Impact of appointment reminders on vaccination coverage at an urban clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To test if appointment reminders blinded to immunization status improve kept-appointment and vaccination coverage rates. Design. Controlled trial. SETTING: Pediatric clinic serving a low-income community in New York City. INTERVENTION: Children ages 4 through 18 months (n = 1273) scheduled sequentially for clinic appointments were systematically assigned to 1 of 4 study groups: control (n = 346); postcard (n = 314); telephone call (n = 307); and postcard and telephone call (n = 306). OUTCOME MEASURES: Kept-appointment and vaccination coverage rates. RESULTS: Children assigned to the postcard and telephone group were 1.75 times more likely to keep their appointments than controls (95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.2, 2.5). Children who actually received the postcard and telephone reminders were 2.3 times more likely to keep an appointment than controls (95% CI = 1.4, 3.7). Children who kept appointments were 2.3 times more likely to be up-to-date with their immunizations (95% CI = 1.7, 3.2). The reminders selectively increased vaccination coverage for the subgroup of children who were not up-to-date before the appointment (chi(2) = 11.2). The cost of the reminders was $.67 for the postcard and $1.58 for the postcard and telephone. Assuming 5000 visits per year and $100 reimbursement per visit, the return on each dollar invested was $10 for the postcard and $7.28 for the postcard and telephone reminder. CONCLUSIONS: Appointment reminders blind to immunization status are a practical and cost-effective strategy to increase kept-appointment rates for all children, and, through this mechanism, reach and vaccinate children who are not up-to-date.appointment reminder, vaccination coverage.

Use of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse staging system of the International Continence Society, American Urogynecologic Society, and Society of Gynecologic Surgeons in perimenopausal women.

OBJECTIVES: This study was undertaken to apply the standardized Pelvic Organ Prolapse staging system to perimenopausal women to obtain normative data and to determine any effects of risk factors for incontinence and prolapse on Pelvic Organ Prolapse staging system scores. STUDY DESIGN: Two hundred forty-one women aged 45 to 55 years who were seen for perimenopausal care were evaluated in the dorsal lithotomy position for pelvic prolapse at enrollment and again at 12 months. Prolapse was scored according to the Pelvic Organ Prolapse staging system, as approved by the International Continence Society. All subjects completed questionnaires to obtain demographic data, reproductive history, and gynecologic history. Data were evaluated with the Mann-Whitney rank sum test and with 1-way analysis of variance on ranks. RESULTS: The subjects had a mean parity of 2.2 and a mean weight of 72.4 kg. Hysterectomy had been performed in 28% of the women. Urinary incontinence was reported by 66% of the women at enrollment. Mean prolapse scores that described the position of the cervix, the position of the posterior fornix, and the total vaginal length were significantly changed by the 1-year follow-up, with scores reflecting increased prolapse. The mean score at point Ba, which represents the proximal portion of the anterior vaginal wall, was significantly lower, consistent with decreased prolapse at this site. History of smoking, prior hysterectomy, weight, parity, and incontinence at enrollment did not significantly correlate with any of the 9 measured prolapse points. CONCLUSIONS: Normative data for the Pelvic Organ Prolapse staging system of the International Continence Society, American Urogynecologic Society, and Society of Gynecologic Surgeons were measured in a group of perimenopausal women. Apparent increases in prolapse at points C, D, and tvl may reflect changes in vaginal size rather an increase in uterine or vaginal vault prolapse. This variability may confound the use of the Pelvic Organ Prolapse staging system in longitudinal studies involving perimenopausal women.

Use and costs of incontinence pads in female study volunteers. Continence Program for Women Research Group.

OBJECTIVES: We examined the use and cost of incontinence pads and the relationship to factors such as age, duration of incontinence, diurnal frequency, incontinence severity indices, urodynamic diagnosis, and quality of life. SUBJECTS AND SETTING: Three hundred fifteen women with urinary incontinence who volunteered to participate in 1 of 3 incontinence studies (behavioral intervention, estrogen supplementation, or surgery) were analyzed. Subjects were community-dwelling women aged 45 years and older living in 3 cities in the southeastern United States. METHODS: Pad use was recorded on a daily diary. The type of pads used was reported on the history. Average price of pad types was assessed at local stores and reported in 1995 dollars. Statistical comparisons used nonparametric methods. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The number of pads used per week and annual cost of pads in 1995 dollars. RESULTS: Seventy-seven percent of subjects used pads at baseline. Median cost per year for the entire cohort was $46 (interquartile range $3-$138). For pad users, median annual cost was $76 (interquartile range $36-$177), with costs being greater for women with detrusor instability than those with pure genuine stress incontinence (median $135-$138 versus $63). This increased cost was likely associated with the greater use of special incontinence products among women with detrusor instability. For the entire cohort, cost and usage did not differ by urodynamic diagnosis. Cost and pad usage were significantly associated with number of incontinent episodes and quality of life, but not with age, pad weight, or duration of incontinence. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of incontinent women who sought treatment used absorbent pads at least once per week, with menstrual pads being the most common type of pad. The annual cost of pad usage was not as high as in previous estimates.

Measuring true contraceptive efficacy. A randomized approach--condom vs. spermicide vs. no method.

No investigator has attempted to measure prospectively the true efficacy of a contraceptive method, compared with a control group using no method, because contraceptive trials focus on women trying to avoid pregnancy and ethical concerns do not permit the withholding of contraception. We tested the feasibility of an approach that recruited women who desired pregnancy but were willing to postpone conception by 1 month. In this protocol, we restricted frequency and timing of intercourse to one coital act on the most fertile day of the menstrual cycle, as measured by a luteinizing hormone (LH) detection kit. Participants were randomized to use either a male latex condom, spermicidal film, or no method. In this feasibility study we recruited 58 women at three sites, with one site recruiting 25 women in 5 months. Among 54 women who completed the study, we found a 12% pregnancy rate for the group using no method (2/17; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1-36%) and an 11% pregnancy rate for the group using spermicidal film (2/18; 95% CI, 1-35%). No pregnancies occurred among the 19 women using condoms (0/19; 95% CI, 0-18%). The wide confidence intervals illustrate the small sample size of this pilot study and no conclusions can be drawn about the relative efficacy of the methods. Having demonstrated the feasibility of this study design, we now urge the initiation of a large-scale study to evaluate the efficacy of barrier methods using our randomized approach, with a control arm using no method of contraception.

Schizophreniform psychosis due to para-aminosalicylic acid

A case is reported of toxic reaction to P.A.S. presenting as an acute schizophreniform state (AU)