Performance of sleep histories in an ambulatory medicine clinic: impact of simple chart reminders

BACKGROUND: The sleep history is essential to recognizing clinically important sleep disorders, but little is documented about its performance in the primary care setting. STUDY OBJECTIVES: To estimate the frequency of documented sleep histories by medical house officers (HOs) in an ambulatory medicine clinic and to assess whether a chart reminder influences their performance. DESIGN: We reviewed the performance of medical HOs after introduction of a medical record form that included a simple sleep history prompt among reminders relating to health promotion. For each of 108 HOs, we randomly selected a chart with a sleep history prompt and one without. RESULTS: Any sleep history was documented in only 37 of 216 medical records (17%), including 21 of 122 patients (17%) with risk factors for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Use of chart reminders was associated with nearly a fivefold increase of sleep histories (29% vs 6%, p < 0.001), and charts with prompts had more notations about specific sleep complaints (2.6 +/- 0.9 vs 1.0 +/- 0.0 notes per patient, p < 0.0001). Sleep histories were recorded less often (p < 0.001) than histories of cigarette smoking or alcohol use. Although 24% of physicians appeared to be influenced by the prompt, sleep problems were included on problem lists of only six patients (3%). Overall, the frequencies of diagnostic studies (1% of all patients, 6% of those with sleep histories) or documented therapeutic recommendations (0%) relating to sleep were low, whether or not chart reminders were used, with sleep testing obtained in only one patient. Sleep interventions were documented less often than smoking cessation or weight loss (p < 0.002). CONCLUSIONS: Sleep histories are seldom documented by medical HOs, even in patients at risk for OSA. Use of a simple chart reminder was associated with an increased frequency of recorded sleep histories, but had no clear impact on diagnosis or treatment. If sleep problems and their management are to be prioritized appropriately, then the obstacles to obtaining sleep histories and to following up cues to sleep disorders must be clarified and overcome.     

Measurement variability in sleep disorders medicine: the Victorian experience

Background: Surveys of laboratories in North America have documented significant diversity in the working definitions used for reporting respiratory events in sleep studies. Aim: To assess sources of variability in the measurement of sleep‐disordered breathing (as defined by the Apnoea?Hypopnoea Index) between sleep laboratories in Victoria, Australia. Methods: A self‐complete written questionnaire was constructed following literature review and interviews with staff at three separate sleep laboratories. The survey was sent to all laboratories listed in Victoria by the Australasian Sleep Association. The first part of the survey related to the type of equipment used to record sleep and other variables during overnight polysomnography and the second part related to the definitions and methods used to report results. Results: Seventeen out of 18 laboratories returned the surveys. There were variations identified in the types of sensors used to measure particular signals. There were also inconsistencies identified in the criteria used to score arousals, apnoeas and hypopnoeas by different laboratories. The variability was greatest for hypopnoea definitions. Conclusions: There is considerable variation in the methods used to measure and define sleep‐disordered breathing between sleep laboratories in Victoria. The extent to which these variations influence the comparability of reported results between laboratories requires further evaluation. The survey findings may assist the process of developing and implementing local guidelines for the performance and reporting of polysomnography. (Intern Med J 2002; 32: 386?393)     

Hepatitis B vaccination of men who have sex with men: experience with an accelerated course of vaccination in a genitourinary medicine clinic

An accelerated course of hepatitis B vaccination was offered to men who had sex with men attending a genitourinary medicine clinic. The uptake and completion rates of the vaccine between 1 November 2002 and 28 February 2004 were compared with data for 1994. The uptake of vaccine was significantly higher during the former audit period than the latter (310 [98%] of 315 versus 146 [74%]). There was, however, no significant difference in completion rates between the two audit periods: 220 (73%) of the 302 men who initiated the accelerated schedule, compared with 118 (81%) of the 146 men who completed the standard course in 1994. Innovative means of ensuring completion of vaccination are needed.     

