Vergence/accommodative therapy for symptomatic convergence insufficiency in children: Time course of improvements in convergence function.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the time course of improvements in clinical convergence measures for children with symptomatic convergence insufficiency treated with office-based vergence/accommodative therapy. METHODS: We evaluated convergence measures from 205, 9- to 14-year-old children with symptomatic convergence insufficiency randomised to office-based vergence/accommodative therapy in the Convergence Insufficiency Treatment Trial - Attention and Reading Trial (CITT-ART). Near-point of convergence (NPC) and near-positive fusional vergence (PFV) were measured at baseline and after 4, 8, 12 and 16 weeks of therapy; mean change in NPC and PFV between these time points were compared using repeated measures analysis of variance. Rates of change in NPC and PFV from: (1) baseline to 4 weeks and (2) 4-16 weeks were calculated. For each time point, the proportion of participants to first meet the normal criterion for NPC (<6 cm), PFV blur (break if no blur; >15Δ and >2 times the exodeviation) and convergence composite (NPC and PFV both normal) were calculated. RESULTS: The greatest change in NPC and PFV (7.6 cm and 12.7 Δ) and the fastest rate of improvement in NPC and PFV (1.9 cm/week and 3.2 Δ/week, respectively) were both found during the first 4 weeks of therapy, with both slowing over the subsequent 12 weeks. After 12 weeks of therapy, the NPC, PFV and convergence composite were normal in 93.2%, 91.7% and 87.8% of participants, respectively, and normalised with another 4 weeks of therapy in 4.4%, 2.0% and 4.4% of participants, respectively. CONCLUSION: Although the greatest improvements in NPC and PFV occurred in the first 4 weeks of therapy, most participants had weekly improvements over the subsequent 12 weeks of treatment. While most children with convergence insufficiency obtained normal convergence following 12 weeks of therapy, an additional 4 weeks of vergence/accommodative therapy may be beneficial for some participants.

Sociodemographic differences in utilization and outcomes for temporary cardiovascular mechanical support in the setting of cardiogenic shock.

BACKGROUND: Temporary mechanical circulatory support (MCS) devices are increasingly used in cardiogenic shock, but whether sociodemographic differences by sex, race and/or ethnicity, insurance status, and neighborhood poverty exist in the utilization of these devices is unknown. METHODS: Retrospective cross-sectional study using the National Inpatient Sample for 2012-2017. Logistic regression models were used to examine predictors of use of temporary MCS devices and for in-hospital mortality, clustering by hospital-year. RESULTS: Our study population included 109,327 admissions for cardiogenic shock. Overall, 14.3% of admissions received an intra-aortic balloon pump, 4.2% a percutaneous ventricular assist device, and 1.8% extracorporeal membranous oxygenation (ECMO). After adjusting for age, comorbidities, and hospital characteristics, use of temporary MCS was lower in women compared to men (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 0.76, P < .001), Black patients compared to white ones (aOR = 0.73, P < .001), those insured by Medicare (aOR = 0.75, P < .001), Medicaid (aOR = 0.74, P < .001), or uninsured (aOR = 0.90, P = .015) compared to privately insured, and those in the lowest income neighborhoods (aOR = 0.94, P = .003) versus other neighborhoods. Women, admissions covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or uninsured, and those from low-income neighborhoods also had higher mortality rates even after adjustment for MCS implantation. CONCLUSIONS: There are differences in the use of temporary MCS in the setting of cardiogenic shock among specific populations within the United States. The growing use of MCS for treating cardiogenic shock highlights the need to better understand its impact on outcomes.

Claims-based Frailty Indices: A Systematic Review.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to evaluate claims-based frailty indices (CFIs) used to assess frailty on a population-based level. BACKGROUND: Frailty is a key determinant of patient outcomes, independent of demographics and comorbidities. Measuring frailty in large populations has implications for targeted interventions, public reporting, and risk adjustment. Frailty indices based on administrative data in health insurance claims allow such population-level assessments of frailty. METHODS: We used PubMed to search for studies that: (1) were development or validation studies of a CFI that predicted frailty; and (2) used only diagnosis codes within administrative claims or health services claims. We evaluated the CFIs on 6 axes: databases used to build the CFIs; variables used to designate frailty; methods used to build the CFIs; model performance for predicting frailty; model relationship to clinical outcomes; and model limitations. RESULTS: We included 17 studies. They showed variation in the claims codes used to designate frailty, although themes like limited mobility and neurological and psychiatric impairment were common to most. C-statistics demonstrated an overall strong ability to predict patient frailty and adverse clinical outcomes. All CFIs demonstrated strong associations between frailty and poor outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: While each CFI has unique strengths and limitations, they also all had striking similarities. Some CFIs have been more broadly used and validated than others. The major takeaway from this review is that frailty is a clinically relevant, highly predictive syndrome that should be incorporated into clinical risk prediction when feasible.

