Explainable hierarchical clustering for patient subtyping and risk prediction.

We present a pipeline in which machine learning techniques are used to automatically identify and evaluate subtypes of hospital patients admitted between 2017 and 2021 in a large UK teaching hospital. Patient clusters are determined using routinely collected hospital data, such as those used in the UK's National Early Warning Score 2 (NEWS2). An iterative, hierarchical clustering process was used to identify the minimum set of relevant features for cluster separation. With the use of state-of-the-art explainability techniques, the identified subtypes are interpreted and assigned clinical meaning, illustrating their robustness. In parallel, clinicians assessed intracluster similarities and intercluster differences of the identified patient subtypes within the context of their clinical knowledge. For each cluster, outcome prediction models were trained and their forecasting ability was illustrated against the NEWS2 of the unclustered patient cohort. These preliminary results suggest that subtype models can outperform the established NEWS2 method, providing improved prediction of patient deterioration. By considering both the computational outputs and clinician-based explanations in patient subtyping, we aim to highlight the mutual benefit of combining machine learning techniques with clinical expertise.

Analysis of potential drug interactions in medical clinic sector in a Hospital of João Pessoa - PB

Abstract The objective of this study was to evaluate drug interactions based on medical records of patients hospitalized in University Hospital Lauro Wanderley (UHLW) in João Pessoa-PB, Brazil. This was a quantitative, descriptive study with a cross-sectional design. This research was conducted in the medical clinic of the above hospital by analyzing pharmaceutical intervention in medical records. The investigated samples consisted of all medical profiles with drug interaction information of patients hospitalized from June 2016 to June 2017. Most of these drug interactions were determined and classified by Micromedex® Solutions database. This research was approved by the Ethics Committee in Institutional Human Research, protocol number 2.460.206. In total, 331 drug interactions were found in 131 medical profiles. Dipyrone, enoxaparin, sertraline, ondansetron, quetiapine, tramadol, bromopride, amitriptyline, and simvastatin were medications that showed highest interactions. According to Anatomical Therapy Classification (ATC), drugs that act on the central nervous system result in more interactions. The most prevalent interaction was between dipyrone and enoxaparin. Some limitations of this study are the lack of notifications and data on drug interactions.

Caracterización de enfermos operados de cáncer rectal. Hospital Universitario Clínico Quirúrgico Comandante Faustino Pérez Hernández / Characterization of patients operated of rectal cancer. Teaching Clinic-Surgical Hospital Faustino Pérez Hernández

RESUMEN Introducción: el cáncer de recto se considera una de las neoplasias más frecuentes del siglo XXI, con elevada mortalidad. Objetivo: caracterizar a los pacientes operados de cáncer rectal en el Hospital Universitario Clínico Quirúrgico Comandante Faustino Pérez Hernández, de Matanzas, entre enero de 2015 y diciembre de 2018. Materiales y métodos: se realizó un estudio observacional descriptivo. El universo fue de 97 pacientes de ambos sexos, operados de cáncer rectal. Se obtuvieron los datos de las historias clínicas individuales. Se analizaron variables como edad, sexo, localización específica del tumor, manifestaciones clínicas, características anatomopatológicas y estadios de la enfermedad, técnica quirúrgica empleada y complicaciones postoperatorias durante los primeros siete días. El método estadístico utilizado fue la distribución de frecuencia, en valores absolutos y porcentajes. Resultados: entre los pacientes operados de cáncer rectal, predominaron las personas de 70 a 79 años y el sexo masculino. El recto superior fue el sitio de mayor localización. El sangrado rectal, la expulsión de flemas y los cambios del hábito intestinal fueron los síntomas más frecuentes. El adenocarcinoma bien diferenciado fue la variedad histológica de mayor incidencia, y los estadios que prevalecieron fueron el II y el III. La técnica quirúrgica más empleada fue la resección anterior, y la complicación más frecuente la infección del sitio quirúrgico. Conclusiones: prevenir los factores de riesgo, sus causas predisponentes y desencadenantes, utilizar los medios diagnósticos convencionales y de avanzada. Detectar y tratar de forma temprana la enfermedad puede lograr mejor calidad de vida en estos pacientes (AU).

