Prevalence of Mental Health Disorders Among Adults With Cerebral Palsy: A Cross-sectional Analysis

Hybrid type 1 randomized controlled trial of a tablet-based application to improve quality of care in child mental health treatment

The quality of child mental health care is highly variable in community practice settings. Innovative technology-based solutions may be leveraged to improve quality of care and, in turn, treatment outcomes. This is a protocol paper that describes an innovative study design in which we rigorously evaluate the effectiveness of a tablet-assisted intervention, Supporting Providers and Reaching Kids (SPARK). SPARK consists of a collection of interactive games and activities that are designed to improve provider fidelity and child engagement in evidence-based psychotherapies. The methodology also allows us to explore the implementation and sustainability of a technology-enhanced intervention in more than two dozen community practice settings. This paper includes a description and justification for sample selection and recruitment procedures, selection of assessment measures and methods, design of the intervention, and statistical evaluation of critical outcomes. Novel features of the design include the tablet-based toolkit approach that has strong applicability to a range of child mental health interventions and the use of a hybrid type 1 effectiveness-implementation trial that allows for the simultaneous investigation of the effectiveness of the intervention and the implementation context. Challenges related to the implementation of a technology-enhanced intervention in existing mental health clinics are discussed, as well as implications for future research and practice.

Disparities in the Use of Guideline-Based Pharmacotherapy Exist for Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease and Heart Failure Patients Who Have Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities in a Commercially Insured Database

BACKGROUND

Patients who have intellectual/developmental disabilities (IDDs) develop atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) or heart failure (HF) at rates similar to or higher than the general population. They also face disparities accessing and using health care services.

OBJECTIVE

To determine if disparities exist in the use of guideline-based pharmacotherapy (GBP) for ASCVD or HF for adults with IDD.

METHODS

Using the 2014 Clinformatics Data Mart Database, adults with ASCVD or HF were divided into IDD or non-IDD groups. Patients with contraindications for GBP medications were excluded. Use of GBP between IDD and non-IDD groups was examined. Subgroup analysis included comparisons between IDD groups.

RESULTS

For HF, 1011 patients with IDD and 236,638 non-IDD patients were identified. For ASCVD, 2190 IDD and 790,343 non-IDD patients were identified. We found that 47.9%, 35.8%, and 13.1% of IDD and 58.7%, 48.4%, and 18.9% of non-IDD patients had pharmacy claims for statins (P < 0.001), β-blockers (P < 0.001), or antiplatelet therapy (P < 0.001), respectively. For HF, 46.8% and 50.3% of IDD and 59.8% and 55.4% of non-IDD patients had pharmacy claims for β-blockers (P < 0.001) and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors or angiotensin-receptor blockers (ARBs; P = 0.003), respectively. In all but one multivariate regression models patients with IDD were less likely to use GBP than patients in the non-IDD group. Subgroup analysis revealed that patients who had Down syndrome had lower GBP use in 4 of the 5 measures.

CONCLUSION AND RELEVANCE

Disparities exist in the use of GBP for patients with IDD with ASCVD or HF. Patients who have an IDD should be examined by clinicians to ensure appropriate access to and use of GBP.

Low-Trauma Fracture Increases 12-Month Incidence of Cardiovascular Disease for Adults With Cerebral Palsy