The effect of an on-site vision examination on adherence to vision screening recommendations.

Vision screenings are intended to efficiently identify students with possible visual impairment and initiate a referral for diagnosis and treatment. In many cases, at-risk students do not access the recommended care or experience delays in receiving care. The purpose of this article is to report the effect on adherence to vision screening recommendations by providing the eye examination at the students' school and at no cost. Of the 1,306 students screened, 382 (29.2%) were identified with possible visual impairment. Parental consent for examination was obtained for 198 (51.8%) students. Our vision screening and examination program yielded similar adherence to follow-up as stand-alone vision screening programs. Future program considerations should address perceptual barriers that may be contributing to parental nonadherence to vision screening recommendations.

Risk of delivery complications among pregnant people experiencing housing insecurity.

BACKGROUND: Housing insecurity is increasingly being recognized as an important social determinant of health. Pregnant individuals experiencing housing insecurity may represent a particularly vulnerable subset of this population, but few studies have examined this population nationally. In particular, racial and ethnic minority individuals may be at risk for poor outcomes within this group because of structural racism and discrimination. The introduction of the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes related to social determinants of health represent a new opportunity to identify patients with housing insecurity nationally. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of and delivery outcomes for pregnant people experiencing housing insecurity, both nationally and by race and ethnicity. STUDY DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study using data from the 2016 to 2018 National Inpatient Sample. Delivery hospitalizations for people experiencing housing insecurity were identified using the International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis code Z59. Among hospitals that coded at least 1 delivery for a patient with housing insecurity, logistic regression models were used to assess the odds of severe maternal morbidity associated with housing insecurity, adjusting for clinical risk and pregnancy characteristics. RESULTS: Of 539,950 delivery hospitalizations, 1820 hospitalizations (0.3%) were for patients with housing insecurity. Compared to deliveries for patients with housing security, deliveries for patients with housing insecurity were more likely for patients who identified as Black (34.8% vs 18.1%; P<.001) and who had Medicaid insurance (83.5% vs 46.2%; P<.001). People with housing insecurity were more likely to have comorbidities and higher-risk pregnancies, including higher rates of substance use disorders (54.0% vs 6.9%), major mental health disorders (37.5% vs 8.7%), preeclampsia with severe features (7.4% vs 4.3%), and preterm birth <37 weeks gestation (23.7% vs 11.6%) (all P<.001). In regression analyses, patients with housing insecurity had more than twice the odds of severe maternal morbidity than patients with housing security during the delivery hospitalization (odds ratio, 2.17; 95% confidence interval, 1.75-2.68). After adjusting for clinical risk and pregnancy characteristics, the differences were attenuated overall (adjusted odds ratio, 1.17; 95% confidence interval, 0.94-1.47) and among racial and ethnic groups (White patients: adjusted odds ratio, 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 0.95-2.03; Black patients: adjusted odds ratio, 1.05; 95% confidence interval, 0.73-1.52; Hispanic patients: adjusted odds ratio, 1.04; 95% confidence interval, 0.59-1.84; Asian or Pacific Islander or Native American or other race patients: adjusted odds ratio, 1.08; 95% confidence interval, 0.45-2.58). CONCLUSION: Pregnant individuals experiencing housing insecurity were more likely to be from groups that have been marginalized historically, had higher rates of comorbidities, and worse delivery outcomes. After risk adjustment, differences in the odds of severe maternal mortality were attenuated. Screening for housing insecurity may identify these patients earlier and connect them to services that could improve disparities in outcomes.

Reliability of the developmental eye movement test.

PURPOSE: This study evaluated the repeatability of the Developmental Eye Movement Test (DEM) with three consecutive administrations on two separate visits to 181 children between the ages of 6 years and 11 years 11 months. METHODS: Children with visual acuity of ≥ 20/25, normal binocularity, and accommodation were administered three different versions of the DEM test. One to 4 weeks after the first administration of the DEM, the children were tested again using the same order for the three versions of the DEM. Measures of within- and between-session repeatability for the vertical-adjusted time, horizontal-adjusted time, ratio, and error scores were determined. RESULTS: The within-session repeatability for vertical- and horizontal-adjusted time were good to excellent but were poor to good for ratio, and poor to fair for errors. The between-session intraclass correlation coefficients were fair to good for both the vertical and horizontal scores but poor for the ratio and error scores. The repeatability of the pass-fail diagnostic classification within a single session for each subject on test and retest was compared. The percentage of patients who remained in the same classification ranged from 71 to 100% for both vertical and horizontal scores. Wider variability was seen with the ratio and error scores showing between 47 and 100% of the children remaining classified as pass or fail with repeated administrations of the DEM. Such findings would suggest that children in this age range may show improvements in all four test scores without any intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Although the DEM is widely used in optometric practice, the results of this study suggest that clinicians should be cautious about using the DEM test in isolation for reaching a diagnosis or monitoring the effectiveness of treatment for saccadic dysfunction.

