A deidentified data set of 123,697 people (18+ years), with at least one ED visit in 2017 at the University of Alabama at Birmingham Medical Center was used. The dependent variable was all-cause 30-day revisits (yes/no), while the independent variables were missing/nonmissing status of the social determinants of health measures. Logistic regression was used to test the relationship between likelihood of revisits and social determinants of health variables. Moreover, relative weight analysis was used to identify relative importance of the independent variables. RESULTS: Twelve social determinants were found to be most often missing. Of those 12, only "lives with" (alone or with family/friends) had higher odds of ED revisits. However, relative logistic weight analysis suggested that "pain score" and "activities of daily living" (ADL) accounted for almost 50% of the relevance for ED revisits when compared among all 12 variables. CONCLUSION: In the process of care transition planning, data that are documented are factored into the care transition plan. One of the most common challenges in health services practice is to understand the value of missing data in effective program planning. This study suggests that the data that are not documented (i.e., missing) could play an important role in care transition planning as a mechanism to reduce ED revisits and eventual readmission rates.

The Probability of A1C Goal Attainment in Patients With Uncontrolled Type 2 Diabetes in a Large Integrated Delivery System: A Prediction Model.

OBJECTIVE: To assess patient characteristics and treatment factors associated with uncontrolled type 2 diabetes (T2D) and the probability of hemoglobin A1c (A1C) goal attainment. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: This was a retrospective cohort study using the electronic health record at Cleveland Clinic. Patients with uncontrolled T2D (A1C >9%) were identified on the index date of 31 December 2016 (n = 6,973) and grouped by attainment (n = 1,653 [23.7%]) or nonattainment (n = 5,320 [76.3%]) of A1C <8% by 31 December 2017, and subgroups were compared on a number of demographic and clinical variables. On the basis of these variables, a nomogram was created for predicting probability of A1C goal attainment. RESULTS: For the entire population, median age at index date was 57.7 years (53.3% male), and the majority were white (67.2%). Median A1C was 10.2%. Obesity (50.6%), cardiovascular disease (46.9%), and psychiatric disease (61.1%) were the most common comorbidities. Metformin (62.7%) and sulfonylureas (38.7%) were the most common antidiabetes medications. Only 1,653 (23.7%) patients achieved an A1C <8%. Predictors of increased probability of A1C goal attainment were older age, white/non-Hispanic race/ethnicity, Medicare health insurance, lower baseline A1C, higher frequency of endocrinology/primary care visits, dipeptidyl peptidase 4 inhibitor use, thiazolidinedione use, metformin use, glucagon-like peptide 1 receptor agonist use, and fewer classes of antidiabetes drugs. Factors associated with lower probability included insulin use and longer time in the T2D database (both presumed as likely surrogates for duration of T2D). CONCLUSIONS: A minority of patients with an A1C >9% achieved an A1C <8% at 1 year. While most identified predictive factors are nonmodifiable by the clinician, pursuit of frequent patient engagement and tailored drug regimens may help to improve A1C goal attainment.

A structural equation modeling approach to understanding pathways linking survivorship care plans to survivor-level outcomes.

PURPOSE: Several high-profile organizations have mandated the delivery of survivorship care plans (SCPs) despite mixed evidence regarding the effectiveness of SCPs on key survivor-level outcomes. There is a need to understand the types of survivor-level outcomes the SCPs are likely to change. Informed by existing frameworks and the literature, the objective of this study was to understand the pathways linking the receipt of a SCP to key survivor-level outcomes including patient-centered communication (PCC), health self-efficacy, changes in health behaviors, and improvements in overall health. METHODS: We used structural equation modeling to test the direct and indirect pathways linking the receipt of an SCP to patient-centered communication (PCC), health self-efficacy, and latent measures of health behaviors and physical health in a nationally representative sample of breast and colorectal cancer survivors from the Health Information National Trends Survey. RESULTS: The receipt of an SCP did not have a significant effect on key survivor-level outcomes and was removed from the final structural model. The final structural model fit the data adequately well (Chi-square p value = 0.03, RMSEA = 0.07, CFI = .88, and WRMR = 0.73). PCC had a significant direct effect on physical health but not on health behaviors. Health self-efficacy had a significant direct effect on physical health and health behaviors. CONCLUSION: The receipt of an SCP alone is unlikely to facilitate changes in PCC, health self-efficacy, health behaviors, or physical health. IMPLICATION FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: A SCP is a single component of a larger model of survivorship care and should be accompanied by ongoing efforts that promote PCC, health self-efficacy, and changes in health behaviors resulting in improvements to physical health.

