Protocol-driven care in the intensive care unit: a tool for quality

Advances in organization and patient management in the intensive care unit (ICU) have led to reductions in the morbidity and mortality suffered by critically ill patients. Two such advances include multidisciplinary teams (MDTs) and the development of clinical protocols. The use of protocols and MDTs does not necessarily guarantee instant improvement in the quality of care, but it does offer useful tools for the pursuit of such objectives. As ICU physicians increasingly assume leadership roles in the pursuit of higher quality ICU care, their knowledge and skills in the discipline of quality improvement will become essential.

Physician enthusiasm as an explanation for area variation in the utilization of knee replacement surgery

BACKGROUND

Explanations for regional variation in the use of many medical and surgical treatments is controversial.

OBJECTIVES

To identify factors that might be amenable to intervention, we investigated the determinants of regional variation in the use of knee replacement surgery.

RESEARCH DESIGN

We examined the effect of the following factors: characteristics and opinions of surgeons; family physicians and rheumatologists; patients' severity of disease before knee replacement; access to knee-replacement surgery; surgeons' use of other surgical treatment; and county population characteristics.

OUTCOMES MEASURE

County utilization rates of knee replacement in Ontario, Canada.

RESULTS

Counties that had higher rates of knee replacement had older patients (P = 0.0001), higher percentage of medical school affiliated hospital beds (P = 0.04), with more male (P = 0.02) non-North American trained referring physicians (P = 0.002) and orthopedic surgeons who had higher propensities to operate and better perceptions of outcome (P = 0.0001).

CONCLUSIONS

After controlling for population characteristics and access to care (including the number of hospital beds, and the density of orthopaedic and referring physicians), orthopaedic surgeons' opinions or enthusiasm for the procedure was the dominant modifiable determinant of area variation. Thus, research needs to focus on the opinions of surgeons which may be important in reducing regional variation for knee replacement.

Management of osteoarthritis of the knee by primary care physicians

BACKGROUND

Most patients with osteoarthritis (OA) are treated by primary care physicians (in this article, primary care physicians are family physicians and general internists).

OBJECTIVE

To describe and compare the self-reported practice patterns of family physicians and general internists for the evaluation and management of severe OA of the knee, including factors that might influence referral for total knee replacement.

DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS

A survey was developed and mailed to randomly selected community family physicians and general internists practicing in Indiana.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE

Self-reported physician practice patterns regarding OA of the knee.

RESULTS

Physical examination was the most common method of evaluating OA of the knee. Family physicians were more likely to examine for crepitation, joint stability, and quadriceps muscle strength than were general internists (P<.05). Patients with OA of the knee treated by family physicians were more likely to receive nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or oral corticosteroids and were less likely to receive aspirin, acetaminophen, or narcotics compared with patients treated by general internists. Six patient characteristics were rated as positive factors favoring a referral for possible total knee replacement, 8 characteristics were rated as negative, and 5 were rated as not a factor in the decision about referral.

CONCLUSIONS

Results from this study suggest that additional research is needed to determine the evaluative techniques for OA of the knee that provide the most useful information for management decisions, the management techniques that maximize patient outcomes, and the criteria that should be used to select patients who would benefit most from referral for possible total knee replacement.

Revision rates after knee replacement in the United States

OBJECTIVES

Each year approximately 100,000 Medicare patients undergo knee replacement surgery. Patients, referring physicians, and surgeons must consider a variety of factors when deciding if knee replacement is indicated. One factor in this decision process is the likelihood of revision knee replacement after the initial surgery. This study determined the chance that a revision knee replacement will occur and which factors were associated with revision.

METHODS

Data on all primary and revision knee replacements that were performed on Medicare patients during the years 1985 through 1990 were obtained. The probability that a revision knee replacement occurred was modeled from data for all patients for whom 2 full years of follow-up data were available. Two strategies for linking revisions to a particular primary knee replacement for each patient were developed. Predictive models were developed for each linking strategy. ICD-9-CM codes were used to determine hospitalizations for primary knee replacement and revision knee replacement.

