Comparing Treatment Effectiveness and Patient-Reported Outcome Measures of Four Treatment Options for Obstructive Sleep Apnea.

BACKGROUND: Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), mandibular advancement device (MAD), upper airway stimulation (UAS), and maxillomandibular advancement (MMA) are techniques to reduce apnea hypopnea index (AHI) in obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) patients. Current literature does not include a direct comparison of the 4 methods. PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to measure and compare the efficacy of 4 common OSA treatments: CPAP, MAD, UAS, MMA. STUDY DESIGN, SETTING, SAMPLE: This retrospective cohort study examines data from 119 patients treated at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia receiving CPAP, MAD, UAS, or MMA between January 2018 and December 2020. Patients were excluded for significant medical comorbidities, body mass index ≥45, cognitive limitations, central/mixed apnea history, or pregnancy. PREDICTOR VARIABLES: The primary predictor variable was type of OSA intervention: CPAP, MAD, UAS, MMA. Treatments were assigned by treating physicians per their presenting OSA severity. MAIN OUTCOME VARIABLES: The primary outcome variable was efficacy defined as the therapeutic response to treatment measured using mean disease alleviation, a calculated variable (percentage) which employs post-treatment AHI adjusted by compliance (a measure of a patient's device use). Secondary therapeutic measures included remaining AHI and patient-reported outcome measures: Epworth Sleepiness Scale, Sleep Apnea Quality of Life Index, Patient-reported Apnea Questionnaire. COVARIATES: Demographic covariates included age, sex, height, weight, socioeconomic status, level of education, neck size, race, and body mass index. Clinical covariates included pretreatment AHI, AHI change, O2 nadir, adjusted compliance, and compliance. ANALYSES: Multivariate statistics were computed with alpha level of 0.05, including a regression with the primary outcome variables, treatment variables, and potential covariates. RESULTS: The sample included 119 subjects (mean age = 56.12, standard deviation [SD] = 5.81) with males at n = 72 (60%). MMA demonstrated greatest mean disease alleviation (M = 36.08, SD = 28.56), compared to UAS (M = 22.88, SD = 3.16), MAD (M = 6.80, SD = 8.13), and CPAP (M = 5.00, SD = 14.80), analysis of variance: P < .001. CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE: Both surgical treatments displayed significantly greater effectiveness than CPAP and MAD, suggesting that offering surgical alternatives sooner, particularly to those with severe OSA, may be logical in formulating more effective treatment guidelines.

Patient Markers of Successful Diabetes Management.

PURPOSE: For individuals with diabetes, diabetes health status may not align with A1C targets. Patients may use nonclinical targets when assessing their diabetes management success. Identifying these targets is important in developing patient-centered management plans. The purpose of this study was to identify patient markers of successful diabetes management among patients in an urban academic health system. METHODS: A secondary analysis of semistructured interviews was completed with 89 adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. Participants had a recent diabetes-related emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalization or were primary care patients with an A1C >7.5%. Interviews were conducted to saturation. Demographic data were collected via self-report and electronic medical records. Interviews were analyzed using conventional content analysis. This analysis focused on patient perceptions of successful management coded to "measuring management success." RESULTS: Although most participants cited A1C or blood glucose as a marker of successful diabetes management, they had varied understanding of these metrics. Most used a combination of targets from the following categories: 1) A1C, blood glucose, and numbers; 2) engagement in medical care; 3) taking medication and medication types; 4) symptoms; 5) diet, exercise, and weight; and 6) stress management and social support. CONCLUSION: Individuals not meeting glycemic goals and/or with recent diabetes-related ED visits or hospitalizations had varied understanding of A1C and blood glucose targets. They use multiple additional markers of successful management and had a desire for management discussions that incorporate these markers. These measures should be incorporated into their care plans along with clinical targets.

Contrasting cumulative risk and multiple individual risk models of the relationship between Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and adult health outcomes.

