Postoperative intensive care allocation and mortality in high-risk surgical patients: evidence from a low- and middle-income country cohort.

BACKGROUND: The escalation of surgeries for high-risk patients in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs) lacks evidence on the positive impact of Intensive Care Unit (ICU) admission and lacks universal criteria for allocation. This study explores the link between postoperative ICU allocation and mortality in high-risk patients within a LMIC. Additionally, it assesses the Ex-Care risk model's utility in guiding postoperative allocation decisions. METHODS: A secondary analysis was conducted in a cohort of high-risk surgical patients from a 800-bed university-affiliated teaching hospital in Southern Brazil (July 2017 to January 2020). Inclusion criteria encompassed 1431 inpatients with Ex-Care Model-assessed all-cause postoperative 30-day mortality risk exceeding 5%. The study compared 30-day mortality outcomes between those allocated to the ICU and the Postanesthetic Care Unit (PACU). Outcomes were also assessed based on Ex-Care risk model classes. RESULTS: Among 1431 high-risk patients, 250 (17.47%) were directed to the ICU, resulting in 28% in-hospital 30-day mortality, compared to 8.9% in the PACU. However, ICU allocation showed no independent effect on mortality (RR = 0.91; 95% CI 0.68‒1.20). Patients in the highest Ex-Care risk class (Class IV) exhibited a substantial association with mortality (RR = 2.11; 95% CI 1.54-2.90) and were more frequently admitted to the ICU (23.3% vs. 13.1%). CONCLUSION: Patients in the highest Ex-Care risk class and those with complications faced elevated mortality risk, irrespective of allocation. Addressing the unmet need for adaptable postoperative care for high-risk patients outside the ICU is crucial in LMICs. Further research is essential to refine criteria and elucidate the utility of risk assessment tools like the Ex-Care model in assisting allocation decisions.

Development and validation of the Ex-Care BR model: a multicentre initiative for identifying Brazilian surgical patients at risk of 30-day in-hospital mortality.

BACKGROUND: Surgical risk stratification is crucial for enhancing perioperative assistance and allocating resources efficiently. However, existing models may not capture the complexity of surgical care in Brazil. Using data from various healthcare settings nationwide, we developed a new risk model for 30-day in-hospital mortality (the Ex-Care BR model). METHODS: A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 10 hospitals from different geographic regions in Brazil. Data were analysed using multilevel logistic regression models. Model performance was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), Brier score, and calibration plots. Derivation and validation cohorts were randomly assigned. RESULTS: A total of 107,372 patients were included, and 30-day in-hospital mortality was 2.1% (n=2261). The final risk model comprised four predictors related to the patient and surgery (age, ASA physical status classification, surgical urgency, and surgical size), and the random effect related to hospitals. The model showed excellent discrimination (AUROC=0.93, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.93-0.94), calibration, and overall performance (Brier score=0.017) in the derivation cohort (n=75,094). Similar results were observed in the validation cohort (n=32,278) (AUROC=0.93, 95% CI, 0.92-0.93). CONCLUSIONS: The Ex-Care BR is the first model to consider regional and organisational peculiarities of the Brazilian surgical scene, in addition to patient and surgical factors. It is particularly useful for identifying high-risk surgical patients in situations demanding efficient allocation of limited resources. However, a thorough exploration of mortality variations among hospitals is essential for a comprehensive understanding of risk. CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION: NCT05796024.

The brief measure of preoperative emotional stress screens preoperative maladaptive psychological features and predicts postoperative opioid use: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: The Brief Measure of Preoperative Emotional Stress (B-MEPS) is a suitable screening tool for Preoperative Emotional Stress (PES). However, personalized decision-making demands practical interpretation of the refined version of B-MEPS. Thus, we propose and validate cut-off points on the B-MEPS to classify PES. Also, we assessed if the cut-off points screened preoperative maladaptive psychological features and predicted postoperative opioid use. METHODS: This observational study comprises samples of two other primary studies, with 1009 and 233 individuals, respectively. The latent class analysis derived emotional stress subgroups using B-MEPS items. We compared membership with the B-MEPS score through the Youden index. Concurrent criterion validity of the cut-off points was performed with the severity of preoperative depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing, central sensitization, and sleep quality. Predictive criterion validity was performed with opioid use after surgery. RESULTS: We chose a model with three classes labeled mild, moderate, and severe. The Youden index points -0.1663 and 0.7614 of the B-MEPS score classify individuals, in the severe class, with a sensitivity of 85.7% (80.1%-90.3%) and specificity of 93.5% (91.5-95.1%). The cut-off points of the B-MEPS score have satisfactory concurrent and predictive criterion validity. CONCLUSIONS: These findings showed that the preoperative emotional stress index on the B-MEPS offers suitable sensitivity and specificity for discriminating the severity of preoperative psychological stress. They provide a simple tool to identify patients prone to severe PES related to maladaptive psychological features, which might influence the perception of pain and analgesic opioid use in the postoperative period.

