Productivity loss due to polycystic ovary syndrome and its relationship to race, mental health and healthcare delivery indices.

Objective: To study the impact of polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) on work-related impairments and explore relationships with race, mental health, and healthcare delivery indices. Design: A cross-sectional internet-based survey. Setting: North American women with PCOS between August 2022 and October 2022. Patients: Individuals with a self-reported diagnosis of PCOS. Interventions: Not applicable. Main Outcome Measures: The primary outcome was missed work because of PCOS. The secondary outcomes included leave from work, impacts on the quality of work, and feelings of being held back at work because of PCOS. Results: Of 1,105 respondents, 1,058 reported having PCOS diagnosed by a physician. Of this group, 50.4% reported missing work because of PCOS, 72% felt that PCOS impacted the quality of their work, and 51.5% felt held back at work by PCOS. Multivariate analyses revealed that missing work because of PCOS was independently associated with black race, lack of insurance, requiring multiple doctors for a PCOS diagnosis, needing ≥3 doctors for current care, decreased satisfaction with care, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. Conclusions: Polycystic ovary syndrome significantly impacts employment-related productivity. Factors such as race, mental health, and healthcare delivery appear to play a crucial role in the extent of this impact.

Digital Management of Hypertension Improves Systolic Blood Pressure Variability.

BACKGROUND: Higher systolic blood pressure variability has been shown to be a better predictor of all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality, stroke, and cardiac disease compared with average systolic blood pressure. METHODS: We evaluated the impact of a digital hypertension program on systolic blood pressure variability in 803 consecutive patients with long-standing hypertension who had been under the care of a primary care physician for a minimum of 12 months prior to enrollment (mean 4.7 years). Blood pressure readings were transmitted directly from home using a digitally connected blood pressure unit. Medication adjustments and lifestyle coaching was performed virtually via a dedicated team of pharmacists and health coaches. Systolic blood pressure variability was grouped by quartile and measured using the standard deviation (SD) of all systolic blood pressure values per individual. RESULTS: The mean age was 67 ± 12 years, 41% were male, submitting 3.3 ± 3.7 blood pressures per week. Under usual care, only 30% of patients were in the lowest-risk quartile, and 21% of patients were in the highest risk. After 24 months, the mean systolic blood pressure variability progressively fell from 12.8 ± 4.3 mm Hg to 9.9 ± 5.1 mm Hg (P <0.0001) with 57% of patients achieving the lowest-risk quartile. CONCLUSIONS: The majority of patients with hypertension under usual care have elevated systolic blood pressure variability exposing them to higher risk of cardiovascular disease events. Digital management of hypertension that includes weekly submission of home readings leads to improvement in average systolic blood pressure as well as systolic blood pressure variability over time, which should improve cardiovascular prognosis.

Reducing Hospital Toxicity: Impact on Patient Outcomes.

BACKGROUND: Circadian rhythms are endogenous 24-hour oscillations in biologic processes that drive nearly all physiologic and behavioral functions. Disruption in circadian rhythms can adversely impact short- and long-term health outcomes. Routine hospital care often causes significant disruption in sleep-wake patterns that is further compounded by loss of personal control of health information and health decisions. We wished to evaluate measures directed at improving circadian rhythm and access to daily health information on hospital outcomes. METHODS: We evaluated 3425 consecutive patients admitted to a medical-surgical unit comprised of an intervention wing (n = 1185) or standard control wing (n = 2240) over a 2.5-year period. Intervention patients received measures to improve sleep that included reduction of nighttime noise, delay of routine morning phlebotomy, passive vital sign monitoring, and use of red-enriched lighting after sunset, as well as access to daily health information utilizing an inpatient portal. RESULTS: Intervention patients accessed the inpatient portal frequently during hospitalization seeking personal health and care team information. Measures impacting the quality and quantity of sleep were significantly improved. Length of stay was 8.6hours less (P = .04), 30- and 90-day readmission rates were 16% and 12% lower, respectively (both P ≤ .02), and self-rated emotional/mental health was higher (69.2% vs 52.4%; P = 0.03) in the intervention group compared with controls. CONCLUSIONS: Modest changes in routine hospital care can improve the hospital environment impacting sleep and access to health knowledge, leading to improvements in hospital outcomes. Sleep-wake patterns of hospitalized patients represent a potential avenue for further enhancing hospital quality and safety.

Hypertension management in the digital era.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Hypertension (HTN) is the most common chronic disease in the United States, and the standard model of office-based care delivery continues to yield suboptimal outcomes, with approximately 50% of affected patients not achieving blood pressure (BP) control. Poor population-level BP control has been primarily attributed to therapeutic inertia and low patient engagement resulting in significant and preventable morbidity and mortality. This review will highlight the rationale for a reengineered model of care delivery for populations with HTN. RECENT FINDINGS: New technologies now enable patients to generate accurate home-based BP readings that are transmitted directly into the electronic medical record. Using more frequent BP measurements in conjunction with assessment of social health determinants, computerized algorithms can be generated that provide tailored interventions and communications that can transform HTN control. SUMMARY: New capabilities enable healthcare providers the means to measure larger volumes of BP data directly from home and provide near real-time interventions that can dramatically improve HTN control.

Improving Hypertension Control and Patient Engagement Using Digital Tools.

Hypertension is present in 30% of the adult US population and is a major contributor to cardiovascular disease. The established office-based approach yields only 50% blood pressure control rates and low levels of patient engagement. Available home technology now provides accurate, reliable data that can be transmitted directly to the electronic medical record. We evaluated blood pressure control in 156 patients with uncontrolled hypertension enrolled into a home-based digital-medicine blood pressure program and compared them with 400 patients (matched to age, sex, body mass index, and blood pressure) in a usual-care group after 90 days. Digital-medicine patients completed questionnaires online, were asked to submit at least one blood pressure reading/week, and received medication management and lifestyle recommendations via a clinical pharmacist and a health coach. Blood pressure units were commercially available that transmitted data directly to the electronic medical record. Digital-medicine patients averaged 4.2 blood pressure readings per week. At 90 days, 71% of digital-medicine vs 31% of usual-care patients had achieved target blood pressure control. Mean decrease in systolic/diastolic blood pressure was 14/5 mm Hg in digital medicine, vs 4/2 mm Hg in usual care (P < .001). Excess sodium consumption decreased from 32% to 8% in the digital-medicine group (P = .004). Mean patient activation increased from 41.9 to 44.1 (P = .008), and the percentage of patients with low patient activation decreased from 15% to 6% (P = .03) in the digital-medicine group. A digital hypertension program is feasible and associated with significant improvement in blood pressure control rates and lifestyle change. Utilization of a virtual health intervention using connected devices improves patient activation and is well accepted by patients.