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ABSTRACT: Although pain ranks highly among reasons for seeking care, routine pain assessment is often inaccurate.
This study evaluated factors associated with nurses (e.g., registered) and other nursing support staff (e.g., licensed vocational nurses and health technicians) discordance with patients in estimates of pain in a health system where routine pain screening using a 0-10 numeric rating scale (NRS) is mandated.
This was a cross-sectional, visit-based, cohort study that included surveys of clinic outpatients (n=465) and nursing staff (n=94) who screened for pain as part of routine vital sign measurement during intake. These data were supplemented by chart review. We compared patient pain levels documented by the nursing staff (N-NRS) with those reported by the patient during the study survey (S-NRS).
Pain underestimation (N-NRS<S-NRS) occurred in 25% and overestimation (N-NRS>S-NRS) in 7% of the cases. Nursing staff used informal pain-screening techniques that did not follow established NRS protocols in half of the encounters. Pain underestimation was positively associated with more years of nursing staff work experience and patient anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder and negatively associated with better patient-reported health status. Pain overestimation was positively associated with nursing staff's use of the full NRS protocol and with a distracting environment in which patient vitals were taken.
Despite a long-standing mandate, pain-screening implementation falls short, and informal screening is common.
Journal of pain and symptom management 11/2010; 40(5):723-33. · 2.42 Impact Factor
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Lisa R Shugarman,
Steven M Asch,
Lisa S Meredith,
Cathy D Sherbourne,
Emily Hagenmeier,
Li Wen,
Angela Cohen,
Lisa V Rubenstein,
Joy Goebel,
Andy Lanto,
Karl A Lorenz
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ABSTRACT: Pain is a common, often undertreated problem among patients with palliative needs.
To evaluate clinician factors associated with intention to address diverse aspects of pain.
Clinicians reviewed a clinical vignette describing a frail elderly patient with advanced hormone-refractory metastatic prostate cancer, depression, and pain not on analgesic therapy. Clinicians were surveyed about their intentions for treatment.
All 280 primary care and specialist clinicians working in 19 hospital and community-based primary care, oncology, and cardiology clinics at eight geographically dispersed sites in two large VA hospital systems.
Endpoints were clinician intention to deliver guideline-concordant care: prescribe opioids/antidepressants, assess existential wellbeing, and offer mental health referral. Demographic and behavioral measures were evaluated in association with endpoints.
Of 208 (74%) responding practitioners, 189 were responsible for prescribing decisions. Of those, 86, 77, 75, and 69 were "very"/"somewhat likely" to prescribe opioids, antidepressants, refer to a mental health specialist, or assess existential wellbeing, respectively. Factors associated with greater intent to prescribe an opioid or antidepressant included female gender, being an attending physician, being a primary care clinician, and greater confidence in pain management skills. Greater trust in the validity of pain ratings was associated with intent to prescribe an antidepressant and assess existential wellbeing. Prescribing opioids was less likely if perceived as an administrative burden. Assessing existential wellbeing was less likely if time constraints were perceived a barrier to evaluating pain. Female gender was the only factor associated with intent to refer to a mental health specialist.
Our findings suggest useful targets for improving pain management include bolstering clinician confidence in pain management and their trust in pain ratings.
Pain Medicine 09/2010; 11(9):1365-72. · 2.35 Impact Factor
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Joy R Goebel,
Cathy D Sherbourne,
Steven M Asch,
Lisa Meredith,
Angela B Cohen,
Emily Hagenmaier,
Andy B Lanto,
Barbara Simon,
Lisa V Rubenstein, Lisa R Shugarman,
Karl A Lorenz
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ABSTRACT: Fear of engendering addiction is frequently reported as both a provider and a patient barrier to effective pain management. In this study, a clinical scenario ascertained nursing staff members' usual practice in addressing addiction fears for patients with concerns about the addictive potential of pain medication. One hundred forty-five Veterans Health Administration nursing staff members from eight ambulatory care sites were queried to identify variables associated with proclivity to address patient fears about addiction risks in a population where pain is prevalent and the risk for substance abuse is high. Regarding addressing addiction concerns, 66% of nursing staff were very likely, 16% somewhat likely, 9% unsure, 6% somewhat unlikely, and 2% very unlikely to take action. Health technicians were less likely to address addiction concerns than registered or licensed vocational nurses (odds ratio [OR] 0.116; p=.004). Nursing staff with more years' experience (OR 1.070; p=.005) and higher levels of self-efficacy/confidence (OR 1.380; p=.001) were more likely to engage in discussions related to addiction risks. Targeted efforts to improve pain management activities should focus on retaining experienced nursing staff in initial assessment positions and improving the skills and confidence of less experienced and less skilled staff.
