Appraising the Quality of Reporting of Vascular Surgery Studies That Use the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) Database

OBJECTIVE

The American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program (NSQIP) is an important data source for observational studies. While there are guides to ensure appropriate study reporting, there has been no evaluation of NSQIP studies in vascular surgery. We sought to evaluate the adherence of vascular-surgery related NSQIP studies to best reporting practices.

METHODS

In January 2022, we queried PubMed for all vascular surgery NSQIP studies. We used the REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected Health Data (RECORD) statement and the JAMA Surgery (JAMA-Surgery) checklist to assess reporting methodology. We also extracted the Journal Impact Factor (IF) of each article.

RESULTS

One hundred and fifty-nine studies published between 2002 and 2022 were identified and analyzed. The median score on the RECORD statement was 6 out of 8. The most commonly missed RECORD statement items were describing any validation of codes and providing data cleaning information. The median score on the JAMA-Surgery checklist was 2 out of 7. The most commonly missed JAMA-Surgery checklist items were identifying competing risks, using flow charts to help visualize study populations, having a solid research question and hypothesis, identifying confounders, and discussing the implications of missing data. We found no difference in the reporting methodology of studies published in high vs low IF journals.

CONCLUSION

Vascular surgery studies using NSQIP data demonstrate poor adherence to research reporting standards. Critical areas for improvement include identifying competing risks, including a solid research question and hypothesis, and describing any validation of codes. Journals should consider requiring authors use reporting guides to ensure their articles have stringent reporting methodology.

Assessing the quality of reporting of studies using Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) data

OBJECTIVE

The Society for Vascular Surgery Vascular Quality Initiative (VQI) has become an increasingly popular data source for retrospective observational vascular surgery studies. There are published guidelines on the reporting of data in such studies to promote transparency and rigor, but these have not been used to evaluate studies using VQI data. Our objective was to appraise the methodological reporting quality of studies using VQI data by evaluating their adherence to these guidelines.

METHODS

The Society for Vascular Surgery VQI publication repository was queried for all articles published in 2020. The REporting of studies Conducted using Observational Routinely-collected Health Data (RECORD) statement and the Journal of American Medical Association-Surgical Section (JAMA-Surgery) checklist were utilized to assess the quality of each article's reporting. Five and three items from the RECORD statement and JAMA-Surgery checklist were excluded, respectively, because they were either inapplicable or nonassessable. Journal impact factor (IF) was queried for each article to elucidate any difference in reporting standards between high and low IF journals.

RESULTS

Ninety studies were identified and analyzed. The median score on the RECORD checklist was 6 (of 8). The most commonly missed item was discussing data cleaning methods (93% missed). The median score on the JAMA-Surgery checklist was 3 (of 7). The most commonly missed items were the identification of competing risks (98% missed), the use of a flow chart to clearly define sample exclusion and inclusion criteria (84% missed), and the inclusion of a solid research question and hypothesis (81% missed). There were no differences in JAMA-Surgery checklist or RECORD statement median scores among studies published in low vs high IF journals.

CONCLUSIONS

Studies using VQI data demonstrate a poor to moderate adherence to reporting standards. Key areas for improvement in research reporting include articulating a clear hypothesis, using flow charts to clearly define inclusion and exclusion criteria, identifying competing risks, and discussing data cleaning methods. Additionally, future efforts should center on creating tailored instruments to better guide reporting in studies using VQI data.

Adapting Education at the Medical College of Georgia at Augusta University in Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic: the Pandemic Medicine Elective

The Medical College of Georgia (MCG) responded to the COVID-19 pandemic's challenges to medical education with a novel, comprehensive curriculum. The Pandemic Medicine Elective was an effective solution with a safe, virtual alternative to traditional clinical experiences. As the elective evolved to include pre-clinical students and service initiatives across Georgia, students and faculty navigated online platforms to execute critical community-based projects. This curricular development utilized an interdisciplinary approach by faculty across each of MCG's regional campuses. We describe the curriculum of the electives, the student initiatives, and lessons learned while quickly adapting curriculum during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Clinical-radiographic correlation in occlusal surfaces

The aim of the present study was to correlate clinical and radiographic diagnoses of the occlusal surfaces of the first permanent molars. A total of 56 first permanent molars with no macroscopic evidence of caries were selected from 40 children. A research worker performed the visual examination (VE) and an expert performed the radiographic analysis employing bitewing radiographs. Each professional performed diagnosis independently. The statistical analysis revealed: 1) Low correlation between both methods; Kappa: 0.03, p = 0.34; 2) Correlation between past history of caries and VE: taub Kendall 0.333, p = 0.003; no correlation between past history of caries and radiographic diagnosis: 0.002, p = 0.984; 3) No correlation between each of the methods of diagnosis and the age of the patients. The radiographic analysis showed a high revalence of radiolucid images, interpreted as caries, that failed to be detected by VE. To improve VE as a diagnostic method for pits and fissures we should combine various procedures and consider other clinical predictors.

