Real time shift reporting by emergency physicians predicts overall ED performance.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate factors associated with emergency physician perception of the shift and to determine whether these perceptions were predictors of overall daily emergency department (ED) performance indicators. METHODS: This was an observational study conducted at an inner city ED in New South Wales. Shift reports completed by the emergency physician in charge at clinical handover times between February and July 2012 were included. Variables collected by the shift report included (1) total number of patients in ED, (2) number of patients in the ED with length of stay (LOS) greater than 4 h, (3) number of admitted patients, (4) number of patients waiting to be seen by a doctor and (5) medical staffing levels. Outcomes of interest for this study were shift perception scores (1=very poor to 5=very good) and daily ED performance measures. Performance measures were the proportion of patients admitted or discharged from ED within 4 h (National Emergency Access Target, NEAT) and the percentage of inpatient admissions leaving ED within 8 h of ED arrival time. RESULTS: The number of patients in ED with LOS >4 h (OR 0.83, 95% CI 0.79 to 0.87, p value <0.001) and number of patients waiting to be seen (OR 0.92, 95% CI 0.88 to 0.95, p value <0.001) were the factors most strongly associated with shift perception score. After adjustment, the mean NEAT performance improved 6% for each incremental increase in average shift perception score (ß=0.06 95% CI 0.04 to 0.07, p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Shift reports and shift perceptions by emergency physicians may be used to predict overall ED performance.

Quality of life before intensive care using EQ-5D: patient versus proxy responses.

OBJECTIVE: To compare patients' retrospectively reported baseline quality of life before intensive care hospitalization with population norms and proxy reports. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Thirteen ICUs at four teaching hospitals in Baltimore, MD. PATIENTS: One hundred forty acute lung injury survivors and their designated proxies. INTERVENTIONS: Around the time of hospital discharge, both patients and proxies were asked to retrospectively estimate patients' baseline quality of life before hospital admission using the EQ-5D quality-of-life instrument. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Mean patient-rated EQ-5D visual analog scale scores and utility scores were significantly lower than population norms but were significantly higher than proxy ratings. However, the magnitude of difference in average utility scores between patients and either population norms or proxies was not clinically important. For the five individual EQ-5D domains, κ statistics revealed slight to fair agreement between patients and proxies. Bland-Altman plots demonstrated that for both the visual analog scale and utility scores, proxies underestimated scores when patients reported high ratings and overestimated scores for low patient ratings. CONCLUSIONS: Patients retrospectively reported worse baseline health status before acute lung injury than population norms and better status than proxy reports; however, the magnitude of these differences in health status may not be clinically important. Proxies had only slight to fair agreement with patients in all five EQ-5D domains, attenuating patients' more extreme ratings toward moderate scores. Caution is required when interpreting proxy retrospective reports of baseline health status for survivors of acute lung injury.

Emergency department CT of the abdomen and pelvis: preferential utilization in higher complexity patient encounters.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to assess the association of patient encounter complexity and the utilization of CT of the abdomen and pelvis (CTAP) in the emergency department (ED) setting. METHODS: Using 5% research identifiable files for 2007, ED visits for Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries were identified. Contemporaneous ED physician evaluation and management codes were used as the basis for patient complexity categorization. Encounters in which CTAP was performed on the same date of service were identified, and variables affecting the utilization of CTAP were analyzed. RESULTS: Of 1,081,000 ED encounters, 306,401 (28.3%) were of lower complexity and 774,599 (71.7%) were of higher complexity. CT of the abdomen and pelvis was performed in 65,273 of all encounters (6.0%), corresponding to 4,069 (1.3%) of lower complexity and 61,204 (7.9%) of higher complexity encounters (odds ratio, 5.95; 95% confidence interval, 5.76-6.14). Of the 65,273 ED encounters associated with CTAP, 61,204 (93.8%) were of higher complexity. CONCLUSIONS: Of patients undergoing CTAP in the ED setting, a very large majority (93.8%) are clinically complex. CT of the abdomen and pelvis is 5.95 times more likely to be utilized in higher than lower complexity ED patient encounters.

Depressive symptoms and impaired physical function after acute lung injury: a 2-year longitudinal study.

RATIONALE: Survivors of acute lung injury (ALI) frequently have substantial depressive symptoms and physical impairment, but the longitudinal epidemiology of these conditions remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the 2-year incidence and duration of depressive symptoms and physical impairment after ALI, as well as risk factors for these conditions. METHODS: This prospective, longitudinal cohort study recruited patients from 13 intensive care units (ICUs) in four hospitals, with follow-up 3, 6, 12, and 24 months after ALI. The outcomes were Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale depression score greater than or equal to 8 ("depressive symptoms") in patients without a history of depression before ALI, and two or more dependencies in instrumental activities of daily living ("impaired physical function") in patients without baseline impairment. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: During 2-year follow-up of 186 ALI survivors, the cumulative incidences of depressive symptoms and impaired physical function were 40 and 66%, respectively, with greatest incidence by 3-month follow-up; modal durations were greater than 21 months for each outcome. Risk factors for incident depressive symptoms were education 12 years or less, baseline disability or unemployment, higher baseline medical comorbidity, and lower blood glucose in the ICU. Risk factors for incident impaired physical function were longer ICU stay and prior depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Incident depressive symptoms and impaired physical function are common and long-lasting during the first 2 years after ALI. Interventions targeting potentially modifiable risk factors (e.g., substantial depressive symptoms in early recovery) should be evaluated to improve ALI survivors' long-term outcomes.