ABSTRACT Introduction: rectal cancer is considered one of the most frequent neoplasia of the 21st century, with high mortality. Objective: to characterize patients who underwent rectal cancer surgery at the Teaching Clinic-Surgical Hospital Faustino Pérez Hernández, of Matanzas, between January 2015 and December 2018. Materials and methods: a descriptive observational study was carried out. The universe was 97 patients of both sexes, who underwent a rectal cancer surgery. Data were obtained from individual medical records. Variables such as age, sex, specific tumor location, clinical manifestations, anatomopathologic characteristics and stages of the disease, surgical technique used and post-surgery complications during the first seven days were analyzed. The statistical method used was the frequency distribution, in absolute values and percentages. Results: people aged 70-79 years and men predominated among patients with rectal cancer. The upper rectum was the site of most common location. Rectal bleeding, phlegm expulsion, and changes in bowel habit were the most frequent symptoms. Well-differentiated adenocarcinoma was the most prevalent histological variety, and the stages that prevailed were II and III. The most commonly used surgical technique was anterior resection, and the most common complication was surgical site infection. Conclusions: to prevent risk factors, their predisposing causes and triggers; to use conventional and advanced diagnostic means. Early detection and treatment of the disease can achieve better quality of life in these patients (AU).

Modelo temporal del comportamiento de pacientes críticos con covid-19 durante su estadía en cuidados intensivos. Lombardía, Italia / Temporal model of the behavior of critically ill patients with COVID-19 during their staying in intensive care. Lombardy, Italy

RESUMEN Introducción: una serie temporal es el producto de la observación de una variable en el tiempo. Es una herramienta matemática que se aplica con frecuencia en la salud. No se han elaborado modelos temporales que predigan el comportamiento de los pacientes durante su ingreso en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos. Objetivos: crear una serie temporal que permita predecir el comportamiento, durante su ingreso en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos, de pacientes graves producto de la covid-19 en la región de Lombardía, Italia. Materiales y métodos: analítico, longitudinal prospectivo con un grupo de pacientes críticos que ingresaron del 1 de abril al 1 de mayo de 2020, con diagnóstico de covid-19, en el Hospital Mayor de Crema, en la región de Lombardía, Italia. El universo estuvo constituido por 28 pacientes y se trabajó con el total de ellos. Resultados: composición por sexo: 48 % masculino. Media de edad: 83 años. Serie temporal: Modelo 1 que ajusta (Hold) PO2/FiO2 p = 0,251; Modelo 2 (ARIMA) SatO2/FiO2 p = 0,674 (en los dos primeros modelos el resultado se incrementó con los días, siguiendo un comportamiento predecible); Modelo 3 (ARIMA) p = 0,406 (en este caso, el resultado esperado decreció a medida que transcurrió el tiempo). Las funciones obtenidas permiten calcular el valor esperado según el día desde el ingreso. Conclusiones: predecir la evolución del paciente en la Unidad de Cuidados Intensivos permitió detectar tempranamente aquellos con una curva inesperada y dirigir hacia a ellos las terapéuticas más agresivas (AU).

ABSTRACT Introduction: a time series is the product of the observation of a variable in time. It is a mathematical tool frequently applied in health. No temporal models have been developed to predict patients' behavior during their staying in the Intensive Care Unit. Objectives: to create a time series allowing to predict the behavior of seriously-ill patients due to COVID-19, during their staying in the Intensive Care Unit in the region of Lombardy, Italy. Materials and methods: analytic, longitudinal prospective study with a group of critical patients who were admitted from April 1st to May 1st, with COVID-19 diagnosis, to Ospedale Maggiore di Crema, in the Lombardy region, Italy. The universe was formed by 28 patients and all of them were worked on. Results: 48% of patients were male. Average age: 83 years; Time series: Model 1 holding PO2/FiO2 p = 0.251; Model 2 (ARIMA) SatO2/FiO2 p = 0.674 (in the two first models the result increased with the days, following a predictable behavior=; Model 3 (ARIMA) p = 0.406 (in this case the expected result decreased as time passed). The obtained functions allow to calculate the expected value according to the day from the admission. Conclusions: predicting patient's evolution in the Intensive Care Unit allowed early detecting those with unexpected curves and targeting more aggressive therapies toward them (AU).

