Optimizing Neuroscience Mortality: A Collaborative Approach to Documentation Improvement.

Background and Objectives: Mortality index is the ratio of observed-to-expected mortality. Accurate and thorough documentation of patient comorbidities and conditions is the key determinant of neuroscience expected mortality. In this study, we focused on reviewing neuroscience documentation, as optimizing mortality index provides accurate assessment of the quality of care provided, improves service-line rankings, and affects reimbursement. Methods: We assembled an interprofessional team of a neurologist and clinical documentation integrity (CDI) specialists to review clinical documentation of all mortalities from the neuroscience service lines at a tertiary academic medical center over 9 months. We identified common documentation opportunities among high acuity neuroscience patients to improve accuracy of expected mortality. Using the mortality risk adjustment method from Vizient Inc., we compared baseline and postreview expected mortality. Results: We reviewed 70 mortality charts over a 9-month period. Opportunities to improve documentation were present in 60%. Common underreported comorbidities included aspiration pneumonia, shock, encephalopathy, thrombocytopenia, hemorrhagic disorder due to anticoagulation, and nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. The number of diagnoses identified per patient that affected mortality increased between the first and last quarter from 4.3 to 7.8 (p < 0.0001). Physician-identified additional diagnoses per patient decreased from 1.0 to 0.3 (p = 0.0037), as CDI specialists had increased capture of neuroscience specific diagnoses throughout the intervention. The average expected mortality significantly increased from baseline 0.33 to 0.42 (p < 0.0001). Discussion: Collaboration between physicians and CDI specialists optimizes expected mortality by identification of common gaps in documentation specific to neuroscience patients. Neurologist engagement is beneficial in CDI and lays the framework for clinical documentation education for neurology physicians.

[Debut of gastric cancer with brain metastasis: clinical surgical management]. / Debut de cáncer gástrico con metástasis cerebral: manejo clínico quirúrgico.

Gastric cancer is one of the most frequent worldwide. Brain metastases from gastric cancer are rare and are diagnosed in less than 1% of patients with gastric cancer. We present the case of a 61-year-old woman with a history of decreased visual acuity, headache, and involuntary movements. She underwent an MRI that showed a left occipital extraparenchymal appearance lesion. The PET scan reveals a hypermetabolic zone in the lesser curvature of the stomach, and the endoscopy reveals a lesion suggestive of gastric malignant neoplasia in the Borrmann I fundus. It was decided to perform a tumor excision by neurosurgery, whose pathological anatomy study revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma to the brain. She undergoes a total D2 gastrectomy, no other metastases are evident. The patient evolves favorably in the postoperative period. The pathology study revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. In Peru and in the world, standard recommendations on how to treat these patients have not yet been established, although it is known that surgical resection of brain metastases can significantly decrease morbidity and prolong survival compared to non-surgical approaches. As far as we know, it is the first report of this type presented in the country.

Debut de cáncer gástrico con metástasis cerebral: manejo clínico quirúrgico

El cáncer gástrico es uno de los más frecuentes a nivel mundial. Las metástasis cerebrales por cáncer gástrico son poco frecuentes y se diagnostican en menos del 1% de los pacientes. Presentamos el caso de una mujer de 61 años con historia de disminución de la agudeza visual, cefalea y movimientos involuntarios. Le realizan una resonancia magnética que muestra una lesión de apariencia extraparenquimal occipital izquierda. El PET scan revela una zona hipermetabólica en curvatura menor del estómago, y la endoscopia evidencia una lesión sugerente de neoplasia maligna en fondo gástrico Borrmann I. Se decide realizar una excéresis tumoral por neurocirugía, cuyo estudio de anatomía patológica reveló adenocarcinoma metastásico a cerebro. Se le realiza una gastrectomía total D2, no se evidencian otras metástasis. La paciente evoluciona favorablemente en el postoperatorio. El estudio anatomopatológico revelo adenocarcinoma pobremente diferenciado. En Perú y en el mundo, aún no se han establecido recomendaciones estándar sobre cómo tratar a estos pacientes, aunque se sabe que la resección quirúrgica de metástasis cerebrales puede disminuir significativamente la morbilidad y prolongar la supervivencia en comparación con los enfoques no quirúrgicos. Hasta donde sabemos, es el primer reporte de este tipo que se presenta en el país.