Modeling workflows: Identifying the most predictive features in healthcare operational processes.

Limited resources and increased patient flow highlight the importance of optimizing healthcare operational systems to improve patient care. Accurate prediction of exam volumes, workflow surges and, most notably, patient delay and wait times are known to have significant impact on quality of care and patient satisfaction. The main objective of this work was to investigate the choice of different operational features to achieve (1) more accurate and concise process models and (2) more effective interventions. To exclude process modelling bias, data from four different workflows was considered, including a mix of walk-in, scheduled, and hybrid facilities. A total of 84 features were computed, based on previous literature and our independent work, all derivable from a typical Hospital Information System. The features were categorized by five subgroups: congestion, customer, resource, task and time features. Two models were used in the feature selection process: linear regression and random forest. Independent of workflow and the model used for selection, it was determined that congestion feature sets lead to models most predictive for operational processes, with a smaller number of predictors.

Congruence Gaps Between Adolescents With Cancer and Their Families Regarding Values, Goals, and Beliefs About End-of-Life Care.

Importance: Lack of pediatric advance care planning has been associated with poor communication, increased hospitalization, poor quality of life, and legal actions. Clinicians presume that families understand adolescents' treatment preferences for end-of-life care. Objective: To examine patient-reported end-of-life values and needs of adolescents with cancer and congruence with their families' understanding of these needs. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional survey was conducted among adolescent-family dyads from July 16, 2016, to April 30, 2019, at 4 tertiary care pediatric US hospitals. Participants included 80 adolescent-family dyads (160 participants) within a larger study facilitating pediatric advance care planning. Adolescent eligibility criteria included being aged 14 to 21 years, English speaking, being diagnosed with cancer at any stage, and knowing their diagnosis. Family included legal guardians for minors or chosen surrogate decision-makers for those aged 18 years or older. Data analysis was performed from April 2019 to November 2019. Exposure: Session 1 of the 3-session Family Centered Pediatric Advance Care Planning for Teens With Cancer intervention. Main Outcomes and Measures: The main outcome was congruence between adolescents with cancer and their families regarding adolescents' values, goals, and beliefs about end-of-life care. Prevalence-adjusted and bias-adjusted κ (PABAK) values were used to measure congruence on the Lyon Advance Care Planning Survey-Revised (Patient and Surrogate versions). Results: A total of 80 adolescent-family dyads (160 participants) were randomized to the intervention group in the original trial. Among the adolescents, 44 (55.0%) were female and 60 (75.0%) were white, with a mean (SD) age of 16.9 (1.8) years. Among family members, 66 (82.5%) were female and 65 (81.3%) were white, with a mean (SD) age of 45.3 (8.3) years. Family members' understanding of their adolescent's beliefs about the best time bring up end-of-life decisions was poor: 86% of adolescents wanted early timing (before getting sick, while healthy, when first diagnosed, when first sick from a life-threatening illness, or all of the above), but only 39% of families knew this (PABAK, 0.18). Families' understanding of what was important to their adolescents when dealing with their own dying was excellent for wanting honest answers from their physician (PABAK, 0.95) and understanding treatment choices (PABAK, 0.95) but poor for dying a natural death (PABAK, 0.18) and being off machines that extend life, if dying (PABAK, 0). Conclusions and Relevance: Many families had a poor understanding of their adolescent's values regarding their own end-of-life care, such as when to initiate end-of-life conversations and preference for being off machines that extend life. Pediatric advance care planning could minimize these misunderstandings with the potential for a substantial impact on quality of care.