Mobile Application Increased Nutrition Knowledge Among Brazilian Physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To assess whether using a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet recommendation application increases primary care physicians' knowledge and dietary counseling skills. DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Brazilian public primary care service. PARTICIPANTS: Two hundred and twenty-two physicians (intervention group: n = 111; control group: n = 111). INTERVENTION: Thirty days of using the Dieta Dash application. The application provides information about nutritional recommendations for hypertension management. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Nutrition knowledge score. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: self-assessment of knowledge, self-confidence, assessment of eating habits, and barriers to dietary counseling. ANALYSIS: Linear mixed-effects models for repeated measures and generalized estimating equations for comparing changes between groups. RESULTS: A total of 66.2% of participants completed the follow-up. There was no significant difference between the groups regarding the mean knowledge score (P = 0.15). The prevalence of high knowledge increased by 12% (prevalence ratio [PR] = 1.12; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.25) in the intervention group and showed an improvement in the self-confidence assessment (PR = 1.21; 95% CI, 1.02-1.44), and increased assessment of eating habits (PR = 1.26; 95% CI, 1.10-1.55). CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The Dieta Dash application helped address dietary counseling, improving knowledge and self-confidence. However, innovative strategies are needed to minimize the primary care barriers.

The brief measure of preoperative emotional stress screens preoperative maladaptive psychological features and predicts postoperative opioid use: an observational study

Abstract Background: The Brief Measure of Preoperative Emotional Stress (B-MEPS) is a suitable screening tool for Preoperative Emotional Stress (PES). However, personalized decision-making demands practical interpretation of the refined version of B-MEPS. Thus, we propose and validate cut-off points on the B-MEPS to classify PES. Also, we assessed if the cut-off points screened preoperative maladaptive psychological features and predicted postoperative opioid use. Methods: This observational study comprises samples of two other primary studies, with 1009 and 233 individuals, respectively. The latent class analysis derived emotional stress subgroups using B-MEPS items. We compared membership with the B-MEPS score through the Youden index. Concurrent criterion validity of the cut-off points was performed with the severity of preoperative depressive symptoms, pain catastrophizing, central sensitization, and sleep quality. Predictive criterion validity was performed with opioid use after surgery. Results: We chose a model with three classes labeled mild, moderate, and severe. The Youden index points −0.1663 and 0.7614 of the B-MEPS score classify individuals, in the severe class, with a sensitivity of 85.7% (80.1%-90.3%) and specificity of 93.5% (91.5-95.1%). The cut-off points of the B-MEPS score have satisfactory concurrent and predictive criterion validity. Conclusions: These findings showed that the preoperative emotional stress index on the B-MEPS offers suitable sensitivity and specificity for discriminating the severity of preoperative psychological stress. They provide a simple tool to identify patients prone to severe PES related to maladaptive psychological features, which might influence the perception of pain and analgesic opioid use in the postoperative period.

Troponin elevation as a marker of short deterioration and one-year death in a high-risk surgical patient cohort in a low and middle income country setting: a postoperative approach to increase surveillance.

PURPOSE: Myocardial injury after noncardiac surgery is common and mostly asymptomatic. The ideal target population that will benefit from routine troponin measurements in low and middle income countries (LMICs) is unclear. This study aims to evaluate the clinical outcomes of a cohort of high-risk surgical patients according to high-sensitivity troponin T (hsTnT) in an LMIC setting. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 442 high-risk patients undergoing noncardiac surgery at a Brazilian hospital between February 2019 and March 2020. High-sensitivity troponin T levels were measured preoperatively, 24 hr, and 48 hr after surgery and stratified into three groups: normal (< 20 ng·L-1); minor elevation (20-65 ng·L-1); and major elevation (> 65 ng·L-1). We performed survival analysis to determine the association between myocardial injury and one-year mortality. We described medical interventions and evaluated unplanned intensive care unit (ICU) admission and complications using multivariable models. RESULTS: Postoperative myocardial injury occurred in 45% of patients. Overall, 30-day mortality was 8%. Thirty-day and one-year mortality were higher in patients with hsTnT ≥ 20 ng·L-1. One-year mortality was 18% in the unaltered troponin group vs 31% and 41% for minor and major elevation groups, respectively. Multivariable analysis of one-year survival showed a hazard ratio (HR) of 1.94 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.22 to 3.09) for the minor elevation group and a HR of 2.73 (95% CI, 1.67 to 4.45) for the troponin > 65 ng·L-1 group. Patients with altered troponin had more unplanned ICU admissions (13% vs 5%) and more complications (78% vs 48%). CONCLUSION: This study supports evidence that hsTnT is an important prognostic marker and a strong predictor of all-cause mortality after surgery. Troponin measurement in high-risk surgical patients could potentially be used as tool to scale-up care in LMIC settings. STUDY REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04187664); first submitted 5 December 2019.

