Patient- and physician-level determinants of blood pressure response to treatment in normal weight and overweight patients (the PREVIEW study).

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Obesity combined with hypertension places patients at greater risk for target-organ damage and cardiovascular disease. The purpose of this secondary analysis was to identify physician- and patient-levels determinants of blood pressure (BP) values and predictors of uncontrolled BP through subgroup analysis by body mass index (BMI). METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a subgroup analysis of 3006 patients with High-BMI (BMI >25 kg/m(2); n=2124) and Normal-BMI (BMI<25 kg/m(2); n=882) treated by 504 physicians and enrolled in PREVIEW, a Belgian prospective, multi-center, pharmaco-epidemiological study of 90-day second-line treatment with valsartan. Physician- and patient-level determinants of BP values and BP control were identified by means of hierarchical linear and logistic regression. Blood pressure values and control after 90 days of treatment were consistently lower for the High-BMI group. The 25.5% of variance in 90-day systolic and 28.3% of the variance in 90-day diastolic BP were attributable to physician-level determinants for the High-BMI group; versus 27.3% and 29.8% for the Normal-BMI group (ICC=0.273 and 0.298, respectively). Determinants of 90-day BP values and predictors of uncontrolled BP varied considerably by BMI status. CONCLUSION: Several common and unique patient- and physician-level determinants of BP values and control were identified for the High-BMI and Normal-BMI groups. These findings highlight the need for differentiating healthcare interventions to account for patient and physician variables, particularly with respect to effective BP management in vulnerable populations.

Gender-specific, multi-level determinants of outcomes of antihypertensive treatment: a sub-analysis of the Belgian PREVIEW study.

Gender-specific determinants of blood pressure (BP) values and control have not been the focus of clinical hypertension research. The purpose of this analysis was to identify gender-specific and multi-level (physician and patient) determinants of BP values and predictors of uncontrolled BP. We completed a subgroup analysis comparing men and women who participated in the Belgian PREVIEW study of second-line treatment effectiveness of valsartan, applying two-level hierarchical modelling of 90-day BP values and guideline-defined BP control. In total, 1665 women and 1525 men were treated by 504 general practitioners. Fewer women than men reached systolic BP (SBP) (P=0.015) and combined BP targets at 90 days (P=0.007). More than 26% of the variance in 90-day SBP (intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC)=0.270) and diastolic BP (DBP) (ICC=0.262) was attributable to physician-level factors for men; the physician-level ICCs for SBP and DBP were 0.259 and 0.268, respectively, for women. Determinants of 90-day BP values and predictors of uncontrolled BP varied considerably by gender. Many of the multi-level determinants of BP by gender are amenable to intervention, and the remainder can serve as warning signs to clinicians that patients may remain vulnerable to poor outcomes associated with sub-optimal BP control.

Contrasting views of physicians and nurses about an inpatient computer-based provider order-entry system.

OBJECTIVE: Many hospitals are investing in computer-based provider order-entry (POE) systems, and providers' evaluations have proved important for the success of the systems. The authors assessed how physicians and nurses viewed the effects of one modified commercial POE system on time spent patients, resource utilization, errors with orders, and overall quality of care. DESIGN: Survey. MEASUREMENTS: Opinions of 271 POE users on medicine wards of an urban teaching hospital: 96 medical house officers, 49 attending physicians, 19 clinical fellows with heavy inpatient loads, and 107 nurses. RESULTS: Responses were received from 85 percent of the sample. Most physicians and nurses agreed that orders were executed faster under POE. About 30 percent of house officers and attendings or fellows, compared with 56 percent of nurses, reported improvement in overall quality of care with POE. Forty-four percent of house officers and 34 percent of attendings/fellows reported that their time with patients decreased, whereas 56 percent of nurses indicated that their time with patients increased (P < 0.001). Sixty percent of house officers and 41 percent of attendings/fellows indicated that order errors increased, whereas 69 percent of nurses indicated a decrease or no change in errors. Although most nurses reported no change in the frequency of ordering tests and medications with POE, 61 percent of house officers reported an increased frequency. CONCLUSION: Physicians and nurses had markedly different views about effects of a POE system on patient care, highlighting the need to consider both perspectives when assessing the impact of POE. With this POE system, most nurses saw beneficial effects, whereas many physicians saw negative effects.

Testing an intervention to prevent further abuse to pregnant women.

Although violence against women is recognized as a major public health problem, few interventions have been developed to reduce abuse. In this study, 132 pregnant women received three counseling sessions that were designed to reduce further abuse. A comparison group of 67 abused women were offered wallet-sized cards listing community resources for abuse. Women in both groups were followed at 6 months and 12 months post-delivery. Using repeated measures MANCOVA with entry scores as a covariate, we found significantly less violence reported by women in the intervention group than by women in the comparison group.

Severity of abuse to pregnant women and associated gun access of the perpetrator.