Comparación de las causas de ingreso y la morbilidad hospitalaria según la identidad de género de las personas atendidas en la Comunidad de Madrid / Causes of hospital admission and morbidity according to gender identity in the Autonomous Community of Madrid

El objetivo fue identificar las diferencias en causas de ingreso y morbilidad entre las personas transgénero (trans) y cisgénero (cis) mediante el registro de altas hospitalarias de la Comunidad de Madrid. Se describieron sus características, causas de ingreso y morbilidades, comparándolas mediante razón de prevalencias e intervalo de confianza al 95% (IC95%). Las 112 altas trans se diferenciaron de las 1.043.621 altas cis en que más frecuentemente se atendieron en un solo centro (55,4 vs 9,3%), eran menores de 49 años (75,9 vs 37,1%) y se financiaron de forma privada (2,7 vs 0,4%). Los ingresos por salud mental (23,96; IC95%: 17,41-32,78), y la morbilidad por VIH (11,26; IC95%: 5,46-20,93) fueron más frecuentes entre las altas trans. La información es limitada más allá de la modificación corporal, la salud mental y el VIH. Es necesario ampliar el conocimiento respecto a la salud de este colectivo

The objective was to identify differences in health between transgender (trans) and cisgender (cis) people using the hospital discharge survey from the Autonomous Community of Madrid. Their characteristics, causes of admission and morbidities were described, comparing them by prevalence ratio and confidence interval (95% CI). One hundred and twelve trans vs 1,043,621 cis discharges were studied. The main differences were that more frequently trans people had been attended in a single center (55.4 vs. 9.3%), were under 49 years old (75.9 vs. 37.1%) and had used private health services (2.7 vs. 0.4%). Admissions related to mental health problems (23.96; 95% CI: 17.41-32.78) and HIV morbidity (11.26 95% CI: 5.46-20.93) were more frequent among trans discharges. Information is limited beyond body modification, mental health, and HIV. It is necessary to improve the knowledge about trans population's health

Comparison of Reverse Triage with National Early Warning Score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment and Charlson Comorbidity Index to classify medical inpatients of an Italian II level hospital according to their resource's need.

Resource allocation in our overcrowded hospitals would require classification of inpatients according to the severity of illness, the evolving risk and the clinical complexity. Reverse triage (RT) is a method used in disasters to identify inpatients according to their use of hospital resources. The aim of this observational prospective study is to evaluate the use of RT in medical inpatients of an Italian Hospital and to compare the RT score with National Early Warning Score, Sequential Organ Failure Assessment and Charlson Comorbidity Index. Cluster sampling was performed on high dependency unit (HDU), geriatrics (Ger) and internal medicine (IM) wards. We calculate RT, NEWS, SOFA and CCI from inpatient charts. Length of stay (LOS), transfer to a higher level of care, death and discharge date were collected after 30 days. We obtained demographics, comorbidities, severity and clinical complexity of 260 inpatients. We highlighted differences in NEWS, SOFA and CCI in the three divisions. On the contrary RT score was uniformly high (median 7), with 85% of patients with RT = 8. NEWS, SOFA and CCI were higher in patients with higher RT score. We used the sum of the interventions listed by RT (RT sum) as a proxy of the level of care needed. RT-sum showed moderate correlation with NEWS (r = 0.52 Spearman, p < 0.001). RT-sum was the highest in HDU, related to the evolving severity of HDU patients. Ger patients that showed the highest CCI score (with all patients in the CCI ≥ 3 category) had the second highest RT-sum. RT score showed similar values in the majority of the inpatients regardless of differences in NEWS, SOFA and CCI in different ward subgroups. RT-sum is related both to evolving severity (NEWS) and to clinical complexity (CCI). RT and NEWS could predict inpatient level of care and resource need associated with CCI.

Patterns of symptom change in major depression: Classification and clustering of long term courses.

To evaluate treatment effects in depression, it is important to monitor change during treatment and also to follow up for a reasonably long time. Describing the variability of symptom change trajectories is useful to better predict long-term status and to improve interventions. Outcome data (N_complete = 518, 4 time points, 1 year of observation time) from a large naturalistic multi-center study on the effects of inpatient and day hospital treatment of unipolar depression were used to identify clusters of symptom trajectories. Common outcome classifications and statistical methods of longitudinal cluster analysis were applied. However, common outcome classifications (in terms of e.g. remission, relapse or recurrence) were not exhaustive, as 49.3% of the trajectories could not be allocated to its classes. Longitudinal cluster analysis reveals 7 clusters (fast response, slow response, retarded response, temporary or persistent relapse, recurrence, and nonresponse). Nonresponse at the end of treatment was a predictor of poor outcome at long term follow up. The classification of patterns of symptom change in depression should be extended. Longitudinal cluster analysis seems a valid option to analyze outcome trajectories over time if a limited number of time points of measurement are available.