RéSUMé: OBJECTIF: Les lésions myocardiques après une chirurgie non cardiaque sont courantes et la plupart du temps asymptomatiques. Nous ne connaissons pas la population cible idéale qui bénéficierait de mesures régulières de la troponine dans les pays à revenu faible et intermédiaire (PRFI). Cette étude vise à évaluer les issues cliniques d'une cohorte de patient·es de chirurgie à haut risque grâce à la troponine T à haute sensibilité (hsTnT) dans un contexte de PRFI. MéTHODE: Nous avons mené une étude de cohorte prospective auprès de 442 patient·es à haut risque bénéficiant d'une chirurgie non cardiaque dans un hôpital brésilien entre février 2019 et mars 2020. Les taux de troponine T à haute sensibilité ont été mesurés avant l'opération, 24 heures et 48 heures après la chirurgie, et stratifiés en trois groupes : normaux (< 20 ng·L−1), élévation mineure (20­65 ng·L−1) et élévation majeure (> 65 ng·L−1). Nous avons réalisé une analyse de survie pour déterminer l'association entre les lésions myocardiques et la mortalité à un an. Nous avons décrit les interventions médicales et évalué les admissions non planifiées à l'unité de soins intensifs (USI) ainsi que les complications à l'aide de modèles multivariables. RéSULTATS: Une lésion myocardique postopératoire est survenue chez 45 % des patient·es. La mortalité globale à 30 jours était de 8 %. La mortalité à trente jours et à un an était plus élevée chez les patient·es avec une hsTnT ≥ 20 ng·L−1. La mortalité à un an était de 18 % dans le groupe troponine inchangée vs 31 % et 41 % pour les groupes à élévation mineure et majeure de la troponine, respectivement. L'analyse multivariée de la survie à un an a montré un rapport de risque (RR) de 1,94 (intervalle de confiance [IC] à 95 %, 1,22 à 3,09) pour le groupe d'élévation mineure et un RR de 2,73 (IC 95 %, 1,67 à 4,45) pour le groupe avec une troponine > 65 ng·L−1. Les admissions non planifiées à l'USI étaient plus fréquentes chez les patient·es présentant une troponine altérée (13 % vs 5 %), tout comme les complications (78 % vs 48 %). CONCLUSION: Cette étude soutient les données probantes selon lesquelles la hsTnT est un marqueur pronostique important et un prédicteur fort de la mortalité toutes causes confondues après la chirurgie. La mesure de la troponine chez la patientèle chirurgicale à risque élevé pourrait potentiellement être utilisée comme outil pour intensifier les soins dans les PRFI. ENREGISTREMENT DE L'éTUDE: ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT04187664); soumis pour la première fois le 5 décembre 2019.

Validation of the regret coping scale for healthcare professionals (RCS-HCP) in portuguese for Brazil

Introduction: assessing the ability to cope with regret can contribute to support strategies for health professionals. However, in Brazil only few instruments evaluate this ability in general. Objective: this study aimed was to adapt and validate the Regret Coping Scale for Healthcare Professionals (RCS-HCP) to Brazilian Portuguese . Methods: the instruments were translated, and the psychometric properties evaluated for validity and reliability. Three hundred and forty-one professionals participated, with an average age of 38.6 ± 9.2, and 87 participated in a retest survey 30 days later. Results: exploratory factor analysis showed adequacy of the structure (KMO = 0.786) composed of three factors. In the confirmation, the performance was close to acceptable. Reliability was good for the maladaptive strategies (α = 0.834) and adequate for the problem-focused initiatives (α = 0.717), but slightly too low for adaptive strategies (α = 0.595). Test- retest showed lower than expected values, with a Spearman- Brown coefficient of 0.703. Conclusion: the RCS-HCP scale showed satisfactory performance in relation to the properties evaluated.