BACKGROUND: A very large body of research documents relationships between self-reported Adverse Childhood Experiences (srACEs) and adult health outcomes. Despite multiple assessment tools that use the same or similar questions, there is a great deal of inconsistency in the operationalization of self-reported childhood adversity for use as a predictor variable. Alternative conceptual models are rarely used and very limited evidence directly contrasts conceptual models to each other. Also, while a cumulative numeric 'ACE Score' is normative, there are differences in the way it is calculated and used in statistical models. We investigated differences in model fit and performance between the cumulative ACE Score and a 'multiple individual risk' (MIR) model that enters individual ACE events together into prediction models. We also investigated differences that arise from the use of different strategies for coding and calculating the ACE Score. METHODS: We merged the 2011-2012 BRFSS data (N = 56,640) and analyzed 3 outcomes. We compared descriptive model fit metrics and used Vuong's test for model selection to arrive at best fit models using the cumulative ACE Score (as both a continuous or categorical variable) and the MIR model, and then statistically compared the best fit models to each other. RESULTS: The multiple individual risk model was a better fit than the categorical ACE Score for the 'lifetime history of depression' outcome. For the outcomes of obesity and cardiac disease, the cumulative risk and multiple individual risks models were of comparable fit, but yield different and complementary inferences. CONCLUSIONS: Additional information-rich inferences about ACE-health relationships can be obtained from including a multiple individual risk modeling strategy. Results suggest that investigators working with large srACEs data sources could empirically derive the number of items, as well as the exposure coding strategy, that are a best fit for the outcome under study. A multiple individual risk model could also be considered in addition to the cumulative risk model, potentially in place of estimation of unadjusted ACE-outcome relationships.

What Do Adults Think About Their Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), and Does It Matter?

We examined the self-reported adulthood impact of adverse childhood experiences (ACE's), including both the amount (magnitude) and type (valence positive or negative) of impact reported, in order to characterize variability in impact ratings, as well as to quantify their predictive ability with respect to health outcomes. We descriptively characterized impact by type of event and analyzed associations between impact ratings and demographic characteristics of respondents to explore resilience. We also analyzed the relationships between impact ratings and health outcomes. We found that, while there was wide variability in impact ratings, emotional abuse was rated as the most impactful in magnitude, and sexual and emotional abuse were rated as the most negatively impactful in terms of valence. We further found that impact ratings are predictive of adult health outcomes above and beyond the experience of the events alone. We conclude that perceived impact is a potentially important variable to include when self-reported ACEs are assessed.

The effect of diabetes self-management education on HbA1c and quality of life in African-Americans: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes presents a major morbidity and mortality burden in the United States. Diabetes self-management education (DSME) is an intervention associated with improved hemoglobin A1c(HbA1c) and quality of life(QOL), and is recommended for all individuals with type 2 diabetes. African-Americans have disproportionate type 2 diabetes morbidity and mortality, yet no prior meta-analyses have examined DSME outcomes exclusively in this population. This systematic review and meta-analysis examined the impact of DSME on HbA1c and QOL in African-Americans compared to usual care. METHODS: Randomized controlled trials, cluster-randomized trials, and quasi-experimental interventions were included. 352 citations were retrieved; 279 abstracts were reviewed, and 44 full-text articles were reviewed. Fourteen studies were eligible for systematic review and 8 for HbA1c meta-analysis; QOL measures were too heterogeneous to pool. Heterogeneity of HbA1c findings was assessed with Cochran's Q and I2. RESULTS: HbA1c weighted mean difference between intervention and usual care participants was not significant: - 0.08%[- 0.40-0.23];χ2 = 84.79 (p < .001), I2 = 92%, (n = 1630). Four of five studies measuring QOL reported significant improvements for intervention participants. CONCLUSIONS: Meta-analysis results showed non-significant effect of DSME on HbA1c in African-Americans. QOL did show improvement and is an important DSME outcome to measure in future trials. Further research is needed to understand effectiveness of DSME on HbA1c in this population. TRIAL REGISTRATION: PROSPERO registration: CRD42017057282 .

