Interdisciplinary Transgender Veteran Care: Development of a Core Curriculum for VHA Providers.

Purpose: The Veteran's Health Administration (VHA) has created a training program for interdisciplinary teams of providers on the unique treatment needs of transgender veterans. An overview of this program's structure and content is described along with an evaluation of each session and the program overall. Methods: A specialty care team delivered 14 didactic courses supplemented with case consultation twice per month over the course of 7 months through video teleconferencing to 16 teams of learners. Each team, consisting of at least one mental health provider (e.g., social worker, psychologist, or psychiatrist) and one medical provider (e.g., physician, nurse, physician assistant, advanced practice nurse, or pharmacist), received training and consultation on transgender veteran care. Results: In the first three waves of learners, 111 providers across a variety of disciplines attended the sessions and received training. Didactic topics included hormone therapy initiation and adjustments, primary care issues, advocacy within the system, and psychotherapy issues. Responses were provided to 39 veteran-specific consult questions to augment learning. Learners reported an increase in knowledge plus an increase in team cohesion and functioning. As a result, learners anticipated treating more transgender veterans in the future. Conclusion: VHA providers are learning about the unique healthcare needs of transgender veterans and benefitting from the training opportunity offered through the Transgender Specialty Care Access Network-Extension of Community Healthcare Outcomes program. The success of this program in training interdisciplinary teams of providers suggests that it might serve as a model for other large healthcare systems. In addition, it provides a path forward for individual learners (both within VHA and in the community) who wish to increase their knowledge.

Pulmonary rehabilitation maintenance interventions: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: To examine existing research on pulmonary exercise rehabilitation (PR) maintenance interventions. METHODS: Authors conducted a systematic review of PR maintenance interventions. The primary outcome of interest was physical endurance. RESULTS: Eight studies met inclusion criteria. Most showed initial positive intervention effects, which declined to non-significance within 3-12 months after completion of maintenance. Only one of the 8 studies described a theoretical framework underlying the maintenance intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Existing interventions generally fail to maintain benefits derived from PR programs. Future studies should evaluate maintenance interventions that are theoretically-based and seek to impact known maintenance mediators. Evaluation of these interventions should include substantial follow-up periods and adherence measurements.

Effect of obstructive sleep apnea on response to cognitive behavior therapy for depression after an acute myocardial infarction.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) interferes with cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for depression in patients with coronary heart disease. METHODS: Patients who were depressed within 28 days after an acute myocardial infarction (MI) were enrolled in the Enhancing Recovery in Coronary Heart Disease (ENRICHD) trial; 289 (12%) of the 2481 participants in ENRICHD met the criteria for inclusion in this ancillary study. RESULTS: A validated ambulatory ECG algorithm was used to detect OSA. Of the 289 participants, 64 (22%) met the criteria for OSA. CBT was efficacious relative to usual care (UC) for depression (p=.004). OSA had no effect on 6-month Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) scores (p=.11), and there was no interaction between OSA and treatment (p=.42). However, the adjusted mean (s.e.) 6-month BDI scores among patients without OSA were 12.2 (0.8) vs. 9.0 (0.8) in the UC and CBT groups (Cohen's d=.40); among those with OSA, they were 9.5 (1.4) and 8.1 (1.5) in the UC and CBT groups (d=.17). There were no significant OSA×Treatment interactions in the major depression (n=131) or minor depression (n=158) subgroups, but in those with major depression, there was a larger treatment effect in those without (d=.44) than with (d=.09) OSA. In those with minor depression, the treatment effects were d=.37 and d=.25 for the non-OSA and OSA subgroups. CONCLUSION: CBT is efficacious for depression after an acute myocardial infarction in patients without obstructive sleep apnea, but it may be less efficacious for post-MI patients with OSA.

Depression and rehospitalization following acute myocardial infarction.