Introdução: a avaliação da capacidade de lidar com o arrependimento pode contribuir para estratégias de apoio aos profissionais de saúde. No entanto, no Brasil existem poucos instrumentos que avaliam essa habilidade no contexto geral. Objetivo: o objetivo do estudo foi adaptar e validar a Regret Coping Scale for Healthcare Professionals (RCS-HCP) para profissionais de saúde brasileiros. Método: na validação, os instrumentos foram traduzidos e as propriedades psicométricas avaliadas quanto à validade e confiabilidade. Participaram 341 profissionais, com média de idade de 38,6 ± 9,2, e 87 participaram de uma pesquisa de reteste 30 dias depois. Resultados: a análise fatorial exploratória mostrou adequação da estrutura (KMO = 0,786) composta por três fatores. Na confirmação, o desempenho ficou próximo do aceitável. A confiabilidade foi boa para as estratégias mal adaptativas (α = 0,834) e adequada para as estratégias focadas no problema (α = 0,717), mas um pouco baixa demais para as estratégias adaptativas (α = 0,595). Teste-reteste apresentou valores abaixo do esperado, com coeficiente de Spearman-Brown de 0,703. Conclusão: a escala RCS-HCP apresentou desempenho satisfatório em relação às propriedades avaliadas.

Brazilian instrument for assessing of eating disorders in children and adolescents / Instrumento brasileño para la evaluación de los trastornos alimentarios en niños y adolescentes

Objective: This study aimed to develop the Brazilian instrument for assessing eating disorders in children and adolescents and test its psychometric quality using item response theory (IRT). Design: Cross-sectional study. Participants: Participants aged between five and twelve years old of both sexes. Main measures: IRT logistic model of two parameters was used to evaluate the item's severity and discrimination and test information curve of symptoms of eating disorders’ latent trait symptoms. Content validity and reliability were also assessed. The IRT evaluation suggested that the instrument contained items that performed differently concerning severity, discrimination, and test information curve presented good accuracy. Results: There was agreement on the clarity of language (83.3%) and theoretical relevance (91.7%), indicating good content validity. The value of the Cronbach's Alpha was 0.63 (95% confidence interval), and the result of the Spearman–Brown test was 0.65. Conclusion: These results indicate good performance of the screening tool in assessing the level of eating disorders in children and adolescents.(AU)

Objetivo: Este estudio tuvo como objetivo desarrollar un instrumento brasileño para la evaluación de los trastornos alimentarios en niños y adolescentes, y testar el análisis psicométrico utilizando la teoría de respuesta al ítem (TRI). Diseño: Estudio observacional, transversal. Participantes: Individuos de ambos sexos entre los 5 y 12 años de edad. Mediciones principales: Se utilizó el modelo logístico TRI de 2 parámetros para evaluar la gravedad y la discriminación del ítem, y probar la curva características del test (CCT) de los síntomas del rasgo latente de los trastornos alimentarios. También se evaluaron la validez de contenido y la confiabilidad. Resultado: La evaluación TRI sugirió que el instrumento contenía ítems que funcionaban de manera diferente en cuanto a severidad, discriminación y la CCT presentando una buena precisión. Hubo concordancia en la claridad del lenguaje (83,3%) y en la relevancia teórica (91,7%), indicando buena validez de contenido. El valor del alfa de Cronbach fue de 0,63 (intervalo de confianza del 95%) y el resultado de la prueba de Spearman-Brown fue de 0,65. Conclusión: Estos resultados indican un buen desempeño de la herramienta de detección en la evaluación del nivel de los trastornos alimentarios en niños y adolescentes.(AU)

Brazilian instrument for assessing of eating disorders in children and adolescents.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to develop the Brazilian instrument for assessing eating disorders in children and adolescents and test its psychometric quality using item response theory (IRT). DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. PARTICIPANTS: Participants aged between five and twelve years old of both sexes. MAIN MEASURES: IRT logistic model of two parameters was used to evaluate the item's severity and discrimination and test information curve of symptoms of eating disorders' latent trait symptoms. Content validity and reliability were also assessed. The IRT evaluation suggested that the instrument contained items that performed differently concerning severity, discrimination, and test information curve presented good accuracy. RESULTS: There was agreement on the clarity of language (83.3%) and theoretical relevance (91.7%), indicating good content validity. The value of the Cronbach's Alpha was 0.63 (95% confidence interval), and the result of the Spearman-Brown test was 0.65. CONCLUSION: These results indicate good performance of the screening tool in assessing the level of eating disorders in children and adolescents.

