Susan Peterson

Lipodystrophy in the Patient with HIV: Social, Psychological, and Treatment Considerations

Approximately 1.3 million people in the United States and an estimated 33.2 million worldwide are infected with HIV. In the past, HIV/AIDS was considered to be uniformly fatal. With the introduction of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART), HIV has become a chronic, manageable disease in countries that are able to provide this therapy. The preservation of lives has not been without complications. In these patients, metabolic and stereotypical body disfiguring fat changes have emerged and have been lumped under the term lipodystrophy. Lipoatrophy and fat accumulation are generally thought to be separate yet overlapping phenomena. The prevalence rates for lipoatrophy may be as high as 25% to 38%; estimates for fat accumulation vary widely (from 14%-63%). Far from being purely cosmetic, these fat changes can have a profoundly negative social and psychological impact, causing patients to feel disfigured, isolated, and stigmatized. Further, lipodystrophy may also negatively impact compliance with HAART. While there is evidence that the use of new HIV medications can prevent the development of these fat changes, many patients already manifest fat abnormalities; switching HAART, especially after lipodystrophy has progressed, offers only limited benefit. In addition, many resource-poor nations continue to rely on older HAART out of necessity. Because of this, methods are needed to address disfiguring body shape changes. The authors review the prevalence of lipoatrophy and lipohypertrophy, focusing on the impact on patients as well as reviewing available treatment options.

Effects of Fully Accessible Magnetic Resonance Imaging in the Emergency Department

BACKGROUNDnThe Joint Commission Comprehensive Stroke Center certification requires that magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) be available on site, 24xa0hours a day, 7xa0days a week for evaluation of stroke in emergency department (ED) patients. Increased access to advanced diagnostic imaging has been shown to increase utilization, ED length of stay (LOS), and health care costs. EDs nationwide face decisions to pursue certification and increase MRI access. Understanding changes in utilization and the downstream effects may inform these decisions.nnnOBJECTIVESnThe objective was to determine changes in emergency MRI utilization following placement of a 24/7 accessible MRI in the ED and its effects on resource utilization for rule-out stroke and neurology consult patients.nnnMETHODSnThis was a retrospective cohort study comparing MRI use during the 32xa0months before and 26xa0months after MRI acquisition period in the ED of a Level I trauma and stroke center. An interrupted time-series design was used to account for changes in clinical practice patterns following MRI acquisition. Time-series plots and segmented regression analyses are presented to compare utilization patterns pre- and post-MRI and to understand potential confounding due to secular trends. Statistical hypothesis testing was used to determine differences in utilization, demographics, and clinical characteristics for cohorts pre- and post-MRI.nnnRESULTSnMRI utilization in the ED increased 38.4% for rule-out stroke and 51.4% for neurology consult patients after MRI acquisition. The proportion of rule-out stroke patients receiving MRI increased from 32.5% pre-MRI to 45.0% post-MRI (pxa0<xa00.001). The proportion of neurology consult patients increased from 32.6% pre-MRI to 49.4% post-MRI (pxa0<xa00.001). Considering baseline increases in MRI utilization rates for both cohorts over time, segmented regression models detected more substantial and significant changes in utilization after MRI acquisition for the larger neurology cohort (pxa0<xa00.001) compared to the rule-out stroke cohort (pxa0=xa00.095). However, hospital admission rates declined 16.7% for rule-out stroke patients (68.2% pre, 56.8% post; pxa0<xa00.001) and remained constant for neurology patients (56.5% pre, 57.5% post; pxa0=xa00.414). Patients who obtained MRI in the ED had increased ED LOS, but decreased hospital LOS (admitted patients), compared to those with no MRI for pre and post cohorts.nnnCONCLUSIONSnEmergency MRI utilization increased substantially after placement of a fully accessible MRI in the ED. Patients receiving emergency MRI had increased ED LOS, decreased admission rates for some patients (rule-out stroke), and reduced hospital LOS for those admitted. Potential changes in ED patient resource utilization should be considered when determining whether to acquire an MRI for Comprehensive Stroke Center certification.

RESIDENT TO RESIDENT HANDOFFS IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT: AN OBSERVATIONAL STUDY

BACKGROUNDnDespite patient handoffs being well recognized as a potentially dangerous time in the care of patients in the emergency department (ED), there is no established standard and little supporting research on how to optimize the process. Minimizing handoff risks is particularly important at teaching hospitals, where residents often provide the majority of patient handoffs.nnnOBJECTIVEnOur aim was to identify hazards to patient safety and barriers to efficiency related to resident handoffs in the ED.nnnMETHODSnAn observational study was completed using the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model to assess the safety and efficiency of resident handoffs. Thirty resident handoffs were observed with residents in emergency medicine over 16 weeks.nnnRESULTSnResidents were interrupted, on average, every 8.5 min. The most common deficit in relaying the plan of care strategy was failing to relay medications administered (32%). In addition, there were ambiguities related to medication administration, such as when the medication was next due or why a medication was chosen, in 56% of handoffs observed. Ninety percent of residents observed took handwritten notes. A small percentage (11%) also completed free texted computer progress notes. Ten percent of residents took no notes.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe existing system allows for a clear summary of the patients visit. Two major deficits-frequent interruptions and inconsistent communication regarding medications administered-were noted. There is inconsistency in how information is recorded at the time of handoff. Future studies should focus on handoff improvement and error reduction.

