Atsushi Sorita

Off-hour presentation and outcomes in patients with acute myocardial infarction: systematic review and meta-analysis

Objective To assess the association between off-hour (weekends and nights) presentation, door to balloon times, and mortality in patients with acute myocardial infarction. Data sources Medline in-process and other non-indexed citations, Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through April 2013. Study selection Any study that evaluated the association between time of presentation to a healthcare facility and mortality or door to balloon times among patients with acute myocardial infarction was included. Data extraction Studies’ characteristics and outcomes data were extracted. Quality of studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa scale. A random effect meta-analysis model was applied. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q statistic and I2. Results 48 studies with fair quality, enrolling 1 896 859 patients, were included in the meta-analysis. 36 studies reported mortality outcomes for 1 892 424 patients with acute myocardial infarction, and 30 studies reported door to balloon times for 70 534 patients with ST elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Off-hour presentation for patients with acute myocardial infarction was associated with higher short term mortality (odds ratio 1.06, 95% confidence interval 1.04 to 1.09). Patients with STEMI presenting during off-hours were less likely to receive percutaneous coronary intervention within 90 minutes (odds ratio 0.40, 0.35 to 0.45) and had longer door to balloon time by 14.8 (95% confidence interval 10.7 to 19.0) minutes. A diagnosis of STEMI and countries outside North America were associated with larger increase in mortality during off-hours. Differences in mortality between off-hours and regular hours have increased in recent years. Analyses were associated with statistical heterogeneity. Conclusion This systematic review suggests that patients with acute myocardial infarction presenting during off-hours have higher mortality, and patients with STEMI have longer door to balloon times. Clinical performance measures may need to account for differences arising from time of presentation to a healthcare facility.

Off-hour presentation and outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND Studies have suggested that patients with acute ischemic stroke who present to the hospital during off-hours (weekends and nights) may or may not have worse clinical outcomes compared to patients who present during regular hours. METHODS We searched Medline In-Process & Other Non-Indexed Citations, MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, and Scopus through August 2013, and included any study that evaluated the association between time of patient presentation to a healthcare facility and mortality or modified Rankin Scale in acute ischemic stroke. Quality of studies was assessed with the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. A random-effect meta-analysis model was applied. Heterogeneity was assessed using the Q statistic and I(2). A priori subgroup analyses were used to explain observed heterogeneity. RESULTS A total of 21 cohort studies (23 cohorts) with fair quality enrolling 1,421,914 patients were included. Off-hour presentation for patients with acute ischemic stroke was associated with significantly higher short-term mortality (OR, 1.11, 95% CI 1.06-1.17). Presenting at accredited stroke centers (OR 1.04, 95% CI 0.98-1.11) and countries in North America (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.01-1.09) were associated with smaller increase in mortality during off-hours. The results were not significantly different between adjusted (OR, 1.11, 95% CI 1.05-1.16) and unadjusted (OR, 1.13, 95% CI 0.95-1.35) outcomes. The proportion of patients with modified Rankin Scale at discharge ≥ 2-3 was higher in patients presenting during off-hours (OR, 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.22). DISCUSSION The evidence suggests that patients with acute ischemic stroke presenting during off-hours have higher short-term mortality and greater disability at discharge.

Quality Improvement Education for Health Professionals: A Systematic Review

Effective quality improvement (QI) education should improve patient care, but many curriculum studies do not include clinical measures. The research team evaluated the prevalence of QI curricula with clinical measures and their association with several curricular features. MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, and ERIC were searched through December 31, 2013. Study selection and data extraction were completed by pairs of reviewers. Of 99 included studies, 11% were randomized, and 53% evaluated clinically relevant measures; 85% were from the United States. The team found that 49% targeted 2 or more health professions, 80% required a QI project, and 65% included coaching. Studies involving interprofessional learners (odds ratio [OR] = 6.55; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.71-15.82), QI projects (OR = 13.60; 95% CI = 2.92-63.29), or coaching (OR = 4.38; 95% CI = 1.79-10.74) were more likely to report clinical measures. A little more than half of the published QI curricula studies included clinical measures; they were more likely to include interprofessional learners, QI projects, and coaching.

