A narrative review of ambulatory care education in Canadian internal medicine.

BACKGROUND: The Canadian healthcare system faces increasing patient volumes and complexity amidst funding constraints. Ambulatory care offers a potential solution to some of these challenges. Despite growing emphasis on the provision of ambulatory care, there has been a relative paucity of ambulatory care training curricula within Canadian internal medicine residency programs. We conducted a narrative review to understand the current state of knowledge on postgraduate ambulatory care education (ACE), in order to frame a research agenda for Canadian Internal Medicine ACE. METHODS: We searched OVID Medline, Embase, and PsycINFO for articles that included the concepts of ambulatory care and medical or health professions education from 2005-2015. After sorting for inclusion/exclusion, we analyzed 30 articles, looking for dominant claims about ACE in Internal Medicine literature. RESULTS: We found three claims. First, ACE is considered to be a necessary component of medical training because of its distinction from inpatient learning environments. Second, current models of ambulatory care clinics do not meet residency education needs. Third, ACE presents opportunities to develop non-medical expert roles. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of our narrative review highlight a need for additional research regarding ACE in Canada to inform optimal ambulatory internal medicine training structures and alignment of educational and societal needs.

CONTEXTE: Le système canadien des soins de santé fait face à des volumes croissants de patients et de cas complexes en même temps qu'à des contraintes budgétaires. Les soins ambulatoires offrent une solution pour relever certains de ces défis. Malgré l'importance grandissante portée aux soins ambulatoires, on observe un manque relatif de cursus de formation en soins ambulatoires dans les programmes de résidence en médecine interne. On a effectué une revue narrative en vue de comprendre l'état actuel des connaissances sur la formation en soins ambulatoires (FSA) postgraduée afin d'encadrer un programme de recherche portant sur la FSA à l'intention des étudiants en médecine interne canadiens. MÉTHODOLOGIE: On a consulté OVID Medline, Embase et PsycINFO pour trouver des articles publiés entre 2005 et 2015, portant sur les concepts de soins ambulatoires et d'éducation médicale ou des professionnels de la santé. Après la sélection d'articles selon des critères d'inclusion et d'exclusion, nous en avons examiné 30 en recherchant les affirmations dominantes sur la FSA dans la littérature en médecine interne. RÉSULTATS: On a dégagé trois affirmations soit 1) la FSA est tenue pour une composante nécessaire de tout programme d'études de médecine parce qu'elle se distingue de l'environnement d'apprentissage hospitalier; 2) les modèles actuels de cliniques de soins ambulatoires ne répondent pas aux besoins de formation des résidents; 3) la FSA permet de développer des rôles autres que ceux de l'expert médical. CONCLUSIONS: Les conclusions de notre analyse documentaire mettent en lumière la nécessité d'effectuer d'autres recherches sur la FSA au Canada pour connaître quelles seraient les structures optimales pour dispenser la formation en soins ambulatoires pour la médecine interne et établir une adéquation entre les besoins de formation et les besoins de la société.

Resected Hepatocellular Carcinoma in a Patient with Crohn's Disease on Azathioprine.

Hepatocellular carcinoma rarely occurs in patients without underlying cirrhosis or liver disease. While inflammatory bowel disease has been linked to certain forms of liver disease, hepatocellular carcinoma is exceedingly rare in these patients. We report the twelfth case of hepatocellular carcinoma in a patient with Crohn's disease. The patient is a 61-year-old with longstanding Crohn's disease who was treated with azathioprine and was found to have elevated liver enzymes and a new 3-cm liver mass on ultrasound. A complete workup for underlying liver disease was unremarkable and liver biopsy revealed hepatocellular carcinoma. The patient underwent a hepatic resection, and there is no evidence of recurrence at the 11-month follow-up. The resection specimen showed no evidence of cancer despite the initial biopsy revealing hepatocellular carcinoma. This case represents the third biopsy-proven complete spontaneous regression of hepatocellular carcinoma. Although large studies have failed to show a definite link between azathioprine and hepatocellular carcinoma, the relationship remains concerning given the multiple case reports suggesting a possible association. Clinicians should exercise a high degree of suspicion in patients with Crohn's disease who present with elevated liver enzymes, especially those on azathioprine therapy.