Breast Cancer Survivor Symptoms: A Comparison of Physicians' Consultation Records and Nurse-Led Survivorship Care Plans.

BACKGROUND: Survivorship care plans (SCPs) have been used to address ongoing health problems associated with the diagnosis and treatment of early-stage breast cancer. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this article was to determine whether nurse-led consultations using SCPs, as compared with a standard medical consultation, identify more side effects and supportive care needs and lead to appropriate referral patterns. METHODS: The study audited 160 retrospective medical clinic and nursing SCP records in a sample of patients receiving treatment for early-stage breast cancer at a tertiary-level breast service in Australia. FINDINGS: Breast care nurses (BCNs) undertaking SCPs at a nurse-led consultation were significantly more likely than physicians to record symptoms related to menopausal/hormonal therapy, psychosocial/mental health, lifestyle, bone health, and sexuality. BCNs were also significantly more likely to refer patients for concerns related to psychosocial/mental health, lifestyle, and sexuality.

Shunt intention during carotid endarterectomy in the early symptomatic period and perioperative stroke risk.

OBJECTIVE: Whether recent stroke mandates planned shunting during carotid endarterectomy (CEA) is controversial. Our goal was to determine associations of various shunting practices with postoperative outcomes of CEAs performed after acute stroke. METHODS: The Vascular Quality Initiative database (2010-2018) was queried for CEAs performed within 14 days of an ipsilateral stroke. Surgeons who prospectively planned to shunt either shunted routinely per their usual practice or shunted selectively for preoperative indications. Surgeons who prospectively planned not to shunt either shunted selectively for intraoperative indications or did not shunt. Univariable and multivariable analyses compared shunting approaches. RESULTS: There were 5683 CEAs performed after acute ipsilateral stroke. Surgeons planned to shunt in 56.1% of cases. Patients whose surgeons planned to shunt vs planned not to shunt were more likely to have severe contralateral stenosis (8.8% vs 6.9%; P = .008), to receive general anesthesia (97.5% vs 89.1%; P < .001), and to undergo conventional CEA (94% vs 81.8%; P < .001). Unadjusted outcomes were similar between the cohorts for operative duration (124.3 ± 48.1 minutes vs 123.6 ± 47 minutes; P = .572) and 30-day stroke (3.4% vs 3%; P = .457), myocardial infarction (1.1% vs 0.8%; P = .16), and mortality (1.6% vs 1.3%; P = .28). On multivariable analysis, planning to shunt vs planning not to shunt was associated with similar risk of 30-day stroke (odds ratio [OR], 1.17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.82-1.67; P = .402). On subgroup analysis, in 38.4% patients, no shunt was placed, whereas the remainder received routine shunts (44.4%), preoperatively indicated shunts (11.6%), and intraoperatively indicated shunts (5.5%). Compared with no shunting, shunting by surgeons who routinely shunt was associated with a similar stroke risk (OR, 1.39; 95% CI, 0.91-2.13; P = .129), but shunting by surgeons who selectively shunt on the basis of preoperative indications (OR, 2.11; 95% CI, 1.22-3.63; P = .007) or intraoperative indications (OR, 3.34; 95% CI, 1.86-6.01; P < .001) was associated with increased stroke risk. Prior coronary revascularization independently predicted increased intraoperatively indicated shunting (OR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.05-1.8; P = .022). CONCLUSIONS: In CEAs performed after acute ipsilateral stroke, there is no difference in postoperative stroke risk when surgeons prospectively plan to shunt or not to shunt. Shunting is often not necessary; however, when shunting is performed, routine shunters achieve better outcomes.