Jonathan G. Shaw

Posttraumatic stress disorder and risk of spontaneous preterm birth.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the association between antenatal posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and spontaneous preterm delivery. METHODS: We identified antenatal PTSD status and spontaneous preterm delivery in a retrospective cohort of 16,334 deliveries covered by the Veterans Health Administration from 2000 to 2012. We divided mothers with PTSD into those with diagnoses present the year before delivery (active PTSD) and those only with earlier diagnoses (historical PTSD). We identified spontaneous preterm birth and potential confounders including age, race, military deployment, twins, hypertension, substance use, depression, and results of military sexual trauma screening and then performed multivariate regression to estimate adjusted odds ratio (OR) of spontaneous preterm delivery as a function of PTSD status. RESULTS: Of 16,334 births, 3,049 (19%) were to mothers with PTSD diagnoses, of whom 1,921 (12%) had active PTSD. Spontaneous preterm delivery was higher in those with active PTSD (9.2%, n=176) than those with historical (8.0%, n=90) or no PTSD (7.4%, n=982) before adjustment (P=.02). The association between PTSD and preterm birth persisted, when adjusting for covariates, only in those with active PTSD (adjusted OR 1.35, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.14–1.61). Analyses adjusting for comorbid psychiatric and medical diagnoses revealed the association with active PTSD to be robust. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, containing an unprecedented number of PTSD-affected pregnancies, mothers with active PTSD were significantly more likely to suffer spontaneous preterm birth with an attributable two excess preterm births per 100 deliveries (95% CI 1–4). Posttraumatic stress disorders health effects may extend, through birth outcomes, into the next generation. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II

Attitudes of preclinical and clinical medical students toward interactions with the pharmaceutical industry.

Purpose Medical school is a critical time for physicians in training to learn the professional norms of interacting with the pharmaceutical industry, yet little is known about how students’ attitudes vary during the course of training. This study sought to determine students’ opinions about pharmaceutical industry interactions with medical students and whether these opinions differ between preclinical and clinical students. Method The authors surveyed medical students at Harvard Medical School (HMS) from November 2003 through January 2004 using a six-question survey. The authors then analyzed how responses differed among the classes. Results Out of 723 questionnaires, 418 were returned—an overall response rate of 58%. A total of 107 (26%) students believed that it is appropriate for medical students to accept gifts from pharmaceutical companies, and 76 (18%) agreed that the medical school curriculum should include events sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. Many students—253 (61%)—reported that they do not feel adequately educated about pharmaceutical industry–medical professionals’ interactions. Preclinical and clinical students had similar opinions for the majority of their responses. Finally, students who reported feeling better educated about pharmaceutical industry interactions tended to be less skeptical of the industry and more likely to view interactions with the industry as appropriate. Conclusions Students’ opinions about interactions with the pharmaceutical industry were similar between preclinical and clinical students, suggesting that the current medical school experience may have limited impact on students’ views about interactions with the pharmaceutical industry.

Effect of an Intensive Outpatient Program to Augment Primary Care for High-Need Veterans Affairs Patients: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Importance Many organizations are adopting intensive outpatient care programs for high-need patients, yet little is known about their effectiveness in integrated systems with established patient-centered medical homes. Objective To evaluate how augmenting the Veterans Affairs (VA) medical home (Patient Aligned Care Teams [PACT]) with an Intensive Management program (ImPACT) influences high-need patients’ costs, health care utilization, and experience. Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized clinical trial at a single VA facility. Among 583 eligible high-need outpatients whose health care costs or hospitalization risk were in the top 5% for the facility, 150 were randomly selected for ImPACT; the remaining 433 received standard PACT care. Interventions The ImPACT multidisciplinary team addressed health care needs and quality of life through comprehensive patient assessments, intensive case management, care coordination, and social and recreational services. Main Outcomes and Measures Primary difference-in-difference analyses examined changes in health care costs and acute and extended care utilization over a 16-month baseline and 17-month follow-up period. Secondary analyses estimated the intervention’s effect on ImPACT participants (using randomization as an instrument) and for patients with key sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. ImPACT participants’ satisfaction and activation levels were assessed using responses to quality improvement surveys administered at baseline and 6 months. Results Of 140 patients assigned to ImPACT, 96 (69%) engaged in the program (mean [SD] age, 68.3 [14.2] years; 89 [93%] male; mean [SD] number of chronic conditions, 10 [4]; 62 [65%] had a mental health diagnosis; 21 [22%] had a history of homelessness). After accounting for program costs, adjusted person-level monthly health care expenditures decreased similarly for ImPACT and PACT patients (difference-in-difference [SE] −

Mifepristone-misoprostol dosing interval and effect on induction abortion times: a systematic review.

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To Sling or Not To Sling at Time of Abdominal Sacrocolpopexy: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis

623]), as did acute and extended care utilization rates. Among respondents to the ImPACT follow-up survey (n = 54 [56% response rate]), 52 (96%) reported that they would recommend the program to others, and pre-post analyses revealed modest increases in satisfaction with VA care (mean [SD] increased from 2.90 [0.72] to 3.16 [0.60]; P = .04) and communication (mean [SD] increased from 2.99 [0.74] to 3.18 [0.60]; P = .03). Conclusions and Relevance Intensive outpatient care for high-need patients did not reduce acute care utilization or costs compared with standard VA care, although there were positive effects on experience among patients who participated. Implementing intensive outpatient care programs in integrated settings with well-established medical homes may not prevent hospitalizations or achieve substantial cost savings. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02932228

Post‐traumatic Stress Disorder and Antepartum Complications: a Novel Risk Factor for Gestational Diabetes and Preeclampsia