Red Blood Cell Transfusions and Iron Therapy for Patients Presenting with Acute Upper Gastrointestinal Bleeding: A Survey of Canadian Gastroenterologists and Hepatologists.

Introduction. There is limited data evaluating physician transfusion practices in patients with acute upper gastrointestinal bleeding (UGIB). Methods. A web-based survey was sent to 500 gastroenterologists and hepatologists across Canada. The survey included clinical vignettes where physicians were asked to choose transfusion thresholds. Results. The response rate was 41% (N = 203). The reported hemoglobin (Hgb) transfusion trigger differed by up to 50 g/L. Transfusions were more liberal in hemodynamically unstable patients compared to stable patients (mean Hgb of 86.7 g/L versus 71.0 g/L; p < 0.001). Many clinicians (24%) reported transfusing a hemodynamically unstable patient at a Hgb threshold of 100 g/L and the majority (57%) are transfusing two units of RBCs as initial management. Patients with coronary artery disease (mean Hgb of 84.0 g/L versus 71.0 g/L; p < 0.01) or cirrhosis (mean Hgb of 74.4 g/L versus 71.0 g/L; p < 0.01) were transfused more liberally than healthy patients. Fewer than 15% would prescribe iron to patients with UGIB who are anemic upon discharge. Conclusions. The transfusion practices of gastroenterologists in the management of UGIB vary widely and more high-quality evidence is needed to help assess the efficacy and safety of selected transfusion thresholds in varying patients presenting with UGIB.

Physicians' awareness of cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy for colorectal cancer carcinomatosis.

BACKGROUND: Recent trials have shown that cytoreductive surgery and heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (S+HIPEC) for colorectal cancer carcinomatosis (CRC-C) leads to 5-year, disease-free survival rates of more than 30%. Since these data represent a substantial change in the management of CRC-C, the objectives of this study were to determine physicians' awareness of S+HIPEC for CRC-C and physician characteristics predictive of awareness of S+HIPEC for CRC-C. METHODS: This study was a mailed, cross-sectional survey of general surgeons and medical oncologists in Ontario. RESULTS: The response rate was 44.0% (214 of 487). Most respondents were men and younger than 50 years. There was an even split between those at academic and community hospitals. Overall, 46% of respondents were aware of S+HIPEC for CRC-C, and multivariate analysis showed that there were no physician characteristics predictive of awareness of S+HIPEC for CRC-C. CONCLUSION: Physician awareness of S+HIPEC for CRC-C is low. Therefore, strategies to improve patient and physician knowledge about S+HIPEC for CRC-C are important to ensure appropriate treatment for patients.

CONTEXTE: Des essais récents ont démontré que la chirurgie de réduction tumorale combinée à la chimiothérapie intrapéritonéale hyperthermique (S+HIPEC) contre la carcinomatose du cancer colorectal (C-CCR) produit des taux de survie sans maladie de 5 ans qui dépassent 30 %. Comme ces données représentent une modification importante de la prise en charge de la C-CCR, l'étude visait à déterminer si les médecins connaissent la technique S+HIPEC contre la C-CCR et les caractéristiques des médecins qui prédisent une connaissance de la technique S+HIPEC contre la C-CCR. MÉTHODES: L'étude consistait en un sondage transversal postal mené auprès de chirurgiens généraux et de médecins oncologues de l'Ontario. RÉSULTANTS: Le taux de réponse a atteint 44,0 % (214 sur 487). La plupart des répondants étaient des hommes de moins de 50 ans. La répartition entre les hôpitaux universitaires et les hôpitaux communautaires était égale. Dans l'ensemble, 46 % des répondants connaissaient la technique S+HIPEC contre la C-CCR et une analyse à variables multiples a montré qu'il n'y avait pas de caractéristiques des médecins qui pouvaient prédire la connaissance de la technique S+HIPEC contre la C-CCR. CONCLUSIONS: Les médecins connaissent peu la technique S+HIPEC contre la C-CCR. Des stratégies visant à améliorer la connaissance de la technique S+HIPEC contre la C-CCR chez les patients et les médecins sont importantes pour assurer le traitement approprié des patients.

