Computer clinical decision support that automates personalized clinical care: a challenging but needed healthcare delivery strategy.

How to deliver best care in various clinical settings remains a vexing problem. All pertinent healthcare-related questions have not, cannot, and will not be addressable with costly time- and resource-consuming controlled clinical trials. At present, evidence-based guidelines can address only a small fraction of the types of care that clinicians deliver. Furthermore, underserved areas rarely can access state-of-the-art evidence-based guidelines in real-time, and often lack the wherewithal to implement advanced guidelines. Care providers in such settings frequently do not have sufficient training to undertake advanced guideline implementation. Nevertheless, in advanced modern healthcare delivery environments, use of eActions (validated clinical decision support systems) could help overcome the cognitive limitations of overburdened clinicians. Widespread use of eActions will require surmounting current healthcare technical and cultural barriers and installing clinical evidence/data curation systems. The authors expect that increased numbers of evidence-based guidelines will result from future comparative effectiveness clinical research carried out during routine healthcare delivery within learning healthcare systems.

Effect of COVID 19 pneumonia on hyperglycemia: Is it different from non COVID pneumonia?

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Glycemic control in critical illness has been linked to outcomes. We sought to investigate if COVID pneumonia was causing disrupted glycemic control compared to historically similar diseases. METHODS: At Intermountain Healthcare, a 23-hospital healthcare system in the intermountain west, we performed a multicenter, retrospective cohort observational study. We compared 13,268 hospitalized patients with COVID pneumonia to 6673 patients with non -COVID-pneumonia. RESULTS: Patients with COVID-19 were younger had fewer comorbidities, had lower mortality and greater length of hospital stay. Our regression models demonstrated that daily insulin dose, indexed for weight, was associated with COVID-19, age, diabetic status, HgbA1c, admission SOFA, ICU length of stay and receipt of corticosteroids. There was significant interaction between a diagnosis of diabetes and having COVID-19. Time in range for our IV insulin protocol was not correlated with having COVID after adjustment. It was correlated with ICU length of stay, diabetic control (HgbA1C) and prior history of diabetes. Among patients with subcutaneous (SQ) insulin only percent of glucose checks in range was correlated with diabetic status, having Covid-19, HgbA1c, total steroids given and Elixhauser comorbidity score even when controlled for other factors. CONCLUSIONS: Hospitalized patients with COVID-19 pneumonia who receive insulin for glycemic control require both more SQ and IV insulin than the non-COVID-19 pneumonia counterparts. Patients with COVID-19 who received SQ insulin only had a lower percent of glucose checks in range.

Heart rate variability and subsequent psychological distress among family members of intensive care unit patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether heart rate variability (HRV; a physiological measure of acute stress) is associated with persistent psychological distress among family members of adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients. METHODS: This prospective study investigated family members of patients admitted to a study ICU. Participants' variability in heart rate tracings were measured by low frequency (LF)/high frequency (HF) ratio and detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). Questionnaires were completed 3 months after enrollment to ascertain outcome rates of anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). RESULTS: Ninety-nine participants were enrolled (median LF/HF ratio, 0.92 [interquartile range, 0.64-1.38]). Of 92 participants who completed the 3-month follow-up, 29 (32%) had persistent anxiety. Logistic regression showed that LF/HF ratio (odds ratio [OR] 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.43, 1.53) was not associated with 3-month outcomes. In an exploratory analysis, DFA α (OR 0.93, 95% CI 0.87, 0.99), α1 (OR 0.97, 95% CI 0.94, 0.99), and α2 (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.88, 0.99) scaling components were associated with PTSD development. CONCLUSION: Almost one-third of family members experienced anxiety at three months after enrollment. HRV, measured by LF/HF ratio, was not a predictor of psychologic distress, however, exploratory analyses indicated that DFA may be associated with PTSD outcomes.

Enabling a learning healthcare system with automated computer protocols that produce replicable and personalized clinician actions.

