Identification of Clinical Risk Factors Affecting Patient-Physician Communication.

INTRODUCTION: Patient satisfaction is an important indicator of quality in health care and is linked to clinical outcomes, patient retention, and professional satisfaction. Patients admitted to the hospital from the emergency department may not understand their diagnosis, reason for admission or plan of care, which can adversely impact their hospital experience. We aim to identify risk factors that contribute to poor patient-physician communication and to assess the effects of raising awareness of these issues to hospital providers. METHODS: From November 2020 to April 2021, patients admitted to the surgical floor were surveyed within 24 h of admission. Relevant data were extracted through retrospective chart review. Residents and attendings were debriefed regarding the improving communication. Surveys answered before and after the brief intervention were compared. RESULTS: One hundred thirty one patients who were admitted to the surgical floor were surveyed. Nineteen did not know their diagnoses (14.5%), 29 could not explain their diagnoses (22.1%), and 28 did not know their treatment plans (21.4%). A total of 38 (29.0%) patients answered "no" to at least one question. Trauma patients (P = 0.034), patients with pain score >4 at time of admission (P = 0.038), age >65 y (P = 0.047), and patients with >3 comorbidities were more likely to answer "no" to at least one of the questions. Postintervention, a 10% reduction in number of patients answering "no" was observed. CONCLUSIONS: Trauma patients, patients with poor pain control, the elderly, and those with multiple comorbidities are more likely to experience poor patient-physician communication. Raising awareness of the importance of this matter resulted in an improvement in communication.

Epstein-Barr virus-induced natural killer/T cell lymphoma arising in tonsil and cervical node tissue.

Infection with Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) has been linked to approximately 10%-15% of lymphomas diagnosed in the USA, including a small percentage of Natural Killer (NK)/T cell lymphomas, which are clinically aggressive, respond poorly to chemotherapy and have a shorter survival. Here, we present a case of a patient found to have EBV-induced NK/T cell lymphoma from a chronic EBV infection. While the EBV most commonly infects B cells, it can infect NK/T cells, and it is important for the clinician to be aware of the potential transformation to lymphoma as it is clinically aggressive, warranting early recognition and treatment. NK/T cell lymphoma is a unique type of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma that is almost always associated with EBV. The disease predominantly localises in the upper aerodigestive tract, most commonly in the nose.

Influence of Autopsy Reports on Trauma Registry Accuracy.

The trauma registry is a locally maintained database with information on all trauma patients, including patient demographics and injury data. One essential field is the injury severity score (ISS). Patients who expire on arrival, either in the emergency department or soon after, often cannot undergo a complete evaluation of their injuries. As a result, many injuries remain undiagnosed, resulting in an erroneously low ISS, and autopsies can identify these unrecognized injuries. The objective of this study was to determine whether and how autopsy data improve the accuracy of the trauma registry data. The population included in the study was seen in the emergency department between January 2014 and August 2017 after a traumatic injury who expired on arrival, while in the ED, or within 48 hr of arrival. The ISS of each case was calculated prior to autopsy report and then adjusted according to autopsy data. The magnitude of this change was then compared. The mean ISS of these cases without autopsy data was 13, whereas the mean ISS of these cases including autopsy data was 49 (p ≤ .001). The mean ISS without autopsy data in those who died before and after 15 min was 7 and 23, respectively. In comparison, the mean autopsy-adjusted ISS in those who died before and after 15 min was 50 and 39, respectively (p ≤ .001). Our study identified the importance of obtaining autopsies in trauma patients. Having accurate registry data for trauma deaths further guides the development of performance improvement, injury prevention, and trauma research.