Intakes of Unprocessed and Minimally Processed and Ultraprocessed Food Are Associated with Diet Quality in Female and Male Health Professionals in the United States: A Prospective Analysis.

BACKGROUND: High unprocessed and minimally processed food (UMP) intake has been associated with high-quality diets, whereas the opposite has been shown for ultraprocessed food (UPF). Nevertheless, the association between UMP and UPF consumption and diet quality over the long-term warrants further examination. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess whether UMP and UPF intake are associated with three diet-quality metrics in female and male health professionals from two US cohorts over 3 decades of follow-up. DESIGN: This was a cohort study, including data from the Nurses' Health Study (NHS), from 1986 to 2010 (N = 51,956) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS) from 1986 to 2006 (n = 31,307). PARTICIPANTS AND SETTING: Participants were invited in 1976 (NHS) and 1986 (HPFS) to respond to mailed questionnaires every 2 to 4 years and diet was assessed with a semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaire every 4 years. MAIN EXPOSURE MEASURES: UMP and UPF intake were calculated using the NOVA classification. STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Generalized estimating equations for marginal means and repeated cross-sectional associations between diet-quality metrics and quintiles of UMP and UPF. Diets were assessed every 4 years from 1986 to 2010. RESULTS: With increasing quintiles of UMP intakes, the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 increased 7.1% (3.80 points, 95% CI 3.66 to 3.93) in the NHS and 10.1% (5.75 points, 95% CI 5.52 to 5.98) in the HPFS; the Mediterranean diet index increased 11.7% (0.50 points, 95% CI 0.47 to 0.52) in the NHS and 14.0% (0.64 points, 95% CI 0.60 to 0.68) in the HPFS; and the Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension diet score increased 7.5% (1.81 points, 95% CI 1.76 to 1.87) in the NHS and 10.6% (2.66 points, 95% CI 2.57 to 2.76) in the HPFS. In the fifth quintile of UPF intake compared with the first, the Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 was -9.3% (-4.60 points, 95% CI -4.73 to -4.47) lower in the NHS and -13.7% (-6.89 points, 95% CI -7.12 to -6.66) lower in the HPFS; the Mediterranean diet index was -14.7% (-0.55 points, 95% CI -0.57 to -0.53) lower in the NHS, and -19.0% (-0.74 points, 95% CI -0.78 to -0.70) lower in the HPFS; and the Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension diet score was -8.1% (-1.81 points, 95% CI -1.86 to -1.76) lower in the NHS and -12.8% (-2.84 points, 95% CI -2.93 to -2.74) lower in the HPFS. CONCLUSIONS: Consumption of UMP was associated with better dietary quality, whereas consumption of UPF was associated with poorer dietary quality.

Validation of the Brazilian version of the child pain catastrophizing scale and its relationship with a marker of central sensitization

Abstract Objectives The Pain Catastrophizing Scale-Child version (PCS-C) allows to identify children who are prone to catastrophic thinking. We aimed to adapt the Brazilian version of PCS-C (BPCS-C) to examine scale psychometric properties and factorial structure in children with and without chronic pain. Also, we assessed its correlation with salivary levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic factor (BDNF). Methods The Brazilian version of PCS-C was modified to adjust it for 7-12 years old children. To assess psychometric properties, 100 children (44 with chronic pain from a tertiary hospital and 56 healthy children from a public school) answered the BPCS-C, the visual analogue pain scale, and questions about pain interference in daily activities. We also collected a salivary sample to measure BDNF. Results We observed good internal consistency (Cronbach's value = 0.81). Parallel analysis retained 2 factors. Confirmatory factor analysis of our 2-factor model revealed consistent goodness-of-fit (IFI = 0.946) when compared to other models. There was no correlation between visual analogue pain scale and the total BPCS-C score; however, there was an association between pain catastrophizing and difficulty in doing physical activities in school (p= 0.01). BPCS-C total scores were not different between groups. We found a marginal association with BPCS-C (r= 0.27, p= 0.01) and salivary BDNF levels. Discussion BPCS-C is a valid instrument with consistent psychometric properties. The revised 2-dimension proposed can be used for this population. Children catastrophism is well correlated with physical limitation, but the absence of BPCS-C score differences between groups highlights the necessity of a better understanding about catastrophic thinking in children.

Association between mistreatment of women during childbirth and symptoms suggestive of postpartum depression.