Association of Prediabetes Status Awareness With Behaviors and Perception of Health.

INTRODUCTION: Lifestyle modification can significantly reduce the risk of developing diabetes. However, the effect of prediabetes status awareness on perceptions of health and health behaviors are mixed. We used the 2015 to 2016 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) data to evaluate the association of prediabetes status awareness with self-reported perception of health and health behaviors. METHODS: A secondary analysis was performed on the 2015 to 2016 NHANES, which is a biannual, cross-sectional survey designed to be representative of the civilian, noninstitutionalized United States population. Survey participants were interviewed at home and invited to a mobile examination center to undergo examinations and laboratory measurements. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were applied to create prediabetes-aware and prediabetes-unaware groups. The groups were propensity-score matched based on Body Mass Index, A1c, race, and education. Measures of health perception and health behaviors were analyzed, including feeling at risk for developing diabetes, general health status, perception of weight, desire to lose weight, dietary behaviors, and physical activity behaviors. RESULTS: Participants who were prediabetes aware were more likely to report a perceived risk of diabetes and to consider themselves overweight. Prediabetes awareness was not associated with any difference in dietary or physical activity behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Although participants who were aware of their prediabetes status were more likely to report a perceived threat of developing diabetes, they did not report increased engagement in health behaviors. Future research can better understand how these aspects of a health belief model affect engagement in health behaviors for people with prediabetes.

Adaptation and implementation of cognitive behavioral intervention for trauma in schools with American Indian youth.

American Indian adolescents experience higher rates of suicide and psychological distress than the overall U.S. adolescent population, and research suggests that these disparities are related to higher rates of violence and trauma exposure. Despite elevated risk, there is limited empirical information to guide culturally appropriate treatment of trauma and related symptoms. We report a pilot study of an adaptation to the Cognitive Behavioral Intervention for Trauma in Schools in a sample of 24 American Indian adolescents. Participants experienced significant decreases in anxiety and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms, and avoidant coping strategies, as well as a marginally significant decrease in depression symptoms. Improvements in anxiety and depression were maintained 6 months postintervention; improvements in posttraumatic stress disorder and avoidant coping strategies were not.

Development and preliminary validation of a scale to measure patient uncertainty: The "Uncertainty Scale".

Research suggests that patient uncertainty related to experiencing symptoms may drive decisions to seek care. The only validated measure of patient uncertainty assesses uncertainty related to defined illness. In prior work, we engaged patients to describe uncertainty related to symptoms and used findings to develop the 'U-Scale' scale. In this work, we present results from preliminary scale reliability and validity testing. Psychometric testing demonstrated content validity, high internal consistency, and evidence for concurrent validity. Next steps include administration in diverse populations for continued refinement and validation, and exploration of the potential contribution of uncertainty to healthcare utilization.

Identifying Older Patients at High Risk for Emergency Department Visits and Hospitalization.

Hospitalizations are costly, potentially hazardous for older patients, and sometimes preventable. With Medicare's implementation of hospital penalties for 30-day readmissions on certain index conditions, health care organizations have prioritized addressing those issues that lead to avoidable hospitalizations. Little is known about the utility and feasibility of using standardized tools to identify adults at risk for hospitalizations in primary care. In this study, the goal was to determine, from a sample of 60 adults aged 65 and older, whether the Probability of Repeat Admission (PRA), the Vulnerable Elders Survey (VES-13), or a provider estimate of likelihood of hospitalization could identify patients at high risk for emergency department (ED) visits or hospitalization at 6 and 12 months, while being feasible to administer in a primary care setting. PRA, VES-13, and provider estimate were administered in an outpatient practice. Number of ED visits and hospitalizations at 6 and 12 months were assessed through follow-up phone calls and chart review. PRA and provider estimate were not significant predictors of hospitalizations at 6 months (PRA odds ratio [OR] 1.95; P = 0.39; physician estimate OR 4.33, P = 0.08), but were at 12 months (PRA OR 6.00; P < 0.001; physician estimate OR 2.3; P < 0.05). Additionally, a hospitalization during the prior year was not a significant predictor of hospitalization at 6 months (OR 2.97; P = 0.15) but was at 12 months (OR 3.89, P < 0.05). No tool was a significant predictor of ED visits at either time. PRA and the physician estimate were easy to administer and feasible to implement in a primary care setting.

