Management of gestational hypothyroidism: results of a Brazilian survey

Objectives Evaluate the management of hypothyroidism in fertile-aged and pregnant women and compare these practices to the recommendations of the Brazilian Society of Endocrinology and Metabolism (SBEM) and the Latin American Thyroid Society, published in 2013. Materials and methods In the first trimester of 2014, SBEM made available to all members an electronic questionnaire based on clinical scenarios in the management of gestational hypothyroidism. The responses of 406 physicians, most of them endocrinologists, were analyzed. Results Eighty-one per cent of the endocrinologists screen all their pregnant patients for thyroid dysfunction, mostly during the pregestational period or after the first prenatal visit. Following screening, 82% of the respondents initiate treatment when TSH levels are > 2.5 mIU/L while 67% monitor their pregnant patients even if TSH was normal on first trimester screening. For hypothyroid women who are planning pregnancy, 96% of the clinicians are aware of the importance of adjusting the levothyroxine (LT4) dose as soon as pregnancy is confirmed. However, opinions diverge with respect to adjusting the LT4 dose before or after reassessing thyroid function. The most widely used tests for monitoring pregnant women in use of LT4 are TSH and free T4 (62%) or TSH alone (21%). Unanimously, the treatment goal is to achieve the target TSH level for each trimester of gestation. Conclusion The recommendations of the consensus statements are incorporated into the respondents’ clinical practice. It is noteworthy that the great majority of the clinicians favor universal screening.

Radiological reports: a comparison between the transmission efficiency of information in free text and in structured reports

Introduction: This work proposes to improve the transmission of information between requiring physicians and radiologists. Objectives: Evaluate the implementation of a structured report (SR) in a university hospital. Methods: A model of a structured report for thyroid sonography was developed according to information gathered from radiologists and endocrinologists working in this field. The report was based on a web platform and installed as a part of a Radiological Information System (RIS) and a Hospital Information System (HIS). The time for the report generation under the two forms was evaluated over a four-month period, two months for each method. After this period, radiologists and requiring physicians were questioned about the two methods of reporting. Results: For free text, 98 sonograms were reported to have thyroids with nodules in an average time of 8.71 (+/-4.11) minutes, and 59 sonograms of thyroids without nodules were reported in an average time of 4.54 (+/- 3.97) minutes. For SR, 73 sonograms in an average time of 6.08 (+/-3.8) minutes for thyroids with nodules and 3.67 (+/-2.51) minutes for thyroids without nodules. Most of the radiologists (76.2 percent) preferred the SR, as originally created or with suggested changes. Among endocrinologists, 80 percent preferred the SR. Discussion: From the requiring physicians' perspective, the SR enabled standardization and improved information transmission. This information is valuable because physicians need reports prepared by radiologists. Conclusions: The implementation of a SR in a university hospital, under an RIS/HIS system, was viable. Radiologists and endocrinologists preferred the SR when compared to free text, and both agreed that the former improved the transmission of information.