Sharon A. Dobie

How well do birth certificates describe the pregnancies they report? The Washington State experience with low-risk pregnancies.

Objectives: Birth certificates are a major source of population-based data on maternal and perinatal health, but their value depends on the accuracy of the data. This study assesses the validity of information recorded on the birth certificates for women in Washington State who were considered to be low risk at entry into care. Methods: Birth certificates were matched to data abstracted from prenatal and intrapartum clinic and hospital records of a sample of 1937 Washington State obstetrical patients who were considered to be low risk at the beginning of their pregnancies. Accuracy of a variety of pregnancy characteristics (e.g., complications, procedures) on the birth certificate was analyzed using percentage agreement and sensitivity with record abstracts as the “gold standard.” Next, we weighted the data from each source to produce estimates of pregnancy characteristics in the population. We compared these estimates from the two data sources to see whether they provide similar pictures of this subpopulation. Results: Missing data for specific items on the birth certificates ranged from 0% to 24%. The birth certificate accurately captured gravidity and parity, but was less likely to report prenatal and intrapartum complications. The population estimates of the two data sources were significantly different. Conclusions: Because birth certificates significantly underestimated the complications of pregnancies, number of interventions, number of procedures, and prenatal visits, use of these data for health policy development or resource allocation should be tempered with caution.

Access to Cancer Services for Rural Colorectal Cancer Patients

CONTEXT Cancer care requires specialty surgical and medical resources that are less likely to be found in rural areas. PURPOSE To examine the travel patterns and distances of rural and urban colorectal cancer (CRC) patients to 3 types of specialty cancer care services--surgery, medical oncology consultation, and radiation oncology consultation. METHODS Descriptive cross-sectional study using linked Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) cancer registry and Medicare claims data for 27,143 individuals ages 66 and older diagnosed with stages I through III CRC between 1992 and 1996. FINDINGS Over 90% of rural CRC patients lived within 30 miles of a surgical hospital offering CRC surgery, but less than 50% of CRC patients living in small and isolated small rural areas had a medical or radiation oncologist within 30 miles. Rural CRC patients who traveled outside their geographic areas for their cancer care often went great distances. The median distance traveled by rural cancer patients who traveled to urban cancer care providers was 47.8 miles or more. A substantial proportion (between 19.4% and 26.0%) of all rural patients bypassed their closest medical and radiation oncology services by at least 30 miles. CONCLUSIONS Rural CRC patients often travel long distances for their CRC care, with potential associated burdens of time, cost, and discomfort. Better understanding of whether this travel investment is paid off in improved quality of care would help rural cancer patients, most of whom are elderly, make informed decisions about how to use their resources during their cancer treatment.

Reoperation as a Quality Indicator in Colorectal Surgery: A Population-Based Analysis

Objective:To describe unplanned procedures following colorectal cancer surgery that might be used as intermediate outcome measures, and to determine their association with mortality and length of stay. Summary Background:Variation in the quality of surgical care, especially for common illnesses like colorectal cancer, has received increasing attention. Nonfatal complications resulting in procedural interventions are likely to play a role in poor outcomes but have not been well explored. Methods:Cohort analysis of 26,638 stage I to III colorectal cancer patients in the 1992 to 1996 SEER-Medicare database. Independent variables: sociodemographics, tumor characteristics, comorbidity, and acuity. Primary outcome: postoperative procedural intervention. Analysis: Logistic regression identified patient characteristics predicting postoperative procedures and the adjusted risk of 30-day mortality and prolonged hospitalization among patients with postoperative procedures. Results:A total of 5.8% of patients required postoperative intervention. Patient characteristics had little impact on the frequency of postoperative procedures, except for acute medical conditions, including bowel perforation (relative risk [RR] = 3.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.5–3.6), obstruction (RR = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.4–1.8), and emergent admission (RR = 1.3; 95% CI = 1.1–1.4). After a postoperative procedure, patients were more likely to experience early mortality (RR = 2.4; 95% CI = 2.1–2.9) and prolonged hospitalization (RR = 2.2; 95% CI = 2.1–2.4). The most common interventions were performed for abdominal infection (31.7%; RR mortality = 2.9; 95% CI = 2.3–3.7), wound complications (21.1%; RR mortality = 0.7; 95% CI = 0.4–1.3), and organ injury (18.7%; RR mortality = 1.6; 95% CI = 1.1–2.3). Conclusions:Postoperative complications requiring additional procedures among colorectal cancer patients correlate with established measures of surgical quality. Prospective tracking of postoperative procedures as complication markers may facilitate outcome studies and quality improvement programs.