BACKGROUND: Postpartum depression is a common condition in the pregnancy and postpartum cycle. The development of this condition is multifactorial and can be influenced by previous traumas. This study sought to verify whether there is an association between having been exposed to mistreatment during childbirth and presenting symptoms suggestive of postpartum depression. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional study, with the inclusion of 287 women without complications in childbirth, randomly selected from two maternity hospitals of Porto Alegre, southern Brazil, in 2016. Four weeks after delivery, the postpartum women answered a face-to-face interview about socioeconomic aspects, obstetric history, health history, and childbirth experience (practices and interventions applied) and completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). From the perception of women regarding the practices performed in the context of childbirth care, a composite variable was created, using item response theory, to measure the level of mistreatment during childbirth. The items that made up this variable were: absence of a companion during delivery, feeling insecure and not welcome, lack of privacy, lack of skin-to-skin contact after delivery, not having understood the information shared with them, and not having felt comfortable to ask questions and make decisions about their care. To define symptoms suggestive of postpartum depression, reflecting on increased probability of this condition, the EPDS score was set at ≥ 8. Poisson Regression with robust variance estimation was used for modeling. RESULTS: Women who experienced mistreatment during childbirth had a higher prevalence of symptoms suggestive of postpartum depression (PR 1.55 95% CI 1.07-2.25), as well as those with a history of mental health problems (PR 1.69 95% CI 1.16-2.47), while higher socioeconomic status (A and B) had an inverse association (PR 0.53 95% CI 0.33-0.83). CONCLUSIONS: Symptoms suggestive of postpartum depression seem to be more prevalent in women who have suffered mistreatment during childbirth, of low socioeconomic status, and with a history of mental health problems. Thus, qualifying care for women during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum and reducing social inequalities are challenges to be faced in order to eliminate mistreatment during childbirth and reduce the occurrence of postpartum depression.

Development of an instrument to measure mistreatment of women during childbirth through item response theory.

The objective of this study was to structure a proposal for an instrument to measure the mistreatment level of women during childbirth, through item response theory, based on the birth experience of postpartum women. A cross-sectional study was conducted, with the inclusion of 287 women who did not suffer complications during childbirth, randomly selected from two maternity hospitals in the capital of Rio Grande do Sul-Brazil, in 2016. Approximately 30 days after delivery, the women answered questions in a face-to-face interview about their birth experience (practices and interventions applied) and were inquired about their perception of having suffered disrespect, mistreatment or humiliation by health professionals. The set of practices was included in the item response theory model to design the instrument. Of the 36 items included in the model, 21 dealt with practices applied exclusively to women who went into labor, therefore two instruments were developed. The instrument including all women, containing 09 items, identified 23.7% prevalence of mistreatment to women during childbirth, while the instrument for women going into labor included 11 items and identified 22% prevalence. The items with the highest discrimination were: not having had a companion during labor (2.05; and 1.26), not feeling welcome (1.81; and 1.58), and not feeling safe (1.59; and 1.70), for all women and for those who went into labor, respectively. For those who went into labor, the items, did not have a companion during labor (1.22; PE 0.88) and did not feel comfortable asking questions and participating in decisions (1.20; PE 0.43) also showed greater discrimination. In contrast, when directly questioned, only 12.5% of women said they had experienced disrespect or mistreatment, suggesting that harmful practices are often not recognized as violent. Standardizing the measurement of mistreatment of women during childbirth can create more accurate estimates of its prevalence and contribute to the proposal of strategies to eliminate obstetric violence.

Measuring emotional preoperative stress by an app approach and its applicability to predict postoperative pain.

BACKGROUND: The Brief Measure of Emotional Preoperative Stress (B-MEPS) was developed to evaluate the preoperative individual vulnerability to emotional stress. To obtain a refined version of B-MEPS suitable for an app approach, this study aimed: (i) to identify items with more discriminant properties; (ii) to classify the level of preoperative emotional stress based on cut-off points; (iii) to assess concurrent validity through correlation with the Central Sensitization Inventory (CSI) score; (iv) to confirm whether the refined version of B-MEPS is an adequate predictive measure for identification of patients prone to intense postoperative pain. METHODS: We include 1016 patients who had undergone surgical procedures in a teaching hospital. The generalized partial credit model of item response theory and latent class model were employed, respectively, to reduce the number of items and to create cut-off points. We applied the CSI and assessed pain by Visual Analog Scale (0-10) and by the amount of postoperative morphine consumption. RESULTS: The refined B-MEPS shows satisfactory reliability (Cronbach's alpha 0.79). Preoperative emotional stress, according to the cut-off points, is classified into categories: low, intermediate or high stress. The refined B-MEPS exhibited a linear association with the CSI scores (r2 = 0.53, p < 0.01). Patients with higher levels of emotional stress displayed a positive association with moderate to severe pain and greater morphine consumption. CONCLUSION: The refined version of B-MEPS, along with an interface of easy applicability, assess emotional vulnerability at the bedside before surgery. This app may support studies focused on intervening with perioperative stress levels.