RESULTS

More than 200,000 hospitalizations for primary knee replacements were performed, with fewer than 3% of them requiring revision within 2 years. The following factors increase the chance of revision within 2 years of primary knee replacement: (1) male gender, (2) younger age, (3) longer length of hospital stay for the primary knee replacement, (4) more diagnoses at the primary knee replacement hospitalization, (5) unspecified arthritis type, (6) surgical complications during the primary knee replacement hospitalization, and (7) primary knee replacement performed at an urban hospital.

CONCLUSIONS

Revision knee replacement is uncommon. Demographic, clinical, and process factors were related to the probability of revision knee replacement.

Use of the rectal examination on children with acute abdominal pain

The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency with which general pediatricians perform a rectal examination on children with a complaint of acute abdominal pain and to determine factors associated with performing a rectal examination. Children were eligible for the study if they were 2 to 12 years of age and presented to the clinic or emergency department of a municipal teaching hospital with a complaint of abdominal pain of less than or equal to three days' duration. Measured variables included demographic characteristics and presenting signs and symptoms. For each patient, a clinical reviewer (1) assigned a final diagnosis, (2) determined whether a rectal examination had been performed, and (3) assessed the clinical contribution of the rectal examination findings. For 1,140 children presenting for a nonscheduled visit with acute abdominal pain, a rectal examination was performed on 4.9% (56/1,140). Using multiple logistic regression, children were more likely to have a rectal examination performed if they had abdominal tenderness (odds ratio [OR] = 3.3 and 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.8 to 6.0), a history of constipation (OR = 6.0 and 95% CI, 2.3 to 15.3), or a history of rectal bleeding (OR = 9.1 and 95% CI, 2.9 to 29). Children were less likely to have had a rectal examination performed if they presented with associated symptoms of cough (OR = 0.32 and 95% CI, 0.14 to 0.74), headache (OR = 0.15 and 95% CI, 0.05 to 0.46), or sore throat (OR = 0.28 and 95% CI, 0.08 to 0.91). The final diagnoses of 12 children who had clinically contributory findings on rectal examination included: constipation (5), gastroenteritis (3), appendicitis (2), abdominal adhesions (1), and abdominal pain of unclear etiology (1). General pediatricians infrequently perform a rectal examination on children who present with a complaint of acute abdominal pain. Clinical factors affect the likelihood of whether a rectal examination is performed.

Comparison of general internists, family physicians, and rheumatologists managing patients with symptoms of osteoarthritis of the knee

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the nature, risks, and benefits of osteoarthritis (OA) management by primary care physicians and rheumatologists.

METHODS

Subjects were 419 patients followed for symptoms of knee OA by either a specialist in family medicine (FM) or general internal medicine (GIM) or by a rheumatologist (RH). Management practices were characterized by in-home documentation by a visiting nurse of drugs taken to relieve OA pain or to prevent gastrointestinal side effects of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and by patient report (self-administered survey) of nonpharmacologic treatments. Changes in outcomes (knee pain and physical function) over 6 months were measured with the Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index.

RESULTS

Patients of RHs were 2-3 years older (P = 0.035) and tended to exhibit greater radiographic severity of OA (P = 0.064) and poorer physical function (P = 0.076) at baseline than the other 2 groups. In all 3 groups, knee pain and physical function improved slightly over 6 months; however, between-group differences were not significant. Compared to drug management of knee pain by FMs or RHs, that by the GIMs was distinguished by greater utilization of acetaminophen and nonacetylated salicylates (P = 0.008), lower prescribed doses of NSAIDs (P = 0.007), and, therefore, lower risk of iatrogenic gastroenteropathy (P < 0.001). In contrast, patients of RHs were more likely than those of FMs and GIMs to report that they had been instructed in use of isometric quadriceps and range-of-motion exercises (P < or = 0.001), application of heat (P = 0.051) and cold (P < 0.001) packs, and in the principles of joint protection (P = 0.016). Neither physician specialty nor specific management practices accounted for variations in patient outcomes.

CONCLUSION

This observational study identified specialty-related variability in key aspects of the management of knee OA in the community (i.e., frequency and dosing of NSAIDs, use of nonpharmacologic modalities) that bear strong implications for long-term safety and cost. However, changes in knee pain and function over 6 months were unrelated to variations in management practices.