Analgesia for colposcopy : Double-masked, randomized comparison of ibuprofen and benzocaine gel

Objective To evaluate pain relief effectiveness of oral ibuprofen and topical benzocaine gel during colposcopy. Methods In a double-masked, randomized controlled trial, women who attended a family medicine colposcopy clinic received one of four treatments, 800 mg of oral ibuprofen, 20% topical benzocaine, both, or placebos. Using visual analog scales, women recorded their pain after speculum placement, endocervical curettage (ECC), and cervical biopsy. Participants were 18–55 years old, spoke English, and were not taking other pain or psychotropic medications. Demographic and historical information was collected from each participant. Results Ninety-nine subjects participated. Twenty-five received oral ibuprofen and topical benzocaine (median pain scores on a 10-point scale for speculum placement, ECC, and biopsy were 0.75, 3.00, and 3.38, respectively), 24 received oral placebo and topical benzocaine (1.00, 3.75, and 2.63), 24 received oral ibuprofen and topical placebo (0.63, 3.75, and 2.25), and 26 received oral and topical placebos (0.75, 3.50, and 3.00). There were no statistically significant differences in patient visual analogue pain scale scores across the four groups (statistical power, ECC = 0.74, cervical biopsy = 0.62). Younger women and women who had pain with speculum placement were more likely to have increased pain during ECC. Increased pain during biopsy was associated with history of severe dysmenorrhea but no other demographic or historical factors. Women overall reported ECC and biopsy to be mildly painful, with median scores of 3.5 for ECC and 2.75 for biopsy on a 10-point scale. The range in pain scores was large, with some women reporting severe pain (for ECC minimum = 0.25, maximum = 10.0; biopsy: minimum = 0.0, maximum = 9.0). Conclusion Colposcopy is perceived as somewhat painful, but oral ibuprofen and topical benzocaine gel, alone or together, provided no advantage over placebo in decreasing colposcopy pain.

The contribution of longitudinal comorbidity measurements to survival analysis.

Background:Many clinical and health services research studies are longitudinal, raising questions about how best to use an individuals comorbidity measurements over time to predict survival. Objectives:To evaluate the performance of different approaches to longitudinal comorbidity measurement in predicting survival, and to examine strategies for addressing the inevitable issue of missing data. Research Design:Retrospective cohort study using Cox regression analysis to examine the association between various Romano-Charlson comorbidity measures and survival. Subjects:Fifty thousand cancer-free individuals aged 66 or older enrolled in Medicare between 1991 and 1999 for at least 1 year. Results:The best fitting model combined both time independent baseline comorbidity and the time dependent prior year comorbidity measure. The worst fitting model included baseline comorbidity only. Overall, the models fit best when using the “rolling” comorbidity measures that assumed chronic conditions persisted rather than measures using only prior years recorded diagnoses. Conclusions:Longitudinal comorbidity is an important predictor of survival, and investigators should make use of individuals’ longitudinal comorbidity data in their regression modeling.

Obstetric care and payment source: do low-risk Medicaid women get less care?

OBJECTIVES This study examined whether Medicaid-insured women at low risk receive less adequate obstetrical care than privately insured women. METHODS Low-risk women who were cared for by a random sample of obstetrical providers in Washington State were randomly selected. Information on all prenatal and intrapartum services was abstracted from medical records. Service information was aggregated into standardized resource-use units. Results compared Medicaid-insured women with those who were privately insured. RESULTS Medicaid-insured women were significantly younger (22.5 years vs 26.9 years) and averaged 6% fewer visits than privately insured women. Nonetheless, Medicaid status had no meaningful association with prenatal, intrapartum, or overall resource use. Some variation occurred in individual resources received. Medicaid-insured women had 38.8% more resources expended on testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Privately insured women had more resources expended on alpha-fetoprotein testing and on amniocentesis. There were no meaningful differences in birthweight or gestational age at delivery. CONCLUSIONS In this study of women who entered obstetrical care at low risk, similar care and resources were expended on Medicaid-insured and on privately insured women.

The central role of comorbidity in predicting ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations

BACKGROUND Ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations (ACSHs) are commonly used as measures of access to and quality of care. They are defined as hospitalizations for certain acute and chronic conditions; yet, they are most commonly used in analyses comparing different groups without adjustment for individual-level comorbidity. We present an exploration of their roles in predicting ACSHs for acute and chronic conditions. METHODS Using 1998-99 US Medicare claims for 1 06 930 SEER-Medicare control subjects and 1999 Area Resource File data, we modelled occurrence of acute and chronic ACSHs with logistic regression, examining effects of different predictors on model discriminatory power. RESULTS Flags for the presence of a few comorbid conditions-congestive heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension and, for acute ACSHs, dementia-contributed virtually all of the discriminative ability for predicting ACSHs. C-statistics were up to 0.96 for models predicting chronic ACSHs and up to 0.87 for predicting acute ACSHs. C-statistics for models lacking comorbidity flags were lower, at best 0.73, for both acute and chronic ACSHs. CONCLUSION Comorbidity is far more important in predicting ACSH risk than any other factor, both for acute and chronic ACSHs. Imputations about quality and access should not be made from analyses that do not control for presence of important comorbid conditions. Acute and chronic ACSHs differ enough that they should be modelled separately. Unaggregated models restricted to persons with the relevant diagnoses are most appropriate for chronic ACSHs.

