Use of Ecological Momentary Assessment to Measure Dyspnea in COPD.

Dyspnea is an unpredictable and distressing symptom of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Dyspnea is challenging to measure due to the heterogeneity of COPD and recall bias associated with retrospective reports. Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) is a technique used to collect symptoms in real-time within a natural environment, useful for monitoring symptom trends and risks of exacerbation in COPD. EMA can be integrated into mobile health (mHealth) platforms for repeated data collection and used alongside physiological measures and behavioral activity monitors. The purpose of this paper is to discuss the use of mHealth and EMA for dyspnea measurement, consider clinical implications of EMA in COPD management, and identify needs for future research in this area.

Regional differences of tracheostomy in extremely premature neonates across the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To identify regional differences in tracheostomy rates and mortality in extremely premature neonates. METHODS: The 1997-2019 Kids' Inpatient Databases (KID) were queried to identify children who completed 27 weeks gestation (27-wk) or less and 23 weeks gestation (23-wk) or less. Multivariable logistic regressions compared odds of tracheostomy and mortality by region (Midwest (MW), Northeast (NE), South (S), and West (W)) while controlling for demographic variables and comorbidities. Trend analyses were performed using Poisson Regressions. RESULTS: There were 2433 27-wk or less infants and 259 23-wk or less who received a tracheostomy. The MW was the only region where higher odds of tracheostomy were seen for 27-wk or less (aOR 1.25 [95%CI 1.12-1.39]) and 23-wk or less (aOR 1.68 [95%CI 1.24-2.27]) neonates when compared to all other regions combined. The S and MW had the highest increase in tracheostomy rates of 27-wk or less (ß = 5.1, r = 0.77, p = 0.025; ß = 3.8, r = 0.93, p = 0.001), and the MW had the highest increased rate of tracheostomy for 23-wk or less (ß = 1.9, r = 0.97, p = 0.008). There were no higher mortality odds by region in 27-wk or less. Mortality was the highest in the S for 23-wk or less (20.8%, p = 0.015). CONCLUSIONS: This study identified regional differences in tracheostomy rates in extremely premature infants. Extremely premature neonates in the MW had higher odds of receiving a tracheostomy with comparable mortality rates to other regions. Further research is needed to analyze regional practice differences that may impact the decision to perform a tracheostomy.

Physician Use of Electronic Health Records: Survey Study Assessing Factors Associated With Provider Reported Satisfaction and Perceived Patient Impact.

BACKGROUND: The effect electronic health record (EHR) implementation has on physician satisfaction and patient care remains unclear. A better understanding of physician perceptions of EHRs and factors that influence those perceptions is needed to improve the physician and patient experience when using EHRs. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to determine provider and clinical practice factors associated with physician EHR satisfaction and perception of patient impact. METHODS: We surveyed a random sample of physicians, including residents and fellows, at a US quaternary care academic hospital from February to March 2016. The survey assessed provider demographics, clinical practice factors (ie, attending, fellow, or resident), and overall EHR experience. The primary outcomes assessed were provider satisfaction and provider perceptions of impact to patient care. Responses on the satisfaction and patient impact questions were recorded on a continuous scale initially anchored at neutral (scale range 0 to 100: 0 defined as "extremely negatively" and 100 as "extremely positively"). Independent variables assessed included demographic and clinical practice factors, including perceived efficiency in using the EHR. One-way analysis of variance or the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for bivariate comparisons, and linear regression was used for multivariable modeling. RESULTS: Of 157 physicians, 111 (70.7%) completed the survey; 51.4% (57/111) of the respondents were attending physicians, and of those, 71.9% (41/57) reported a >50% clinical full-time-equivalency and half reported supervising residents >50% of the time. A total of 50.5% (56/111) of the respondents were primary care practitioners, previous EHR experience was evenly distributed, and 12.6% (14/111) of the total sample were EHR super-users. Responses to how our current EHR affects satisfaction were rated above the neutral survey anchor point (mean 58 [SD 22]), as were their perceptions as to how the EHR impacts the patient (mean 61 [SD 18]). In bivariate comparisons, only physician age, clinical role (resident, fellow, or attending), and perceived efficiency were associated with EHR satisfaction. In the linear regression models, physicians with higher reported perceived efficiency reported higher overall satisfaction and patient impact after controlling for other variables in the model. CONCLUSIONS: Physician satisfaction with EHRs and their perception of its impact on clinical care were generally positive, but physician characteristics, greater age, and attending level were associated with worse EHR satisfaction. Perceived efficiency is the factor most associated with physician satisfaction with EHRs when controlling for other factors. Understanding physician perceptions of EHRs may allow targeting of technology resources to ensure efficiency and satisfaction with EHR system use during clinical care.