Patient Uncertainty as a Predictor of 30-day Return Emergency Department Visits: An Observational Study.

OBJECTIVE: The objective was to examine the relationship between patient uncertainty at the time of emergency department (ED) discharge as measured by the "Uncertainty Scale" (U-Scale) and 30-day return ED visits. We hypothesized that a higher score on the U-Scale predicts a higher likelihood of a 30-day return ED visit. METHODS: This was a cross-sectional single-site pilot study performed with adult patients discharged from an urban academic ED to assess the relationship of U-Scale total and subscale scores with 30-day return ED visits. We collected demographic and U-Scale scores at the time of ED discharge and subsequent 30-day ED utilization data by follow-up telephone call. RESULTS: No association was found between the total U-Scale score and subsequent ED utilization. Patients with higher uncertainty on the Treatment Quality subscale of the U-Scale had higher odds of a 30-day return ED visit (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 1.16), while patients with lower uncertainty on the Decision to Seek Care subscale had higher odds of a 30-day return ED visit (AOR = 0.68). CONCLUSION: Patient uncertainty as measured by the U-Scale total score was not predictive of subsequent ED utilization. However, uncertainty related to treatment quality and the decision to seek care as measured by the U-Scale subscales may be important in predicting repeat ED utilization. Unlike individual patient factors such as age and race that have been associated with frequent ED visits in prior studies, these domains of uncertainty are potentially modifiable. Providers and health systems may successfully prevent recurrent acute care encounters through implementation of interventions designed to address patient uncertainty. Further work is needed to refine the U-Scale and test its predictive utility among a larger patient cohort.

Exploring patient-centeredness: The relationship between self-reported empathy and patient-centered communication in medical trainees.

OBJECTIVE: To explore the relationships between self-reported Empathy and the patient-centered communication patterns of physician trainees. METHODS: "Eighty-four 3rd year medical students completed the Jefferson Scale of Empathy (JSE - student version) and had recordings of a single OSCE analyzed using the Roter Interactional Analysis System (RIAS). Correlation and regression were employed to explore the relationships among JSE total score, 3 JSE subscales, 10 composite codes of provider communication, and a summary 'patient centered communication' ratio, reflecting the balance of psychosocial and emotional to biomedical communication of the simulated patient and student. RESULTS: Results indicate that controlling for other elements of student communication, the RIAS composite of codes reflecting 'emotional responsiveness' (characterized by empathy statements, legitimization, showing concern, partnership statements and medically relevant provider self-disclosure) was positively related to the JSE Total Score while student 'question asking' and 'biomedical counseling' were negatively related to the JSE Score. RIAS-coded communication variables accounted for 32.4% of the JSE Total score. CONCLUSION: The relationship between student expressions of emotional responsiveness and predicted self-reported empathy provides concurrent validation evidence for the JSE. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Further research is needed in order to elaborate and further explore a Patient-Centeredness latent variable.

Practicing safety: a quality improvement intervention to test tools to enhance pediatric psychosocial care for children 0-3 years.