Sistematização de um instrumento de classificação de pacientes em um hospital universitário / Systematization of an instrument for patient classification in a teaching hospital / Sistematización de un instrumento de categorización de pacientes en un hospital universitario

Estudo de delineamento transversal com o objetivo de verificar se o número de dias de avaliação influencia os escores para classificação do nível de complexidade dos pacientes numa unidade de internação. A amostra incluiu 151 pacientes adultos, hospitalizados entre julho e agosto de 2014, gerando 920 avaliações. A aplicação da escala de Perroca foi realizada em dois períodos, compreendendo cinco e 20 dias de avaliação e as variáveis foram analisadas por meio do teste de equações de estimativas generalizadas. Não houve diferença estatisticamente significativa no nível de complexidade dos cuidados comparando-se os dois períodos avaliados (p=0,72). Observou-se que os pacientes avaliados possuem elevado nível de complexidade assistencial. Entende-se que a aplicação de um instrumento para classificar pacientes é fundamental para conhecimento da demanda assistencial e das atividades da Enfermagem. A proposta de aplicação da escala de Perroca em cinco dias viabiliza a incorporação e sistematização dessa atividade na prática do enfermeiro.(AU)

Cross-sectional study, aiming to verify if the number of evaluation days influences the classification scores of the complexity level of patients in the hospital units. The sample included 151 adult patients hospitalized between July and August 2014, generating 920 ratings. The Perroca scale was applied throughout two periods, at 5 and 20 evaluation days and the variables were analyzed using Generalized Estimating Equation. There was no statistically significant difference in the level of complexity of care comparing the two periods (p = 0.72). It was observed that the evaluated patients had a high level of care complexity. The application of an instrument to classify patients is a key knowledge to the demand of care and nursing activities. The application of the proposed Perroca scale in 5 days enables the development and systematization of this activity in nursing practice.

Medication-related inpatient falls: a critical review

Abstract Falls are the second leading cause of accidental and unintentional injury deaths worldwide. Inpatient falls in hospital settings are likely to prolong the length of stay of patients in nearly 6.3 days, leading to increased hospitalization costs. The causes of fall incidents in healthcare facilities are multifactorial in nature and certain medications use could be associated with these incidents. This review seeks to critically evaluate the available literature regarding the relationship between inpatient falls and medication use. A comprehensive search was performed on MEDLINE, EMBASE and Lilacs with no time restriction. The search was filtered using English, Spanish or Portuguese languages. Our study evaluated medication use and inpatients falls that effectively happen, considering all ages and populations. An assessment of bias and quality of the studies was carried out using an adapted tool from the literature. The drugs were classified according to the Anatomic Therapeutics Chemical Code. The search strategy retrieved 563 records, among which 23 met the eligibility criteria; ninety three different pharmacological subgroups were associated with fall incidents. Our critical review suggests that the use of central nervous system drugs (including anxiolytics; hypnotics and sedatives; antipsychotics; opioids; antiepileptics and antidepressants) has a greater likelihood of causing inpatient falls. A weak relationship was found between other pharmacological subgroups, such as diuretics, cardiovascular system-related medications, and inpatient fall. Remarkably, several problems of quality were encountered with regard to the eligible studies. Among such quality problems included retrospective design, the grouping of more than one medication in the same statistical analysis, limited external validity, problems related to medication classifications and description of potential confounders.

Therapeutic itinerary: trajectory for resolution of adverse events of patients using warfarin in Southern Brazil

Warfarin is the most used anticoagulant in primary health care. Due to the narrow therapeutic index, its users are more susceptible to adverse events. The objective of this study was to describe the itinerary of the public health sector patients for resolution of adverse events related to warfarin. It is a prospective open cohort, held for a period of 18 months with warfarin users of the Brazilian public health system. Data were collected by monthly interviews and from patient records. Results: Sixty nine patients were interviewed, 64 of them completed monitoring and five died. Bleeding and venous thromboembolism were more frequent in patients starting treatment. It was observed that when adverse events have occurred, in most cases the patient held self-care at home (57%). During the follow-up, five patients were hospitalized for bleeding. Approximately half of the patients did not present their INR exams to the doctor. Conclusions: This study demonstrates weaknesses in caring for these patients and the need to accompany them, aiming to standardize and guide the itinerary of the anticoagulated patient to solve their problems and improve safety in drug treatment, with less cost to the public health system.

Establishing a Classification System for High Fall-Risk Among Inpatients Using Support Vector Machines.

