Trends in diagnosis of painful neck and back conditions, 2002 to 2011

Neck and back pain are pervasive problems. Some have suggested that rising incidence may be associated with the evidence of rising prevalence.To describe the trends in diagnosis of painful neck and back conditions in a large national healthcare system.A retrospective observational cohort study to describe the incidence and prevalence of diagnosis of neck and back pain in a national cohort.Patients were identified by International Classification of Diseases, 9 Revision (ICD-9) codes in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) national utilization datasets in calendar years 2002 to 2011.Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data. Prevalent cases were compared with all veterans who sought health care in each year. Incident cases were identified following a 2 years clean period in which the patient was enrolled and received care, but not services for any back or neck pain conditions.From 2004 to 2011, 3% to 4% of the population was diagnosed with incident back pain problems, the rate increasing on average, 1.75% per year. During the same period, 12.3% to 16.2% of the population was diagnosed with a prevalent back pain problem, the rate increasing on average 4.09% per year.In a national population, the prevalence rate for diagnosis of neck and back pain grew 1.8 to 2.3 times faster than the incidence rate. This suggests that the average duration of episodes of care is increasing. Additional research is needed to understand the influences on the differential rate of change and to develop efficient and effective care systems.

Cost-effectiveness of supported employment for veterans with spinal cord injuries

OBJECTIVE

To estimate the cost-effectiveness of a supported employment (SE) intervention that had been previously found effective in veterans with spinal cord injuries (SCIs).

DESIGN

Cost-effectiveness analysis, using cost and quality-of-life data gathered in a trial of SE for veterans with SCI.

SETTING

SCI centers in the Veterans Health Administration.

PARTICIPANTS

Subjects (N=157) who completed a study of SE in 6 SCI centers. Subjects were randomly assigned to the intervention of SE (n=81) or treatment as usual (n=76).

INTERVENTION

A vocational rehabilitation program of SE for veterans with SCI.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

Costs and quality-adjusted life years, which were estimated from the Veterans Rand 36-Item Health Survey, extrapolated to Veterans Rand 6 Dimension utilities.

RESULTS

Average cost for the SE intervention was $1821. In 1 year of follow-up, estimated total costs, including health care utilization and travel expenses, and average quality-adjusted life years were not significantly different between groups, suggesting the Spinal Cord Injury Vocational Integration Program intervention was not cost-effective compared with usual care.

CONCLUSIONS

An intensive program of SE for veterans with SCI, which is more effective in achieving competitive employment, is not cost-effective after 1 year of follow-up. Longer follow-up and a larger study sample will be necessary to determine whether SE yields benefits and is cost-effective in the long run for a population with SCI.

Racial differences in veterans' satisfaction with examination of disability from posttraumatic stress disorder

OBJECTIVE

The examination that determines if a veteran has service-connected posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) affects veterans' lives for years. This study examined factors potentially associated with veterans' perception of their examination's quality.

METHODS

Veterans (N=384) being evaluated for an initial PTSD service-connection claim were randomly assigned to receive either a semistructured interview or the examiner's usual interview. Immediately after the interview, veterans completed confidential ratings of the examinations' quality and of their examiners' interpersonal qualities and competence. Extensive data characterizing the veterans, the 33 participating examiners, and the examinations themselves were collected.

RESULTS

Forty-seven percent of Caucasian veterans and 34% of African-American veterans rated their examination quality as excellent. African Americans were less likely than Caucasians to assign a higher quality rating (odds ratio=.61, 95% confidence interval=.38-.99, p=.047). Compared with Caucasians, African Americans rated their examiners as having significantly worse interpersonal qualities but not lower competence. Ratings were not significantly related to the veterans' age, gender, marital status, eventual diagnosis of PTSD, Global Assessment of Functioning score, the examiner's perception of the prevalence of malingering, or the presence of a third party during the examination.

CONCLUSIONS

Ratings of disability examinations were generally high, although ratings were less favorable among African-American veterans than among Caucasian veterans.

Impact of evidence-based standardized assessment on the disability clinical interview for diagnosis of service-connected PTSD: a cluster-randomized trial

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is one of the fastest growing compensated medical conditions. The present study compared usual disability examiner practices for PTSD with a standardized assessment that incorporates evidence-based assessments. The design was a multicenter, cluster randomized, parallel-group study involving 33 clinical examiners and 384 veterans at 6 Veterans Affairs medical centers. The standardized group incorporated the Clinician Administered PTSD Scale and the World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule-II into their assessment interview. The main outcome measures were completeness and accuracy of PTSD diagnosis and completeness of functional assessment. The standardized assessments were 85% complete for diagnosis compared to 30% for nonstandardized assessments (p < .001), and, for functional impairment, 76% versus 3% (p < .001). The findings demonstrate that the quality of PTSD disability examination would be improved by using evidence-based assessment.