Individuals with cerebral palsy (CP) have poor skeletal and cardiovascular health. However, no studies have examined if skeletal fragility enhances cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk for this population. The purpose of this study was to determine whether adults with CP have higher 12-month CVD incidence following a low-trauma fracture compared with adults without CP. Data, from the Optum Clinformatics® Data Mart, were extracted from adults (18+ years) that sustained a low-trauma fracture between 01/01/2012 and 12/31/2016. The primary outcome measure was incident CVD within 12 months following a low-trauma fracture. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to compare 12-month incident CVD with adjustment for sociodemographics and chronic disease comorbidities. Mean age (SD) at baseline was 54.7 (18.9) for adults with CP (n = 1,025, 43.3% men) and 60.4 (19.7) for adults without CP (n = 460,504, 33.7% men). During the follow-up, 121 adults with CP (11.8%, mean age [SD] = 63.9 [16.3]) and 45,330 adults without CP (9.8%, mean age [SD] = 74.5 [11.9]) developed CVD. In the fully adjusted model, adults with CP had higher 12-month post-fracture CVD incidence (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.63; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.37-1.95). When the outcome was stratified by CVD subtype, adults with CP had higher 12-month post-fracture incidence of ischemic heart disease (HR = 1.45; 95% CI = 1.09-1.92), heart failure (HR = 1.68; 95% CI = 1.22-2.31), and cerebrovascular disease (HR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.54-2.50). Study findings suggest that among adults with CP, low-trauma fracture may enhance 12-month CVD incidence compared with adults without CP. © 2019 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 38:803-810, 2020.

The effect of low-trauma fracture on one-year mortality rate among privately insured adults with and without neurodevelopmental disabilities

BACKGROUND

Individuals with neurodevelopmental disabilities (NDDs) have poor development and preservation of skeletal health throughout the lifespan, and are especially vulnerable to low-trauma fracture and post-fracture health complications. However, no studies have examined if adults with NDDs have greater post-fracture mortality risk compared to adults without NDDs. The purpose of this study was to determine whether adults with NDDs have greater 12-month mortality rates following a low-trauma fracture compared to adults without NDDs.

METHODS

Data from 2011 to 2017 was leveraged from Optum Clinformatics® Data Mart; a nationwide claims database from a single private payer in the U.S. Data were extracted from adults (18+ years) with and without NDDs that sustained a low-trauma fracture between 01/01/2012-12/31/2016, as well as pre-fracture chronic diseases (i.e., cardiovascular diseases, cerebrovascular diseases, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, cancer). Mortality rate was estimated for adults with and without NDDs, and the mortality rate ratio (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) was calculated. Cox regression was used to estimate hazard ratio (HR) and 95% CI for 1-, 3-, 6-, and 12-month post-fracture mortality rates between adults with and without NDDs after adjusting for age, sex, race, U.S. region, and pre-fracture chronic diseases.

RESULTS

Mean age (SD) at baseline was 56.7 (20.6) for adults with NDDs (n = 3749; 45.2% men) and 63.9 (19.2) for adults without NDDs (n = 585,910; 34.4% men). During the 12-month follow-up period, 182 adults with NDDs (mean age [SD] = 69.8 [14.7]; 46.2% men) and 25,456 adults without NDDs (mean age [SD] = 78.9 [9.8]; 38.3% men) died. Crude mortality rate was not different between adults with and without NDDs for any time points (e.g., 12-months: 5.40 vs. 4.96 per 100 person years; RR = 1.09; 95% CI = 0.94-1.26); however, it was greater for adults with intellectual disabilities compared to adults without NDDs (RR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.23-1.79). After adjustments, adults with NDDs had greater post-fracture mortality rates for 3-, 6-, and 12-month time points (e.g., 12-months: HR = 1.46; 95% CI = 1.27-1.69). When stratified by the type of NDD, adults with intellectual disabilities and adults with autism spectrum disorders, but not adults with cerebral palsy, had greater 12-month post-fracture mortality risk. When stratified by fracture location, lower extremities were associated with greater crude mortality rate (RR = 1.69; 95% CI = 1.22-2.35) and adjusted mortality risk (HR = 2.41; 95% CI = 1.73-3.35), while upper extremities were associated with greater adjusted mortality risk (HR = 1.76; 95% CI = 1.23-2.50) for adults with vs. without NDDs.

CONCLUSIONS

Among privately insured adults with NDDs, low-trauma fracture is associated with greater mortality risk within 1 year of the fracture event, even after adjusting for pre-fracture chronic diseases. Study findings suggest the need for earlier fracture prevention strategies and improved post-fracture healthcare management.

Clinical factors associated with mood affective disorders among adults with cerebral palsy

Objective

To determine individual and aggregated associations of cerebral palsy (CP)-related symptoms and the effect of comorbid neurodevelopmental conditions on mood (affective) disorders among adults with CP.