BACKGROUND: Child maltreatment is a significant public health issue in the United States. Yet, fewer than half of pediatricians discuss behavioral, developmental, or parenting issues with parents. OBJECTIVE: This paper describes the testing of bundles of tools and processes, part of a larger intervention, Practicing Safety, targeted at changing physician and staff behavior to identify families at risk for child maltreatment, provide anticipatory guidance, refer to community resources, and follow-up and track at-risk families. The intervention was implemented with 14 pediatric primary care practices throughout the United States; the study was completed in 2011. METHODS: A within-subjects repeated measures pre-post follow-up design was used to evaluate the intervention. Baseline and repeated measurements of pediatric practices' processes were collected using qualitative and quantitative methods. In total, 14 core improvement teams from across the country tested three bundles of tools (maternal, infant, toddler) within a quality improvement framework over seven months. RESULTS: Quantitative results showed statistically significant adoption of tools and processes and enhancement of practice behaviors and office environmental supports. The increase in tool use was immediate and was sustained for six months after implementation. Qualitative data provided insight as to how meaningful the intervention was to the core improvement teams, especially with more complicated behaviors (eg, engaging social workers or community agencies for referrals). Barriers included lack of community resources. Findings showed unanticipated outcomes such as helping practices to become medical homes. CONCLUSION: Lessons learned included that practices appreciate and can adopt brief interventions that have meaningful and useful tools and process to enhance psychosocial care for children 0-3 and that do not place a burden on pediatric practice. An innovative, quality improvement strategy, intuitive to pediatricians, with a brief intervention may help prevent child maltreatment.

Visual processing of facial affect.

To evaluate the role of the fusiform gyrus in identifying and processing facial emotional expression in humans, MEG data were collected while six healthy subjects judged whether photographs of faces displayed emotion (happiness or disgust) compared to neutral faces and equiluminant scrambled faces. For all six subjects, a magnetic source localizing to right fusiform gyrus was evident approximately 150 ms following presentation of face stimuli, but not following non-face stimuli. MEG source strength for this component was greatest for happy, intermediate for disgust, and lowest for neutral facial expressions, suggesting that activity in fusiform gyrus is sensitive to both face-specific stimuli and to the affective content of the face. These findings are considered in the context of a specialized neural face-dependent information system.

A primary care-public health partnership addressing homelessness, serious mental illness, and health disparities.

BACKGROUND: People with histories of homelessness and serious mental illness experience profound health disparities. Housing First is an evidenced-based practice that is working to end homelessness for these individuals through a combination of permanent housing and community-based supports. METHODS: The Jefferson Department of Family and Community Medicine and a Housing First agency, Pathways to Housing-PA, has formed a partnership to address multiple levels of health care needs for this group. We present a preliminary program evaluation of this partnership using the framework of the patient-centered medical home and the "10 Essential Public Health Services." RESULTS: Preliminary program evaluation results suggest that this partnership is evolving to function as an integrated person-centered health home and an effective local public health monitoring system. CONCLUSION: The Pathways to Housing-PA/Jefferson Department of Family and Community Medicine partnership represents a community of solution, and multiple measures provide preliminary evidence that this model is feasible and can address the "grand challenges" of integrated community health services.

INVOLVING PARENTS IN A COMMUNITY-BASED, CULTURALLY-GROUNDED MENTAL HEALTH INTERVENTION FOR AMERICAN INDIAN YOUTH: PARENT PERSPECTIVES, CHALLENGES, AND RESULTS.

An important predictor of youth well-being and resilience is the presence of nurturing adults in a youth's life. Parents are ideally situated to fulfill this role but often face challenges and stressors that impede their ability to provide adequate support and guidance. American Indian parents may also be affected by intergenerational transmission of trauma and loss of traditional parenting practices, as a result of forced boarding school and/or relocation. Members of a community-university partnership sought to interrupt cycles of violence and poor mental health of youth through a culturally-grounded intervention for youth and their parents that focused on healing historical trauma, strengthening positive parenting practices and social skills, reconnecting to traditional cultural knowledge, and improving parent-child relationships/communication. This article describes parental involvement and its challenges and provides mixed-method results for 10 parents related to enculturation, parenting practices, parent-child communication, family cohesion, historical loss and associated symptoms, and community involvement.