BACKGROUND: Elevated scores on depression symptom questionnaires predict rehospitalization after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). Whether the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition, depressive disorders predict rehospitalization after AMI is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS: Participants (n=766) in an Enhancing Recovery and Coronary Heart Disease ancillary study were classified by diagnostic interview as having no depression, minor depression, or major depression after AMI. Cardiac rehospitalizations were tracked for up to 42 months. Cox proportional hazards regression was used to model the effect of depressive disorder on time to first cardiac rehospitalization, controlling for mortality risk factors. Logistic regression was used to compare the accuracy with which rehospitalization could be predicted by depression diagnosis or by the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Secondary analyses examined the effects of depression on the cumulative number of all-cause rehospitalizations, length of stay, and emergency department visits. Compared with patients without depression, patients with either minor or major depression were hospitalized sooner (minor depression adjusted hazard ratio, 2.22; 95% CI, 1.59-3.08; P<0.001; major depression adjusted hazard ratio, 2.54; 95% CI, 1.84-3.53; P<0.001), had more hospitalizations (minor, P<0.001; major, P<0.001) and emergency department visits (minor, P=0.003; major, P<0.001), and spent more days in the hospital (minor, P<0.001; major, P<0.001). The interview and questionnaire methods of assessing depression did not significantly differ in their overall accuracy of predicting rehospitalization. CONCLUSIONS: Depressive disorders increase the risk of rehospitalization after AMI. Future work should focus on developing multivariable models to predict risk of rehospitalization after AMI, and depression should be included in these.

Multivariable models in biobehavioral research.

OBJECTIVE: To review contemporary multivariable modeling and statistical reporting practices in psychosomatic and behavioral medicine research. METHODS: A random sample of 40 original research articles involving multivariable models was obtained from the 2005 volumes of four of the leading psychosomatic and behavioral medicine research journals. A random comparison sample was obtained from the 2005 volumes of four of the leading general medical and psychiatric journals. Multivariable modeling and reporting practices were systematically coded. The evaluation focused primarily on issues raised in 2004 Statistical Corner article by Babyak. RESULTS: Deficiencies were found in a large proportion of the articles published in psychosomatic and behavioral medicine journals. The single most common problem was a lack of clear information, or any information at all, about important aspects of the statistical methods. Other frequent problems included post hoc selection of variables, lack of clear rationales and well-specified roles for selected variables, inadequate information about models as a whole (e.g., goodness of fit), failure to test model assumptions, and lack of model validation. Overfitting of multivariable models was the exception rather than the rule, but still a significant problem. CONCLUSIONS: There is room for improvement in the use and reporting of multivariable models in psychosomatic and behavioral medicine research journals. These problems can be overcome by adopting best statistical practices, such as those recommended by Psychosomatic Medicine's statistical guidelines and by authoritative guidebooks on statistical reporting practices.

Predictors of subjective cognitive difficulties in older adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to describe the relationship among cognitive test performance, psychological symptoms, and subjective cognitive difficulties in older adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease. METHOD: Participants were 80 adults over the age of 55 with an unequivocal diagnosis of atherosclerotic vascular disease. Participants completed measures of neuropsychological functioning, psychological symptoms, and two measures of subjective cognitive difficulties. RESULTS: Psychological symptoms were most strongly associated with higher levels of reported cognitive difficulties. Overall neuropsychological functioning was modestly related to subjective cognitive difficulties but did not remain significant after controlling for psychological symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: In this sample of older adults with atherosclerotic vascular disease, self-reported cognitive difficulties were most strongly related to overall level of psychological distress and not to actual cognitive test scores. Therefore, psychological factors may play an important role in the phenomenon of self-perceived cognitive decline in geriatric populations.

Neuropsychological performance is associated with vascular function in patients with atherosclerotic vascular disease.

OBJECTIVE: We previously reported preliminary data (N=14) demonstrating a significant and positive relationship between forearm vascular function and neuropsychological performance in individuals with atherosclerotic vascular disease (AVD). The current study was conducted to confirm and extend those findings in a much larger, nonoverlapping sample. METHODS AND RESULTS: Participants were 82 individuals with AVD, with no history of stroke, cardiac surgery, or dementia. Forearm vascular function was measured before and after brachial artery infusion of vasoactive agents (acetylcholine, nitroprusside, verapamil). Neuropsychological functioning was assessed with the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status. Statistical analysis included multiple regression and partial correlations, controlling for education. Vascular function was significantly and positively associated with neuropsychological performance [R2 change = 0.116, F change (3,74) = 3.72, P = 0.015]. Follow-up analyses indicated that smooth muscle function was the aspect of vascular function most strongly associated with neuropsychological performance. Individual vascular risk factors were not significantly associated with neuropsychological performance when controlling for vascular function. CONCLUSIONS: Better vascular function is significantly associated with better neuropsychological performance in individuals with AVD. It is possible that this relationship exists in healthy elderly individuals as well, although this cannot be determined based on the existing data, because a healthy comparison group was not studied. With additional research, measures of vascular function might be useful in the early identification of individuals who are at greatest risk for developing vascular cognitive impairment.