Effect of health care system factors on test ordering

OBJECTIVE

To determine the effect of the emergency department (ED) environment and other health care system factors on test ordering for children with acute abdominal pain.

METHODS

We reviewed the encounter records of 1140 consecutive children seen in either the pediatric clinic or ED of an inner-city teaching hospital with a complaint of acute abdominal pain (< 72 hours). In the ED and the clinic, patients were seen by medical students, pediatric residents, and general pediatric faculty members. Measured data on test ordering included the number of tests ordered and the type of tests ordered; specifically examined were the throat culture, urinalysis or urine culture, and chest radiograph. Measured health care system factors included (1) encounter location; (2) resident involvement and level of training; (3) student involvement; and (4) faculty member's years of experience and sex.

RESULTS

Of the 1140 children, 117 (10.2%) were seen in the ED, 531 (47.1%) were seen by a resident, 344 (30.2%) were seen by a medical student, and 195 (17.1%) were seen by a faculty member with more than 10 years of clinical pediatric experience. After controlling for initial signs and symptoms in multiple logistic regression, a child treated in the ED was no more likely to have had tests ordered than one who was treated in the clinic. Neither resident involvement nor resident training level affected test ordering. Except for decreasing the likelihood of having a urinalysis or urine culture ordered (odds ratio [OR] = 0.30; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.15-0.63), student involvement did not affect test ordering. Also, except for decreasing the likelihood of having a throat culture ordered (OR = 0.45; 95% CI, 0.25-0.83), being seen by a pediatrician with more than 10 years of experience did not affect test ordering. Children seen by female physicians were more likely (OR = 2.41; 95% CI, 1.57-3.70) to have at least 1 test ordered.

CONCLUSIONS

For children seen for a complaint of acute abdominal pain, we found little evidence that test ordering is affected by encounter location, resident involvement, student involvement, or faculty member experience.

Clinical Outcomes of Children With Acute Abdominal Pain

Objective. To determine the prevalence, associated symptoms, and clinical outcomes of children presenting for a nonscheduled visit with acute abdominal pain.

Design. Historical cohort.

Setting. Inner-city teaching hospital.

Participants. A total of 1141 consecutive children, ages 2 to 12, presenting for a nonscheduled visit (clinic or emergency department) with a complaint of nontraumatic abdominal pain of ≤3 days' duration were identified through a manual chart review.

Measurements. Collected data included: 1) demographic characteristics, 2) presenting signs and symptoms, 3) records from the hospital record for all children who returned within 10 days for follow-up, 4) test results, and 5) telephone follow-up. A clinical reviewer used the data to assign a final diagnosis to each patient.

Results. The prevalence of children presenting with abdominal pain of ≤3 days' duration was 5.1%. The most common associated symptoms were history of fever (64%), emesis (42.4%), decreased appetite (36.5%), cough (35.6%), headache (29.5%), and sore throat (27.0%). The six most prevalent final diagnoses, accounting for 84% of all final diagnoses, were upper respiratory infection and/or otitis (18.6%), pharyngitis (16.6%), viral syndrome (16.0%), abdominal pain of uncertain etiology (15.6%), gastroenteritis (10.9%), and acute febrile illness (7.8%). Approximately 1% of children required surgical intervention (10/12 for appendicitis). Approximately 7% of children returned within 10 days for reevaluation of their illness; on return, 11 had treatable medical diseases and 4 had diseases requiring surgical intervention.

Conclusions. An acute complaint of abdominal pain in children occurs in 5.1% of nonscheduled visits, is frequently accompanied by multiple complaints, and is usually attributed to a self-limited disease. Close follow-up will identify the 1% to 2% who proceed to have a more serious disease process. This epidemiologic data will aid clinic-based physicians who manage children with acute abdominal pain.

Risk factors for delirium tremens development

OBJECTIVE

To identify clinical characteristics associated with inpatient development of delirium tremens so that future treatment efforts can focus on patients most likely to benefit from aggressive therapy.

DESIGN

Retrospective cohort study among patients discharged with diagnoses related to alcohol abuse.

