Jesús Almeda Ortega

C-reactive protein testing in patients with acute rhinosinusitis leads to a reduction in antibiotic use

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of C-reactive protein (CRP) testing on the antibiotic prescribing in patients with acute rhinosinusitis. METHODS Audit-based study carried out in primary care centres in Spain. GPs registered episodes of rhinosinusitis during 3-week period before and after an intervention. Two types of intervention were considered: full intervention group (FIG) consisting in individual feedback based on results from the first registry, courses in rational antibiotic prescribing, guidelines, patient information leaflets, workshops on rapid tests and use of the CRP test. GPs in the partial intervention group (PIG) underwent all the above intervention except for the workshop and they did not have access to CRP. Multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed considering the prescription of antibiotics as the dependent variable. RESULTS Two hundred and ten physicians were assigned to FIG and 71 to PIG. In 2009, 59 new physicians were included as a control group. Two hundred and sixty-seven GPs visited contacts with rhinosinusitis (78.5%) registering a total of 836 cases. In the group of GPs with access to CRP rapid test, 207 patients with rhinosinusitis (75.3%) were tested and antibiotics were prescribed in 156 patients (56.7%). Antibiotics were prescribed in 87 patients (82.9%) in the group of GPs exposed to PIG and in 52 patients (86.7%) in the control group (P < 0.001). Antibiotic prescription was significantly reduced after the intervention among physicians assigned to FIG, with an odds ratio of antibiotic prescribing of 0.12 (95% confidence interval: 0.01-0.32). CONCLUSION Physicians with access to CRP tests significantly reduced antibiotic prescription in patients with rhinosinusitis.

Interventions to reduce antibiotic prescription for lower respiratory tract infections: Happy Audit study

This before–after study aimed to evaluate the effect of two interventions on lowering the prescription of antibiotics in lower respiratory tract infections (LRTI) in Spain. General practitioners (GPs) registered all cases with LRTIs over 3-week periods before and after an intervention, in 2008 and 2009. Two types of intervention were considered: full-intervention group (FIG), consisting of discussion sessions of the results of the first registry, courses for GPs, guidelines, patient information leaflets, workshops on rapid tests and use of the C-reactive protein (CRP) test; GPs in the partial-intervention group (PIG) underwent all of the above interventions except for the workshop on rapid tests, and they did not have access to CRP. A multilevel logistic regression analysis was performed considering the prescription of an antibiotic as the dependent variable. 210 physicians were assigned to FIG and 70 to PIG. In 2009, 58 new physicians were included as a control group. 5,385 LRTIs were registered. Compared with the control group, the OR of antibiotic prescription after the intervention in the PIG was 0.42 (95% CI: 0.22–0.82) and 0.22 (95% CI: 0.12–0.38) in the FIG. Intervention led to a reduction in the prescription of antibiotics, mainly when CRP testing was available.

Relación entre presión arterial y mortalidad a los 4 años de seguimiento en una cohorte de individuos mayores de 80 años

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES To study the association between blood pressure and mortality in a cohort of over 80 years olders of the community after four years of follow up. PATIENTS AND METHODS An observational study cohort of 323 individuals aged over 80 years the population of Martorell. We collected sociodemographic data, comorbidity, evaluation of the basic activities of daily living and the average blood pressure. The mortality and its causes were evaluated after four years of follow up. The association between blood pressure and mortality was investigated using Cox survival analysis. RESULTS One hundred and thirty-five (41.8%) patients died, resulting in a mortality rate of 14.5% for year. In 60% of cases the cause of death was of cardiovascular origin. Subjects with systolic blood pressure (SBP) < 130 mm Hg had a mortality of 63.5% compared to those in the range of SBP = 140-159 mm Hg, who had a mortality of 25.5% (Hazard Ratio [HR]: 0.39; 95% CI: 0.21-0.72; p = 0.003). Female gender (HR: 0.62, 95% CI 0.39-0.97, p < 0.036), age (HR: 1.11, 95% CI: 1.04-1.18, p < 0.001), ischemic heart disease (HR: 2.14, 95% CI 1.23-3.70, p < 0.006), orthostatic hypotension (HR: 3.78, 95% CI: 1.88-7.60, p < 0.001), Barthel Index (HR: 0.97, 95% CI: 0.96-0.98, p < 0.001), and SBP = 140-159 mm Hg (HR: 0.31, 95% CI: 0.13-0.72; p = 0.007) were independent factors associated with mortality at 4 years of follow up. CONCLUSIONS There is a high cardiovascular mortality in people aged more than 80 years. The risk factors associated with mortality are being female, older age, history of heart disease, presence of orthostatic hypotension and worse function. SBP below 130 mm Hg is associated with increased mortality.