Predicting Future Utilization Using Self-Reported Health and Health Conditions in a Longitudinal Cohort Study: Implications for Health Insurance Decision Support.

Decision support techniques and online algorithms aim to help individuals predict costs and facilitate their choice of health insurance coverage. Self-reported health status (SHS), whereby patients rate their own health, could improve cost-prediction estimates without requiring individuals to share personal health information or know about undiagnosed conditions. We compared the predictive accuracy of several models: (1) SHS only, (2) a "basic" model adding health-related variables, and (3) a "full" model adding measures of healthcare access. The Medical Expenditure Panel Survey was used to predict 2015 health expenditures from 2014 data. Relative performance was assessed by comparing adjusted-R2 values and by reporting the predictive accuracy of the models for a new cohort (2015-2016 data). In the SHS-only model, those with better SHS were less likely to incur expenditures. However, after accounting for health variables, those with better SHS were more likely to incur expenses. In the full model, SHS was no longer predictive of incurring expenses. Variables indicating better access to care were associated with higher likelihood of spending and higher spending. The full model (R2 = 0.290) performed slightly better than the basic model (R2 = 0.240), but neither performed well at the upper tail of the cost distribution. While our SHS-based models perform well in the aggregate, predicting population-level risk well, they are not sufficiently accurate to guide individuals' insurance shopping decisions in all cases. Policies that rely heavily on health insurance consumers making individually optimal choices cannot assume that decision tools can accurately anticipate high costs.

Severe Maternal Morbidity, Race, and Rurality: Trends Using the National Inpatient Sample, 2012-2017.

Background: Severe maternal morbidity is related to maternal mortality and an important measure of maternal health outcomes. Our objective was to evaluate differences in rates of severe maternal morbidity and mortality (SMM&M) by rurality and race, and examine these trends over time. Materials and Methods: It involves the retrospective cohort study of delivery hospitalizations from January 1, 2012 to December 31, 2017 from the National Inpatient Sample. We identified delivery hospitalizations using International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification and International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis and procedure codes and diagnosis-related groups. We used hierarchical regression models controlling for insurance status, income, age, comorbidities, and hospital characteristics to model odds of SMM&M. Results: The eligible cohort contained 4,494,089 delivery hospitalizations. Compared with women from small cities, women in the most urban and most rural areas had higher odds of SMM&M (urban adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 1.09, 95% confidence interval [1.04-1.14]; noncore rural aOR 1.24 [1.18-1.31]). Among White women, the highest odds of SMM&M were in noncore rural counties (aOR 1.20 [1.12-1.27]), while among Black women the highest odds were in urban (aOR 1.21 [1.11-1.31]) and micropolitan areas (aOR 1.36 [1.19-1.57]). Findings were similar for Hispanic, Native American, and other race women. Rates of SMM&M increased from 2012 to 2017, especially among urban patients. Conclusions: Women in the most urban and most rural counties experienced higher odds of SMM&M, and these relationships differed by race. These findings suggest particular areas for clinical leaders and policymakers to target to reduce geographic and racial disparities in maternal outcomes.

Helpline Calls Associated With Preventable Emergency Department Utilization.

INTRODUCTION: Unmet social needs are linked with greater healthcare utilization, but most studies lack timely and granular data on these needs. The 2-1-1 helpline is a telephone helpline focused on social needs. The objective of the study is to determine whether the number of 2-1-1 requests per 1,000 people is associated with preventable emergency department visits and compare the strength of the association with another commonly used predictor, Area Deprivation Index. METHODS: This cross-sectional study linked 2-1-1 requests to emergency department visits from uninsured and Medicaid-insured patients by ZIP code for a large urban hospital system from January 1, 2016 to August 31, 2019. Negative binomial regression analysis was used to estimate the association of 2-1-1 service requests and Area Deprivation Index with preventable emergency department visits. RESULTS: A total of 233,146 preventable emergency department visits and 520,308 2-1-1 requests were analyzed. For every 1-SD increase in 2-1-1 requests per 1,000 population, preventable emergency department visits increased by a factor of 3.05, even after controlling for local area deprivation and other population characteristics (p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Requests to 2-1-1 helplines are strongly associated with preventable emergency department visits. This information may help hospital leaders and policymakers target social needs interventions to the neighborhoods with the greatest need.