SETTING

University-affiliated inner-city hospital.

PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS

Two hundred consecutive patients discharged between June 1991 and August 1992 who underwent evaluation and treatment for alcohol withdrawal or detoxification.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Mean age was 41.9 years, 85% were male, 57% were white and 84% were unmarried. Forty-eight (24%) of the patients developed delirium tremens during hospitalization. Bivariate analysis indicated that those who developed delirium tremens were more likely to be African-American, unemployed, and homeless, and were more likely to have gone more days since their last drink, and to have concurrent acute medical illness, high admission blood urea nitrogen level and respiratory rate, and low admission albumin level and systolic blood pressure. In multiple logistic regression analyses, patients who developed delirium tremens were more likely to have gone more days since their last drink (odds ratio [OR] 1.3; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.09, 1.61) and to have concurrent acute medical illness (OR 5.1; 95% CI 2.07, 12.55). These risk factors were combined for assessment of their ability to predict the occurrence of delirium tremens. If no factors were present, 9% developed delirium tremens; if one factor was present, 25% developed delirium tremens; and if two factors were present, 54% developed delirium tremens.

CONCLUSIONS

Inpatient development of delirium tremens was common among patients treated for alcohol detoxification or withdrawal and correlated with several readily available clinical variables.

Demographic variation in the rate of knee replacement: a multi-year analysis

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to describe the practice variation of knee replacements (KRs) in the elderly ( > or = 65) over time from 1985-1990 in terms of the number of primary, bilateral, and revision KRs; the extent of large area variation in performance rates; and the degree to which demographic variables are the determinants of area rates.

DATA SOURCES/STUDY SETTING

Data analyzed are from every hospital in the United States that performed a KR on a Medicare patient during the study period. Data were obtained from the MEDPAR, HISKEW, and denominator files of the Medicare Statistical System.

STUDY DESIGN

This is a cohort study of all Medicare beneficiaries who received a KR between 1985 and 1990. The dependent variable in the analyses was the count of the KRs performed in each area.

DATA COLLECTION/EXTRACTION METHODS

This is a population-based sample of Medicare enrollees in the United States. All hospitalizations for Medicare-reimbursed KRs were included in the initial data set. Exclusion criteria were used to identify the Medicare covered population with a definite KR. These criteria resulted in 7.3 percent exclusions and a final set of 414,079 KR hospitalizations.

PRINCIPAL FINDINGS

The number of Medicare-funded KRs increased in each of the study years corresponding to an annual rate of increase of 18.45 percent. The likelihood of receiving a KR was a function of age, gender, and race. For each year, KRs were almost-twice as likely to be performed on women than on men. The odds of whites getting the surgery were over 1.5 times greater than for blacks. Even after adjusting for demographic factors, significant regional variation remained.

CONCLUSIONS

Much about area variation and the rate of growth in KR rates remains unexplained. For answers to emerge, better data and different types of studies are required.

Primary care physicians' medical decision making for late-life depression

OBJECTIVE

To describe primary care physicians' clinical decision making regarding late-life depression.

DESIGN

Longitudinal collection of data regarding physicians' clinical assessments and the volume and content of patients' ambulatory visits as part of a randomized clinical trial of a physician-targeted intervention to improve the treatment of late-life depression.

SETTING

Academic primary care group practice.

PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS

One-hundred and eleven primary care physicians who completed a structured questionnaire to describe their clinical assessments immediately following their evaluations of 222 elderly patients who had reported symptoms of depression on screening questionnaires.

INTERVENTIONS

Intervention physicians were provided with their patient's score on the Hamilton Depression rating scale (HAM-D) and patient-specific treatment recommendations prior to completing the questionnaire regarding their clinical assessment.

MAIN RESULTS

Those physicians not provided HAM-D scores were just as likely to rate their patients as depressed, as determined by specific query of these physicians regarding their clinical assessments. A physician's clinical rating of likely depression did not consistently result in the formulation of treatment intentions or actions. Treatment intentions and actions were facilitated by provision of treatment algorithms, but treatment was received by fewer than half of the patients whom physicians intended to treat. Barriers to treatment appear to include both physician and patient doubts about treatment benefits.

