Clinical decision support system,using expert consensus-derived logic and natural language processing,decreased sedation-type order errors for patients undergoing endoscopy

ObjectiveDetermination of appropriate endoscopy sedation strategy is an important preprocedural consideration. To address manual workflow gaps that lead to sedation-type order errors at our institution, we designed and implemented a clinical decision support system (CDSS) to review orders for patients undergoing outpatient endoscopy.Materials and MethodsThe CDSS was developed and implemented by an expert panel using an agile approach. The CDSS queried patient-specific historical endoscopy records and applied expert consensus-derived logic and natural language processing to identify possible sedation order errors for human review. A retrospective analysis was conducted to evaluate impact, comparing 4-month pre-pilot and 12-month pilot periods.Results22 755 endoscopy cases were included (pre-pilot 6434 cases, pilot 16 321 cases). The CDSS decreased the sedation-type order error rate on day of endoscopy (pre-pilot 0.39%, pilot 0.037%, Odds Ratio = 0.094, P-value < 1e-8). There was no difference in background prevalence of erroneous orders (pre-pilot 0.39%, pilot 0.34%, P = .54).DiscussionAt our institution, low prevalence and high volume of cases prevented routine manual review to verify sedation order appropriateness. Using a cohort-enrichment strategy, a CDSS was able to reduce number of chart reviews needed per sedation-order error from 296.7 to 3.5, allowing for integration into the existing workflow to intercept rare but important ordering errors.ConclusionA workflow-integrated CDSS with expert consensus-derived logic rules and natural language processing significantly reduced endoscopy sedation-type order errors on day of endoscopy at our institution.     

The Effect of a Clinical Decision Support System on Improving Adherence to Guideline in the Treatment of Atrial Fibrillation: An Interrupted Time Series Study

To evaluate the effect of a computerized Decision Support System (CDSS) on improving adherence to an anticoagulation guideline for the treatment of atrial fibrillation (AF). This study had an interrupted time series design. The adherence to the guideline was assessed at fortnightly (two weeks) intervals from January 2016 to January 2017, 6 months before and 6 months after intervention. Newly diagnosed patients with AF were included in the offices of ten cardiologists. Stroke and major bleeding risks were calculated by the CDSS which was implemented via a mobile application. Treatment recommendations based on the guideline were shown to cardiologists. The segmented regression model was used to evaluate the effect of CDSS on level and trend of guideline adherence for the treatment of AF. In our analysis, 373 patients were included. The trend of adherence to the anticoagulation guideline for the treatment of AF was stable in the pre-intervention phase. After the CDSS intervention, mean of the adherence to the guideline significantly increased from 48% to 65.5% (P-value?<?0.0001). The trend of adherence to the guideline was stable in the post-intervention phase. Our results showed that the CDSS can improve adherence to the anticoagulation guideline for the treatment of AF. Registration ID: IRCT2016052528070N1.     

Clinical decision support with automated text processing for cervical cancer screening

Objective

To develop a computerized clinical decision support system (CDSS) for cervical cancer screening that can interpret free-text Papanicolaou (Pap) reports.

Materials and Methods

The CDSS was constituted by two rulebases: the free-text rulebase for interpreting Pap reports and a guideline rulebase. The free-text rulebase was developed by analyzing a corpus of 49 293 Pap reports. The guideline rulebase was constructed using national cervical cancer screening guidelines. The CDSS accesses the electronic medical record (EMR) system to generate patient-specific recommendations. For evaluation, the screening recommendations made by the CDSS for 74 patients were reviewed by a physician.

Results and Discussion

Evaluation revealed that the CDSS outputs the optimal screening recommendations for 73 out of 74 test patients and it identified two cases for gynecology referral that were missed by the physician. The CDSS aided the physician to amend recommendations in six cases. The failure case was because human papillomavirus (HPV) testing was sometimes performed separately from the Pap test and these results were reported by a laboratory system that was not queried by the CDSS. Subsequently, the CDSS was upgraded to look up the HPV results missed earlier and it generated the optimal recommendations for all 74 test cases.

Limitations

Single institution and single expert study.

Conclusion

An accurate CDSS system could be constructed for cervical cancer screening given the standardized reporting of Pap tests and the availability of explicit guidelines. Overall, the study demonstrates that free text in the EMR can be effectively utilized through natural language processing to develop clinical decision support tools.     

Research and applications: Formative evaluation of the accuracy of a clinical decision support system for cervical cancer screening

Objectives

We previously developed and reported on a prototype clinical decision support system (CDSS) for cervical cancer screening. However, the system is complex as it is based on multiple guidelines and free-text processing. Therefore, the system is susceptible to failures. This report describes a formative evaluation of the system, which is a necessary step to ensure deployment readiness of the system.

Materials and methods

Care providers who are potential end-users of the CDSS were invited to provide their recommendations for a random set of patients that represented diverse decision scenarios. The recommendations of the care providers and those generated by the CDSS were compared. Mismatched recommendations were reviewed by two independent experts.

Results

A total of 25 users participated in this study and provided recommendations for 175 cases. The CDSS had an accuracy of 87% and 12 types of CDSS errors were identified, which were mainly due to deficiencies in the system''s guideline rules. When the deficiencies were rectified, the CDSS generated optimal recommendations for all failure cases, except one with incomplete documentation.