Clinical decision-making is based on knowledge, expertise, and authority, with clinicians approving almost every intervention-the starting point for delivery of "All the right care, but only the right care," an unachieved healthcare quality improvement goal. Unaided clinicians suffer from human cognitive limitations and biases when decisions are based only on their training, expertise, and experience. Electronic health records (EHRs) could improve healthcare with robust decision-support tools that reduce unwarranted variation of clinician decisions and actions. Current EHRs, focused on results review, documentation, and accounting, are awkward, time-consuming, and contribute to clinician stress and burnout. Decision-support tools could reduce clinician burden and enable replicable clinician decisions and actions that personalize patient care. Most current clinical decision-support tools or aids lack detail and neither reduce burden nor enable replicable actions. Clinicians must provide subjective interpretation and missing logic, thus introducing personal biases and mindless, unwarranted, variation from evidence-based practice. Replicability occurs when different clinicians, with the same patient information and context, come to the same decision and action. We propose a feasible subset of therapeutic decision-support tools based on credible clinical outcome evidence: computer protocols leading to replicable clinician actions (eActions). eActions enable different clinicians to make consistent decisions and actions when faced with the same patient input data. eActions embrace good everyday decision-making informed by evidence, experience, EHR data, and individual patient status. eActions can reduce unwarranted variation, increase quality of clinical care and research, reduce EHR noise, and could enable a learning healthcare system.

Depression and Change in Caregiver Burden Among Family Members of Intensive Care Unit Survivors.

BACKGROUND: Family members of patients in intensive care units may experience psychological distress and substantial caregiver burden. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate whether change in caregiver burden from intensive care unit admission to 3-month follow-up is associated with caregiver depression at 3 months. METHODS: Caregiver burden was assessed at enrollment and 3 months later, and caregiver depression was assessed at 3 months. Depression was measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Score. The primary analysis was the association between depression at 3 months and change in caregiver burden, controlling for a history of caregiver depression. RESULTS: One hundred one participants were enrolled; 65 participants had a surviving loved one and completed 3-month follow-up. At 3-month follow-up, 12% of participants met criteria for depression. Increased caregiver burden over time was significantly associated with depression at follow-up (Fisher exact test, P = .004), although this association was not significant after controlling for self-reported history of depression at baseline (Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel test, P = .23). CONCLUSIONS: Family members are increasingly recognized as a vulnerable population susceptible to negative psychological outcomes after a loved one's admission to the intensive care unit. In this small sample, no significant association was found between change in caregiver burden and depression at 3 months after controlling for baseline depression.

Persistence of patient and family experiences of critical illness.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate: (1) patient and family experiences with healthcare and the intensive care unit (ICU); (2) experiences during their critical illness; (3) communication and decision making during critical illness; (4) feelings about the ICU experience; (5) impact of the critical illness on their lives; and (6) concerns about their future after the ICU. DESIGN: Four semistructured focus group interviews with former ICU patients and family members. SETTINGS: Multicultural community group and local hospitals containing medical/surgical ICUs. PARTICIPANTS: Patients and family who experienced a critical illness within the previous 10 years. INTERVENTIONS: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Four separate focus groups each lasting a maximum of 150 min and consisting of a total of 21 participants were held. Focus groups were conducted using a semistructured script including six topics relating to the experience of critical illness that facilitated deduction and the sorting of data by thematic analysis into five predominant themes. The five main themes that emerged from the data were: (1) personalised stories of the critical illness; (2) communication and shared decision making, (3) adjustment to life after critical illness, (4) trust towards clinical team and relevance of cultural beliefs and (5) end-of-life decision making. Across themes, we observed a misalignment between the medical system and patient and family values and priorities. CONCLUSIONS: The experience of critical illness of a diverse group of patients and families can remain vivid for years after ICU discharge. The identified themes reflect the strength of memory of such pivotal experiences and the importance of a narrative around those experiences. Clinicians need to be aware of the lasting effects of critical illness has on patients and families.

Impact of Critical Illness on Resource Utilization: A Comparison of Use in the Year Before and After ICU Admission.