CONCLUSIONS

Lack of recognition of depressive symptoms did not appear to be the primary barrier to treatment. Recognition of symptoms and access to treatment algorithms did not consistently result in progression to subsequent stages in treatment decision making. More research is needed to determine how patients and physicians weigh the potential risks and benefits of treatment and how accurately they make these judgments.

Is obesity a barrier to physician screening for cervical cancer?

OBJECTIVE

To determine if obese and morbidly obese women are as likely to receive Papanicolaou (Pap) smears as nonobese women.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A secondary analysis was conducted of data collected during a prospective, controlled trial of computer-generated reminders to improve preventive care. The site was a large, academic general medicine practice providing primary care to an urban population at a university-affiliated municipal teaching hospital. Data were analyzed from 15 faculty and 77 resident physicians who delivered care to 1,321 women who were eligible for Pap smears. Patient data were obtained from a computerized medical record system.

RESULTS

Outcomes were physician reports of Pap smear performance and reasons for nonperformance of Pap smears in eligible women. Pap smear performance was 21% for nonobese women, 20% for obese women, and 20% for morbidly obese women (P = NS). After adjusting for age and race, odds ratios for omission of Pap smear were 1.20 for both obese (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.86 to 1.67; P = NS) and morbidly obese women (95% CI, 0.58 to 2.47; P = NS). A significant dose-response relationship was found between increasing patient weight and physician responses that the Pap smear was delayed due to patient's acute illness, vaginitis, or menstruation (odds ratios [OR] 1.73 for obese, OR 4.59 for morbidly obese women; P < 0.005).

CONCLUSIONS

In our general medicine practice, obesity does not appear to be associated with less Pap smear performance. Physicians are more likely to report delaying obese patients' Pap smears due to acute illness, vaginitis, or menstruation.

A comparison of various methods of collecting self-reported health outcomes data among low-income and minority patients

In a randomized trial of different data collection methods, we challenged the untested assumption that reliable data cannot be obtained from lower-income and/or minority patients by self-administered questionnaires. We tested three methods of data collection among a sample of lower-income and minority patients (n = 697) in Indianapolis at a site for the Type II Diabetes Patient Outcomes Research Team. The study included a questionnaire literacy screening instrument to assess patients' functional literacy. Based on their functional literacy, patients were randomized to one of three methods of data collection: mail-out/mail-back, hand-out/assisted, or the in-home interview. We constructed a tiered system for reassigning nonresponders to alternative methods of data collection, using the in-home interview as the fall-back strategy. We compared the response rates, item completion rates, and internal consistency reliabilities of self-reported health status measures between patients with and without literacy limitations and across the three methods of data collection. Patients with and without literacy limitations, across methods of data collection, provided high-quality data, as evidenced by high item completion rates (> 84%) and high reliability assessments (internal consistency reliability coefficients > .80) for each health status measure. As part of the tiered study design, nonresponders randomized to either the mail-out/mail-back or the hand-out/assisted method were interviewed. These patients were significantly older, had significantly lower education and income levels, and had significantly poorer self-reported visual function as compared with those who responded to the originally assigned method. We conclude that expensive, labor-intensive data collection methods, such as in-home interviews, are not necessary for many low-income, minority patients to generate high-quality, reliable health status data. Using appropriate screening instruments, those patient subgroups needing special help can be screening instruments, those patient subgroups needing special help can be identified and targeted for more expensive data collection methods. This tiered approach has policy implications for the cost, feasibility, and quality of data collection in health outcomes research.