Effectiveness of two types of intervention on antibiotic prescribing in respiratory tract infections in Primary Care in Spain. Happy Audit Study

Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of two types of intervention in reducing antibiotic prescribing in respiratory tract infections (RTI). Design Before–after audit-based study. Setting Primary Care centres in Spain. Participants General practitioners (GPs) registered all patients with RTIs for 15 days in winter 2008 (pre-intervention), and again in winter 2009 (post-intervention). Interventions Intervention activities included meetings, with the presentation and discussion of the results, and several training meetings on RTI guidelines, information brochures for patients, workshops on point-of-care tests – rapid antigen detection tests and C-reactive protein rapid test – and provision of these tests in the clinic. All GPs, with the exception of those in Catalonia, made up the full intervention group (FIG); conversely, Catalan doctors underwent the same intervention, except for the workshop on rapid tests (partial intervention group, PIG). Multilevel logistic regression was performed taking the prescription of antibiotics as the dependent variable. Results Out of a total of 309 GPs involved in the first register, 281 completed the intervention and the second register (90.9%), of which 210 were assigned to the FIG, and 71 to the PIG. The odds ratio of antibiotic prescribing after the intervention was 0.99 (95% CI: 0.89–1.10) among GPs assigned to PIG, and 0.50 (95% CI: 0.44–0.57, p < 0.001) among those who were allocated to FIG. The reduction in antibiotic prescribing in FIG was more marked in flu infection, common cold, acute pharyngitis, acute tonsillitis, and acute bronchitis. Conclusions Active participation of GPs with the performance of point-of-care tests in the clinic is accompanied by a drastic reduction of antibiotic use in RTIs, primarily in infections considered as mainly viral.

Effect of two interventions on reducing antibiotic prescription in pharyngitis in primary care

OBJECTIVES to evaluate the effect of two interventions on reducing antibiotic prescription in pharyngitis. METHODS a prospective, non-randomized, before-after controlled study was carried out in primary care centres throughout Spain. General practitioners (GPs) registered all cases of pharyngitis during a 3 week period before and after two types of intervention in 2008 and 2009, respectively. Full intervention consisted of discussion sessions of the results of the first registry, courses for GPs, guidelines, patient information leaflets, workshops on rapid tests and the use of rapid antigen detection tests (RADTs) in their consulting offices. The physicians in the partial intervention group underwent all the above intervention except for the workshop, and RADTs were not provided. A control group was also included in 2009. Multilevel logistic regression was performed considering the prescription of antibiotics as the dependent variable. RESULTS a total of 280 GPs registered cases with pharyngitis (70 partial intervention and 210 full intervention). Fifty-nine new physicians were included as a control group. A total of 6849 episodes of pharyngitis were registered. Antibiotic prescription was significantly lower after intervention for the full intervention group, but not for the partial intervention group. According to the multivariate model, in comparison with the control group, the odds ratio of antibiotic prescription after the intervention was 0.52 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.23-1.18] in the partial intervention group and 0.23 (95% CI 0.11-0.47) in the full intervention group. CONCLUSIONS intervention was beneficial for reducing the prescription of antibiotics, but was only statistically significant when the GPs were provided with RADTs.

Características maternas en una cohorte de gestantes con infección por el VIH-1

Fundamento y objetivo Como prevencion de la transmision vertical del virus de la inmunodeficiencia humana (VIH-1) destaca la administracion de farmacos antirretrovirales durante el embarazo y el parto, asi como al recien nacido. Sin embargo, hay pocos datos acerca de la seguridad de este tratamiento y son precisos estudios de seguimiento de un gran numero de gestantes para estudiar este aspecto, asi como la transmision vertical y las tendencias epidemiologicas en esta poblacion. En este trabajo se presentan las caracteristicas maternas de la cohorte. Pacientes y metodo Se ha realizado un estudio observacional, multicentrico y colaborativo en la cohorte de gestantes seropositivas y sus hijos (666 y 686 casos, respectivamente) nacidos en el periodo de estudio (desde enero o mayo de 2000 hasta el 31 de diciembre de 2003). Resultados La mayoria de las gestantes se infecto por transmision heterosexual (54%), se encontraba en el estadio A de la infeccion por el VIH (71%) y recibio tratamiento antirretroviral de gran actividad (74%) durante el embarazo. La proporcion de efectos adversos al tratamiento fue del 7%; entre ellos destaco la anemia asociada al tratamiento con zidovudina. Encontramos 6 casos de transmision vertical entre los 686 ninos nacidos (0,8%; intervalo de confianza del 95%, 0,3-1,8). Conclusiones La mayoria de las pacientes recibio tratamiento antirretroviral de gran actividad, con una buena tolerancia y una baja tasa de efectos adversos. La tasa de transmision vertical fue muy baja, sin que superara el 1%. Es preciso prestar atencion a fenomenos como la coinfeccion por el virus de la hepatitis C, posibles efectos secundarios graves, como la hepatotoxicidad, y trastornos del embarazo mas frecuentes en esta poblacion, como la prematuridad y la diabetes gestacional.