OBJECTIVES: Increasingly, patients admitted to an ICU survive to hospital discharge; many with ongoing medical needs. The full impact of an ICU admission on an individual's resource utilization and survivorship trajectory in the United States is not clear. We sought to compare healthcare utilization among ICU survivors in each year surrounding an ICU admission. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort of patients admitted to an ICU during one calendar year (2012) in a multipayer healthcare system. We assessed mortality, hospital readmissions (categorized by ambulatory care sensitive conditions and emergency department), and outpatient visits. We compared the proportion of patients with visits during the pre-ICU year versus the post-ICU year. PATIENTS: People admitted to an Intermountain healthcare ICU for greater than 48 hours in the year 2012 INTERVENTIONS:: None. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 4,074 ICU survivors, 45% had increased resource utilization. Readmission rates at 30-day, 90-day, and 1-year were 15%, 26%, and 43%. The proportion of patients with a hospital admission increased significantly in the post-ICU period (43% vs 29%; p < 0.001). Of patients with a readmission in the post-ICU period, 24% were ambulatory care sensitive condition. Patients with increased utilization differed by socioeconomic status, insurance type, and severity of illness. Sixteen percent of patients had either an emergency department or inpatient admission, but no outpatient visits during the post-ICU period. CONCLUSIONS: An ICU admission is associated with increased resource utilization including hospital readmissions, with many due to an ambulatory care sensitive condition. Lower socioeconomic status and higher severity of illness are associated with increased resource utilization. After an ICU visit patients seem to use hospital resources over outpatient resources. Interventions to improve and coordinate care after ICU discharge are needed.

Percentage of Time in Range 70 to 139 mg/dL Is Associated With Reduced Mortality Among Critically Ill Patients Receiving IV Insulin Infusion.

BACKGROUND: In addition to hyperglycemia, hypoglycemia, and glycemic variability, reduced time in targeted blood glucose range (TIR) is associated with increased risk of death in critically ill patients. This relation between TIR and mortality may be confounded by diabetic status and antecedent glycemic control. METHODS: This study retrospectively analyzed critically ill patients managed with the same IV insulin protocol at multiple centers. The percentage of TIR between 70 and 139 mg/dL was calculated. Patients with diabetic ketoacidosis, patients who had < 10 blood glucose readings, and patients with repeat admissions were excluded. The highest recorded glycosylated hemoglobin value in the preceding 3 months or up to 1 month following admission were used as a surrogate for the patient's preexisting glucose control. Stratified regression analyses were performed for 30-day mortality, with covariates of age, sex, TIR ≥ 80%, Acute Physiology Score, and Charlson Comorbidity Index. RESULTS: A total of 9,028 patients, 53.2% of whom had diabetes, were studied. Median TIR was 84.1% for nondiabetic patients and 64.5% for patients with diabetes. Mortality was lower in those with TIR > 80% compared with those with TIR ≤ 80% (12.4% vs 19.2%; P < .001). TIR > 80% was independently associated with reduced mortality in nondiabetic patients (OR, 0.52; P < .001), patients with diabetes (OR, 0.69; P = .001), and patients with well-controlled disease (OR, 0.50; P < .001) but not in patients with poorly controlled disease (OR, 0.86; P = .40). CONCLUSIONS: TIR was independently associated with mortality in critically ill patients, particularly those with good antecedent glucose control.

Randomized Feasibility Trial of a Low Tidal Volume-Airway Pressure Release Ventilation Protocol Compared With Traditional Airway Pressure Release Ventilation and Volume Control Ventilation Protocols.