Patient outcomes following unicompartmental or bicompartmental knee arthroplasty. A meta-analysis

The purpose of this study was to summarize the literature describing patient outcomes following unicompartmental and bicompartmental knee arthroplasty. Original studies were included in this meta-analysis if they enrolled 10 or more patients at the time of an initial knee arthroplasty and measured patient outcomes using a global knee rating scale. Forty-six studies on unicompartmental prostheses and 18 studies on bicompartmental prostheses met these criteria. For unicompartmental studies, the total number of enrolled patients was 2,391, with a mean enrollment of 47 patients and a mean follow-up period of 4.6 years. The mean patient age was 66 years; 67% were women, 75% had osteoarthritis, and 16% underwent bilateral knee arthroplasty. The mean postoperative global rating scale score was 80.9. The overall complication rate was 18.5% and the revision rate was 9.2%. Studies published after 1987 reported better outcomes, but also tended to enroll older patients and patients with osteoarthritis and higher preoperative knee rating scores. For bicompartmental studies, the total number of enrolled patients was 884, with a mean enrollment of 44 patients and a mean follow-up period of 3.6 years. The mean patient age was 61 years; 79% were women, 31% had osteoarthritis, and 29% underwent a bilateral arthroplasty. The mean postoperative global rating scale score was 78.3. The overall complication rate was 30% and the revision rate was 7.2%. Although bicompartmental studies reported lower mean postoperative global rating scale scores, these studies tended to enroll patients with worse preoperative knee rating scores. Recent improvements in patient outcomes following unicompartmental knee arthroplasty appear to be due, at least partially, to changes in patient selection criteria. Patient outcomes appear to be worse for bicompartmental arthroplasties than for other prosthetic designs; however, patients enrolled in these studies had more poorly functioning knees before surgery and actually had greater absolute improvements in global knee rating scores.

Waiting times for knee-replacement surgery in the United States and Ontario

BACKGROUND

Canada, which has universal single-payer health insurance, is often criticized for waiting times for surgery that are longer than those in the United States. We compared waiting times for orthopedic consultations and knee-replacement surgery and patients' acceptance of them in the United States and in the province of Ontario, Canada.

METHODS

A stratified random sample of 1486 Medicare recipients (629 from the U.S. national sample, 428 from Indiana, and 429 from western Pennsylvania) and 516 people from Ontario who had been hospitalized for knee replacement between 1985 and 1989 were surveyed by mail in 1992. Patients were asked how long they had waited to see an orthopedic surgeon and to have surgery, the acceptability of these waiting times, and their overall satisfaction with surgery.

RESULTS

About 80 percent of the questionnaires were returned, but not all the respondents answered all the questions. The rate of response to specific questions was about 60 to 65 percent in both countries. The median waiting time for an initial orthopedic consultation was two weeks in the United States and four weeks in Ontario. The median waiting time for knee replacement after the operation had been planned was three weeks in the United States and eight weeks in Canada. In the United States, 95 percent of patients in the national sample considered their waiting time for surgery acceptable, as compared with 85.1 percent in Ontario. Overall satisfaction with surgery ("very or somewhat satisfied") was 85.3 percent for all U.S. respondents and 83.5 percent for Canadian respondents.

CONCLUSIONS

Waiting times for initial orthopedic consultation and for knee-replacement surgery were longer in Ontario than in the United States, but overall satisfaction with surgery was similar.

Risk factors for underimmunization in poor urban infants

OBJECTIVE

To assess risk factors for underimmunization in poor urban infants.

DESIGN

Prospective cohort study.

SETTING

A large municipal teaching hospital in the Midwest.

PARTICIPANTS

A total of 464 healthy, full-term newborn infants delivered at a large municipal teaching hospital who were to be discharged to the care of their mothers. Mothers were interviewed 24 to 72 hours post partum regarding personal and financial characteristics and 9 to 12 months later to determine where immunizations had been received.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Immunization status at 3 and 7 months of age.

RESULTS

Despite availability of free vaccine to most patients, only 67% had received their first set of immunizations by 3 months of age, and only 29% were up-to-date by 7 months of age. Marital status, coresidence with the infant's grandmother, adequacy of prenatal care, and perceived barriers to care were significant independent predictors of initiation of immunizations by 3 months and completion of immunization by 7 months. Poverty was also an independent predictor of immunization status at 7 months. Perceived susceptibility to common symptoms and perceived benefit of medical care to prevent disease were inversely related to immunization status at 7 months.

CONCLUSIONS

These data suggest that poor urban infants of single mothers and of mothers who received inadequate prenatal care, and those not living with their grandmother should be targeted for tracking and follow-up to ensure adequate immunization. The provision of free vaccine alone will not guarantee adequate immunization coverage of poor urban children.

