Joaquim Edson Vieira

Surgery information reduces anxiety in the pre-operative period

PURPOSE Patients preparing to undergo surgery should not suffer needless anxiety. This study aimed to evaluate anxiety levels on the day before surgery as related to the information known by the patient regarding the diagnosis, surgical procedure, or anesthesia. METHOD Patients reported their knowledge of diagnosis, surgery, and anesthesia. The Spielberger State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was used to measure patient anxiety levels. RESULTS One hundred and forty-nine patients were selected, and 82 females and 38 males were interviewed. Twenty-nine patients were excluded due to illiteracy. The state-anxiety levels were alike for males and females (36.10 +/- 11.94 vs. 37.61 +/- 8.76) (mean +/- SD). Trait-anxiety levels were higher for women (42.55 +/- 10.39 vs. 38.08 +/- 12.25, P = 0.041). Patient education level did not influence the state-anxiety level but was inversely related to the trait-anxiety level. Knowledge of the diagnosis was clear for 91.7% of patients, of the surgery for 75.0%, and of anesthesia for 37.5%. Unfamiliarity with the surgical procedure raised state-anxiety levels (P = 0.021). A lower state-anxiety level was found among patients who did not know the diagnosis but knew about the surgery (P = 0.038). CONCLUSIONS Increased knowledge of patients regarding the surgery they are about to undergo may reduce their state-anxiety levels.

Psychometric properties of the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) applied to medical residents.

The Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure (DREEM) is a measure of students’ perceptions of the educational environment, but its performance in evaluating the educational environment in the residency setting has not yet been described. This study aimed at describing the psychometric performance of DREEM applied to medical residents. DREEM was applied to 97 residents from 12 training programs on four specialties in six institutions in three Brazilian cities. Psychometric measures included factor analysis, Cronbachs alpha coefficients, item-to-total correlations, t-test comparisons of scores between genders, institutions, specialties, and programs, correlations with the global score of the Quality of School Life Scale (concurrent validity), and test–retest reliability. Generalizability theory procedures were applied to a random subset of data. Programs (8) were the objects of measure, while institutions (6), specialties (4), raters-within-programs (40), and items-on-the-scale (50) were facets. Variance components, generalizability (G) and dependability (D) coefficients were calculated. Cronbachs alpha was 0.93. DREEM showed high discriminant and concurrent validities. Test–retest reliability was moderate. Interactions between programs, raters and items accounted for 68% of the total variance. G and D coefficients were 0.95 and 0.67, respectively. The instrument proved to be useful for relative comparisons at both resident and program level.

Early dexamethasone treatment for septic shock patients: a prospective randomized clinical trial

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Sepsis and septic shock are very common conditions among critically ill patients that lead to multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) and death. Our purpose was to investigate the efficacy of early administration of dexamethasone for patients with septic shock, with the aim of halting the progression towards MODS and death. DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective, randomized, double-blind, single-center study, developed in a surgical intensive care unit at Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo. METHODS The study involved 29 patients with septic shock. All eligible patients were prospectively randomized to receive either a dose of 0.2 mg/kg of dexamethasone (group D) or placebo (group P), given three times at intervals of 36 hours. The patients were monitored over a seven-day period by means of the sequential organ failure assessment score. RESULTS Patients treated with dexamethasone did not require vasopressor therapy for as much time over the seven-day period as did the placebo group (p = 0.043). Seven-day mortality was 67% in group P (10 out of 15) and 21% in group D (3 out of 14) (relative risk = 0.31, 95% confidence interval 0.11 to 0.88). Dexamethasone enhanced the effects of vasopressor drugs. CONCLUSIONS Early treatment with dexamethasone reduced the seven-day mortality among septic shock patients and showed a trend towards reduction of 28-day mortality.

Directing student response to early patient contact by questionnaire

Context  First year medical students experienced early patient contact by observing outpatient consultations.

The Postgraduate Hospital Educational Environment Measure (PHEEM) Questionnaire Identifies Quality of Instruction as a Key Factor Predicting Academic Achievement

OBJECTIVE This study analyzes the reliability of the PHEEM questionnaire translated into Portuguese. We present the results of PHEEM following distribution to doctors in three different medical residency programs at a university hospital in Brazil. INTRODUCTION Efforts to understand environmental factors that foster effective learning resulted in the development of a questionnaire to measure medical residents’ perceptions of the level of autonomy, teaching quality and social support in their programs. METHODS The questionnaire was translated using the modified Brislin back-translation technique. Cronbach’s alpha test was used to ensure good reliability and ANOVA was used to compare PHEEM results among residents from the Surgery, Anesthesiology and Internal Medicine departments. The Kappa coefficient was used as a measure of agreement, and factor analysis was employed to evaluate the construct strength of the three domains suggested by the original PHEEM questionnaire. RESULTS The PHEEM survey was completed by 306 medical residents and the resulting Cronbach’s alpha was 0.899. The weighted Kappa was showed excellent reliability. Autonomy was rated most highly by Internal Medicine residents (63.7% ± 13.6%). Teaching was rated highest in Anesthesiology (66.7% ± 15.4%). Residents across the three areas had similar perceptions of social support (59.0% ± 13.3% for Surgery; 60.5% ± 13.6% for Internal Medicine; 61.4% ± 14.4% for Anesthesiology). Factor analysis suggested that nine factors explained 58.9% of the variance. CONCLUSIONS This study indicates that PHEEM is a reliable instrument for measuring the quality of medical residency programs at a Brazilian teaching hospital. The results suggest that quality of teaching was the best indicator of overall response to the questionnaire.