OBJECTIVES: Low tidal volume (= tidal volume ≤ 6 mL/kg, predicted body weight) ventilation using volume control benefits patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome. Airway pressure release ventilation is an alternative to low tidal volume-volume control ventilation, but the release breaths generated are variable and can exceed tidal volume breaths of low tidal volume-volume control. We evaluate the application of a low tidal volume-compatible airway pressure release ventilation protocol that manages release volumes on both clinical and feasibility endpoints. DESIGN: We designed a prospective randomized trial in patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure. We randomized patients to low tidal volume-volume control, low tidal volume-airway pressure release ventilation, and traditional airway pressure release ventilation with a planned enrollment of 246 patients. The study was stopped early because of low enrollment and inability to consistently achieve tidal volumes less than 6.5 mL/kg in the low tidal volume-airway pressure release ventilation arm. Although the primary clinical study endpoint was PaO2/FIO2 on study day 3, we highlight the feasibility outcomes related to tidal volumes in both arms. SETTING: Four Intermountain Healthcare tertiary ICUs. PATIENTS: Adult ICU patients with hypoxemic respiratory failure anticipated to require prolonged mechanical ventilation. INTERVENTIONS: Low tidal volume-volume control, airway pressure release ventilation, and low tidal volume-airway pressure release ventilation. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: We observed wide variability and higher tidal (release for airway pressure release ventilation) volumes in both airway pressure release ventilation (8.6 mL/kg; 95% CI, 7.8-9.6) and low tidal volume-airway pressure release ventilation (8.0; 95% CI, 7.3-8.9) than volume control (6.8; 95% CI, 6.2-7.5; p = 0.005) with no difference between airway pressure release ventilation and low tidal volume-airway pressure release ventilation (p = 0.58). Recognizing the limitations of small sample size, we observed no difference in 52 patients in day 3 PaO2/ FIO2 (p = 0.92). We also observed no significant difference between arms in sedation, vasoactive medications, or occurrence of pneumothorax. CONCLUSIONS: Airway pressure release ventilation resulted in release volumes often exceeding 12 mL/kg despite a protocol designed to target low tidal volume ventilation. Current airway pressure release ventilation protocols are unable to achieve consistent and reproducible delivery of low tidal volume ventilation goals. A large-scale efficacy trial of low tidal volume-airway pressure release ventilation is not feasible at this time in the absence of an explicit, generalizable, and reproducible low tidal volume-airway pressure release ventilation protocol.

Lower Glucose Target Is Associated With Improved 30-Day Mortality in Cardiac and Cardiothoracic Patients.

BACKGROUND: Practice guidelines recommend against intensive insulin therapy in patients who are critically ill based on trials that had high rates of severe hypoglycemia. Intermountain Healthcare uses a computerized IV insulin protocol that allows choice of blood glucose (BG) targets (80-110 vs 90-140 mg/dL) and has low rates of severe hypoglycemia. We sought to study the effects of BG target on mortality in adult patients in cardiac ICUs that have very low rates of severe hypoglycemia. METHODS: Critically ill patients receiving IV insulin were treated with either of two BG targets (80-110 vs 90-140 mg/dL). We created a propensity score for BG target using factors thought to have influenced clinicians' choice, and then we performed a propensity score-adjusted regression analysis for 30-day mortality. RESULTS: There were 1,809 patients who met inclusion criteria. Baseline patient characteristics were similar. Median glucose was lower in the 80-110 mg/dL group (104 vs 122 mg/dL, P < .001). Severe hypoglycemia occurred at very low rates in both groups (1.16% vs 0.35%, P = .051). Unadjusted 30-day mortality was lower in the 80-110 mg/dL group (4.3% vs 9.2%, P < .001). This remained after propensity score-adjusted regression (OR, 0.65; 95% CI, 0.43-0.98; P = .04). CONCLUSIONS: Tight glucose control can be achieved with low rates of severe hypoglycemia and is associated with decreased 30-day mortality in a cohort of largely patients in cardiac ICUs. Although such findings should not be used to guide clinical practice at present, the use of tight glucose control should be reexamined using a protocol that has low rates of severe hypoglycemia.

Association of hospice utilization and publicly reported outcomes following hospitalization for pneumonia or heart failure: a retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the Hospital Quality Alliance began collecting and reporting United States hospital performance in the treatment of pneumonia and heart failure in 2008. Whether the utilization of hospice might affect CMS-reported mortality and readmission rates is not known. METHODS: Hospice utilization (mean days on hospice per decedent) for 2012 from the Dartmouth Atlas (a project of the Dartmouth Institute that reports a variety of public health and policy-related statistics) was merged with hospital-level 30-day mortality and readmission rates for pneumonia and heart failure from CMS. The association between hospice use and outcomes was analyzed with multivariate quantile regression controlling for quality of care metrics, acute care bed availability, regional variability and other measures. RESULTS: 2196 hospitals reported data to both CMS and the Dartmouth Atlas in 2012. Higher rates of hospice utilization were associated with lower rates of 30-day mortality and readmission for pneumonia but not for heart failure. Higher quality of care was associated with lower rates of mortality for both pneumonia and heart failure. Greater acute care bed availability was associated with increased readmission rates for both conditions (p < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSIONS: Higher rates of hospice utilization were associated with lower rates of 30-day mortality and readmission for pneumonia as reported by CMS. While causality is not established, it is possible that hospice referrals might directly affect CMS outcome metrics. Further clarification of the relationship between hospice referral patterns and publicly reported CMS outcomes appears warranted.