Improving treatment of late life depression in primary care: a randomized clinical trial

OBJECTIVE

Facilitate primary care physicians' compliance with recommended standards of care for late life depression by reducing barriers to recognition and treatment.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled clinical trial of physician-targeted interventions.

SETTING

Academic primary care group practice caring for an urban, medically indigent patient population.

PATIENTS/PARTICIPANTS

Patients aged 60 and older who exceeded the threshold on the Centers for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D) and their primary care physicians.

INTERVENTION

Physicians of intervention patients were provided with patient-specific treatment recommendations during 3 special visits scheduled specifically to address the patient's symptoms of depression. In general, physicians were encouraged to establish a diagnosis of depression and educate their patient about the diagnosis, discontinue medications that can cause or exacerbate depressive symptoms, initiate antidepressants when appropriate, and consider referral to psychiatry. Guidelines for prescribing antidepressants were provided. Control physicians received no intervention, and control patients received usual care.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Frequency of recording a depression diagnosis, stopping medications associated with depression, initiating antidepressant medication, and psychiatry referral; mean changes in HAM-D and Sickness Impact Profile (SIP) scores.

RESULTS

One hundred three physicians and 175 patients were involved in the clinical trial. Physicians of intervention patients were more likely to diagnose depression and prescribe antidepressants (P < 0.01). There were no differences between the groups in the frequency of stopping medications associated with depression or referrals to psychiatry. Medications with the strongest cause and effect relationship to depression were infrequently used in this cohort of patients. Although both groups showed improvement in HAM-D and SIP scores, we were unable to demonstrate significant differences in HAM-D or SIP scores between the 2 groups.

CONCLUSIONS

Intensive screening and feedback of patient-specific treatment recommendations increased the recognition and treatment of late life depression by primary care physicians. However, we were unable to demonstrate significant improvement in depression or disability severity among intervention patients despite the informational support provided to their physicians. Efforts to improve the functional status of these patients may require more integrated interventions and more aggressive attempts to target psychosocial stressors traditionally outside the purview of primary care.

Global rating systems used in assessing knee arthroplasty outcomes

Global, aggregated knee rating systems are commonly used to assess patient outcomes following knee arthroplasty. In this study, the authors performed a systematic literature search and found that 17% of the English-language studies addressing primary knee arthroplasty reported on patient outcomes following the procedure using a standardized global rating system. The authors describe, in detail, the rating systems' development and format. This study found 34 different rating systems represented in the literature from 1972 to 1992. Great variability was found in the rating systems' design and utilization. Additionally, these condition-specific, physician-based rating systems did not have documented studies demonstrating their reliability or validity. Future research will need to address the issues of selecting and aggregating outcome measures and of deriving any necessary weighting schemes. The ability of researchers to compare patient outcomes across studies will be enhanced when there is consistency in reported outcome measures.

Tricompartmental knee replacement. A comparison of orthopaedic surgeons' self reported performance rates with surgical indications, contraindications, and expected outcomes. Knee Replacement Patient Outcomes Research Team

The chance of a person with osteoarthritis of the knee receiving a knee replacement is highly variable. To understand better the reasons for this variation, all practicing orthopaedists in Indiana were surveyed about their management of severe knee osteoarthritis and their perception of tricompartmental knee replacement as a therapeutic option. Their perceptions of indications and outcomes of knee replacement were compared with the self reported annual number of patients for whom they performed (or referred to other surgeons for) tricompartmental knee replacements. A completed survey was returned by 220 (79%) of the 280 orthopaedists surveyed; analyses were limited to the 188 respondents who had cared for at least one patient with osteoarthritis of the knee in the prior 2 weeks (mean = 13). These surgeons reported performing (or referring patients for) a mean of 31 knee replacements in the prior year (SD 45, median 21, range 0-480 knee replacements). There was strong agreement (> 95%) among respondents for seven (21%) of 33 surgical indications and contraindications, and more general agreement (> 60%) for 21 (64%). In the five factors (15%) for which there was disagreement, there was no consistent relationship between opinions and self reported knee replacement performance rate. Surgeons reporting more knee replacements had significantly higher estimates of pain relief and functional improvement following surgery, and lower estimates of prosthesis infection and failure rates. When all responses were considered together, four decision factors correlated independently with the performance of more knee replacements, but these four factors explained only 24% of the variation in self reported knee replacement performance.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Patient outcomes following tricompartmental total knee replacement. A meta-analysis

OBJECTIVE

To provide estimates of patient outcomes following tricompartmental knee replacement and to examine variation in outcomes due to patient and prosthesis characteristics.