Gastric cancer is one of the most frequent worldwide. Brain metastases from gastric cancer are rare and are diagnosed in less than 1% of patients with gastric cancer. We present the case of a 61-year-old woman with a history of decreased visual acuity, headache, and involuntary movements. She underwent an MRI that showed a left occipital extraparenchymal appearance lesion. The PET scan reveals a hypermetabolic zone in the lesser curvature of the stomach, and the endoscopy reveals a lesion suggestive of gastric malignant neoplasia in the Borrmann I fundus. It was decided to perform a tumor excision by neurosurgery, whose pathological anatomy study revealed metastatic adenocarcinoma to the brain. She undergoes a total D2 gastrectomy, no other metastases are evident. The patient evolves favorably in the postoperative period. The pathology study revealed a poorly differentiated adenocarcinoma. In Peru and in the world, standard recommendations on how to treat these patients have not yet been established, although it is known that surgical resection of brain metastases can significantly decrease morbidity and prolong survival compared to non-surgical approaches. As far as we know, it is the first report of this type presented in the country.

Emergent political remittances during the pandemic: Evidence from a survey of overseas Filipino workers.

This article examines the experiences and assessments of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on the Philippine government's response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The study is part of the growing migration literature exploring the formation of political remittances, defined as political principles, norms and practices migrants acquire during the migration process and what these imply for democratization, particularly in migrants' home countries. Data for the study came from an online survey of OFWs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Results from the ordered logistic regression suggest that overseas Filipinos' experiences of successful pandemic management and aid distribution in host countries may influence OFWs to expect and demand similar measures in the Philippines.

Public trust and the COVID-19 vaccination campaign: lessons from the Philippines as it emerges from the Dengvaxia controversy.

While the entire world prepares and begins to roll out COVID-19 vaccines, the Philippines is still reeling from the consequences of the Dengvaxia controversy in 2016. Those highly political events led to the erosion of public trust in leaders and a significant damage to vaccine confidence in the country, now potentially impacting the uptake of COVID-19 vaccines. We discuss how public trust and confidence can be rehabilitated through accountability, transparency, and proper communication from the most trusted sources of the population. We also highlight key lessons for policymakers and leaders on allowing science to take the front seat, and politics behind, for the safety and well-being of the people during this public health crisis.

Clinical, inflammatory and immunohistochemical features in a cohort of Peruvian patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

Data on response and survival outcomes of Latin American patients with diffuse Large B- cell lymphoma (DLBCL) are limited. We describe the clinical, inflammatory and immunohistochemical features of a cohort of DLBCL Peruvian patients treated with chemoimmunotherapy between 2010 and 2015. Logistic models were fitted for complete response (CR), and Cox proportional-hazard regression for progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Seventy-three patients were included in this analysis, 41 % had high/high-intermediate IPI and 48 % had high/high-intermediate NCCN-IPI scores, 41 % had non-germinal center (NGC) profile and 36 % were double expressors. CR was attained in 63 % of patients, median PFS was 53 months and median OS was 80 months. Both IPI and NCCN-IPI scores were statistically associated with PFS and OS. Neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) ≥4 was associated with lower odds of CR (OR 0.19, p = 0.007), worse PFS (HR 2.67, p = 0.02) and worse OS (HR 2.77, p = 0.02). NLR ≥ 4 remained significant after adjusting for the IPI score and had a trend towards significance when adjusted for the NCCN-IPI score. Albumin <3.5 g/dl was associated with worse OS when adjusted for the NCCN-IPI score (HR 2.96, p = 0.04). NGC profile and double expressors were not prognostic. Our study identified NLR ≥ 4 and albumin <3.5 g/dl as potential adverse factors in DLBCL patients and could add to the prognostic value of the IPI or the NCCN-IPI scores.