Oral health of children from rural excluded villages (Trancas and Calchaqui valleys. Tucumán, Argentina)

The general hypothesis of the study was to evaluate strategically important rural areas to confirm their characteristics of "excluded population" and identify the priorities to allocate human and financial resources of the international co-operation project. The aim of this study was to establish the degree of development of villages in the Trancas and Calchaqui valleys, and the oral health of children living in areas involved in an integral study on excluded villages in the northwest of Argentina. These villages are considered a priority in the UNIR Project; they are thus strategically important as a link with countries of the MERCOSUR. Data on living conditions were obtained through direct inquiries (Project UNIR, W. K. Kellogg Foundation/University of Tucumán) and from data supplied by the Ministry of Economy, by the Ministry of Culture and Education and by the SIEMPRO project of the Secretariat of Social Development of the Ministry of Health. The Human Development Index (HDI) was calculated as World Bank criteria (1995), The studies on dental conditions were carried out in all the children between 12 and 14 years old, that is a total of 58 in the Trancas Valley and 212 in the Calchaqui Valley.

RESULTS

(1) The HDI was 0.731 for the province, 0.56 for the Trancas Valley and 0.51 for Calchaqui valley. (2) The results are above the values for the country in the first case, and below the average country values for the valleys. (3) The percentage of BNN families reached 92%. The results for oral health show: (4) the DMFT were 6.34 +/- 0.07 in the Trancas Valley and 7.47 +/- 0.276 in the Calchaquí valley. (5) Carious teeth (CT) were the most important component of this index. (6) The absence of a specific and preventive assistance.

CONCLUSIONS

(a) Children between 12 and 14 living in the Valleys of Trancas and Calchaqui (Tucumán, Argentina) are affected by severe levels of caries, with values above the national and province means. (b) The human development index is below that of the corresponding national and province levels. (c) Inhabitants of these valleys can be identified as socially and biologically highly vulnerable. (d) The indicators of cariogenic risk reveal the importance of introducing oral preventive care components to the health plan for the area focused on the excluded population.

[Practicability of cataract surgery at university hospitals: searching for an economic model]

Resources available for health care all over the world are not enough to cover all the demand in this sector. Cataract Free Zones conducted in many regions of the country show that only 10% to 20% of blind patients caused by senile cataract can get operated on.

PURPOSE

To demonstrate feasibility of a model for cataract surgery with intraocular lens implantation at the Clinical Hospital from the University of Campinas, Unicamp, São Paulo, when considering the remuneration payed by the government for universitary services.

METHODS

Costs with disposable material were collected for extracapsular cataract surgery, with posterior intraocular lens implant, at the Clinical Hospital, Unicamp. The model includes outpatient surgery under local anesthesia, and costs rationalization in acquisition and wear of material. University Hospitals have a different situation in the health system, where fixed costs and part of the variable costs of cataract surgery are subsidized by the State government.

RESULTS

Cataract surgery performed under the proposed methodology is economically feasible, considering disposable components only, and the price achieved was US$ 77 with government payment of US$ 474. More surgical interventions increases the efficiency of the institution, provides more surgical training to residents and better community health care.

CONCLUSION

The authors consider that it is an obligation of University Hospitals, regard their commitment with training, research and quality of eye care deliverance, to increase the number of cataract surgeries for the lowest possible price.

Screening and surgical intervention results from cataract-free-zone projects in Campinas, Brazil and Chimbote, Peru

Two cataract-free-zone projects, one in Brazil and the other in Peru, were designed to provide surgery to all those who need and want it within a defined geographic area. In-home visual acuity screening was accepted by three-fourths of the enumerated population aged 50 years or more. Those with reduced bilateral visual acuity were referred to a community health post for ophthalmic examination. Among those diagnosed as bilaterally blind (less than or equal to 20/200), comprising 5% of the screened population, two-thirds were thought to be blind from cataract. Because of other ocular pathology and general health conditions, surgery was not indicated for 30-50%. Two-thirds of those recommended for out-patient surgery accepted. Motivational efforts to convince the refusers were uniformly unsuccessful. The average age of those accepting and those refusing surgery was in the mid-seventies. Those already aphakic were 7-8 years younger. Post-operative acuity was greater than or equal to 20/50 for only one-half of those operated. A significant number of cases had previously undetected macular degeneration and other causes of decreased vision. These projects have given increased attention to cataract blindness and the need for further operational research to develop effective methods for its control using outpatient surgery.