Fibromyalgia syndrome: experience in a pediatric rheumatology clinic

OBJECTIVE: To report our experience of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) in pediatric rheumatology clinic settings. METHODS: Clinical and laboratory data were reviewed in all patients with FMS between March 1992 and March 1996. Patients with FMS and an underlying rheumatic disease were excluded from the study. At presentation and follow-up visits, all patients had a tender points (TP) count that was conducted by thumb palpation. Both the children and their parents were questioned concerning the presence of widespread pain or aching. All the patients fulfilled the ACR criteria for the diagnosis of primary FMS. All children were evaluated by a protocol that included relevant information on FMS. Telephone survey questionnaires were used for patients who missed some of their follow-up visits. RESULTS: There were 59 children (47 F and 12 M) diagnosed with primary FMS. The mean age at onset was 13.7 years, and the mean age at diagnosis was 15.5 years. The mean duration of follow-up was 18.3 months. Diffuse aching was reported in 57 patients (97%), headaches in 45 (76%), and sleep disturbances in 41 (69%). Less common were stiffness in 17 (29%), subjective joint swelling in 14 (24%), fatigue in 12 (20%), abdominal pain in 10 (17%), and joint hypermobility and depression in 8 (14%) and 4 (7%) patients, respectively. The mean ESR was 15 mm/h, RF was negative in all patients, and ANA was positive (mean titer 1:160) in 17 patients. The mean initial TP count was 14.6. Nine patients were not available for follow-up. There were 50 patients available for follow-up and survey analysis, and of these 30 (60%) had improved, while 18 (36%) remained unchanged, and 2 (4%) became worse when compared with initial presentation. At the end of study follow-up, 37 patients (74%) were still taking medication (20 of them daily). Out of 25 patients whose TP counts were available at the end of follow-up, the mean TP dropped from 14.12 to 12.04 (p = 0.09) for the total group, and 14.05 to 10.84 (p < 0.01) for the patients who had improved. 22 out of 30 patients in the improved group and 7 out of 20 in the unchanged or worse group had continued active exercise programs (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The clinical spectrum of FMS in children is similar to that of adults but with better outcomes. The TP count correlates with clinical status only in patients who had improved. Active exercise programs seem to correlate with better outcomes. Prospective and larger patient population studies, and a longer follow-up of children with FMS are needed to clarify these findings.     

The Berlin questionnaire for sleep apnea in a sleep clinic population: relationship to polysomnographic measurement of respiratory disturbance

The Berlin questionnaire (BQ) has been used to help identify patients at high risk of having sleep apnea in primary care and atrial fibrillation patients. The BQ may be a useful adjunct in sleep medicine and research, but it has never been validated in a sleep clinic population. The aim of the study is to determine the specificity and sensitivity of the BQ compared to the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) values obtained from two nights of polysomnographic recording in a sleep clinic population. This is a retrospective chart review study of 130 sleep clinic patients. Patients’ demographics, BQ scores, RDI measurements, and sleep study parameters were extracted from the patients’ chart. Of the 130 charts reviewed, the BQ identified 76 (58.5%) as being at high-risk of having sleep apnea, but overnight polysomnography found only 34 of the 130 patients (26.2%) had an RDI > 10. The BQ performed with 0.62 sensitivity and 0.43 specificity at the RDI > 10 level. Due to the low sensitivity and specificity as well as the large number of false negatives and positives, the Berlin questionnaire is not an appropriate instrument for identifying patients with sleep apnea in a sleep clinic population.     

Evaluation of the impact of a clinical pathway on the organization of a multidisciplinary dental sleep clinic

Purpose

Clinical pathways are used to organize complex care processes by providing structure and standardization. The multidisciplinary approach of oral appliance (OA) therapy for sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) is a complex and dynamic process suitable for such a structured pathway approach.

Methods

A clinical pathway for patients referred for OA therapy was developed and implemented. The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of this clinical pathway on the time to delivery of the OA and the organization of the multidisciplinary dental sleep clinic (MDSC). The latter was achieved using the care process self-evaluation tool (CPSET).

Results

First, development and implementation of the clinical pathway gave structure and shortened the mean time to delivery by 102 days (240?±?70 vs. 138?±?33 days) (Mann–Whitney U: P?<?0.001). Second, the CPSET scores were obtained in a cohort of 49 healthcare professionals involved in the pathway. Overall, patient-focused organization received the highest scores (80.5?±?9.0 %), whereas cooperation with primary care received the lowest score (66.7?±?12.4 %).

Conclusions

This is the first project on clinical pathways in OA therapy for SDB. The implementation of the pathway in our MDSC has created a significant shortening of the time to delivery. A first evaluation of the clinical pathway using the CPSET scores indicates that all disciplines involved should be thoroughly informed in an ongoing approach.     

The financial impact of a nursing home practice on an academic medical center.

This study reports the economic contributions of nursing home practice to an academic department of family practice as well as the fiscal impact of referrals from nursing home practice on an academic medical center. Payment to primary physician faculty for nursing home service did not fully compensate for faculty effort. Nevertheless, these services did result in significant revenues to consulting physicians and the University Hospital. In aggregate, an average nursing home visit was associated with $33 in charges for the visit by the primary physician, $15 for additional primary care services in the clinic and hospital, $72 for services by consulting physicians, and $307 in charges by the University Hospital. The average nursing home patient provided $3,744 in charges and $2,403 in income to the academic medical center per year, with $1,813 going to the hospital and $331 to consulting physicians. Even though primary care is not well reimbursed, a relatively small number of patients have the capacity to create substantial income for consulting physicians and the hospital. The study does not address whether these nursing home referrals to the hospital utilized disproportionately high hospital resources.     