Effectiveness of a brief primary care intervention to reduce passive smoking in babies: a cluster randomised clinical trial

Background Tobacco smoke pollution (TSP) has major negative effects on infant health. Our objectives were to determine the effectiveness of a brief primary care intervention directed at parents who smoke in reducing babies’ TSP exposure, and to establish variables related to greater exposure. Method A multicentre, open, cluster-randomised clinical trial in Catalonia. The 83 participating primary health paediatric teams of the Catalan Health Service recruited 1101 babies whose parents were smokers. The intervention group (IG) received a brief TSP intervention; the control group (CG) received the usual care. Outcomes were measured by parents’ reported strategies to avoid TSP exposure. Baseline clinical data and characteristics of each babys TSP exposure were collected, along with infant hair samples and parents’ tobacco use and related attitudes/behaviours. At 3-month and 6-month follow-up, behavioural changes to avoid TSP exposure were recorded; the association between reported parental behaviours and nicotine concentration in infant hair samples was tested in a random sample of 253 babies at baseline and 6 months. Results During follow-up, TSP-avoidance strategies improved more in the IG than in the CG: 35.4% and 26.9% ( p=0.006) at home, and 62.2% and 53.1% in cars (p=0.008). Logistic regression showed adjusted ORs for appropriate measures in the IG versus CG of 1.59 (95% CI 1.21 to 2.09) at home and 1.30 (95% CI 0.97 to 1.75) in cars. Hair samples showed that 78.7% of the babies tested were exposed. Reduced nicotine concentration was associated with improved implementation of effective strategies reported by parents at home (p=0.029) and in cars (p=0.014). Conclusions The intervention produced behavioural changes to avoid TSP exposure in babies. The proportion of babies with nicotine (>=1ng/mg) in hair samples at baseline is a concern. Trial registration number Clinical Trials.gov Identifier: NCT00788996.

Effectiveness of the Epley’s maneuver performed in primary care to treat posterior canal benign paroxysmal positional vertigo: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundVertigo is a common medical condition with a broad spectrum of diagnoses which requires an integrated approach to patients through a structured clinical interview and physical examination. The main cause of vertigo in primary care is benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV), which should be confirmed by a positive D-H positional test and treated with repositioning maneuvers. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Epley’s maneuver performed by general practitioners (GPs) in the treatment of BPPV.Methods/DesignThis study is a randomized clinical trial conducted in the primary care setting. The study’s scope will include two urban primary care centers which provide care for approximately 49,400 patients. All patients attending these two primary care centers, who are newly diagnosed with benign paroxysmal positional vertigo, will be invited to participate in the study and will be randomly assigned either to the treatment group (Epley’s maneuver) or to the control group (a sham maneuver). Both groups will receive betahistine. Outcome variables will be: response to the D-H test, patients’ report on presence or absence of vertigo during the previous week (dichotomous variable: yes/no), intensity of vertigo symptoms on a Likert-type scale in the previous week, total score on the Dizziness Handicap Inventory (DHI) and quantity of betahistine taken.We will use descriptive statistics of all variables collected. Groups will be compared using the intent-to-treat approach and either parametric or nonparametric tests, depending on the nature and distribution of the variables. Chi-square test or Fisher’s exact test will be conducted to compare categorical measures and Student’s t-test or Mann–Whitney U-test will be used for intergroup comparison variables.DiscussionPositive results from our study will highlight that treatment of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo can be performed by trained general practitioners (GPs) and, therefore, its widespread practice may contribute to improve the quality of life of BPPV patients.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01969513.

The STOP-AB trial protocol: efficacy and safety of discontinuing patient antibiotic treatment when physicians no longer consider it necessary

Introduction Since 2011, the Spanish Society of Family Medicine has recommended general practitioners (GPs) to ask their patients to stop taking antibiotics when they suspect a viral infection. However, this practice is seldom used because uncertainty about diagnosis, and fear of consequences of discontinuing antibiotic therapy, as well as perceived pressure to continue prescribing antibiotics and potential conflict with patients are more of a concern for GPs than antibiotic resistance. The main objective of this study is to determine whether discontinuation of antibiotic therapy when a GP no longer considers it necessary has any impact on the number of days with severe symptoms. Methods and analysis This is a multicentre, open-label, randomised controlled clinical trial. The study was conducted in 10 primary care centres in Spain. We included patients from 18 to 75 years of age with uncomplicated acute respiratory tract infections—acute rhinosinusitis, acute sore throat, influenza or acute bronchitis—who had previously taken any dose of antibiotic for <3 days, which physicians no longer considered necessary. The patients were randomly assigned to the usual strategy of continuing antibiotic treatment or to discontinuing antibiotic therapy. A sample size of 240 patients per group was calculated on the basis of a reduction of 1 day in the duration of severe symptoms being a clinically relevant outcome. The primary outcome was the duration of severe symptoms, that is, symptoms scored 5 or 6 by means of validated symptom diaries. Secondary outcomes included antibiotics taken, adverse events, patient satisfaction and complications within the first 3 months. Ethics and dissemination The study was approved by the Ethical Board of Fundació Jordi Gol i Gurina (reference number: 16/093). The findings of this trial will bedisseminated through research conferences and peer-reviewed journals. Trial registration number NCT02900820; pre-results.