To investigate the relationship between abuse to pregnant women and gun access by the abuser, an ethnically stratified cohort of 199 pregnant abused women (70 African-Americans, 63 non-Hispanic Anglo-American, and 66 Hispanic women were interviewed using: (1) The Index of Spouse Abuse, a measure of the severity of physical and nonphysical abuse; (2) The Danger Assessment Scale, a measure of potential danger of homicide; and (3) The Severity of Violence Against Women Scale, a measure of threats of violence and actual violence. There were no significant differences by ethnicity among the 41.2% of the abused women who reported that their male partner had access to a gun. Among these same women reporting gun access, 17% reported the abuser kept the gun on his body. Women reporting gun access by the abuser reported higher level of abuse on all scaled instruments (P = < 0.01). To protect women's safety and prevent further trauma and potential homicide, routine assessment for abuse and gun access is recommended. Additionally, policy initiatives to remove firearms from abuse perpetrators may reduce the severity of violence experienced by abused women.

Safety behaviors of abused women after an intervention during pregnancy.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate an intervention protocol, administered during pregnancy, for increasing safety-seeking behaviors of abused women. DESIGN: Prospective, ethnically stratified cohort analysis. SETTING: Public prenatal clinics. PARTICIPANTS: Pregnant women reporting physical or sexual abuse in the year before or during the present pregnancy. One hundred thirty-two women met study criteria, received the intervention, and were followed for 1 year after the completion of the pregnancy. INTERVENTION: Three education, advocacy, and community referral sessions that included information on safety behaviors. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Adoption of safety behaviors by abused women. Safety behaviors were measured before the intervention, twice during pregnancy, and at 2, 6, and 12 months after completion of the pregnancy. RESULTS: Repeated measures analysis of variance showed a significant increase in adoption of each safety behavior (p < .0001), with most behaviors showing a significant increase after the first intervention session. CONCLUSIONS: Pregnant women who were abused and were offered an intervention protocol report a significant increase in safety behavior adoption during and after pregnancy. Abuse during pregnancy is common. Identification of abuse and immediate clinical intervention that includes information about safety behaviors can result in safety behavior adoption that may prevent future abuse and increase the safety and well-being of women and infants.

PIP: This study evaluates an intervention protocol administered during pregnancy for encouraging safety-seeking behaviors of abused women. The participants were 132 pregnant women recruited from public prenatal clinics that reported physical or sexual abuse prior or during the present pregnancy. Data were collected from an assessment on pregnant women using the Abuse Screen and Safety Assessment. After completion of the Safety Assessment, the women received an intervention protocol. Each woman received the intervention three times during pregnancy: at entry into the study; and two additional times evenly spaced throughout pregnancy. In this group of 132 pregnant women who were abused, adoption of safety behaviors significantly increased after the first intervention session. Furthermore, the adoption of safety behavior occurred across all ethnic groups. Pregnant women, who were abused, were offered an intervention protocol report showing a significant increase in safety behavior adoption during and after pregnancy. Abuse during pregnancy is common and the identification of abuse and immediate clinical intervention that includes information about safety behaviors can result in safety behavior adoption that may prevent future abuse and increase the safety and well-being of women and infants.

Violent pornography and abuse of women: theory to practice.

To examine violent pornography use and associated violence against women, an ethnically stratified sample of 198 abused women were asked about their partners' use of pornographic materials, and if they had been asked or forced to look at, act out, or pose for pornographic scenes or pictures. Overall, 40.9% of the women reported the abuser used pornographic material, with the proportion significantly higher for Whites (58.7%), compared to Blacks (27.1%) or Hispanics (38.5%). When groups were formed according to the abuser's use of pornography and associated involvement of the woman, violence scores as measured on the Index of Spouse Abuse, Danger Assessment, and Severity of Violence Against Women scales were significantly higher (p = <.001) for women reporting the abuser requested or forced her to look at, act out, or pose for pornographic scenes. Severity of violence was not related simply to whether or not the abused used pornography. This analysis is a beginning step toward understanding how pornography influences woman abuse.

Symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder in abused women in a primary care setting.

Abuse is a major source of trauma to women, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) results from exposure to extreme trauma. To describe the relationship between symptoms of PTSD and severity of abuse, an ethnically stratified cohort of 131 abused women in a primary care setting was interviewed. Symptoms of PTSD, both intrusion (i.e., trouble falling asleep, strong waves of feelings about the abuse) and avoidance (i.e., trying not to think or talk about the abuse, staying away from reminders of the abuse), were significantly (p < 0.01) correlated to severity of abuse, regardless of ethnicity. When asked about childhood physical or sexual abuse, women reporting physical abuse had significantly (p < 0.05) higher intrusion scores, whereas those reporting sexual abuse had significantly (p < 0.004) higher avoidance scores. Sixty-five percent of the women reported dreams, flashbacks, or terror attacks and had significantly (p < 0.001) higher mean results on both intrusion and avoidance. The need to offer abused women information about the connection between severity of abuse and symptoms of PTSD is discussed. We recommend that clinicians ask all abused women about dreams, flashbacks, or terror attacks to assess for further symptoms of PTSD.