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of the interval between mifepristone and misoprostol administration on induction time (first misoprostol dose to abortion), total procedure time (mifepristone administration to abortion), and safety and efficacy in second-trimester induction abortion (13–24 weeks). DATA SOURCES: We searched MEDLINE (1966–2012), ClinicalTrials.gov, POPLINE, and the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register using search terms for second trimester, abortion, misoprostol, and mifepristone and reviewed reference lists of published reports. METHODS OF STUDY SELECTION: Our search revealed 138 articles of which 29 met inclusion criteria: 20 randomized controlled trials and nine observational studies. Studies were included if, in any study arm, mifepristone and misoprostol were used for medical abortion in the second trimester. TABULATION, INTEGRATION, AND RESULTS: Two authors independently reviewed the articles and abstracted the data using standardized data abstraction templates to summarize data. Discrepancies were resolved by consensus. Three studies directly compared a 1-day to 2-day mifepristone–misoprostol interval; they showed small differences in median induction times (weighted average 7.3 hours, range 7–8.5 for a 1-day interval; weighted average 6.8 hours, range 6.3–7.2 for a 2-day interval) and no significant difference in percent expelled by 12 hours or 24 hours. When all randomized studies using mifepristone and misoprostol were pooled by comparable mifepristone–misoprostol interval and misoprostol dose, induction times (first misoprostol dose to expulsion) were only 1–2 hours longer for a 12- to 24-hour interval compared with a 36–48-hour interval, whereas total abortion times (mifepristone to expulsion) were at least 18 hours longer in the 36- to 48-hour group. Induction times varied by misoprostol dosing, with 400-microgram misoprostol protocols resulting in shorter induction times than 200-microgram protocols. CONCLUSION: Shortening the mifepristone–misoprostol interval, thereby reducing total abortion time, does not compromise the safety or efficacy of second-trimester medication abortion and may be used to accommodate patient or health care provider preference.

Long-Acting Reversible Contraceptive Placement Among Active-Duty U.S. Army Servicewomen

PURPOSE We compare the cost-effectiveness of 3 strategies for the use of a mid urethral sling to prevent occult stress urinary incontinence in patients undergoing abdominal sacrocolpopexy. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using decision analysis modeling we compared cost-effectiveness during a 1-year postoperative period of 3 treatment approaches including 1) abdominal sacrocolpopexy alone with deferred option for mid urethral sling, 2) abdominal sacrocolpopexy with universal concomitant mid urethral sling and 3) preoperative urodynamic study for selective mid urethral sling. Using published data we modeled probabilities of stress urinary incontinence after abdominal sacrocolpopexy with or without mid urethral sling, the predictive value of urodynamic study to detect occult stress urinary incontinence and the likelihood of complications after mid urethral sling. Costs were derived from Medicare 2010 reimbursement rates. The main outcome modeled was incremental cost-effectiveness ratio per quality adjusted life-years gained. In addition to base case analysis, 1-way sensitivity analyses were performed. RESULTS In our model, universally performing mid urethral sling at abdominal sacrocolpopexy was the most cost-effective approach with an incremental cost per quality adjusted life-year gained of

Social Isolation and Medicare Spending: Among Older Adults, Objective Isolation Increases Expenditures While Loneliness Does Not

2,867 compared to abdominal sacrocolpopexy alone. Preoperative urodynamic study was more costly and less effective than universally performing intraoperative mid urethral sling. The cost-effectiveness of abdominal sacrocolpopexy plus mid urethral sling was robust to sensitivity analysis with a cost-effectiveness ratio consistently below

Deployment and Preterm Birth Among US Army Soldiers

20,000 per quality adjusted life-year. CONCLUSIONS Universal concomitant mid urethral sling is the most cost-effective prophylaxis strategy for occult stress urinary incontinence in women undergoing abdominal sacrocolpopexy. The use of preoperative urodynamic study to guide mid urethral sling placement at abdominal sacrocolpopexy is not cost-effective.

Contraception in US servicewomen: emerging knowledge, considerations, and needs

BACKGROUND Prior work shows that Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) predicts an increased risk of preterm birth, but the causal pathway(s) are uncertain. We evaluate the associations between PTSD and antepartum complications to explore how PTSDs pathophysiology impacts pregnancy. METHODS This retrospective cohort analysis of all Veterans Health Administration (VA)-covered deliveries from 2000-12 used the data of VA clinical and administration. Mothers with current PTSD were identified using the ICD-9 diagnostic codes (i.e. code present during the antepartum year), as were those with historical PTSD. Medical and administrative data were used to identify the relevant obstetric diagnoses, demographics and health, and military deployment history. We used Poisson regression with robust error variance to derive the adjusted relative risk estimates (RR) for the association of PTSD with five clinically relevant antepartum complications [gestational diabetes (GDM), preeclampsia, gestational hypertension, growth restriction, and abruption]. Secondary outcomes included proxies for obstetric complexity (repeat hospitalisation, prolonged delivery hospitalisation, and caesarean delivery). RESULTS Of the 15 986 singleton deliveries, 2977 (19%) were in mothers with PTSD diagnoses (1880 (12%) current PTSD). Mothers with the complication GDM were 4.9% and those with preeclampsia were 4.6% of all births. After adjustment, a current PTSD diagnosis (reference = no PTSD) was associated with an increased risk of GDM (RR 1.4, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2, 1.7) and preeclampsia (RR 1.3, 95% CI 1.1, 1.6). PTSD also predicted prolonged (>4 day) delivery hospitalisation (RR 1.2, 95% CI 1.01, 1.4), and repeat hospitalisations (RR 1.4, 95% CI 1.2, 1.6), but not caesarean delivery. CONCLUSIONS The observed association of PTSD with GDM and preeclampsia is consistent with our nascent understanding of PTSD as a disruptor of neuroendocrine and cardiovascular health.