Acute Physiologic Stress and Subsequent Anxiety Among Family Members of ICU Patients.

OBJECTIVES: The ICU is a complex and stressful environment and is associated with significant psychologic morbidity for patients and their families. We sought to determine whether salivary cortisol, a physiologic measure of acute stress, was associated with subsequent psychologic distress among family members of ICU patients. DESIGN: This is a prospective, observational study of family members of adult ICU patients. SETTING: Adult medical and surgical ICU in a tertiary care center. SUBJECTS: Family members of ICU patients. INTERVENTIONS: Participants provided five salivary cortisol samples over 24 hours at the time of the patient ICU admission. The primary measure of cortisol was the area under the curve from ground; the secondary measure was the cortisol awakening response. Outcomes were obtained during a 3-month follow-up telephone call. The primary outcome was anxiety, measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale-Anxiety. Secondary outcomes included depression and posttraumatic stress disorder. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: Among 100 participants, 92 completed follow-up. Twenty-nine participants (32%) reported symptoms of anxiety at 3 months, 15 participants (16%) reported depression symptoms, and 14 participants (15%) reported posttraumatic stress symptoms. In our primary analysis, cortisol level as measured by area under the curve from ground was not significantly associated with anxiety (odds ratio, 0.94; p = 0.70). In our secondary analysis, however, cortisol awakening response was significantly associated with anxiety (odds ratio, 1.08; p = 0.02). CONCLUSIONS: Roughly one third of family members experience anxiety after an ICU admission for their loved one, and many family members also experience depression and posttraumatic stress. Cortisol awakening response is associated with anxiety in family members of ICU patients 3 months following the ICU admission. Physiologic measurements of stress among ICU family members may help identify individuals at particular risk of adverse psychologic outcomes.

Patient and Family Experience: A Comparison of Intensive Care and Overall Hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: The Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey is the most commonly used instrument for measuring patients' perceptions of the quality of inpatient care. OBJECTIVE: To determine if the hospital survey can also be used to measure patients' experience of intensive care as indicated by scores on a parallel questionnaire, the Patient Perception of Quality. METHODS: Scores on both instruments of all adult patients admitted to an intensive care unit from 2007 through 2012 were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 1766 matching pairs of hospital and critical care surveys were identified. Patients' ratings of the overall hospital and critical care experiences had low correlation: r = 0.32 (95% CI, 0.28-0.37). Using the standard reporting convention, 77% of the participants rated the hospital as 9 or 10 on a 10-point scale, and 65% rated the intensive care unit as 5 on a 5-point scale. Although the hospital survey was always completed by the patient, the critical care survey was completed by a patient's family member or friend in 76% of cases and by the patient in 24%. Patient-completed critical care surveys had more correlation with hospital surveys (r = 0.45) than did critical care surveys completed by family members (r = 0.30), but the overall correlation remained modest. CONCLUSION: Scores on the hospital survey were at best modestly associated with scores on the critical care survey and did not reflect the specific experiences of patients and patients' families in the intensive care unit.

Preliminary Identification of Coping Profiles Relevant to Surrogate Decision Making in the ICU.