Methods

Cross-sectional data from 2016 were extracted from a random 20% sample of the Medicare fee-for-service database. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification diagnosis codes were used to identify 18- to -64-year-old beneficiaries with CP, as well as mood (affective) disorders, pain, sleep disorders, fatigue, and comorbid neurodevelopmental conditions (intellectual disabilities [ID], autism spectrum disorders [ASD], and epilepsy).

Results

Four thousand eight hundred twenty-three of the 17,212 adults with CP had mood (affective) disorders (28.0%). After adjusting for age, sex, and race, pain (odds ratio [OR] = 2.15; 99.5% confidence interval [CI] = 1.94-2.39), sleep disorders (OR = 2.43; 99.5% CI = 2.13-2.77), fatigue (OR = 1.38; 99.5% CI = 1.18-1.60), ID (OR = 1.47; 99.5% CI = 1.31-1.63), ASD (OR = 1.44; 99.5% CI = 1.16-1.80), and epilepsy (OR = 0.81; 99.5% CI = 0.73-0.91) were each associated with mood (affective) disorders. When pain, sleep disorders, and fatigue were presented as a count variable, the adjusted odds of mood (affective) disorders increased with the number of factors: 1 factor (OR = 1.99; 99.5% CI = 1.79-2.22), 2 factors (OR = 4.18; 99.5% CI = 3.58-4.89), and all 3 factors (OR = 7.38; 99.5% CI = 5.17-10.53).

Conclusions

Among young and middle-aged adults with CP, mood (affective) disorders were associated with pain, sleep disorders, and fatigue, and increasing co-occurrence of these factors further increased the likelihood of mood (affective) disorders. Further, comorbid neurodevelopmental conditions were also associated with mood (affective) disorders among adults with CP. Study findings could be used to improve screening strategies for mood (affective) disorders among adults with CP in the clinical setting.

Racial differences in skeletal fragility but not osteoarthritis among women and men with cerebral palsy

Background

Adults with cerebral palsy (CP) have increased risk for skeletal fragility and osteoarthritis. However, racial differences in these outcomes have not been examined. Such knowledge could improve patient-specific clinical care for the prevention and management of these conditions. The purpose of this study was to determine if there were racial differences in the prevalence of osteoporosis, all-cause fracture, and osteoarthritis among young and middle-aged adults with CP.

Methods

Data from 2016 were extracted from a random 20% sample of the Medicare fee-for-service database. International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision, Clinical Modification codes were used to identify 18-64 year olds with CP, as well as osteoporosis, all-cause fracture, osteoarthritis, and neurodevelopmental and noncommunicable disease comorbidities.

Results

Of the 16,488 adults with CP, 13,334 were White, 2477 were Black, and 677 were Hispanic. The age-standardized prevalence of osteoporosis (women: 12.9%, 9.0%, 8.3%, respectively; men: 9.2%, 4.8%, 7.9%, respectively) and fracture (women: 7.4%, 4.2%, 9.9%; men: 6.0%, 2.3%, 6.0%) was lower for Black adults with CP compared to White adults with CP (all p < 0.005). No racial differences were observed for age-standardized prevalence of osteoarthritis (women: 13.6%, 14.4%, 9.6%; men: 10.7%, 10.4%, 12.7%). The racial differences between Black and White adults with CP remained even after adjusting for age, U.S. region, neurodevelopmental comorbidities, and several noncommunicable diseases for osteoporosis (women: OR = 0.66, 99.5% CI = 0.48-0.91; men: OR = 0.51, 99.5% CI = 0.35-0.75) and fracture (women: OR = 0.57, 99.5% CI = 0.37-0.89; men: OR = 0.39, 99.5% CI = 0.23-0.68).

Conclusions

Study findings suggest racial differences in skeletal fragility among young and middle-aged adults with CP, with White women and men with CP having greater risk compared to Black women and men with CP. This study found no evidence of racial differences in the prevalence of osteoarthritis.