Pain management nursing: official journal of the American Society of Pain Management Nurses 06/2010; 11(2):92-8. · 1.31 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Establishing goals of care is important in advance care planning. However, such discussions require a significant time investment on the part of trained personnel and may be overwhelming for the patient. The Go Wish card game was designed to allow patients to consider the importance of common issues at the end of life in a nonconfrontational setting. By sorting through their values in private, patients may present to their provider ready to have a focused conversation about end-of-life care. We evaluated the feasibility of using the Go Wish card game with seriously ill patients in the hospital. Of 133 inpatients approached, 33 (25%) were able to complete the game. The "top 10" values were scored based on frequency and adjusted for rank. The value selected of highest importance by the most subjects was "to be free from pain." Other highly ranked values concerned spirituality, maintaining a sense of self, symptom management, and establishing a strong relationship with health care professionals. Average time to review the patient's rank list after the patient sorted their values in private was 21.8 minutes (range: 6-45 minutes). The rankings from the Go Wish game are similar to those from other surveys of seriously ill patients. Our results suggest that it is feasible to use the Go Wish card game even in the chaotic inpatient setting to obtain an accurate portrayal of the patient's goals of care in a time-efficient manner.
Journal of pain and symptom management 04/2010; 39(4):637-43. · 2.42 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Routine numeric screening for pain is widely recommended, but its association with overall quality of pain care is unclear.
To assess adherence to measures of pain management quality and identify associated patient and provider factors.
A cross-sectional visit-based study.
One hundred and forty adult VA outpatient primary care clinic patients reporting a numeric rating scale (NRS) of moderate to severe pain (four or more on a zero to ten scale). Seventy-seven providers completed a baseline survey regarding general pain management attitudes and a post-visit survey regarding management of 112 participating patients.
We used chart review to determine adherence to four validated process quality indicators (QIs) including noting pain presence, pain character, and pain control, and intensifying pharmacological intervention. The average NRS was 6.7. Seventy-three percent of charts noted the presence of pain, 13.9% the character, 23.6% the degree of control, and 15.3% increased pain medication prescription. Charts were more likely to include documentation of pain presence if providers agreed that "patients want me to ask about pain" and "pain can have negative consequences on patient's functioning". Charts were more likely to document character of pain if providers agreed that "patients are able to rate their pain". Patients with musculoskeletal pain were less likely to have chart documentation of character of pain.
Despite routine pain screening in VA, providers seldom documented elements considered important to evaluation and treatment of pain. Improving pain care may require attention to all aspects of pain management, not just screening.
Journal of General Internal Medicine 03/2010; 25(9):900-5. · 2.83 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Although dyspnea and fatigue are hallmark symptoms of heart failure (HF), the burden of pain may be underrecognized. This study assessed pain in HF and identified contributing factors. As part of a multicenter study, 96 veterans with HF (96% male, 67+/-11 years) completed measures of symptoms, pain (Brief Pain Inventory [BPI]), functional status (Functional Morbidity Index), and psychological state (Patient Health Questionnaire-2 and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-2). Single items from the BPI interference and the quality of life-end of life measured social and spiritual well-being. Demographic and clinical variables were obtained by chart audit. Correlation and linear regression models evaluated physical, emotional, social, and spiritual factors associated with pain. Fifty-three (55.2%) HF patients reported pain, with a majority (36 [37.5%]) rating their pain as moderate to severe (pain>or=4/10). The presence of pain was reported more frequently than dyspnea (67 [71.3%] vs. 58 [61.7%]). Age (P=0.02), psychological (depression: P=0.002; anxiety: P=0.001), social (P<0.001), spiritual (P=0.010), and physical (health status: P=0.001; symptom frequency: P=0.000; functional status: P=0.002) well-being were correlated with pain severity. In the resulting model, 38% of the variance in pain severity was explained (P<0.001); interference with relations (P<0.001) and symptom number (P=0.007) contributed to pain severity. The association of physical, psychological, social, and spiritual domains with pain suggests that multidisciplinary interventions are needed to address the complex nature of pain in HF.