Patient decision aids for cancer treatment: are there any alternatives?

BACKGROUND: Although patient decision aids (pDAs) are effective, widespread use of pDAs for cancer treatment has not been achieved. The objectives of this study were to perform a systematic review to identify alternate types of decision support interventions (DSIs) for cancer treatment and a meta-analysis to compare the effectiveness of these DSIs to pDAs. METHODS: The inclusion criteria for the study were: 1) all published studies using a randomized, controlled trial design, and 2) DSIs involving treatment decision-making for breast, prostate, colorectal, and/or lung cancer. For this analysis, DSIs were classified as pDAs if: 1) one reported outcome measure mapped onto the International Patient Decision Aids Standards Collaboration effectiveness criterion, and 2) the DSI was evaluated relative to standard consultation. Random effects models were used to compare the effectiveness of pDAs relative to other identified DSIs for reported outcomes. RESULTS: A total of 71 studies were reviewed, and 24 met the inclusion criteria. Overall, there were no significant differences in knowledge, satisfaction, anxiety, or decisional conflict scores between pDAs and other DSIs. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that the effectiveness of other DSIs, including question prompt lists and audiorecording of the consultation, is similar to pDAs. This is important because it may be that these less complex DSIs may be all that is necessary to achieve similar outcomes as pDAs for cancer treatment.

Using patient and physician perspectives to develop a shared decision-making framework for colorectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of death from cancer worldwide with over 900,000 diagnoses and 639,000 deaths each year. Although shared decision making is broadly advocated as a mechanism by which to achieve patient-centred care, there has been little investigation of patient and physician shared decision-making preferences and practices or the outcomes associated with shared decision making in the context of colorectal cancer. AIM: The aim of this study is to determine patient and physician attitudes towards the use of shared decision making in the setting of colorectal cancer. METHODS: Standard principles of qualitative research will be used to sample and interview 20 colorectal cancer patients in each of three tertiary care hospitals (n = 60) and 15 surgeons, radiation oncologists, and medical oncologists (n = 45) affiliated with cancer centres. The interview questions will be guided by a conceptual framework defining patient and physician factors that influence the shared decision-making process and associated outcomes in the setting of colorectal cancer. An inductive, grounded approach will be used by two investigators to independently analyze the interview transcripts. These investigators will meet to compare and achieve consensus on themes that will be tabulated to compare barriers, enablers, and outcomes of shared decision making by patient, physician, and contextual factors. DISCUSSION: This study is the first to examine both patient and physician perspectives on the use of shared decision making for colorectal cancer in North America or elsewhere. It will provide a framework that can be used to describe the shared decision-making process and its outcomes, and evaluate strategies to facilitate this process for patients with colorectal cancer.

Development of a synoptic MRI report for primary rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND: Although magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an important imaging modality for pre-operative staging and surgical planning of rectal cancer, to date there has been little investigation on the completeness and overall quality of MRI reports. This is important because optimal patient care depends on the quality of the MRI report and clear communication of these reports to treating physicians. Previous work has shown that the use of synoptic pathology reports improves the quality of pathology reports and communication between physicians. METHODS: The aims of this project are to develop a synoptic MRI report for rectal cancer and determine the enablers and barriers toward the implementation of a synoptic MRI report for rectal cancer in the clinical setting. A three-step Delphi process with an expert panel will extract the key criteria for the MRI report to guide pre-operative chemoradiation and surgical planning following a review of the literature, and a synoptic template will be developed. Furthermore, standardized qualitative research methods will be used to conduct interviews with radiologists to determine the enablers and barriers to the implementation and sustainability of the synoptic MRI report in the clinic setting. CONCLUSION: Synoptic MRI reports for rectal cancer are currently not used in North America and may improve the overall quality of MRI report and communication between physicians. This may, in turn, lead to improved patient care and outcomes for rectal cancer patients.