We constructed a model using a support vector machine to determine whether an inpatient will suffer a fall on a given day, depending on patient status on the previous day. Using fall report data from our own facility and intensity-of-nursing-care-needs data accumulated through hospital information systems, a dataset comprising approximately 1.2 million patient-days was created. Approximately 50% of the dataset was used as training and testing data. A multistep grid search was conducted using the semicomprehensive combination of three parameters. A discriminant model for the testing data was created for each parameter to identify which parameter had the highest score by calculating the sensitivity and specificity. The score of the model with the highest score had a sensitivity of 64.9% and a specificity of 69.6%. By adopting a method that relies on daily data recorded in the electronic medical record system and accurately predicts unknown data, we were able to overcome issues described in previous studies while simultaneously constructing a discriminant model for patients' fall risk that does not burden nurses and patients with information gathering.

Analysis of falls that caused serious events in hospitalized patients.

AIM: Falls are common adverse events for hospitalized elderly patients that can cause fracture, which decreases activities of daily living, and other injuries that can be fatal. The purpose of the present study was to investigate serious events due to fall, and to consider measures for fall prevention. METHODS: Incidents of fall were obtained from a database of 163 558 inpatients at Nagoya University Hospital, Nagoya, Aichi, Japan, from April 2012 to March 2016. The risk of fall was evaluated using a fall assessment score sheet at admission and during hospitalization, based on which patients were divided into risk grades 1, 2 and 3. A fall that led to fracture or a life-threatening injury was defined as a serious event. RESULTS: Fall occurred in 3099 patients for 4 years (1.89%). Most patients that fell (45%) were in the highest (grade 3) risk category. Serious events associated with fall occurred in 36 of the 3099 patients (1.2%), and the overall incidence of serious events was 0.22%. These events included fracture in 24 patients, intracranial injury in 10 patients and others in two patients. Finally, one patient died. Serious events occurred significantly more frequently after falls in patients wearing slippers compared with other footwear (P < 0.01). The incidences of serious events and fall were significantly higher in patients with a higher risk of fall (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: The present results support the validity of our risk assessment scale for fall, but it should be recognized that fall can also occur in a patient with a low predicted risk of fall. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2017; 17: 2403-2406.

Quality of nursing intensity data: inter-rater reliability of the patient classification after two decades in clinical use.

AIMS: The aim of this study was to measure the inter-rater reliability of the Oulu Patient Classification and to discuss existing methods of reliability testing. BACKGROUND: The Oulu Patient Classification, part of the RAFAELA® System, has been developed to assist nursing managers with the proper allocation of nursing resources. Due to the increased intensity of inpatient care during recent years, there is a need for the reliability testing of the classification, which has been in clinical use for 20 years. DESIGN: Retrospective statistical study. METHODS: To test inter-rater reliability, a pair of nurses classified the same patients, without knowledge of each other's ratings, as a part of annually conducted standardization. Data on the parallel classifications (n = 19,997) was obtained from inpatient units (n = 32) with different specialties at a university hospital in Finland during 2010-2015. Parallel classification practices were also analysed. The reliability of the overall classification and its subareas were calculated using suitable statistical coefficients. RESULTS: Inter-rater reliability coefficients were a reliable or almost perfect means of considering the nursing intensity category and various practices, but there were detectable differences between subareas. The lowest agreement levels occurred in the subareas 'Planning and Coordination of Nursing Care' and 'Guiding of Care/Continued Care and Emotional Support'. CONCLUSIONS: There is a need to develop the descriptions of subareas and to clarify the related concepts. Precise nursing documentation can promote a high level of agreement and reliable results. The traditional overall proportion of agreement does not provide an adequate picture of reliability - weighted kappa coefficients should be used instead.