Journal of pain and symptom management 10/2009; 38(5):698-707. · 2.42 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Patients with advanced cancer often do not receive high-quality pain and symptom management or support with coordination of care, communication, and decision making. Implementing quality indicators that are reflective of the scope of care, feasible to implement, and supported by evidence might help to identify areas and settings most in need of improvement. However, recent reviews and policy initiatives identified only a few indicators that met these criteria. To help advance quality indicator development and implementation in this area, we developed a conceptual framework based on previous related initiatives, updated reviews of end-of-life cancer quality indicators and relevant data sources, and expert input. The framework describes five steps for developing and assessing a quality indicator for end-of-life care, defining the 1) population of focus, 2) broad quality domains, 3) specific target areas, 4) steps of the care process, and 5) evaluation criteria for quality indicators. The defined population includes seriously or terminally ill cancer patients, who are unlikely to recover or stabilize, and their families. Domains include the structure and processes of care; the physical, psychiatric, psychosocial, spiritual, and cultural aspects of care; as well as the care of the imminently dying, ethical and legal issues, and the delivery of care. Evaluation criteria include importance; scientific acceptability, including validity, evidence to improve outcomes, reliability, responsiveness, and variability; usability; and feasibility, including ready data sources. By using this conceptual framework, indicator developers, researchers, and policymakers can refine and implement indicator sets to effectively evaluate and improve care at the end of life.
Journal of pain and symptom management 09/2009; 38(6):903-12. · 2.42 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Previous research suggests that disparities in non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) survival can be explained in part by disparities in the receipt of cancer treatment. Few studies, however, have considered race and sex disparities in the timing and appropriateness of treatment across stages of diagnosis.
To evaluate the relationship of sex and race with the receipt of timely and clinically appropriate NSCLC treatment for each stage of diagnosis.
Surveillance Epidemiology and End Result data linked to Medicare claims for beneficiaries diagnosed with NSCLC between 1995 and 1999 were used to evaluate the relationship between race and sex with timely and appropriate NSCLC treatment while controlling for other demographic characteristics, comorbidities, socioeconomic status, and provider supply (N = 22,145).
Overall adjusted rates of timely and appropriate treatment are 37.2%, 58.1%, and 29.2% for Medicare beneficiaries diagnosed with stage I or II, III, and IV NSCLC, respectively. Among stage I or II patients, women were 25% less likely to receive timely surgical resection relative to men, and blacks were 66% less likely to receive timely and appropriate treatment than whites. Black men were least likely to receive resection (22.2% compared with 43.7% for white men). Blacks were 34% less likely to receive timely surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation for stage III disease and were 51% less likely to receive chemotherapy in a timely fashion for stage IV disease relative to whites.
Significant variations in appropriate timely treatment were found within and across stages of diagnosis, confirming that sex and race differences in NSCLC treatment exist.
Medical care 08/2009; 47(7):774-81. · 3.24 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Quality indicators applicable to cancer end-of-life care exist, but have not been widely implemented. To advance this field, the authors worked with the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality and the National Cancer Institute to organize a national symposium to discuss key issues and future goals, based on a conceptual framework. Discussions focused on 8 key domains in end-of-life cancer care: pain; dyspnea; communication, care planning, and decision making; psychosocial care; communication about chemotherapy; depression; continuity, coordination, and care transitions; and spirituality and closure. Key themes included the need for clarity on definitions and key aspects of care within domains, the need to start implementing indicators in more developed domains, and the importance of high-quality symptom assessment and documentation of key processes. Key areas for future work include development of more outcome indicators, methods to better incorporate indicators and patient-reported outcomes into clinical processes of care, and coordination across domains and settings. Measuring the quality of end-of-life cancer care is essential to understanding how best to improve patient outcomes and care.
Cancer 07/2009; 115(17):3820-9. · 4.77 Impact Factor
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Joy R Goebel,
Lynn V Doering,
Lorraine S Evangelista,
Adeline M Nyamathi,
Sally L Maliski,
Steven M Asch,
Cathy D Sherbourne, Lisa R Shugarman,
Andy B Lanto,
Angela Cohen,
Karl A Lorenz
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ABSTRACT: Progress has been made in addressing pain in specific diseases such as cancer, but less attention has focused on understanding pain in nonmalignant states, including heart failure (HF).