Validation of the Family Health Behavior Scale for the Brazilian population

Abstract Objective: To validate the Family Health Behavior Scale (FHBS) for Brazilian families. Methods: The sample included 272 children aged 5 to 12 years old. Caregivers and their healthy answered the FHBS and questions about physical activity. In addition, anthropometric measurements of the children's weight and height were performed, as well as the bioimpedance exam. The scale was translated and the following validities were assessed: content (qualitative analysis and content validity index), construct (factor analysis) and concurrent validity (difference between domains and the total score with the categories of BMI, fat percentage and physical activity). Reliability (Cronbach's alpha, ceiling-floor effect, two-half test, intraclass correlation and Bland - Altman) was also assessed. Results: FHBS instrument performed well with regard to the psychometric properties in the Brazilian population. The content validity index was 0.987. Fit indices of the factor analysis were considered satisfactory, according to Bartlett's sphericity test (χ 2 = 1927, df = 351; p < 0.001) and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index (KMO = 0.789). Concurrent validity, the differences between the mean of the domains and the total score between the categories of BMI (p = 0.011), percentage of fat (0.004) and physical activity (p < 0.001) were all significant. The reliability results were Cronbach's alpha internal consistency = 0.83, adequate ceiling-floor effect, 0.8105 (0.09 SD) two-half test, 0.626 intraclass correlation (95% CI: 0.406 to 0.777) and Bland - Altman -0.840 (-22.76 to 21.07). Conclusion: The FHBS adapted for the Brazilian population showed evidence of adequate psychometric performance.

Validation of the Family Health Behavior Scale for the Brazilian population.

OBJECTIVE: To validate the Family Health Behavior Scale (FHBS) for Brazilian families. METHODS: The sample included 272 children aged 5 to 12 years old. Caregivers and their healthy answered the FHBS and questions about physical activity. In addition, anthropometric measurements of the children's weight and height were performed, as well as the bioimpedance exam. The scale was translated and the following validities were assessed: content (qualitative analysis and content validity index), construct (factor analysis) and concurrent validity (difference between domains and the total score with the categories of BMI, fat percentage and physical activity). Reliability (Cronbach's alpha, ceiling-floor effect, two-half test, intraclass correlation and Bland - Altman) was also assessed. RESULTS: FHBS instrument performed well with regard to the psychometric properties in the Brazilian population. The content validity index was 0.987. Fit indices of the factor analysis were considered satisfactory, according to Bartlett's sphericity test (χ 2 = 1927, df = 351; p < 0.001) and the Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin index (KMO = 0.789). Concurrent validity, the differences between the mean of the domains and the total score between the categories of BMI (p = 0.011), percentage of fat (0.004) and physical activity (p < 0.001) were all significant. The reliability results were Cronbach's alpha internal consistency = 0.83, adequate ceiling-floor effect, 0.8105 (0.09 SD) two-half test, 0.626 intraclass correlation (95% CI: 0.406 to 0.777) and Bland - Altman -0.840 (-22.76 to 21.07). CONCLUSION: The FHBS adapted for the Brazilian population showed evidence of adequate psychometric performance.

Validation of the Brazilian version of the child pain catastrophizing scale and its relationship with a marker of central sensitization.

OBJECTIVES: The Pain Catastrophizing Scale-Child version (PCS-C) allows to identify children who are prone to catastrophic thinking. We aimed to adapt the Brazilian version of PCS-C (BPCS-C) to examine scale psychometric properties and factorial structure in children with and without chronic pain. Also, we assessed its correlation with salivary levels of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic factor (BDNF). METHODS: The Brazilian version of PCS-C was modified to adjust it for 7-12 years old children. To assess psychometric properties, 100 children (44 with chronic pain from a tertiary hospital and 56 healthy children from a public school) answered the BPCS-C, the visual analogue pain scale, and questions about pain interference in daily activities. We also collected a salivary sample to measure BDNF. RESULTS: We observed good internal consistency (Cronbach's value = 0.81). Parallel analysis retained 2 factors. Confirmatory factor analysis of our 2-factor model revealed consistent goodness-of-fit (IFI = 0.946) when compared to other models. There was no correlation between visual analogue pain scale and the total BPCS-C score; however, there was an association between pain catastrophizing and difficulty in doing physical activities in school (p = 0.01). BPCS-C total scores were not different between groups. We found a marginal association with BPCS-C (r = 0.27, p = 0.01) and salivary BDNF levels. DISCUSSION: BPCS-C is a valid instrument with consistent psychometric properties. The revised 2-dimension proposed can be used for this population. Children catastrophism is well correlated with physical limitation, but the absence of BPCS-C score differences between groups highlights the necessity of a better understanding about catastrophic thinking in children.