Oncologic surveillance in bladder cancer following radical cystectomy: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

PURPOSE The existing guidance on bladder cancer surveillance following radical cystectomy is limited and variable. Additionally, the effect of surveillance on mortality is debatable. Herein, we perform a systematic review to evaluate the characteristics of alternative oncologic surveillance protocols and determine the association of detection of asymptomatic vs. symptomatic recurrences on mortality. METHODS An electronic search of PubMed, MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases was performed from 1970 to 2015. In all, 3 reviewers independently assessed the 1,729 candidate studies for eligibility and abstracted data based on an a priori established protocol. Outcomes were pooled using random effects meta-analysis. RESULTS We identified 7 studies for inclusion that were uncontrolled and thereby represented a body of evidence at high risk of bias; 5 studies developed surveillance protocols using a methodology similar to that of established guidelines. The majority proposed a pathologic stage-stratified approach, but ended surveillance for all patients at 5 years. Detection of asymptomatic recurrences was associated with a nonsignificant reduction in mortality (relative risk = 0.78; 95% CI: 0.58-1.04). This effect became statistically significant when upper and lower urinary tract recurrences were included in the analyses (relative risk = 0.69; 95% CI: 0.59-0.79). CONCLUSIONS Only sparse evidence supports alternative oncologic surveillance protocols for bladder cancer following radical cystectomy. The majority of existing protocols proposed similar strategies to those recommended by published guidelines. Detecting asymptomatic recurrences may lead to a reduction in overall mortality, which could provide a rationale for surveillance.

Off-hour admission and outcomes for patients with acute myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary interventions

BACKGROUND Prior studies have suggested that patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI) who are admitted during off-hours (weekends, nights and holidays) have higher mortality when compared with patients admitted during regular hours. METHODS We analyzed consecutive patients with AMI (ST-elevation myocardial infarction [STEMI] and non-STEMI) who were treated with percutaneous coronary interventions from January 1998 to June 2010 at an academic medical center. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate the association between off-hour admission and clinical outcomes adjusted for demographic and clinical variables. RESULTS There were 3,422 and 2,664 patients with AMI admitted during off-hours and regular hours, respectively. Patients admitted during off-hours were more likely to have STEMI (56% vs 48%, P < .001), have cardiogenic shock at presentation (6% vs 4%, P = .002), and develop shock after presentation (6% vs 5%, P = .004). After multivariable analyses, off-hour admission was not significantly associated with in-hospital mortality (odds ratio [OR] 1.12, 95% CI 0.84-1.49), 30-day mortality (OR 1.12, 0.87-1.45), or 30-day readmissions (OR 1.01, 0.84-1.20) but was significantly associated with composite major complications and any of emergent coronary artery bypass graft surgery, ventricular arrhythmia, stroke/transient ischemic attack, and gastrointestinal/retroperitoneal/intracranial bleeding (OR 1.27, 1.05-1.55, P = .015). There was no significant time trend in the adjusted mortality difference between off-hours and regular hours. The results were not different between STEMI and non-STEMI. CONCLUSIONS Patients who were admitted during off-hours did not have higher mortality or readmission rates as compared with ones admitted during regular hours at an academic medical center.

Information Transfer and the Hospital Discharge Summary: National Primary Care Provider Perspectives of Challenges and Opportunities

Purpose: The hospital discharge summary (HDS) serves as a critical method of patient information transfer between hospitalist and primary care provider (PCP). This study was designed to increase our understanding of PCP preferences for, and perceived deficiencies in, the discharge summary. Methods: We designed a mail survey that was sent to a random sample of 800 American Academy of Family Physicians members nationally. The survey response rate was 59%. We analyzed the availability of summaries at hospital followup, whether all desired information was contained in the summary and whether certain specific items were completed. Provider subgroup analysis was performed. Results: The strongest predictor of discharge summary availability at posthospital followup is direct access to inpatient data. Respondents (27.5%) had a summary available 0% to 40% of the time, 41.4% noted availability 41% to 80% of the time and 31.1% >80% of the time; if a provider had access to inpatient data they tended to have a discharge summary available to them (P < .0001). Providers also described significant content deficits: 26.5% of providers noted the summary contained all information needed 0% to 40% of the time, 48.5% of providers noted this 41% to 80% of the time and only 25% >80% of the time. Specific summary items considered “very important” by providers included medication list (94% of respondents), diagnosis list (89%), and treatment provided (87%). Conclusions: Opportunities remain in timely delivery of a complete HDS to the PCP. Further multifaceted practice redesign should be directed at optimizing this critical information transfer tool, potentially encompassing electronic medical record utilization and specific training for clinicians preparing summaries. Initial efforts should focus on ensuring availability of a complete summary (containing items deemed important by PCPs including medication list, diagnosis list, and treatment provided) at the posthospital follow-up visit.

