Satisfaction with and psychological impact of immediate and deferred breast reconstruction.

BACKGROUND: The present work assesses the effect of immediate breast reconstruction (IBR), deferred breast reconstruction (DBR), and no breast reconstruction on the psychological impact. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Standard questionnaires were used to determine the psychological impact suffered by patients who underwent IBR, DBR and no reconstruction, their degree of satisfaction with the results achieved, and their postprocedure opinions regarding reconstruction options. RESULTS: A total of 526 women underwent mastectomy. The response rate to the questionnaires was 71.67%. A significantly greater proportion of the women who underwent no reconstruction suffered psychological problems than those who underwent reconstruction of some type (P = 0.01). Some 94.77% of the women who underwent IBR maintained a postprocedure preference for this option; in contrast, some 87.27% of the DBR and 56.14% of the no-reconstruction patients declared a postprocedure preference for IBR. In all, 63.49% of the women who underwent reconstruction were moderately very satisfied with the aesthetic results achieved, while only 22.80% of the no-reconstruction patients declared such satisfaction (P = 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: The women who underwent no breast reconstruction suffered more emotional problems than those who underwent a reconstruction procedure. In general, all groups reported a postprocedure preference for IBR in their questionnaire answers. The aesthetic results achieved by IBR seem to be those best accepted.

Sistema de clasificación de patologías en Rehabilitación en pacientes ambulatorios / Disease classification systems in Rehabilitation for out-patients

Introducción. El objetivo de este trabajo fue elaborar un sistema de clasificación de pacientes en rehabilitación ambulatoria, común para Atención Primaria (AP) y Atención Especializada (AE). Métodos. La elaboración siguió dos etapas:1. Estudio descriptivo de las patologías atendidas a nivel ambulatorio durante el año 2002 en los Centros de Especialidades y un Centro Hospitalario y en las Unidades de Fisioterapia de AP del área sanitaria 1 de la Comunidad de Madrid. Se revisó una muestra aleatoria de 945 historias clínicas de un total de 47.204. 2. Revisión bibliográfica de publicaciones en MEDLINE de sistemas de clasificación de patologías en rehabilitación. Las patologías atendidas en AE se clasificaron en función del diagnóstico principal y en AP en función del motivo de derivación de la consulta del médico de familia a la Unidad de Fisioterapia. Se reagruparon en función de la prevalencia y se codificaron siguiendo los criterios de la Clasificación Internacional de Enfermedades, 9.ª revisión Modificación Clínica (CIE-9-MC) y criterios de la Clasificación Internacional de Atención Primaria (CIAP). Se constituyó un grupo de trabajo con profesionales que participan en el proceso de rehabilitación ambulatoria en el área sanitaria 1 de la Comunidad de Madrid, para consensuar el sistema de clasificación de patologías. Resultados. Elaboración de un sistema de clasificación de patologías en pacientes ambulatorios en rehabilitación, común para AP y AE. Conclusiones. Establecer un único sistema de clasificación de pacientes en el proceso de rehabilitación ambulatoria permite describir el tipo de pacientes que demanda atención y comparar las patologías atendidas en los diferentes centros de los dos niveles asistenciales

Introduction. The objective of the study has been to develop a classification system of patients for use in out-patient rehabilitation for Primary Care (PC) and Specialized Care (SC). Methods. It was developed in two phases:1. Descriptive study of diseases attended in out-patient care during the year 2002 in the speciality centers, hospital center and physiotherapy units of health district 1 primary care of the Community of Madrid. A random sample of 945 clinical records out of a total of 47204 were reviewed. 2. Review of the available literature in MEDLINE in order to find patient classification systems in rehabilitation and to analyze its possible application in our setting. The classification was performed using the principal diagnosis of the patient according to International Classification of Diseases 9th revision Clinical Modification (ICD-9-MC) for patients treated in speciality centers and hospitals centers or International Classification of Primary Care (ICPC) for patients treated in primary care. Secondly, the diseases were grouped based on the prevalence. A workgroup reviewed the patients classification system. The workgroup was constituted by health professionals involved in the process of rehabilitation in out-patient care in health district 1 of the Community of Madrid. Results. Development of a patients classification system in out-patient rehabilitation, common for PC and SC. Conclusions. To establish an unique patients classification system in the process of out-patient rehabilitation makes it possible to describe the type of patients that demands health services and to compare the diseases attended in different centers

[Relationship between nosocomial infection and hospital mortality. Multicenter study]. / Relación de la infección nosocomial con la mortalidad hospitalaria. Estudio multicéntrico.

BACKGROUND: Hospital mortality related to infections acquired in the hospital setting has not been well studied in Spain. We carried out a study of seven hospitals in order to assess and quantify the problem. METHODS: The study period included three months of observations (between November 1, 1989 and January 31, 1990), and data pertaining to all deaths of patients hospitalized for a minimum of 24 hours were collected. The number of people admitted within the study period was 16,025, and the number of deaths registered and included in our study was 488 (3%). The data were obtained from the patient's medical history one week after death as well as from the hospital physicians on the case. In order to quantify the interobserver variability derived from the classification criteria, the simple kappa index was calculated and averaged to form an ordinal scale. RESULTS: 216 (44.3%) of 488 deaths included in our study had no infection, 138 (28%) had an infection no-hospital-associated, and 134 (27%) had nosocomial infection (50-10%--"causally related to death", 59-12%--"contributing to death", and 25-5%--"not related to death"). The lower respiratory tract infections, bacteremias and surgical wound infections were the most related to cause of death. Staphylococcus aureus was the pathogen most frequently associated with the infections found at the time of death. CONCLUSIONS: Those patients admitted with non-fatal diseases made up the greatest percentage (39.9%) of deaths from nosocomial infections. The infection was considered the direct cause of death in 18.8% of these cases, although the differences found had no statistical significance.

[Epidemiologic surveillance of hospital infection. Preliminary analysis of a 5-year series]. / Vigilancia epidemiológica de la infección hospitalaria. Análisis preliminar de una serie de cinco años.

The epidemiological surveillance provides opportunities to know the magnitude and determinants of nosocomial infection and permits, at the same time, the planning, implementation and evaluation of prevention and treatment activities in order to approach the rates of infection in the hospital, as near as possible, to the irreducible minimum. We show data collected by surveillance system Guadalajara General Hospital from 1982 to 1987. In order to analyze general trends, seasonality, accidental variations and endemic levels, we have used statistical methods as linear regression, chi 2, equality proportions and built of an endemic channel with confidence intervals of 95%. We have observed a decreasing trend, locating endemic levels around to 4% of monthly accumulated incidence. There is a possible seasonal influence concurring with holidays periods and someone accidental variation over that we expected, it was related with a deteriorated situation about medical care.