Cholangiocarcinoma： A 7-year experience at a single center in Greece

AIM： To evaluate survival rate and clinical outcome of cholangiocarcinoma. METHODS： The medical records of 34 patients with cholangiocarcinoma, seen at a single hospital between the years 1999-2006, were retrospectively reviewed. RESULTS： Thirty-four patients with a median age of 75 years were included. Seventeen （50%） had painless jaundice at presentation. Sixteen （47.1%） were perihilar, 15 （44.1%） extrahepatic and three （8.8%） intrahepatic. Endoscopic retrograde cholangiography （ERCP） and/or magnetic resonance cholangiography （MRCP） were used for the diagnosis. Pathologic confirmation was obtained in seven and positive cytological examination in three. Thirteen patients had co-morbidities （38.2%）. Four cases were managed with complete surgical resection. All the rest of the cases （30） were characterized as non-resectable due to advanced stage of the disease. Palliative biliary drainage was performed in 26/30 （86.6%）. The mean follow-up was 32 mo （95% CI, 20-43 too）. Overall median survival was 8.7 mo （95% CI, 2-16 mo）. The probability of 1-year, 2-year and 3-year survival was 46%, 20% and 7%, respectively. The survival was slightly longer in patients who underwent resection compared to those who did not, but this difference failed to reach statistical significance. Patients who underwent biliary drainage had an advantage in survival compared to those who did not （probability of survival 53% vs 0% at 1 year, respectively, P = 0.038）. CONCLUSION： Patients with cholangiocarcinoma were usually elderly with co-morbidities and/oradvanced disease at presentation. Even though a slight amelioration in survival with palliative biliary drainage was observed, patients had dismal outcome without resection of the tumor.     

Black and minority ethnic men who have sex with men: a London genitourinary medicine clinic experience

The aim was to examine sexual behaviour and rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) in black and minority ethnic (BME) men who have sex with men (MSM) attending a London genitourinary medicine clinic. A case-note review of BME MSM (n = 203) attending our service between 1 April 2005 and 31 March 2006 was carried out. BME MSM were those who self-identified as being of Black (Caribbean, African or Other), South Asian (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi or Sri Lankan) and Chinese/South-East Asian (Malaysian, Thai, Filipino, Japanese) ethnicities. Consecutively attending self-identified white British (WB) MSM (n = 203) were used as a comparative group. BME MSM were significantly more likely to report unprotected anal intercourse with casual male partners in the preceding three months (P = 0.0016) and were more likely to report female sexual partners (P = 0.0018). Rectal gonorrhoea was more common in WB MSM (P = 0.02). Numbers of other bacterial STIs and HIV infection were similar in both groups. The higher reported rates of risk behaviour in BME MSM are of concern and support the need for focussed sexual health promotion.     

Hepatic granulomas: a 6-year experience in a single center in Greece

BACKGROUND: Hepatic granulomas have been reported in 2-15% of unselected liver biopsies, with a wide clinical profile responsible for their presence. To date, no series concerning the prevalence and the etiology of granulomas from Greece has been reported. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the prevalence and the etiology of hepatic granulomas and to investigate whether there has been an alteration in distribution of diagnoses in our series compared with those published so far in the literature. STUDY: The results of liver biopsy specimens performed in a Department of Medicine, between 1999 and 2004, were retrospectively reviewed and the cases revealing hepatic granulomas had their medical notes and the liver biopsies recorded. RESULTS: Over the study period, 1768 liver biopsies were performed. Hepatic granulomas were identified in 66 (3.7%). Of those, 51 were female with a mean age of 57 years (range 34-74 years) and 15 were male with a mean age of 42 years (range 18-78 years). Autoimmune liver diseases including primary biliary cirrhosis, overlap syndrome and autoimmune hepatitis accounted for the majority of cases (68%), followed by sarcoidosis (7.5%), chronic hepatitis B virus and hepatitis C virus infection (7.5%), idiopathic (6%), drugs (3%) and other miscellaneous causes (7.5%). CONCLUSIONS: Our series showed that autoimmune liver diseases, mainly primary biliary cirrhosis was the most common cause of granuloma formation, a finding rather similar to that stated in the studies from Western countries. A rather small number of idiopathic cases were recorded. Chronic viral hepatitis and sarcoidosis rates were equal, a finding possibly reflecting a fairly high proportion of viral hepatitis in our sample.