Locoregional Anesthesia for Dental Treatment in Cardiac Patients: A Comparative Study of 2% Plain Lidocaine and 2% Lidocaine with Epinephrine (1:100,000)

OBJECTIVES This study analyzes hemodynamic changes in patients with cardiac valvular diseases submitted to dental treatment under local anesthesia containing epinephrine. METHODS This randomized clinical trial was performed at the Dental Division of the Instituto do Coração do Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (Brazil). Patients were separated into two groups with the help of an aleatory number table: 2% plain lidocaine (PL, n= 31) and 2% lidocaine with epinephrine (1:100,000) (LE, n= 28). Blood pressure, heart rate, oxygenation and electrocardiogram data were all recorded throughout the procedure. State and trait anxiety levels were measured. RESULTS Fifty-nine patients were selected for the LE group (n=28), with an average age of 40.3 ± 10.9, or for the PL group (n=31), age 42.2 ± 10.3. No differences were shown in blood pressure, heart rate and pulse oximetry values before, during and after local anesthesia injection between the two groups. State and trait anxiety levels were not different. Arrhythmias observed before dental anesthesia did not change in shape or magnitude after treatment. Complaints of pain during the dental procedure were more frequent within the PL group, which received a higher amount of local anesthesia. CONCLUSION Lidocaine with epinephrine (1:100,000) provided effective local anesthesia. This treatment did not cause an increase in heart rate or blood pressure and did not cause any arrhythmic changes in patients with cardiac valvular diseases.

Comparison of C-Reactive Protein and Serum Amyloid A Protein in Septic Shock Patients

Septic shock is a severe inflammatory state caused by an infectious agent. Our purpose was to investigate serum amyloid A (SAA) protein and C-reactive protein (CRP) as inflammatory markers of septic shock patients. Here we evaluate 29 patients in postoperative period, with septic shock, in a prospective study developed in a surgical intensive care unit. All eligible patients were monitored over a 7-day period by sequential organ failure assessment (SOFA) score, daily CRP, SAA, and lactate measurements. CRP and SAA strongly correlated up to the fifth day of observation but were not good predictors of mortality in septic shock.

The Relationship of Learning Environment, Quality of Life, and Study Strategies Measures to Anesthesiology Resident Academic Performance

BACKGROUND:We designed this study to determine the academic performance of anesthesia residents as related to their differential characteristics on some affective-motivational variables, represented by perceptions about their educational environment, subjective quality of life, and learning and study strategies. METHODS:The study sample consisted of 63 anesthesia residents who completed the World Health Organization Quality of Life Inventory, the Dundee Ready Educational Environment Measure, the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory, and a progress test on basic sciences on two to four measurement occasions during a 2-year period. A growth curve model was fit to the academic performance. Mantel-Haenszel tests identified independent predictors of academic performance on progress tests. RESULTS:Mean rating at the first measuring occasion was 41%. There was a statistically significant improvement over time (slope = 7% per 6-m period; P < 0.01). Analysis of the random effects showed significant individual differences in the intercept. The residents’ scores improved at an equivalent rate over the course of the residency. The independent predictors of academic performance were anxiety, motivation, and ability in selecting main ideas. CONCLUSIONS:Knowledge growth on basic sciences during anesthesia residency is significantly associated to the level of anxiety related to study and achievement, to the motivation for learning and for personal improvement, and to the ability in selecting main ideas from subject matters to which residents are exposed during learning episodes.

A integração das disciplinas de humanidades médicas na Faculdade de Medicina da USP: um caminho para o ensino

Currently curricular integration is considered an important educational strategy, a process involving several stages, work and group commitment. This paper relates the experience of the Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Sao Paulo (FMUSP) of integrating medical humanities disciplines. During two years a group was composed involving professors of medical humanities disciplines, researchers from the Center of Development of Medical Education Professor Eduardo Marcondes (Cedem) as well as students and professors of other disciplines interested in this area. The thematic integration has already been concluded and the methodological integration is in process.

Effects of single dose of dexamethasone on patients with systemic inflammatory response

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE Systemic inflammatory response syndrome (SIRS) is a very common condition among critically ill patients. SIRS, sepsis, septic shock and multiple organ dysfunction syndrome (MODS) can lead to death. Our aim was to investigate the efficacy of a single dose of dexamethasone for blocking the progression of systemic inflammatory response syndrome. DESIGN AND SETTING Prospective, randomized, double-blind, single-center study in a postoperative intensive care unit (Surgical Support Unit) at Hospital das Clínicas, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo. METHODS The study involved 29 patients with SIRS. All eligible patients were prospectively randomized to receive either a single dose of 0.2 mg/kg of dexamethasone or placebo, after SIRS was diagnosed. The patients were monitored over a seven-day period using Sequential Organ Failure Assessment score (SOFA). RESULTS The respiratory system showed an improvement on the first day after dexamethasone was administered, demonstrated by the improved PaO2/FiO2 ratio (p < 0.05). The cardiovascular system of patients requiring vasopressor therapy also improved over the first two days, with a better evolution in the dexamethasone group (p < 0.05). Non-surviving patients presented higher lactate assays than did survivors (p < 0.05) during this period. CONCLUSIONS Dexamethasone enhanced the effects of vasopressor drugs and evaluation of the respiratory system showed improvements (better PaO2/FiO2 ratio), one day after its administration. Despite these improvements, the single dose of dexamethasone did not block the evolution of SIRS.