DATA SOURCES

English-language articles identified through a computerized literature search and bibliography review.

STUDY SELECTION

Studies were included if they enrolled 10 or more patients at the time of initial knee replacement and measured patient outcomes using a global knee-rating scale.

DATA EXTRACTION

Each study was subjected to a blinded qualitative assessment and unblinded abstraction of patient characteristics, surgical techniques, and outcomes.

DATA SYNTHESIS

A total of 130 studies reporting patient outcomes on 154 cohorts satisfied inclusion criteria. The total number of enrolled patients was 9879 with a mean enrollment of 64.1 patients. The mean follow-up was 4.1 years. The mean patient age was 65.0 years, 71.7% of patients were women, 62.6% had osteoarthritis, and 26.6% underwent bilateral knee replacement. Global rating scale scores improved by 100% for the typical enrolled patient, and 89.3% of patients reported good or excellent outcomes. Anatomic classification of the prosthesis, percentage of enrolled patients with osteoarthritis, publication year, and number of enrolled patients explained 27% of the variation in reported mean postoperative global rating scale scores. The weighted mean complication rate was 18.1%, and the mean mortality rate per year of follow-up was 1.5%. The overall rate of revision during 4.1 years was 3.8%.

CONCLUSIONS

Tricompartmental knee replacement was a safe and effective procedure for the patients reported in these studies. The knee pathology and the type of prosthesis were significant predictors of outcomes. Limitations in the reporting style of these articles severely constrain the ability to explore variation in outcomes due to study, patient, or prosthesis characteristics and restrict their generalizability.

Deciphering the physician note

Objective information about legibility of physician handwriting is scant. This retrospective chart review compared handwritten general medicine clinic chart notes from internal medicine faculty and housestaff with their typed counterparts. The written counterparts took 11 seconds (46%) longer to read and 5 seconds (11%) longer to answer comprehension questions. The authors' comprehension measure (developed specifically for ambulatory clinic notes) was only slightly higher for typed notes. The legibility of physician handwriting is not as dismal as assumed; physicians can effectively communicate on paper.

Depression in late life: the use of clinical characteristics to focus screening efforts

BACKGROUND

The objective of the study was to identify clinical characteristics associated with depressive symptoms in late life so that screening could focus on elderly patients most likely to benefit from further evaluation.

METHODS

We used cross-sectional screening for significant symptoms of depression using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression scale and identification of patients' clinical characteristics from patient interviews and a computerized medical record. The setting was an academic primary care group practice at an urban ambulatory care center. Participants were 1,633 consecutively consenting patients aged 60 and older who visited the center between January and August 1991. Mean age was 70 years; 72% were women, 32% were White, 47% had less than 8 years of education, and 7% had no health insurance.

RESULTS

There were 251 (15%) patients with significant symptoms of depression. Antidepressants were prescribed to 1 in 7 patients with such symptoms, with amitriptyline being the most commonly prescribed. Bivariate analyses indicated that patients with significant symptoms of depression were more likely to be White, female, without health insurance, and were more likely to have probable alcoholism, mild cognitive loss, and to receive narcotics, histamine H2 antagonists, and/or benzodiazepines. Depressive symptoms were not significantly correlated with age, education, income, or chronic medical conditions.

CONCLUSIONS

Significant symptoms of depression were common and correlated with several readily available clinical variables. However, these variables lack sufficient discriminatory power to allow for the selective screening of elderly patients most likely to suffer from symptoms of depression. Thus, formal screening for depression among all elderly patients in primary care may be necessary to improve the recognition of this morbid illness.