An early preceptorship and medical students' beliefs, values, and career choices.

Background and Objectives: Curriculum influence on career choice is difficult to determine. In this study we explored the impact of a summer rural/underserved preceptorship on the residency choices of participants and on the beliefs and attitudes of participating students about rural underserved primary care practices.Methods: Two data sets are used to examine the Rural/Underserved Opportunities Program (R/UOP). Matriculation and residency selection information is analyzed to compare R/UOP participants with nonparticipants. Second, a survey eliciting beliefs and attitudes about various career choices was given to participants before and after the experience and to a sample of nonparticipating classmates matched for age, race, and ethnicity.Results: At matriculation, R/UOP participants gave higher rankings to primary care specialties as possible career choices. They were more likely to be matched in a primary care residency than nonparticipants. R/UOP participants expressed belief in more differences between urban and rural practice than did nonparticipants. They maintained their higher attitudes towards rural practice.Conclusions: R/UOP supports preexisting beliefs and positive attitudes towards rural underserved primary care careers. Participating students do not have large differences at entry into medical school. They are more likely to select primary care residencies, compared with nonparticipants.

Abortion services in rural Washington State, 1983-1984 to 1993-1994: availability and outcomes.

CONTEXT Fewer rural health providers offer abortion services than a decade ago. It is unknown how the reduction in service availability has affected womens pregnancy outcomes, the extent to which they must travel to obtain an abortion or whether abortions are delayed as a result. METHODS Population, birth and fetal death data, as well as pregnancy termination reports, obtained from Washington State were used to calculate abortion rates and ratios and birthrates for Washington residents in 1983-1984 and in 1993-1994. Residence of abortion patients was classified by county only, and location of providers was recorded as large urban county, small urban county, large rural county or small rural county. Distances that women traveled to obtain an abortion were calculated. Chi-square tests were used to compare urban and rural rates and ratios within time periods, and to compare changes that occurred between time periods. RESULTS Birthrates and abortion rates decreased for both rural and urban Washington women between 1983-1984 and 1993-1994, but the magnitude of the decrease was greater for rural women. The rural abortion rate fell 27%, from 14.9 abortions per 1,000 women to 10.9 per 1,000, while the urban rate dropped 17%, from 21.8 to 18.2 per 1,000. The decline in the abortion rate was larger for adolescents than it was for other age-groups. In rural areas, the abortion rate decreased from 16.5 per 1,000 adolescents aged 10-19 in 1983-1984 to 10.8 per 1,000 in 1993-1994, while it declined from 23.3 per 1,000 to 16.9 per 1,000 in urban areas. From the earlier to the later time period, rural women traveled on average 12 miles farther each way to obtain an abortion, and the proportion who obtained the procedure in a rural county decreased from 25% to 3%. In the earlier time period, 62% of rural women traveled 50 miles or more to obtain an abortion, compared with 73% in 1993-1994. From 1983-1984 to 1993-1994, the proportion of rural women who traveled out of state for an abortion increased from 8% to 14%. The proportion of rural women terminating their pregnancy after the first trimester increased from 8% in 1983-1984 to 15% in 1993-1994. CONCLUSION Rural Washington women are traveling farther and more often to urban and out-of-state locations for abortion services, and are obtaining their abortions at a later gestational age, which is associated with a decade-long decline in the number of abortion providers.

Primary care residency choice and participation in an extracurricular longitudinal medical school program to promote practice with medically underserved populations.

Purpose In 2006, the University of Washington School of Medicine (UWSOM) launched the Underserved Pathway (UP), an extracurricular longitudinal experience supporting student interest in caring for underserved populations. This study examined the association between UP participation and residency choice. Method The study population was 663 UWSOM graduates who matched to a residency from 2008 to 2011; 69 were UP participants. Outcomes included matching to primary care residencies (family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, or medicine–pediatrics). The authors calculated graduate rates and odds of UP participants versus nonparticipants matching to primary care residencies overall and to residencies in individual primary care specialties. This analysis included all graduates and 513 graduates who had dual interest in primary care and underserved care at matriculation. Of 336 graduates matching to primary care, the authors calculated rates of entering the individual specialties with respect to UP participation. Results UP participants matched at significantly higher rates than nonparticipants to primary care (72.5% versus 48.1%, adjusted odds ratio [OR] 2.2) and family medicine residencies (33.3% versus 15.0%, adjusted OR 2.9). Of graduates with dual matriculation interest in primary care and underserved care, 73.4% of participants versus 53.5% of nonparticipants matched to primary care (adjusted OR 1.9), and 31.2% of participants versus 18.0% of nonparticipants matched to family medicine (adjusted OR 2.1). Of primary care matched graduates, 46.0% of participants versus 31.1% of nonparticipants entered family medicine. Conclusions Supporting student interest in underserved careers is associated with higher rates of graduates entering primary care residencies, specifically family medicine.