Definitional Differences of 'Outpatient' Versus 'Inpatient' THA and TKA Can Affect Study Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: There has been great interest in performing outpatient THA and TKA. Studies have compared such procedures done as outpatients versus inpatients. However, stated "outpatient" status as defined by large national databases such as the National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) may not be a consistent entity, and the actual lengths of stay of those patients categorized as outpatients in NSQIP have not been specifically ascertained and may in fact include some patients who are "observed" for one or more nights. Current regulations in the United States allow these "observed" patients to stay more than one night at the hospital under observation status despite being coded as outpatients. Determining the degree to which this is the case, and what, exactly, "outpatient" means in the NSQIP, may influence the way clinicians read studies from that source and the way hospital systems and policymakers use those data. QUESTIONS/PURPOSES: The purposes of this study were (1) to utilize the NSQIP database to characterize the differences in definition of "inpatient" and "outpatient" (stated status versus actual length of stay [LOS], measured in days) for THA and TKA; and (2) to study the effect of defining populations using different definitions. METHODS: Patients who underwent THA and TKA in the 2005 to 2014 NSQIP database were identified. Outpatient procedures were defined as either hospital LOS = 0 days in NSQIP or being termed "outpatient" by the hospital. The actual hospital LOS of "outpatients" was characterized. "Outpatients" were considered to have stayed overnight if they had a LOS of 1 day or longer. The effects of the different definitions on 30-day outcomes were evaluated using multivariate analysis while controlling for potential confounding factors. RESULTS: Of 72,651 patients undergoing THA, 529 were identified as "outpatients" but only 63 of these (12%) had a LOS = 0. Of 117,454 patients undergoing TKA, 890 were identified as "outpatients" but only 95 of these (11%) had a LOS = 0. After controlling for potential confounding factors such as gender, body mass index, functional status before surgery, comorbidities, and smoking status, we found "inpatient" THA to be associated with increased risk of any adverse event (relative risk, 2.643, p = 0.002), serious adverse event (relative risk, 2.455, p = 0.011), and readmission (relative risk, 2.775, p = 0.010) compared with "outpatient" THA. However, for the same procedure and controlling for the same factors, patients who had LOS > 0 were not associated with any increased risk compared with patients who had LOS = 0. A similar trend was also found in the TKA cohort. CONCLUSIONS: Future THA, TKA, or other investigations on this topic should consistently quantify the term "outpatient" because different definitions, stated status or actual LOS, may lead to different assignments of risk factors for postoperative complications. Accurate data regarding risk factors for complications after total joint arthroplasty are crucial for efforts to reduce length of hospital stay and minimize complications. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level III, therapeutic study.

Validation of the V66.7 Code for Palliative Care Consultation in a Single Academic Medical Center.

BACKGROUND: Use of administrative data to study the effectiveness of specialized palliative care is limited by the lack of a reliable method to identify patients receiving palliative care consultation. The International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision (ICD-9) code V66.7 has been used, but its validity for this purpose is unknown. OBJECTIVE: To examine the validity of the ICD-9 code V66.7 for identifying whether hospitalized patients received palliative care consultation. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING/SUBJECTS: All patients of age ≥18 years admitted to a single academic medical center between August 2013 and August 2015. MEASUREMENTS: Sensitivity and specificity of the V66.7 code for palliative care consultation for all patients and several a priori identified subgroups. The reference standard was the presence of a palliative care consultation note in the electronic medical record. RESULTS: Of 100,910 admissions, 1999 received a palliative care consultation (2.0%) and 1846 (1.8%) had usage of the V66.7 code. Sensitivity and specificity for the V66.7 code were 49.9% and 99.1%, respectively. Sensitivity was considerably higher for certain subgroups, such as patients with dementia (76.3%) and metastatic cancer (66.3%); addition of age restrictions further improved sensitivity while maintaining high specificity. Specificity was substantially lower for patients who died during hospitalization (sensitivity 53.9%, specificity 75.1%). CONCLUSIONS: In a single center, the ICD-9 code V66.7 had poor sensitivity and high specificity for identifying hospitalized patients who received a palliative care consultation. Appropriate use of this code for this purpose should take these characteristics into consideration.

Developing a Patient Classification System for a Neonatal ICU.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to develop a valid and reliable patient classification system (PCS) for a neonatal ICU (NICU). BACKGROUND: PCSs have been widely used to determine required care hours, budgeting, and staffing. There is a lack of and a vital need for a valid and reliable pediatric PCS because of differences in needs and treatment from adults. METHODS: Data were collected in a NICU using work sampling, chart reviews, and expert opinion. The resulting PCS was assessed for validity and reliability, ease of use, effectiveness, and satisfaction. RESULTS: The PCS showed significantly high reliability and validity. Survey scores revealed nurses perceived the tool to be easy to use and effective. CONCLUSIONS: Using subjective and objective methods, a NICU PCS was shown to be a valid and reliable measure to determine the hours per patient day required to provide care.

Identification of hospital patients in need of palliative care--a predictive score.