Disparity vergence differences between typically occurring and concussion-related convergence insufficiency pediatric patients.

This study sought to test the hypothesis that significant differences would be observed in clinical measures, symptoms, and objective assessments of vergence eye movements between children with typically developing convergence insufficiency (TYP-CI) and children with persistent post-concussion symptoms with convergence insufficiency (PPCS-CI). Data from age-matched binocularly normal controls (BNC) were used for comparison. Data from three groups of children 11 to 17 years of age are presented: BNC (N = 11), TYP-CI (N = 10), and PPCS-CI (N = 15). Clinical measures of vergence, accommodation, and symptom severity were collected. Symmetrical 4° disparity vergence eye movements were quantified with an eye tracker integrated into a head-mounted display (Oculus DK2). Peak velocity and final response amplitude of convergence and divergence eye movement responses were assessed. The mean near point of convergence (break) was more receded (worse), the amplitude of accommodation more deficient, and convergent and divergent peak velocities slower in the PPCS-CI group compared with the TYP-CI and BNC groups. These results suggest that PPCS-CI may be a different clinical entity than TYP-CI. Hence, more research is warranted to determine whether the therapeutic interventions that are effective for TYP-CI can also be used for PPCS-CI populations.

Social Determinants of Health Improve Predictive Accuracy of Clinical Risk Models for Cardiovascular Hospitalization, Annual Cost, and Death.

BACKGROUND: Risk models in the private insurance setting may systematically underpredict in the socially disadvantaged. In this study, we sought to determine whether US minority Medicare beneficiaries had disproportionately low costs compared with their clinical outcomes and whether adding social determinants of health (SDOH) into risk prediction models improves prediction accuracy. METHODS AND RESULTS: Retrospective observational cohort study of 2016 to 2017 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey data (n=3614) linked to Medicare fee-for-service claims. Logistic and linear regressions were used to determine the relationship between race/ethnicity and annual costs of care, all-cause hospitalization, cardiovascular hospitalization, and death. We calculated the observed-to-expected (O:E) ratios for all outcomes under 4 risk models: (1) age+sex, (2) model 1+clinical comorbidity adjustment, (3) model 2+SDOH, and (4) SDOH alone. Our sample was 44% male and 11% black or Hispanic. Among minorities, adverse clinical outcomes were inversely related to cost. After multivariable adjustment, blacks/Hispanics had higher rates of cardiovascular hospitalization (incidence rate ratio, 1.78; P=0.012) but similar annual costs ($-336, P=0.77) compared with whites. Among whites, models 1 to 4 all showed similar O:E ratios, suggesting high accuracy in risk prediction using current models. Among minorities, adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities underpredicted all-cause hospitalization by 20% (O:E, 1.20) and cardiovascular hospitalization by 70% (O:E, 1.70) and overpredicted death by 21% (O:E, 0.79); adding SDOH brought O:E near 1 for all outcomes. Among both groups, the SDOH risk model alone performed with equal or superior accuracy to the model based on clinical comorbidities. CONCLUSIONS: A paradoxical relationship was observed between clinical outcomes and costs among racial and ethnic minorities. Because of systematic differences in access to care, cost may not be an appropriate surrogate for predicting clinical risk among vulnerable populations. Adjustment for SDOH improves the accuracy of risk models among racial and ethnic minorities and could guide use of prevention strategies.

Evaluating the burden of amblyopia treatment from the parent and child's perspective.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the psychometric properties of the original Parent and new Child Amblyopia Treatment Index (ATI), questionnaires that assess the burden of amblyopia treatment in children and families, and to compare scores between children treated with atropine or patching. METHODS: Parent ATI and Child ATI were administered to 233 children 7 to <13 years old and their parents as part of a randomized trial comparing patching and atropine for amblyopia treatment. For each ATI version, construct validity was assessed using factor analysis; internal consistency reliability was assessed using Cronbach's alpha. Data from the Parent ATI and Child ATI were correlated and scores for each version were compared between treatment groups. RESULTS: We analyzed the 3 subscales found in prior Parent ATI studies in younger children and confirmed subscales for adverse effects and treatment compliance, but not for social stigma, in both parent and child versions. Overall and subscale scores on the Parent ATI and Child ATI were moderately to well correlated except for the social stigma subscale. For both the Parent ATI and the Child ATI, children treated with atropine had better scores than those treated with patching, both overall and on treatment compliance and social stigma subscales (all p values ≤ 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: When used for children 7 to <13 years old, the Parent ATI and Child ATI have similar factor structures to each other and to the Parent ATI for children 3 to <7 years old. Atropine treatment was found to have less negative impact than patching.