The Power of Involving House Staff in Quality Improvement: An Interdisciplinary House Staff–Driven Vaccination Initiative

Immunization for influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia were incorporated into The Joint Commission “global immunization” core measure January 1, 2012. The authors’ hospital chose to adhere strictly to guidelines to avoid overvaccination. An immunization order set was created to aid appropriate ordering practices. In spite of this effort, compliance rates remained below the goal. The objective was to improve compliance with inpatient vaccination core measures to >96%. An educational slide set was created and distributed by the Housestaff Patient Safety and Quality Council (HPSQC). A competition was established among departments. Finally, the HPSQC partnered with quality improvement staff to improve communication and optimize concurrent review processes. The average compliance prior to the HPSQC vaccination initiative was 78% for pneumococcal pneumonia and 84% for influenza; average compliance in the months following the intervention was 96% and 97.5%, respectively. This project yielded significant improvement in compliance with vaccination core measures.

Emergency Department Utilization Among the Uninsured During Insurance Expansion in Maryland

Study objective We analyzed the effect of insurance expansion on emergency department (ED) utilization among the uninsured in Maryland, which expanded Medicaid eligibility and created health insurance exchanges in 2014. Methods This was a retrospective analysis of statewide administrative claims for July 2012 to December 2015. We used coarsened exact matching to pair uninsured and insured (Medicaid, Medicare, commercial, and other) adult Maryland residents who visited an ED or were hospitalized at baseline (July 2012 to December 2013). We compared ED utilization between these groups after insurance expansion (January 2014 to December 2015), using a difference‐in‐differences quasi‐experimental design. Nonreturning patients from the baseline period were included in the post–insurance expansion rates as having zero visits. Results Matching yielded 178,381 pairs. In the 12 months before insurance expansion, the baseline uninsured group visited the ED at a rate of 26.1 per 100 patient‐quarters versus 28.2 among the insured group (relative rate=0.93). In the 24 months after insurance expansion, 45% of the baseline uninsured returned to an ED, of whom 33% returned uninsured, 40% returned with Medicaid, and 21% returned with commercial insurance. After insurance expansion, with 55% of patients in each group not returning, the ED visit rate for both the baseline uninsured and insured groups was 15.9 per 100 patient‐quarters (relative rate=1.00). This 8% relative increase from baseline in ED visits among the uninsured group was driven primarily by increases in higher‐acuity visits. Uninsured patients from high‐poverty zip codes (N=34,964 pairs) increased their ED utilization by 15% after insurance expansion, whereas baseline uninsured patients with no comorbidities (N=94,330 pairs) showed a 3% decrease. Conclusion Insurance expansion in Maryland was associated with a modest relative increase in ED visits among the uninsured, driven by increases in higher‐acuity visits. It remains unclear whether insurance coverage helped the uninsured address their unmet medical needs.

Implementing standardized, inter-unit communication in an international setting: handoff of patients from emergency medicine to internal medicine

Standardized handoffs may reduce communication errors, but research on handoff in community and international settings is lacking. Our study at a community hospital in the United Arab Emirates characterizes existing handoff practices for admitted patients from emergency medicine (EM) to internal medicine (IM), develops a standardized handoff tool, and assesses its impact on communication and physician perceptions. EM physicians completed a survey regarding handoff practices and expectations. Trained observers utilized a checklist based on the Systems Engineering Initiative for Patient Safety model to observe 40 handoffs. EM and IM physicians collaboratively developed a written tool encouraging bedside handoff of admitted patients. After the intervention, surveys of EM physicians and 40 observations were subsequently repeated. 77.5% of initial observed handoffs occurred face-to-face, with 42.5% at bedside, and in four different languages. Most survey respondents considered face-to-face handoff ideal. Respondents noted 9–13 patients suffering harm due to handoff in the prior month. After handoff tool implementation, 97.5% of observed handoffs occurred face-to-face (versus 77.5%, pxa0=xa00.014), with 82.5% at bedside (versus 42.5%, pxa0<xa00.001), and all in English. Handoff was streamlined from 7 possible pathways to 3. Most post-intervention survey respondents reported improved workflow (77.8%) and safety (83.3%); none reported patient harm. Respondents and observers noted reduced inefficiency (pxa0<xa00.05). Our standardized tool increased face-to-face and bedside handoff, positively impacted workflow, and increased perceptions of safety by EM physicians in an international, non-academic setting. Our three-step approach can be applied towards developing standardized, context-specific inter-specialty handoff in a variety of settings.

Using the Electronic Medical Record to Reduce Unnecessary Ordering of Coagulation Studies for Patients with Chest Pain

Introduction Our goal was to reduce ordering of coagulation studies in the emergency department (ED) that have no added value for patients presenting with chest pain. We hypothesized this could be achieved via implementation of a stopgap measure in the electronic medical record (EMR). Methods We used a pre and post quasi-experimental study design to evaluate the impact of an EMR-based intervention on coagulation study ordering for patients with chest pain. A simple interactive prompt was incorporated into the EMR of our ED that required clinicians to indicate whether patients were on anticoagulation therapy prior to completion of orders for coagulation studies. Coagulation order frequency was measured via detailed review of randomly sampled encounters during two-month periods before and after intervention. We classified existing orders as clinically indicated or non-value added. Order frequencies were calculated as percentages, and we assessed differences between groups by chi-square analysis. Results Pre-intervention, 73.8% (76/103) of patients with chest pain had coagulation studies ordered, of which 67.1% (51/76) were non-value added. Post-intervention, 38.5% (40/104) of patients with chest pain had coagulation studies ordered, of which 60% (24/40) were non-value added. There was an absolute reduction of 35.3% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 22.7%, 48.0%) in the total ordering of coagulation studies and 26.4% (95% CI: 13.8%, 39.0%) in non-value added order placement. Conclusion Simple EMR-based interactive prompts can serve as effective deterrents to indiscriminate ordering of diagnostic studies.