Focus Group Discussion as a Tool to Assess Patient-Based Outcomes, Practical Tips for Conducting Focus Group Discussion for Medical Students-Learning With an Example.

Patient-based outcomes (patient-reported outcomes) of any intervention can change according to factors like age, gender, region, culture, education, and socioeconomic status. Most of the available outcome measuring tools have a surgeon-related bias. Focus group discussion (FGD) is a simple and effective way to assess the outcome of an intervention. In FGD, people from similar backgrounds and experiences discuss a specific topic of interest. Our objective is to discuss the problems of common outcome measuring tools for patient satisfaction and to understand the method of conducting an FGD. We have set our own published article on patient-based outcomes after total knee arthroplasty (TKA) as an example for explaining the method of conducting an FGD. The planning, advantages, disadvantages, practicalities, and problems of conducting an FGD are explained. In conclusion, many of the tools used for assessing patient satisfaction is surgeon-centered. Focus group discussion is simple, cost-effective, requiring a small number of participants, and can be completed in a short period. It is an effective tool for assessing patient-based outcomes in TKA.

Factors Affecting Life Expectancy After Bone Metastasis in Adults - Results of a 5-year Prospective Study.

There is a scarcity of literature available regarding the factors affecting life expectancy in bone metastasis (BM). Our objective is to evaluate the factors affecting life expectancy in adult patients with BM. In this prospective cohort study for over 5 years, 111 adults with BM were included in the analysis. The life expectancy was calculated from the time of diagnosis of BM to death. Statistical analysis was done using the SPSS statistical program. The Pearson chi-square test was used to analyze the significance and life expectancy was represented on the Kaplan Meier curve. The overall median survival time was 9 months. The patients with a primary malignancy detected along with BM had a median survival of 9 months. Those without a known primary at the time of diagnosis survived for a median period of 8 months and those with known primary for 14 months (P-value 0.01). The median survival of patients with BM from the lung, breast, and prostate was 6, 14, and 24 months, respectively (P-value 0.001). Only 22% of patients with extraskeletal metastasis in addition to BM survived more than 6 months (P-value 0.013). Patients with neurological deficits had a median survival of 2 months (P-value 0.0001). There was no statistically significant association between gender and the mode of treatment and survival. There was a significant association between life expectancy and mode of presentation, the primary site of origin, presence of extraskeletal secondary, BM with unknown primary, and symptoms on presentation in patients with BM.

Two rare cases of Giant cell tumor of Distal Ulna.

Giant cell tumours, though benign, are locally aggressive bone tumours with a relatively high recurrence rate. These usually occur in distal radius, distal femur, proximal tibia and humerus. Treatment options for contained lesions at these sites include joint preservation procedures such as extended curettage with cementing or bone graft. GCT in spine, calcaneum and distal ulna are rare, with no uniform consensus regarding the ideal treatment. Here we report two cases of GCT distal ulna managed with extended curettage and polymethylmethacrylate cementing showing good functional and radiological outcomes without signs of recurrence during 2 years follow up.

Clinical and Radiological Profile of Ten Interesting Though Rare Presentations of Giant Cell Tumor of Bone.

Giant cell tumor (GCT) is a benign but locally aggressive lesion of the bone. They are common in skeletally matured individuals with female preponderance. Unusual presentations can occur rarely. This study aims to find out the clinical and radiological profile of ten rare presentations of GCT. We have conducted a retrospective analysis of medical records of ten interesting presentations of giant cell tumor of bone. There was a patient with soft-tissue recurrence after excision. In five cases, the GCT occurred at rare sites and a case to discuss the radiological dilemma in the diagnosis. One case of pathological fracture, another case of seeding of tumor cells in the graft donor site, and a case of pulmonary metastasis were included. There were seven females, two males, and a boy. Out of ten patients, all except two cases were primarily treated at our institution. Clinical profiles of soft-tissue recurrence, rare sites of occurrence, diagnostic dilemma, pathological fracture, seeding at donor site, and metastasis were analyzed and presented. GCT, even though it is a benign lesion, can have a variety of clinical presentations and complications.