Using a brief intervention to improve decisional capacity in schizophrenia research.

Studies have shown that individuals with psychiatric or general medical illness can benefit from interventions designed to enhance decisional capacity for research informed consent. In some cases, interventions have been rather lengthy or complex. The current study was designed to determine whether a brief intervention could improve decisional capacity in people with schizophrenia. Thirty individuals with schizophrenia and 30 healthy comparison participants were presented with a hypothetical research scenario. Decisional capacity was assessed with the MacArthur Competence Assessment Tool-Clinical Research version. Those with schizophrenia received a brief intervention aimed at improving understanding of the research protocol, after which decisional capacity was reassessed. A neuropsychological battery and symptom rating scales were also administered. At baseline, the schizophrenia group earned significantly lower scores than the comparison group on 2 aspects of decisional capacity (understanding, appreciation). At follow-up, the schizophrenia group had improved significantly on understanding and was no longer significantly different from the comparison group on any of the 4 dimensions of decisional capacity. Follow-up analyses also showed a significant effect of the intervention on a subset of the schizophrenia group who had performed most poorly at baseline. Participants with schizophrenia earned significantly lower scores than those in the comparison group across multiple neuropsychological domains. These findings add to the existing literature indicating that brief interventions can improve decisional capacity in individuals with schizophrenia, despite the fact that the illness typically causes significant cognitive dysfunction. The use of such interventions will enable a larger number of people with schizophrenia to make informed decisions regarding research participation.

Informed consent in medication-free schizophrenia research.

OBJECTIVE: The authors' goal was to determine whether people with schizophrenia experience changes in decisional capacity when their antipsychotic regimens are discontinued for research purposes. METHOD: Capacity for informed consent for research, neuropsychological performance, and psychiatric symptoms were assessed before and after discontinuation of antipsychotic medication in 10 individuals with schizophrenia. RESULTS: Overall, participants showed minimal change on most measures during the medication-free interval, although their reasoning ability declined significantly. All participants who demonstrated adequate understanding of study procedures at enrollment retained this capacity throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: Participants in medication-free schizophrenia research do not show a major decline in decisional capacity. However, the apparent decline in reasoning ability found in this study is of concern and underscores the need for both additional research on this topic and the development of remediational interventions aimed at enhancing this aspect of decisional capacity.

Coercion and informed consent in research involving prisoners.

Prison-based research has been limited due to concern that prisoners may represent a vulnerable population secondary to possible coercion and limited capacity for voluntary informed consent. This study was designed to assess decisional capacity and susceptibility to coercion in prison research subjects. Subjects were 30 mentally ill prisoners and 30 healthy controls. The groups were compared on ability to provide informed consent to a hypothetical drug trial, susceptibility to possible coercion, neuropsychological functioning, and psychiatric symptoms. Results indicated that all controls and all but one of the prisoners demonstrated adequate capacity to consent to the hypothetical drug trial. However, when decisional capacity was measured quantitatively, prisoners performed significantly worse regarding two aspects of this ability. Regarding possible coercion, prisoners' main reasons for participating in research included avoiding boredom, meeting someone new, appearing cooperative in hopes of being treated better, and helping society. Neuropsychological functioning was strongly positively correlated with decisional capacity and negatively correlated with susceptibility to possible coercion, whereas psychiatric symptoms were only weakly correlated with these variables. In conclusion, a very high percentage of particularly vulnerable, mentally ill prisoners demonstrated adequate capacity to consent to research. Lower scores on a quantitative measure of decisional capacity suggest that extra care should be taken during the consent process when working with these subjects. The reasons prisoners gave for participating in our research indicated that the prison setting may have influenced their decision to participate, but that they were not actually coerced into doing so. Despite serious past incidents, ethicists will need to consider the possibility that prisoners have become an overprotected population.