Caring for high-need patients.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to explore the construct of "high need" and identify common need domains among high-need patients, their care professionals, and healthcare organizations; and to describe the interventions that health care systems use to address these needs, including exploring the potential unintended consequences of interventions. METHODS: We conducted a modified Delphi panel informed by an environmental scan. Expert stakeholders included patients, interdisciplinary healthcare practitioners (physicians, social workers, peer navigators), implementation scientists, and policy makers. The environmental scan used a rapid literature review and semi-structured interviews with key informants who provide healthcare for high-need patients. We convened a day-long virtual panel meeting, preceded and followed by online surveys to establish consensus. RESULTS: The environmental scan identified 46 systematic reviews on high-need patients, 19 empirical studies documenting needs, 14 intervention taxonomies, and 9 studies providing construct validity for the concept "high need." Panelists explored the construct and terminology and established that individual patients' needs are unique, but areas of commonality exist across all high-need patients. Panelists agreed on 11 domains describing patient (e.g., social circumstances), 5 care professional (e.g., communication), and 8 organizational (e.g., staffing arrangements) needs. Panelists developed a taxonomy of interventions with 15 categories (e.g., care navigation, care coordination, identification and monitoring) directed at patients, care professionals, or the organization. The project identified potentially unintended consequences of interventions for high-need patients, including high costs incurred for patients, increased time and effort for care professionals, and identification of needs without resources to respond appropriately. CONCLUSIONS: Care for high-need patients requires a thoughtful approach; differentiating need domains provides multiple entry points for interventions directed at patients, care professionals, and organizations. Implementation efforts should consider outlined intended and unintended downstream effects on patients, care professionals, and organizations.

Barriers and facilitators of colorectal cancer screening using the 5As framework: A systematic review of US studies.

Despite clear evidence that regular screening reduces colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality and the availability of multiple effective screening options, CRC screening continues to be underutilized in the US. A systematic literature search of four databases - Ovid, Medline, EBSCHOhost, and Web of Science - was conducted to identify US studies published after 2017 that reported on barriers and facilitators to CRC screening adherence. Articles were extracted to categorize relevant CRC screening barriers or facilitators that were assessed against CRC screening outcomes using the 5As dimensions: Access, Affordability, Acceptance, Awareness, Activation. Sixty-one studies were included. Fifty determinants of screening within the 5As framework and two additional dimensions including Sociodemographics and Health Status were identified. The Sociodemographics, Access, and Affordability dimensions had the greatest number of studies included. The most common factor in the Access dimension was contact with healthcare systems, within the Affordability dimension was insurance, within the Awareness dimension was knowledge CRC screening, within the Acceptance dimension was health beliefs, within the Activation dimension was prompts and reminders, within the Sociodemographics dimension was race/ethnicity, and among the Health Status dimension was chronic disease history. Among all studies, contact with healthcare systems, insurance, race/ethnicity, age, and education were the most common factors identified. CRC screening barriers and facilitators were identified across individual, clinical, and sociocontextual levels. Interventions that consider multilevel strategies will most effectively increase CRC screening adherence.

Improving Patient Selection and Prioritization for Hospital at Home Through Predictive Modeling.

Hospital at home is designed to offer patients hospital level care in the comfort of their own home. The process by which clinicians select eligible patients that are clinically and socially appropriate for this model of care requires labor-intensive manual chart reviews. We addressed this problem by providing a predictive model, web application, and data pipeline that produces an eligibility score based on a set of clinical and social factors that influence patients' success in the program. Providers used this predictive model to prioritize the order in which they perform chart reviews and patient screenings. Training performance area under the curve (AUC) was 0.77. Testing 'in production' had an AUC of 0.75. Admission criteria in training rapidly changed over the course of the study due to the novelty of the clinical model. The current algorithm successfully identified many inconsistencies in enrollment and has streamlined the process of patient identification.

Allocation of scarce resources in a pandemic: rapid systematic review update of strategies for policymakers.

OBJECTIVE: In pandemics like COVID-19, the need for medical resources quickly outpaces available supply. policymakers need strategies to inform decisions about allocating scarce resources. STUDY DESIGN AND SETTING: We updated a systematic review on evidence-based approaches and searched databases through May 2020 for evaluation of strategies for policymakers. RESULTS: The 201 identified studies evaluated reducing demand for healthcare, optimizing existing resources, augmenting resources, and adopting crisis standards of care. Most research exists to reduce demand (n = 149); 39 higher quality studies reported benefits of contact tracing, school closures, travel restrictions, and mass vaccination. Of 28 strategies to augment resources, 6 higher quality studies reported effectiveness of establishing temporary facilities, use of volunteers, and decision support software. Of 23 strategies to optimize existing resources, 12 higher quality studies reported successful scope of work expansions and building on existing interagency agreements. Of 15 COVID-19 studies, 5 higher quality studies reported on combinations of policies and benefits of community-wide mask policies. CONCLUSION: Despite the volume, the evidence base is limited; few strategies were empirically tested in robust study designs. The review provides a comprehensive overview of the effects of strategies to allocate resources and provides critical appraisal to identify the best available evidence.

Perioperative Management of the Facelift Patient.