From March 2006 to June 2007, 672 veterans were surveyed and scores for the Brief Pain Inventory, pain distress, clinically significant pain levels (moderate to severe pain), and pain locations were compared using univariate and multivariate models. Fifteen percent of the final sample had HF (95/634). In our study, the HF patients were older (P < .000), reported lower levels of general health (P = .018), had more co-morbidities (P < .000), were more likely to have a history of cancer (P = .035), and suffered more chest pain and fewer headaches (P = .026, P = .03, respectively) than their non-HF cohorts. When controlling for age, co-morbidity and cancer disorders, HF and non-HF patients did not differ in pain severity, interference, distress or locations. Of the patients currently experiencing pain, 67.3% of HF patients and 68.4% of non-HF patients rated their pain as moderate or severe (pain >or=4 on a 0 to 10 scale).
Although HF has not been identified as a painful condition, this study suggests the burden of pain is significant for both HF and non-HF ambulatory care patients.
Journal of cardiac failure 02/2009; 15(1):24-30. · 3.25 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We tested the relationship between urban or rural residence as defined by rural-urban commuting area codes and risk of mortality in a sample of Medicare beneficiaries with lung cancer.
We used Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results data linked with Medicare claims to build proportional hazards models. The models tested hypothesized relationships between individual and community characteristics and overall survival for a cohort of Medicare beneficiaries 65 years and older who were diagnosed with lung cancer between 1995 and 1999 (N=26073).
We found no evidence that lung cancer patients in rural areas have poorer survival than those in urban areas. Rather, individual (Medicaid coverage) and regional (lower census tract-level median income) socioeconomic factors and a smaller supply of subspecialists per 10000 individuals 65 years and older were positively associated with a higher risk of mortality.
Although urban versus rural residence did not directly influence survival, rural residents were more likely to live in poorer areas with a smaller supply of health care providers. Therefore, we still need to be aware of rural beneficiaries' potential disadvantage when it comes to receiving needed care in a timely fashion.
American Journal of Public Health 08/2008; 98(7):1280-7. · 3.93 Impact Factor
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Karl A Lorenz,
Joanne Lynn,
Sydney M Dy, Lisa R Shugarman,
Anne Wilkinson,
Richard A Mularski,
Sally C Morton,
Ronda G Hughes,
Lara K Hilton,
Margaret Maglione,
Shannon L Rhodes,
Cony Rolon,
Virginia C Sun,
Paul G Shekelle
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ABSTRACT: Many persons and their families are burdened by serious chronic illness in late life. How to best support quality of life is an important consideration for care.
To assess evidence about interventions to improve palliative and end-of-life care.
English-language citations (January 1990 to November 2005) from MEDLINE, the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care bibliography, and November 2005 to January 2007 updates from expert reviews and literature surveillance.
Systematic reviews that addressed "end of life," including terminal illness (for example, advanced cancer) and chronic, eventually fatal illness with ambiguous prognosis (for example, advanced dementia), and intervention studies (randomized and nonrandomized designs) that addressed pain, dyspnea, depression, advance care planning, continuity, and caregiving.
Single reviewers screened 24,423 titles to find 6381 relevant abstracts and reviewed 1274 articles in detail to identify 33 high-quality systematic reviews and 89 relevant intervention studies. They synthesized the evidence by using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) classification.
Strong evidence supports treating cancer pain with opioids, nonsteroidals, radionuclides, and radiotherapy; dyspnea from chronic lung disease with short-term opioids; and cancer-associated depression with psychotherapy, tricyclics, and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. Strong evidence supports multi component interventions to improve continuity in heart failure. Moderate evidence supports advance care planning led by skilled facilitators who engage key decision makers and interventions to alleviate caregiver burden. Weak evidence addresses cancer-related dyspnea management, and no evidence addresses noncancer pain, symptomatic dyspnea management in advanced heart failure, or short-acting antidepressants in terminal illness. No direct evidence addresses improving continuity for patients with dementia. Evidence was weak for improving caregiver burdens in cancer and was absent for heart failure.
Variable literature indexing for advanced chronic illness and end of life limited the comprehensiveness of searches, and heterogeneity was too great to do meta-analysis.