Patient and plan characteristics affecting abandonment of oral oncolytic prescriptions.

PURPOSE: To calculate the abandonment rate of oral oncolytic medications and identify factors that may affect likelihood of abandonment. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study using administrative claims data. METHODS: We analyzed a nationally representative pharmacy claims database and identified 10,508 patients with Medicare and commercial insurance for whom oral oncolytic therapy was initiated between 2007 and 2009. We calculated the abandonment rate for the initial claim, in which abandonment was defined as reversal of an adjudicated pharmacy claim without a subsequent paid claim for any oncolytic (oral or intravenous) within the ensuing 90 days. We assessed likelihood of abandonment using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses including patient demographics, plan type, drug type, cost sharing, and concurrent prescription activity. RESULTS: The abandonment rate of newly initiated oral oncolytics was 10.0%. Unadjusted bivariate analyses found that high cost sharing, increased prescription activity, lower income, and Medicare coverage were associated with a higher abandonment rate (P < .05). In the logistic regression model, claims with cost sharing greater than $500 were four times more likely to be abandoned than claims with cost sharing of $100 or less (odds ratio [OR], 4.46; P < .001). Patients with five or more prescription claims processed within in the previous month had 50% higher likelihood of abandonment than patients with no other prescription activity (OR, 1.50; P < .001). CONCLUSION: Abandonment of newly prescribed oral oncolytic therapy is not uncommon, and the likelihood increases for patients enrolled in plans with pharmacy benefit designs that require high cost sharing. Increased concurrent prescription activity was also associated with a higher abandonment rate. These factors should be taken into account when considering likely adherence to cancer therapy.

Patient and plan characteristics affecting abandonment of oral oncolytic prescriptions.

OBJECTIVE: To calculate the abandonment rate of oral oncolytic medications and identify factors that may affect likelihood of abandonment. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional cohort study using administrative claims data. METHODS: We analyzed a nationally representative pharmacy claims database and identified 10,508 patients with Medicare and commercial insurance for whom oral oncolytic therapy was initiated between 2007 and 2009. We calculated the abandonment rate for the initial claim, in which abandonment was defined as reversal of an adjudicated pharmacy claim without a subsequent paid claim for any oncolytic (oral or intravenous) within the ensuing 90 days. We assessed likelihood of abandonment using bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses including patient demographics, plan type, drug type, cost sharing, and concurrent prescription activity. RESULTS: The abandonment rate of newly initiated oral oncolytics was 10.0%. Unadjusted bivariate analyses found that high cost sharing, increased prescription activity, lower income, and Medicare coverage were associated with a higher abandonment rate (P <.05). In the logistic regression model, claims with cost sharing greater than $500 were 4 times more likely to be abandoned than claims with cost sharing of $100 or less (odds ratio [OR], 4.46; P <.001). Patients with 5 or more prescription claims processed within in the previous month had 50% higher likelihood of abandonment than patients with no other prescription activity (OR, 1.50; P <.001). CONCLUSION: Abandonment of newly prescribed oral oncolytic therapy is not uncommon, and the likelihood increases for patients enrolled in plans with pharmacy benefit designs that require high cost sharing. Increased concurrent prescription activity was also associated with a higher abandonment rate. These factors should be taken into account when considering likely adherence to cancer therapy.

Baseline quality of life before intensive care: a comparison of patient versus proxy responses.

OBJECTIVE: To compare acute lung injury patients' self-reported, retrospective baseline quality of life before their intensive care hospitalization with population norms and retrospective proxy estimates. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study using the Short Form 36 quality-of-life survey. SETTING: Thirteen intensive care units at four teaching hospitals in Baltimore, Maryland. PATIENTS: One hundred thirty-six acute lung injury survivors and their designated proxies. INTERVENTIONS: Both patients and proxies were asked to estimate patient baseline quality of life before hospital admission using the Short Form 36 survey. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Compared with population norms, quality-of-life scores were lower in acute lung injury patients across all eight domains, but the difference was significantly greater than the minimum clinically important difference in only two of eight domains (Physical Role and General Health). The mean paired difference between patient and proxy responses revealed no clinically important difference. However, kappa statistics demonstrated only fair to moderate agreement for all domains. Bland-Altman analysis revealed that, for all domains, proxies tended to overestimate quality of life when patient scores were low and underestimate the quality of life when patient scores were high. CONCLUSION: Retrospective assessment of quality of life before hospitalization revealed that acute lung injury patients' scores were consistently lower than population norms, but the magnitude of this difference may not be clinically important. Proxy assessments had only fair to moderate agreement with patient assessments. Across all eight Short Form 36 quality-of-life domains, proxy responses represented an attenuation of patient quality-of-life estimates.