OBJECTIVE: The Intensive Care Unit (ICU) is a stressful environment for families of critically ill patients and these individuals are at risk to develop persistent psychological morbidity. Our study objective was to identify individual differences in coping with stress and information presentation preferences of respondents exposed to a simulated ICU experience. METHODS: Participants were recruited from a university and two community populations. Participants completed questionnaires that measured demographic information and characteristics that may be relevant to an individual's ICU experience. Quality of life was measured by the EQ-5D, personality dimensions were examined with the abbreviated Big Five inventory, coping with stress was assessed with Brief COPE. Shared decision making preferences were assessed by the Degner Control Preferences Scale (CPS) and information seeking style was assessed with the Miller Behavioral Style Scale (MBSS). Social support was examined using an abbreviated version of the Social Relationship Index. Participants also completed a vignette-based simulated ICU experience, in which they made a surrogate decision on behalf of a loved one in the ICU. RESULTS: Three hundred forty-three participants completed the study. Three distinct coping profiles were identified: adaptive copers, maladaptive copers, and disengaged copers. Profiles differed primarily on coping styles, personality, quality of their closest social relationship, and history of anxiety and depression. Responses to the simulated ICU decision making experience differed across profiles. Disengaged copers (15%) were more likely to elect to refuse dialysis on behalf of an adult sibling compared to adaptive copers (7%) or maladaptive copers (5%) (p = 0.03). Notably, the MBSS and the CPS did not differ by coping profile. CONCLUSION: Distinct coping profiles are associated with differences in responses to a simulated ICU experience. Tailoring communication and support to specific coping profiles may represent an important pathway to improving ICU experience for patients and families.

Validation of the Intermountain patient perception of quality (PPQ) survey among survivors of an intensive care unit admission: a retrospective validation study.

BACKGROUND: Patients' perceptions of the quality of their hospitalization have become important to the American healthcare system. Standard surveys of perceived quality of healthcare do not focus on the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) portion of the stay. Our objective was to evaluate the construct validity and internal consistency of the Intermountain Patient Perception of Quality (PPQ) survey among patients discharged from the ICU. METHODS: We analyzed prospectively collected results from the ICU PPQ survey of all inpatients at Intermountain Medical Center whose hospitalization included an ICU stay. We employed principal components analysis to determine the constructs present in the PPQ survey, and Cronbach's alpha to evaluate the internal consistency (reliability) of the items representing each construct. RESULTS: We identified 5,680 patients who had completed the PPQ survey. There were three basic domains measured: nursing care, physician care, and overall perception of quality. Most of the variability was explained with the first two principal components. Constructs did not vary by type of respondent. CONCLUSIONS: The Intermountain ICU PPQ survey demonstrated excellent construct validity across three distinct constructs. This, in addition to its previously established content validity, suggests the utility of the PPQ survey as an assay of the perceived quality of the ICU experience.

Coefficient of glucose variation is independently associated with mortality in critically ill patients receiving intravenous insulin.

INTRODUCTION: Both patient- and context-specific factors may explain the conflicting evidence regarding glucose control in critically ill patients. Blood glucose variability appears to correlate with mortality, but this variability may be an indicator of disease severity, rather than an independent predictor of mortality. We assessed blood glucose coefficient of variation as an independent predictor of mortality in the critically ill. METHODS: We used eProtocol-Insulin, an electronic protocol for managing intravenous insulin with explicit rules, high clinician compliance, and reproducibility. We studied critically ill patients from eight hospitals, excluding patients with diabetic ketoacidosis and patients supported with eProtocol-insulin for < 24 hours or with < 10 glucose measurements. Our primary clinical outcome was 30-day all-cause mortality. We performed multivariable logistic regression, with covariates of age, gender, glucose coefficient of variation (standard deviation/mean), Charlson comorbidity score, acute physiology score, presence of diabetes, and occurrence of hypoglycemia < 60 mg/dL. RESULTS: We studied 6101 critically ill adults. Coefficient of variation was independently associated with 30-day mortality (odds ratio 1.23 for every 10% increase, P < 0.001), even after adjustment for hypoglycemia, age, disease severity, and comorbidities. The association was higher in non-diabetics (OR = 1.37, P < 0.001) than in diabetics (OR 1.15, P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Blood glucose variability is associated with mortality and is independent of hypoglycemia, disease severity, and comorbidities. Future studies should evaluate blood glucose variability.