Strong to moderate evidence supports interventions to improve important aspects of end-of-life care. Future research should quantify these effects and address the generalizability of insights across the conditions and settings of the last part of life. Many critical issues lack high-quality evidence.
Annals of internal medicine 02/2008; 148(2):147-59. · 16.73 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to systematically review the literature to better understand the conceptualization of satisfaction with end-of-life care and the effectiveness of palliative care interventions on this outcome. Data sources included Medline and the Database of Reviews of Effects. The review included relevant qualitative studies and intervention studies using satisfaction as an outcome from 1990 to 2005. Reviewing 24,423 citations yielded 21 relevant qualitative studies, four systematic reviews, and eight additional intervention studies. The qualitative literature described the domains of accessibility and coordination; competence, including symptom management; communication and education; emotional support and personalization of care; and support of patients' decision-making. For collaboration and consultation interventions, eight of 13 studies showed a significant effect on satisfaction. A meta-analysis found that palliative care and hospice teams improved satisfaction, although most studies did not include satisfaction as an outcome. For other types of interventions, only two of six showed a significant effect. For heart failure coordination of care, only seven of 32 studies addressed this as an outcome; two of the three that compared satisfaction between groups showed a significant difference. Evaluations used many different measures, only one of which was designed for the end of life. In conclusion, researchers have conceptualized satisfaction in palliative care, and different types of palliative care interventions can improve satisfaction, but it is often not included as an outcome. More focus on these satisfaction elements might improve the effectiveness of end-of-life interventions and their evaluation.
Journal of the American Geriatrics Society 02/2008; 56(1):124-9. · 3.74 Impact Factor
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Richard A Mularski,
Sydney M Dy, Lisa R Shugarman,
Anne M Wilkinson,
Joanne Lynn,
Paul G Shekelle,
Sally C Morton,
Virginia C Sun,
Ronda G Hughes,
Lara K Hilton,
Margaret Maglione,
Shannon L Rhodes,
Cony Rolon,
Karl A Lorenz
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ABSTRACT: To identify psychometrically sound measures of outcomes in end-of-life care and to characterize their use in intervention studies.
English language articles from 1990 to November 2005 describing measures with published psychometric data and intervention studies of end-of-life care.
Systematic review of end-of-life care literature.
Two reviewers organized identified measures into 10 major domains. Eight reviewers extracted and characterized measures from intervention studies.
Of 24,423 citations, we extracted 200 articles that described 261 measures, accepting 99 measures. In addition to 35 measures recommended in a prior systematic review, we identified an additional 64 measures of the end-of-life experience. The most robust measures were in the areas of symptoms, quality of life, and satisfaction; significant gaps existed in continuity of care, advance care planning, spirituality, and caregiver well-being. We also reviewed 84 intervention studies in which 135 patient-centered outcomes were assessed by 97 separate measures. Of these, 80 were used only once and only eight measures were used in more than two studies.
In general, most measures have not undergone rigorous development and testing. Measure development in end-of-life care should focus on areas with identified gaps, and testing should be done to facilitate comparability across the care settings, populations, and clinical conditions. Intervention research should use robust measures that adhere to these standards.
Health Services Research 11/2007; 42(5):1848-70. · 2.16 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: We examined age and gender differences in Medicare expenditures for colorectal cancer decedents in the last year of life (LYOL) through a cross-sectional study of Medicare administrative and claims data. Participants were aged Medicare beneficiaries (68+ years) with colorectal cancer, who were covered by Parts A and B for 36 months before death (1996-1999, n = 6657). We estimated differences in mean Medicare utilization and expenditures in the LYOL overall and by type of service (inpatient, outpatient, physician, skilled nursing facility [SNF], home health, and hospice).
Women were more likely than men to use inpatient services, SNF services, home health, and hospice in the LYOL. Average expenditures for women were $1600 higher than for men, which were attributed to higher average expenditures on home health and hospice services. Among decedents aged 68-74 who used inpatient care, inpatient expenditures were higher for women than men. Older cohorts were less likely to use inpatient and outpatient services and more likely to use SNF services. Average Medicare expenditures were significantly lower in older cohorts.
Most of the gender differences in average Medicare expenditures were explained by gender differences in age and the lower average expenditures on older decedents with colorectal cancer. Remaining gender differences varied across age cohorts and were largest among those aged 68-74. Higher expenditures for women on each of the social supportive services (SNF, home health, and hospice), even among those who used a particular type of service, may reflect a lack of informal supports for older women compared with men.