BACKGROUND: Palliative care was initially developed for patients with advanced cancer. Over the past years, however, palliative care has broadened its focus from terminal cancer patients to patients with other serious, life-limiting illnesses. Nevertheless, the identification of palliative care needs (PCNs) among hospital patients remains an insufficiently investigated topic of research. The aim of our study was to describe the characteristics of hospital patients with palliative care needs and to develop a score for their identification. METHODS: We conducted an epidemiological study. Data were collected prospectively from inpatients at the University Medical Center Freiburg, Germany. For each patient discharged from a hospital ward, the treating physician had to report whether the patient had PCNs or not. The response rate was 96%, and data from 39,849 patients could be analyzed. A binary logistic regression analysis was performed in order to identify risk factors for developing PCNs and to develop a predictive score for the identification of patients with PCNs upon their admission to the hospital. In order to validate the risk prediction model, we used a bootstrap analysis. RESULTS: During the study period, 6.9% (2757) of all patients had palliative care needs. Only 56 of them (2%) received palliative treatment. Binary logistic regression analysis showed that older patients without relatives who suffered from metastatic cancer and/or liver cirrhosis had the highest risk of developing palliative care needs (PCN-score; sensitivity: 0.815; specificity: 0.640). CONCLUSIONS: Given the aging population and associated increase in the number of patients requiring palliative care, it is crucial to detect palliative care needs in hospital patients with both cancerous and non-cancerous life-limiting diseases. Our predictive score contributes to the identification of palliative care needs in patients with life-limiting diseases, which allows physicians to take the appropriate therapeutic steps.

Evaluación de la eficacia de un protocolo destinado a mejorar el control glucémico de los pacientes con hiperglucemia ingresados en servicios hospitalarios de medicina interna / Evaluation of the effectiveness of a protocol designed to improve glycemic control in hospitalized internal medicine patients with hyperglycemia

Objetivos: Los objetivos del presente trabajo fueron evaluar si la difusión de un protocolo de manejo de la hiperglucemia sería capaz de incrementar el uso de insulina programada y mejorar el control glucémico durante la estancia hospitalaria. Pacientes y métodos: Estudio observacional de cohortes retrospectivo analítico. Se comparan 2 grupos de pacientes dados de alta con un diagnóstico relacionado con diabetes (DM) en servicios de Medicina Interna, antes (grupoPRE) y después (grupoPOS) de la implantación de un protocolo de actuación. Las respuestas analizadas fueron indicadores de proceso (probabilidad de permanecer sin insulina programada, evaluada mediante curvas de Kaplan-Meier), y de resultados (diferencias ajustadas (grupoPOS - grupoPRE) de control glucémico, evaluadas mediante regresión lineal múltiple). Resultados: Hubo 228 pacientes en el grupoPRE y 127 en el grupoPOS. La mediana del tiempo hasta el inicio de insulina programada fue de un día (IC 95%: 0-2,5) en el grupoPOS y de cuatro días (IC 95%: 2-6) en el grupoPRE (p=0,056). La glucemia en las primeras 48 horas de ingreso entre los pacientes que no recibieron insulina programada fue inferior en el grupoPOS respecto al grupoPRE (163,9 vs 186,7 mg/dl; p=0,025). La glucemia media las primeras 24 horas fue inferior en el grupoPOS (diferencia: -24,8 mg/dl (IC 95%: -40,5-(-9); p=0,002)). En análisis estratificado, la diferencia en glucemia media durante el ingreso fue significativa en los pacientes en ayunas (-29,8 mg/dl; IC 95%: -58,9-(-0,6); p=0,045) pero no en aquellos con ingesta conservada. Conclusión: Un protocolo específico puede mejorar la calidad en la asistencia hospitalaria al paciente con DM (AU)

Background: Our aims were to assess the effectiveness of a diabetes (DM) management protocol to increase scheduled insulin therapy and to improve glycemic inpatient control. Patients and methods: We designed an analytical retrospective cohort study comparing 2 groups of medical services hospitalized patients with a primary or secondary discharge diagnosis of DM, before (group PRE) and after (group POS) the delivery of a DM management protocol. We analyzed the quality of attention by process indicators (cumulative probability of receive scheduled insulin therapy, evaluated with Kaplan-Meier analysis) and result indicators (adjusted glucose differences (group POS - group PRE), evaluated with multivariate regression models). Results: A number of patients (355) were included (228 group PRE and 127 group POS). The median time to scheduled insulin regimen beginning was 1 (CI 95%: 0-2.5) day in group POS and 4 (CI 95%: 2-6) days in group PRE (p=0.056). First 48 hours mean glucose in patients without scheduled insulin therapy was lower in group POS than in group PRE (163.9 versus 186.7 mg/dl; p=0.025). The first 24 hours mean glucose was significantly lower in patients of group POS, with a difference between both groups of -24.8 mg/dl (CI 95%: -40.5-(-9); p=0.002). Stratified analysis showed statistically significant mean in-hospital glucose difference only in the nothing by mouth situation (-29.8 mg/dl; CI 95%: -58.9-(-0.6); p=0.045). Conclusion: The delivery of an institutional protocol can improve hospitalized DM patients management quality (AU)