ORIGINALRiesgo de depresión en personas de 75 años o más, valoración geriátrica integral y factores de vulnerabilidad asociados en Atención PrimariaRisk of depression in 75 years or older persons, comprehensive geriatric assessment and associated factors in primary care: cross sectional study

Resumen Objetivos Conocer la prevalencia de riesgo de depresión, características principales y factores de vulnerabilidad geriátrica asociados. Diseño Subestudio derivado de un estudio sobre valoración geriátrica integral. Emplazamiento Centro de Atención Primaria. Participantes Para una prevalencia estimada del 14% se precisaba muestra de 288 pacientes. De 3854 se seleccionaron 290 personas ≥ 75 años. Excluidos: terminales, quimioterapia, cirugía reciente, desplazados, retraso mental/enfermedad psiquiátrica grave y régimen de atención domiciliaria. Mediciones Variable de resultado: riesgo de depresión (≥ 2 puntos en subescala de depresión de Goldberg). Variables dependientes: sociodemográficas y cinco áreas de estudio de la valoración geriátrica integral: médica –comorbilidad, polifarmacia, caídas e ingresos–, funcional –Test Up&Go, índices de Lawton-Brody y Barthel–, nutricional –Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)–, mental-afectiva –cuestionario Pfeiffer y escalas Goldberg– y social. Análisis descriptivo y regresión logística. Resultados Realizadas 290 entrevistas, con 102 (35,1%) hombres y edad media de 79,41 años (DE : 3,2). Prevalencia del riesgo de depresión: 37,2%, siendo 26,5% en hombres y 43,1% en mujeres (p = 0,005). Observamos asociación de riesgo de depresión con: hipertensión arterial (OR: 3,87 IC 95%: 1,61-9,34), cáncer (OR: 4,12 IC 95%: 1,58-10,76), falta de actividad de ocio (OR: 2,75 IC 95%: 1,33-5,67), subir en la escala de ansiedad (OR: 1,87 IC 95%: 1,57-2,22) y bajar en MNA (OR: 0,78 IC 95%: 0,68-0,9). Conclusiones La prevalencia del riesgo de depresión es mayor a lo esperado, pero se requiere confirmación con test diagnóstico. Apreciamos nuevas asociaciones del riesgo de depresión con variables de comorbilidad (hipertensión arterial y cáncer); corroboramos otras conocidas (viudedad y falta de apoyo social). Los factores asociados con el riesgo de depresión, deberían incluirse en futuros estudios sobre depresión geriátrica.OBJECTIVES To determine the prevalence of the risk of depression, major defining characteristics and factors associated with. DESIGN Sub-study of comprehensive geriatric assessment cross-study. SETTING Primary health center. PARTICIPANTS For an estimated 14% prevalence we need a sample of 288 people. From 3854, 290 people ≥75 years were selected. Excluding terminals, chemotherapy, recent surgery, temporary residence, mental retardation, serious psychiatric illness, or under home care. MEASUREMENT OUTCOME risk of depression (≥2 points on the Goldberg depression subscale. DEPENDENT VARIABLES Sociodemographic and five study areas of the Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment: medical -comorbidity, polypharmacy, falls and hospital admissions-, functional -Up&Go Test, Lawton-Brody and Barthel Index-, nutritional -Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA)-, mental-affective -Pfeiffer Questionnaire and Goldberg scale-, and social. Descriptive analysis and logistic regression. RESULTS We obtained 290 interviews, with 102 (35.1%) male and mean age of 79.4 years (SD:3.2). The prevalence of the risk of depression was 37.2%, 26.5% in men and 43.1% in women (p=0.005). Association of risk of depression is observed with arterial hypertension (OR:3.87 95% CI:1.61-9.34), cancer (OR:4.12 95%, CI:1.58-10.76), lack of leisure activity (OR:2.75 95%, CI:1.33-5.67), increase of anxiety scale (OR:1.87 95%, CI:1.57-2.22) and decrease in MNA (OR:0.78 95%, CI:0.68-0.9). CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of risk of depression is higher than expected, although overestimated until being confirmed with a diagnostic test. We appreciate new associations of comorbidity variables with risk of depression and corroborate other known. The studied factors that were associated with the risk of depression should be included in future studies of geriatric depression.