Journal of Women s Health 04/2007; 16(2):214-27. · 1.57 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To evaluate the influence of immunization rates on the likelihood of influenza-like illness (ILI) clusters in nursing facilities.
Retrospective cross-sectional study.
Nursing facilities in a single for-profit chain (N = 301).
Nursing home residents and staff in each facility.
Resident and staff influenza immunization rates during the 2004-2005 influenza season, indicator of ILI cluster in facility defined as 3+ ILI cases reported within 72 hours in close proximity within the facility, hospitalization and mortality rates for facilities reporting ILI clusters, indicator of confirmatory laboratory testing for ILI cases in facility.
Staff (median = 38%) and resident (median = 85%) rates of immunization did not independently predict the likelihood of an outbreak but jointly were strong predictors. For example, facilities having greater than 55% of staff and greater than 89% of residents immunized were almost 60% less likely to have an ILI cluster (odds ratio [OR]: 0.410; 95% CI: 0.19, 0.89) compared to all others. Facilities with higher proportions of Medicaid-funded residents were less likely to have an outbreak. Each 1% increase in the proportion of residents with Medicaid was associated with a 2.5% decrease in the risk of a cluster (OR: 0.975; 95% CI: 0.956, 0.995). Bed size and staff size did not significantly influence the likelihood of an outbreak. Among facilities with outbreaks, higher vaccination rates did not predict lower rates of hospitalizations or deaths. Approximately two thirds of all ILI clusters had laboratory testing to confirm the diagnosis of influenza. Three quarters of the facilities in which outbreaks occurred and for which confirmatory tests were performed (50/67, 74.6%) had 1+ cases positively identified as influenza.
Both staff and residents must have high rates of vaccination to substantially alter the rate and impact of influenza outbreaks in nursing facilities.
Journal of the American Medical Directors Association 12/2006; 7(9):562-7. · 4.64 Impact Factor
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Karl A Lorenz,
Joanne Lynn,
Sydney Dy,
Anne Wilkinson,
Richard A Mularski, Lisa R Shugarman,
Rhonda Hughes,
Steven M Asch,
Cony Rolon,
Afshin Rastegar,
Paul G Shekelle
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ABSTRACT: Measuring quality of care for symptom management and ascertaining patient goals offers an important step toward improving palliative cancer management. This study was designed to identify systematically the quality measures and the evidence to support their use in pain, dyspnea, depression, and advance care planning (ACP), and to identify research gaps.
English-language documents were selected from MEDLINE, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health, PsycINFO (1995 to 2005); Internet-based searches; and contact with measure developers. We used terms for each domain to select studies throughout the cancer care continuum. We included measures that expressed a normative relationship to quality, specified the target population, and specified the indicated care. Dual data review and abstraction was performed by palliative care researchers describing populations, testing, and attributes for each measure.
A total of 4,599 of 5,182 titles were excluded at abstract review. Of 537 remaining articles, 19 contained measures for ACP, six contained measures for depression, five contained measures for dyspnea, and 20 contained measures for pain. We identified 10 relevant measure sets that included 36 fully specified or fielded measures and 14 additional measures (16 for pain, five for dyspnea, four for depression, and 25 for ACP). Most measures were unpublished, and few had been tested in a cancer population. We were unable to describe the specifications of all measures fully and did not search for measures for pain and depression that were not cancer specific.
Measures are available for assessing quality and guiding improvement in palliative cancer care. Existing measures are weighted toward ACP, and more nonpain symptom measures are needed. Additional testing is needed before the measures are used for accountability, and basic research is required to address measurement when self-report is impaired.
Journal of Clinical Oncology 11/2006; 24(30):4933-8. · 18.37 Impact Factor
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Journal of Palliative Medicine 07/2006; 9(3):731-48. · 1.85 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: To systematically identify quality measures and the evidence for them-to support quality assessment and improvement in the palliative care of patients with cancer in the areas of pain, dyspnea, depression, and advance care planning (ACP), and to identify important gaps in related research.
MEDLINE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO in English 1995-2005. We also conducted an extensive Internet search of professional organizations seeking guidelines and other grey literature (i.e., not published in peer-reviewed journals) using similar terms and attempted to contact all measure developers.