The importance of effective risk communication and transparency: lessons from the dengue vaccine controversy in the Philippines.

In 2016 the Philippine Department of Health (DOH) introduced a novel dengue vaccine in a mass immunization program to reduce the substantial economic and social burden of the disease on households and the government. The vaccine manufacturer's announcement regarding new findings on the small but increased risk of severe dengue for vaccinated seronegative patients caused turmoil as various people claimed that the vaccine caused deaths and that health authorities are corrupt. While health department staff split-some having to preserve its reputation and others to monitor over 800,000 children administered the vaccine-communication between the frontline health workers and parents suffered. As a result, public confidence in vaccines dramatically dropped and the repercussions challenge the public health system. We examine factors that contributed to the crisis and argue for strengthening risk communication strategies and increasing transparency on decision making to counter misinformation and protect public health.

Primary osteosarcoma of the skull in teenager.

Osteosarcoma of the skull is a rare primary malignant bone tumour in children, representing 1-2% of all cranial tumours. We describe a case of a 17-year-old adolescent with chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the parietal-occipital bone and no distant metastases at presentation treated with neoadjuvant chemotherapy, surgery and, later, concurrent chemoradiotherapy. The patient suffered progressive disease and died 15 months after diagnosis. There are at least 15 paediatric cases of osteosarcoma of the skull described in the literature. Due to its rarity, there are no broad prospective studies on this entity, which has distinctive features when compared to other craniofacial tumours, carrying a worse prognosis. Complete surgical resection is needed for long-term survival, whereas chemotherapy and radiotherapy have still questionable indications.

The Philippines' antidrug campaign: Spatial and temporal patterns of killings linked to drugs.

BACKGROUND: As soon as President Rodrigo Duterte assumed office in 2016, the Philippine government launched a nationwide antidrug campaign based on enforcement-led anti-illegal drugs policies primarily implemented by the national police. This was followed by a spate of killings resulting from both acknowledged police operations and by unidentified assailants. This study assembles a victim-level dataset of drug-related killings covered by the media during the Philippine government's antidrug campaign, and presents a spatial and temporal analysis of the killings. METHODS: The dataset covers information on 5021 people killed from May 10, 2016 to September 29, 2017. Data collected systematically through online search procedures and existing listings of media organizations detailing information about incidences of drug-related police operations and drug-related killings in 'vigilante-style' manner reveal patterns for who were being killed, where, and how. RESULTS: Over half of the killings were due to acknowledged police operations, and the rest were targeted in so-called 'vigilante-style' killings. The first three months after Mr. Duterte was sworn in were the deadliest months. Those who were killed were mostly low-level drug suspects. The analysis of temporal pattern reveals the scale of killings in the country, with rapid escalation starting in July 2016 and lasting throughout the rest of that year. Observable declines occurred during periods when the 'drug war' was suspended and operations were moved to a non-police enforcement unit and rose again when police were brought back into operations. The spatial analysis indicates a large concentration of deaths in the National Capital Region (40%) compared to the rest of the country with wide variations across cities and regions. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the Philippine 'drug war' exhibits similarities with violent wars on drugs waged in other countries such as Thailand, with heavily police-led interventions leading to fatalities in the thousands over a span of under two years. Findings of this study point to important policy adjustments that need to be made, including the role that local governments play in drug policy implementation, the disproportionate negative impacts of enforcement-led policies against drugs on urban and poor areas, the targeting of low-level suspected drug dealers and users, and the importance of proper data monitoring and transparency by the government to inform policy adjustments in the face of high costs to human life. We also discuss the importance of independent monitoring systems when the government reports conflicting information.