In this article, the authors set out to lay a foundation for successful perioperative management of the facelift patient. They describe the changes of normal facial aging in an attempt to help one recognize the universal way the face is affected by aging. Having a clear understanding of these factors may help to guide the physician with procedures necessary to offer the patient for a desired outcome. Also, the authors emphasize the preoperative assessment and postoperative care necessary to ensure a successful, low-risk operation with minimal downtime and beautiful results, meeting the patient's expectations.

How Compliance Measures, Behavior Modification, and Continuous Quality Improvement Led to Routine HIV Screening in an Emergency Department in Brooklyn, New York.

OBJECTIVE: New York State adopted a new HIV testing law in 2010 requiring medical providers to offer an HIV test to all eligible patients aged 13-64 years during emergency room or ambulatory care visits. Since then, Wyckoff Heights Medical Center (WHMC) in Brooklyn, New York, began implementing routine HIV screening organization-wide using a compliance, behavior-modification, and continuous quality-improvement process. METHODS: WHMC first implemented HIV screening in the emergency department (ED) and evaluated progress with the following monthly indicators: HIV tests offered, HIV tests accepted, HIV tests ordered (starting in December 2013), HIV tests administered, positive HIV tests, and linkage to HIV care. Compliance with the delivery of HIV testing was determined by the proportion of patients who, after accepting a test, received one. RESULTS: During August 2013 through July 2014, of 57,852 eligible patients seen in the WHMC ED, a total of 31,423 (54.3%) were offered an HIV test. Of those, 8,229 (26.2%) patients accepted a test. Of those, 6,114 (74.3%) underwent a test. A total of 26 of the 6,114 patients tested (0.4%) had a positive test, and 24 of the 26 HIV-positive patients were linked to HIV medical care. By July 2014, the monthly proportion of patients offered a test was 62%; the proportion of those offered a test who had a test ordered was 98%, and the proportion of those with a test ordered who were tested was 81%. Testing compliance increased substantially at the WHMC ED, from 77% in December 2013 to >98% in July 2014. CONCLUSION: Using compliance-monitoring, behavior-modification, and continuous quality-improvement processes produced substantial increases in offers and HIV test completion. WHMC is replicating this approach across departments, and other hospitals implementing routine HIV screening programs should consider this approach as well.

Osteopathic manipulative treatment for inpatients with pulmonary exacerbations of cystic fibrosis: effects on spirometry findings and patient assessments of breathing, anxiety, and pain.

CONTEXT: Osteopathic manipulative treatment (OMT) has been studied in patients with various respiratory diseases. However, to the authors' knowledge, no studies have assessed the efficacy of OMT in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF). OBJECTIVE: To evaluate pulmonary function and perceptions of breathing, anxiety, and pain of CF patients who receive OMT in addition to standard inpatient management of pulmonary exacerbation. METHODS: In a single-blind randomized controlled trial, we assessed adult patients with a history of CF who were admitted to the hospital because of pulmonary exacerbation. Participants were randomly assigned to receive a daily standardized protocol of OMT or sham therapy. Both groups also received standard treatment for CF. Spirometry and questionnaire data (self-assessment of breathing, pain, and anxiety level) were collected before the first OMT or sham therapy session and after the final session. RESULTS: A total of 33 patients were included in the study: 16 in the OMT group and 17 in the sham therapy group. Improvements in spirometric parameters were observed in both the OMT and the sham therapy groups, with no statistically significant differences found between the groups. More patients in the OMT group than in the sham therapy group had questionnaire response patterns that indicated their breathing had improved during the study period (15 of 16 vs 8 of 16, respectively). No differences were found between groups for perceived improvement of pain and anxiety. CONCLUSION: In the current study, CF patients who received OMT did not demonstrate statistically significant differences in pre- and posttreatment spirometry findings compared with CF patients who received sham therapy. Questionnaire findings suggest that OMT may affect CF patients' perception of overall quality of breathing. Additional studies are needed to assess the clinical use of OMT in patients with CF.

The pediatric renal transplant process: a guide for home health clinicians.

Kidneys are one of the most commonly transplanted solid organs in children. In 2008, 16,067 renal transplants were performed in the United States; of those, 773 were performed on patients under the age of 18 (2009 OPTN/SRTR Annual Report 1999-2008, 2009). The process of renal transplantation can be a long one and children and their families often endure many challenges on the road to the transplant, not to mention the adjustments that lie ahead afterward. For this reason, and because these patients benefit from home health follow-up after their transplant, it is important for home health clinicians to be knowledgeable about the renal transplant process in addition to posttransplant care.

Solvent effects on the AIBN forced degradation of cumene: Implications for forced degradation practices.

Solvent effects on the AIBN and ACVA forced degradation of cumene are explored. The degradant formation rates of the three cumene oxidative degradants, cumene hydroperoxide, acetophenone, and 2-phenyl-2-propanol are reported. The relative abundance and ratios of these three degradants provide insight into the fate of the peroxy radical oxidants generated by the forced stress system, and suggest that alkoxy radicals are actually a significant source of the observed reactivity. The presence of even 1% methanol in the forced stress solvent significantly quenches this alkoxy radical reactivity, dramatically reducing the overall degradation rate and leaving cumene hydroperoxide as the major product of the oxidation reaction. The origin of this significant solvent effect on the oxidation product distribution is shown to be related to the preferential H-atom abstraction from methanol and its trace impurities by any alkoxy radicals present in the reaction solution. The implications for these observations are explored with the intent of producing more predictive oxidative forced stress experiments.