We searched using terms for each domain for patients (adults and children) with a cancer diagnosis throughout the continuum of care (e.g., diagnosis to death). Pain and depression searches were limited to cancer, but we searched broadly for dyspnea and ACP, because the evidence base for dyspnea is more limited and experts advised that ACP measures would be generalizable to cancer. Measures were included if they expressed a normative relationship to quality and included a measurable numerator and denominator. Citations and articles were each reviewed/abstracted by two of six palliative care researcher/clinicians who described populations, testing, and attributes for each measure.
The literature search identified 5,187 titles, of which 4,650 were excluded at abstract review. Of 537 articles, only 25 contained measures: 21 on ACP, 4 on depression, 2 on dyspnea, and 12 on pain. Ten relevant measure sets were identified: ACOVE, QA Tools, Cancer Care Ontario, Cancer Care Nova Scotia, Dana-Farber, Georgia Cancer Coalition, University Health Consortium, NHPCO, VHA, and ASCO. We identified a total of 40 operationalized and 19 non-operationalized measures. The most measures were available for pain (12) and ACP (21), compared with only 4 for depression and 2 for dyspnea. Few of the measures were published, and few had been specifically tested in a cancer population.
A large number of measures are available for addressing palliative cancer care, but testing them in relevant populations is urgently needed. No measures or indicators were available to evaluate the quality of supportive pediatric cancer care. Basic research is urgently needed to address measurement in populations with impaired self-report. Funding field testing of highest quality measures should be an urgent patient and family-centered priority to meet the needs of patients with cancer.
Evidence report/technology assessment 06/2006;
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Zhaoping Li,
Margaret Maglione,
Wenli Tu,
Walter Mojica,
David Arterburn, Lisa R Shugarman,
Lara Hilton,
Marika Suttorp,
Vanessa Solomon,
Paul G Shekelle,
Sally C Morton
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ABSTRACT: In response to the increase in obesity, pharmacologic treatments for weight loss have become more numerous and more commonly used.
To assess the efficacy and safety of weight loss medications approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and other medications that have been used for weight loss.
Electronic databases, experts in the field, and unpublished information.
Up-to-date meta-analyses of sibutramine, phentermine, and diethylpropion were identified. The authors assessed in detail 50 studies of orlistat, 13 studies of fluoxetine, 5 studies of bupropion, 9 studies of topiramate, and 1 study each of sertraline and zonisamide. Meta-analysis was performed for all medications except sertraline, zonisamide, and fluoxetine, which are summarized narratively.
The authors abstracted information about study design, intervention, co-interventions, population, outcomes, and methodologic quality, as well as weight loss and adverse events from controlled trials of medication.
All pooled weight loss values are reported relative to placebo. A meta-analysis of sibutramine reported a mean difference in weight loss of 4.45 kg (95% CI, 3.62 to 5.29 kg) at 12 months. In the meta-analysis of orlistat, the estimate of the mean weight loss for orlistat-treated patients was 2.89 kg (CI, 2.27 to 3.51 kg) at 12 months. A recent meta-analysis of phentermine and diethylpropion reported pooled mean differences in weight loss at 6 months of 3.6 kg (CI, 0.6 to 6.0 kg) for phentermine-treated patients and 3.0 kg (CI, -1.6 to 11.5 kg) for diethylpropion-treated patients. Weight loss in fluoxetine studies ranged from 14.5 kg of weight lost to 0.4 kg of weight gained at 12 or more months. For bupropion, 2.77 kg (CI, 1.1 to 4.5 kg) of weight was lost at 6 to 12 months. Weight loss due to topiramate at 6 months was 6.5% (CI, 4.8% to 8.3%) of pretreatment weight. With one exception, long-term studies of health outcomes were lacking. Significant side effects that varied by drug were reported.
Publication bias may exist despite a comprehensive search and despite the lack of statistical evidence for the existence of bias. Evidence of heterogeneity was observed for all meta-analyses.
Sibutramine, orlistat, phentermine, probably diethylpropion, bupropion, probably fluoxetine, and topiramate promote modest weight loss when given along with recommendations for diet. Sibutramine and orlistat are the 2 most-studied drugs.
Annals of internal medicine 05/2005; 142(7):532-46. · 16.73 Impact Factor