Effectiveness of supported employment for veterans with spinal cord injuries: results from a randomized multisite study

OBJECTIVE

To examine whether supported employment (SE) is more effective than treatment as usual (TAU) in returning veterans to competitive employment after spinal cord injury (SCI).

DESIGN

Prospective, randomized, controlled, multisite trial of SE versus TAU for vocational issues with 12 months of follow-up data.

SETTING

SCI centers in the Veterans Health Administration.

PARTICIPANTS

Subjects (N=201) were enrolled and completed baseline interviews. In interventional sites, subjects were randomly assigned to the SE condition (n=81) or the TAU condition (treatment as usual-interventional site [TAU-IS], n=76). In observational sites where the SE program was not available, 44 subjects were enrolled in a nonrandomized TAU condition (treatment as usual-observational site [TAU-OS]).

INTERVENTIONS

The intervention consisted of an SE vocational rehabilitation program called the Spinal Cord Injury Vocational Integration Program, which adhered as closely as possible to principles of SE as developed and described in the individual placement and support model of SE for persons with mental illness.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES

The primary study outcome measurement was competitive employment in the community.

RESULTS

Subjects in the SE group were 2.5 times more likely than the TAU-IS group and 11.4 times more likely than the TAU-OS group to obtain competitive employment.

CONCLUSIONS

To the best of our knowledge, this is the first and only controlled study of a specific vocational rehabilitation program to report improved employment outcomes for persons with SCI. SE, a well-prescribed method of integrated vocational care, was superior to usual practices in improving employment outcomes for veterans with SCI.

Variation in practices and attitudes of clinicians assessing PTSD-related disability among veterans

One hundred thirty-eight Veterans Affairs mental health professionals completed a 128-item Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) Practice Inventory that asked about their practices and attitudes related to disability assessment of PTSD. Results indicate strikingly wide variation in the attitudes and practices of clinicians conducting disability assessments for PTSD. In a high percentage of cases, these attitudes and practices conflict with best-practice guidelines. Specifically, 59% of clinicians reported rarely or never using testing, and only 17% indicated routinely using standardized clinical interviews. Less than 1% of respondents reported using functional assessment scales.

Outcomes of hospitalized patients with non-acute coronary syndrome and elevated cardiac troponin level

OBJECTIVE

Cardiac troponin levels help risk-stratify patients presenting with an acute coronary syndrome. Although cardiac troponin levels may be elevated in patients presenting with non-acute coronary syndrome conditions, specific diagnoses and long-term outcomes within that cohort are unclear.

METHODS

By using the Veterans Affairs centralized databases, we identified all hospitalized patients in 2006 who had a troponin assay obtained during their initial reference hospitalization. On the basis of the diagnostic codes of the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, primary diagnoses were categorized as acute coronary syndrome or non-acute coronary syndrome conditions.

RESULTS

Of a total of 21,668 patients with an elevated troponin level who were discharged from the hospital, 12,400 (57.2%) had a non-acute coronary syndrome condition. Among that cohort, the most common diagnostic category involved the cardiovascular system, and congestive heart failure (N=1661) and chronic coronary artery disease (N=1648) accounted for the major classifications. At 1 year after hospital discharge, mortality in patients with a non-acute coronary syndrome condition was 22.8% and was higher than in the acute coronary syndrome cohort (odds ratio 1.39; 95% confidence interval, 1.30-1.49). Despite the high prevalence of cardiovascular diseases in patients with a non-acute coronary syndrome diagnosis, use of cardiac imaging within 90 days of hospitalization was low compared with that in patients with acute coronary syndrome (odds ratio 0.25; 95% confidence interval, 0.23-0.27).

CONCLUSIONS

Hospitalized patients with an elevated troponin level more often have a primary diagnosis that is not an acute coronary syndrome. Their long-term survival is poor and justifies novel diagnostic or therapeutic strategy-based studies to target the highest risk subsets before hospital discharge.

Variations in balance and body sway in middle-aged adults. Subjects with healthy backs compared with subjects with low-back dysfunction

In a preliminary investigation of 45 middle aged adult subjects, 20 with low-back pain (LBP) and 25 with healthy backs (HB), balance responses (body sway) were measured under different sensory conditions with computerized force plate stabilometry. Compared with HB subjects, in the most stable and then the least stable balance positions, the LBP subjects demonstrated significantly greater postural sway, kept their center of force (COF) significantly more posterior, and were significantly less likely to be able to balance on one foot with eyes closed. Based on subjective observations, the LBP subjects were more likely to fulcrum about the hip and back to maintain uprightness in challenging balance tasks compared with healthy controls who maintained their fulcrum for the COF around the ankle. Research is needed to determine the incidence of balance problems in LBP patients compared with controls. Effective physical therapy assessment and treatment of LBP patients may require attention to postural alignment, strength, flexibility, joint stability, balance reactions, and postural strategies.