Derivation and validation of a national multicenter mortality risk stratification model - the ExCare model: a study protocol.

INTRODUCTION: Surgical care is essential for proper management of various diseases. However, it can result in unfavorable outcomes. In order to identify patients at higher risk of complications, several risk stratification models have been developed. Ideally, these tools should be simple, reproducible, accurate, and externally validated. Unfortunately, none of the best-known risk stratification instruments have been validated in Brazil. In this sense, the Ex-Care model was developed by retrospective data analysis of surgical patients in a major Brazilian university hospital. It consists of four independent predictors easily collected in the preoperative evaluation, showing high accuracy in predicting death within 30 days after surgery. OBJECTIVES: To update and validate a Brazilian national-based model of postoperative death probability within 30 days based on the Ex-Care model. Also, to develop an application for smartphones that allows preoperative risk stratification by Ex-Care model. METHODS: Ten participating centers will collect retrospective data from digital databases. Variables age, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) physical status, surgical severity (major or non-major) and nature (elective or urgent) will be evaluated as predictors for in-hospital mortality within 30 postoperative days, considered the primary outcome. EXPECTED RESULTS: We believe that the Ex-Care model will present discriminative capacity similar to other classically used scores validated for surgical mortality prediction. Furthermore, the mobile application to be developed will provide a practical and easy-to-use tool to the professionals enrolled in perioperative care.

PSS Health: como calcular tamanho de amostra para testes de comparação de médias de dois grupos / PSS Health: how to calculate sample sizes for mean comparison tests between two groups

Dando continuidade à série de artigos que pretendem orientar o usuário na utilização da ferramenta PSS Health para o planejamento de uma pesquisa, esta edição apresenta um passo a passo de como realizar o cálculo e de quais informações são necessárias para comparar médias: de dois grupos dependentes ou independentes, de dois grupos independentes com duas medidas repetidas (deltas), e com duas ou mais medidas repetidas. Todos os exemplos também são ilustrados e disponibilizados em vídeos no canal da Unidade de Bioestatística.

Following the series of articles aiming to guide users in using the PSS Health tool for research planning, this issue presents a step-by-step guide on how to calculate and what information is needed to compare means between 2 dependent or independent groups, 2 independent groups with 2 repeated measures (deltas), and 2 independent groups with 2 or more repeated measures. All examples are accompanied by figures and available in video on the Biostatistics Unit's channel.

Bleeding associated with self-medication in warfarin users: A prospective observational study in Ijuí (Brazil)

Abstract Warfarin has been associated with bleeding and venous thromboembolism. Objective: This study aimed to estimate the association between bleeding and concomitant self-medication, and the incidence of adverse drug reactions in patients using warfarin. Setting: the public health network of Ijuí, a municipality in southern Brazil. This was an open prospective cohort, conducted for a period of 18 months with users of warfarin, treated at the public health service. The association between bleeding and self-medication was evaluated by means of the Cox Model with left truncation, using the time variable. Main outcome measurement: bleeding reported in the follow-up. Cases of thromboembolism and death were also registered. All patients treated with warfarin in the public health system of the municipality (98) were identified. Sixty-eight were interviewed and followed up, of whom 63 completed follow-up and five died during the study. Bleeding rates of 37.7 /100 patients/year, thromboembolism of 4.8/100 patients / year and deaths of 4.8 /100 patients / year were observed. The results showed that patients, who take warfarin and self-medicated present a two-fold increased bleeding, compared with those who do not self-medicate. The bleeding risk associated with self-medication ranged from 2.001 to 2.685; those values maintained their significance even when adjusted for number of interactions, CYP polymorphism, TTR and age in COX analysis. These results greatly suggest the need for providing greater assistance to patients who take anticoagulant medications with the purpose of reducing self-medication and consequently, adverse reactions.