Characteristics and Outcomes of Fasting Orders Among Medical Inpatients.

&NA; While many hospitalized patients have orders to fast in preparation for interventions, the extent to which these orders are necessary or adhere to evidence‐based durations is unknown. In this study, we analyzed the length, indication, and associated outcomes of nil per os (NPO) orders for general medicine patients at an academic institution in the United States, and compared them to the best available evidence for recommended length of NPO. Of 924 NPO orders assessed, the indicated intervention was not performed for 183 (19.8%) orders, largely due to a change in plan (75/183, 41.0%) or scheduling barriers (43/183, 23.5%). When analyzed by indication, the median duration of NPO orders ranged from 8.3 hours for kidney ultrasound to 13.9 hours for upper endoscopy. For some indications, the literature suggested NPO orders may be unnecessary. Furthermore, in indications for which NPO was deemed necessary in the literature, the duration of most NPO orders was much longer than minimally required. These results suggest the need for establishing more robust practice guidelines or institutional protocols for NPO orders.

Baron Takaki and the Mayo Family: The Long-Lasting Bond Between Japan and Mayo Clinic

From the Division of Hospital Internal Medicine (A.S., J.S.N.) and Mayo Clinic Historical Unit (R.Z.), Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN; and Section of Educational Affairs (Y.H.) and Department of Endoscopy (K.S.), the Jikei University School of Medicine, Minato, Tokyo, Japan. T wo esteemed physicians on the opposite sides of the world, Kanehiro Takaki in Tokyo, Japan, and William Worrall Mayo in Rochester, Minnesota, each of whom founded a renowned medical center in his country, established a personal link more than a hundred years ago. Their sons, Yoshihiro Takaki and William James Mayo, evolved their friendship into a long-lasting medical interchange between the 2 institutions. In this vignette, we recount their stories and journeys around the globe.

Impact of Prescription Patterns on Compliance With Follow-Up Visits at an Urban Teaching Primary Care Continuity Clinic

Background: Although limiting prescription refills is considered as a strategy to increase compliance with the treatment regimen and follow-up, no literature exists to support its effectiveness. We sought to investigate whether decreasing the number of prescription refills affects no-show rate at an urban teaching primary care continuity clinic in New York. Methods: Eight teaching attending physicians and 19 residents implemented a “new prescribing strategy” from February 9 to 22, 2012, which limited the number of refills only to cover until the next intended clinic visit. All adult patient visits were included if follow-up visits were requested to be scheduled within 3 months and prescriptions were given through an electronic prescription system. No-show rates for the first follow-up visits up to 120 days from the initial visits during the interventional period were compared with those during the baseline period (December 15-28, 2011). Results: Two hundred twenty-one patients in the baseline period and 278 in the interventional period were included in the analysis. Median total supply of prescription was 6 and 3 months, respectively (P < .001). The no-show rates were not significantly different between the 2 periods (19.0% [42/221] vs 16.6% [46/278], P = .5). In multivariate regression analysis, the no-show rate did not change significantly during the interventional period compared with the baseline period (odds ratio [OR] 1.0; 95% confidence interval, 0.6-1.5; P = .8). Younger age (OR 1.03 per year, P = .008), male gender (OR 2.0, P = .003), Medicaid or Medicare insurance (OR 3.7, P = .01; OR 4.2, P = .02), and diagnosis of diabetes (OR 1.8, P = .04) or asthma (OR 2.0, P = .03) were associated with higher no-show rates. Conclusions: Reducing the number of refills did not significantly affect no-show rates in the immediate follow-up. Alternative strategies should be considered to minimize no-shows.

Teaching quality improvement in occupational medicine: improving the efficiency of medical evaluation for commercial drivers

Objective: To describe a successful, resident-led quality improvement (QI) project that improved the efficiency of the Department of Transportation (DOT) medical examination process. Methods: After learning QI principles through didactics, workshops, and online modules, residents led a QI project to streamline the process of the DOT examination. An interdisciplinary group of key stakeholders collaborated to analyze the process and to design and implement interventions. Results: Following the Model for Improvement and Lean concepts, residents ran seven Plan-Do-Study-Act cycles over a 4-month period with multiple iteration and testing changes. Compared with the baseline, the team successfully reduced the total visit time (from check-in to check-out) by 28 minutes (102 minutes vs. 130 minutes; P < 0.001). The accuracy of certificate issuance, as proxy for quality of the examinations, improved after the interventions. Conclusions: Residents successfully improved the efficiency of the DOT examination process.