Prevalencia y caracterización del dolor en pacientes hospitalizados / Prevalence and characterization of pain among hospitalized patients

Introducción: el dolor es un problema de salud pública que afecta la calidad de vida en los pacientes que se encuentran hospitalizados. Se han reportado prevalencias de dolor entre el 30-70% en este tipo de pacientes. Por tanto, es importante determinar la prevalencia, intensidad e interferencia del dolor en los pacientes hospitalizados en la Clínica Reina Sofía de Bogotá, para hacer un adecuado diagnóstico del problema y poder establecer las mejores estrategias para disminuir su carga en este tipo de pacientes. Metodología: estudio descriptivo de corte transversal, durante el segundo semestre de 2.013 se incluyeron 360 pacientes mayores de 18 años, con una hospitalización mayor 24 a horas. Previa firma del consentimiento informado, se aplicó la versión en español de la herramienta Brief Pain Inventory (BPI-sf) y se registró el tratamiento analgésico utilizado en el momento de la encuesta. Se excluyeron pacientes de servicios de obstetricia, cuidados intensivos y con dificultades para la comunicación. Adicionalmente, para el análisis se definió “gran interferencia” para actividades puntuadas con un valor ≥ 8 en la escala numérica. Para establecer diferencias entre los grupos de interés se utilizó la prueba t-student y X2 para variables cuantitativas y cualitativas, respectivamente. Para evaluar la correlación entre la intensidad e interferencia del dolor, se utilizó el Coeficiente de correlación de Pearson (ρ). Se determinaron como significativas las diferencias < 0.05, con pruebas de hipótesis a dos colas. El estudio fue aprobado por el comité de ética de la institución. Resultados: la prevalencia del dolor fue de 67,5%. El promedio de intensidad del “dolor actual” fue 3,4 (±2,7), el promedio de la interferencia fue 4,7 (±3,8). No se encontraron diferencias estadísticamente significativas por género, ni por tipo de servicio en intensidad e interferencia del dolor. Al evaluar la relación entre interferencia e intensidad, caminar presentó una correlación positiva con el dolor actual (ρ: 0,35 p = < 0,001). La analgesia multimodal fue el tratamiento más utilizado, sin embargo el 23.0% de los pacientes que referían dolor no recibían analgésicos. Discusión: debido a que la prevalencia del dolor es alta, es importante reforzar estrategias encaminadas a identificar y tratar el dolor oportunamente, basadas en la educación del personal paramédico, en la búsqueda activa de pacientes con dolor y en medir el dolor como quinto signo vital (AU)

Background: Pain is a public health problem that affects the quality of life of hospitalized patients, with prevalence between 30-70%. Therefore, it is relevant to determine the prevalence, intensity and pain interference in hospitalized patients at the Clínica Reina Sofia in Bogotá. Methodology: A descriptive cross-sectional study was carried out, 360 patients > 18 years were included, with hospitalization greater than 24 hours. The instrument BPI-sf was applied, the analgesic treatment at the time of the survey was recorded. Patients in obstetric services, intensive care and those with inability to communicate were excluded. Additionally, we used the term “great interference” to activities scored with value ≥ 8. The study was approved by the ethics committee of the institution. Results: The prevalence of pain was 67.5%. The mean current pain intensity was 3.4 (±2.7) and mean interference was 4.7 (±3.8). No statistically significant differences by gender or type of service in pain intensity and interference were found. Assessing the relationship with intensity, walk was positively correlated with current pain (ρ: 0.35 p = < 0,001). The multimodal analgesia was the method most commonly used, however 23.0% of patients with pain did not received analgesics. Discussion: Because the prevalence of pain is high, it is important to strengthen strategies to identify and treat pain promptly, based on education of paramedical personnel in the active search for patients with pain and identify pain as a fifth vital sign (AU)