Discussion and conclusions

The crowd-sourcing approach for construction of the reference set, coupled with the expert review of mismatched recommendations, facilitated an effective evaluation and enhancement of the system, by identifying decision scenarios that were missed by the system''s developers. The described methodology will be useful for other researchers who seek rapidly to evaluate and enhance the deployment readiness of complex decision support systems.     

Accuracy of a computerized clinical decision-support system for asthma assessment and management

Objective

To evaluate the accuracy of a computerized clinical decision-support system (CDSS) designed to support assessment and management of pediatric asthma in a subspecialty clinic.

Design

Cohort study of all asthma visits to pediatric pulmonology from January to December, 2009.

Measurements

CDSS and physician assessments of asthma severity, control, and treatment step.

Results

Both the clinician and the computerized CDSS generated assessments of asthma control in 767/1032 (74.3%) return patients, assessments of asthma severity in 100/167 (59.9%) new patients, and recommendations for treatment step in 66/167 (39.5%) new patients. Clinicians agreed with the CDSS in 543/767 (70.8%) of control assessments, 37/100 (37%) of severity assessments, and 19/66 (29%) of step recommendations. External review classified 72% of control disagreements (21% of all control assessments), 56% of severity disagreements (37% of all severity assessments), and 76% of step disagreements (54% of all step recommendations) as CDSS errors. The remaining disagreements resulted from pulmonologist error or ambiguous guidelines. Many CDSS flaws, such as attributing all ‘cough’ to asthma, were easily remediable. Pediatric pulmonologists failed to follow guidelines in 8% of return visits and 18% of new visits.

Limitations

The authors relied on chart notes to determine clinical reasoning. Physicians may have changed their assessments after seeing CDSS recommendations.

Conclusions

A computerized CDSS performed relatively accurately compared to clinicians for assessment of asthma control but was inaccurate for treatment. Pediatric pulmonologists failed to follow guideline-based care in a small proportion of patients.     

Randomized Trial of a Clinical Decision Support System: Impact on the Management of Children with Fever without Apparent Source

Objective

To assess compliance with a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for diagnostic management of children with fever without apparent source and to study the effects of application of the CDSS on time spent in the emergency department (ED) and number of laboratory tests.

Design

The CDSS was used by ED nursing staff to register children presenting with fever. The CDSS identified children that met inclusion criteria (1–36 months and fever without apparent source (FWS)) and provided patient-specific diagnostic management advice. Children at high risk for serious bacterial infection were randomized for the ‘intervention’ (n = 74) or the ‘control’ (n = 90) group. In the intervention group, the CDSS provided the advice to immediately order laboratory tests and in the control group the ED physician first assessed the children and then decided on ordering laboratory tests.

Results

Compliance with registration of febrile children was 50% (683/1,399). Adherence to the advice to order laboratory tests was 82% (61/74). Children in the intervention group had a median (25^th–75^th percentile) length of stay at the ED of 138 (104–181) minutes. The median length of stay at the ED in the control group was 123 (83–179) minutes. Laboratory tests were significantly more frequently ordered in the intervention group (82%) than in the control group (44%, p < 0.001, χ² test).

Conclusion

Implementation of a CDSS for diagnostic management of young children with fever without apparent source was successful regarding compliance and adherence to CDSS recommendations, but had unexpected effects on patient outcome in terms of ED length of stay and number of laboratory tests. The use of the current CDSS was discontinued.     

Safety and cost-effectiveness of outpatient thyroidectomy: A retrospective observational study

Objectives:To investigate the safety and cost-effectiveness of outpatient thyroidectomy and provide a systematic postoperative protocol for safe discharge.Methods:In this retrospective review, the medical records of all patients who underwent total, hemi, or completion thyroidectomy from July 2017 to April 2019 at 2 tertiary care hospitals were reviewed. Multivariable analysis was performed on the potential predictors of postoperative complications. Healthcare costs were calculated by the type of admission based on the average costs at the 2 centers.Results:One hundred twenty-two patients were enrolled in this study. The majority of cases were in the outpatient group (n=76, 62.3%). Total thyroidectomy was the most prevalent type of surgery (n=90, 73.7%). There were a total of 20 complications in 18 patients (inpatient=9 versus [vs.] outpatient=9). No cases of cervical hematoma or bilateral vocal cord paralysis were encountered. No significant difference was found between the type of admission (outpatient vs. inpatient) and postsurgical complications (p=0.24). The multivariable regression model retained significance for male gender and American Society of Anesthesiologists Classification III as potential predictors of postoperative complications. Healthcare costs would be reduced by at least 15.5% with the implementation of outpatient surgery.Conclusion:Outpatient thyroidectomy is as safe as inpatient thyroidectomy given the proper selection of cases. We project cost containment of over $711 thousand per 1,000 cases for outpatient thyroid surgeries.     

A visual representation of microbiological culture data improves comprehension: a randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveWhile the judicious use of antibiotics takes past microbiological culture results into consideration, this data’s typical format in the electronic health record (EHR) may be unwieldy when incorporated into clinical decision-making. We hypothesize that a visual representation of sensitivities may aid in their comprehension.Materials and MethodsA prospective parallel unblinded randomized controlled trial was undertaken at an academic urban tertiary care center. Providers managing emergency department (ED) patients receiving antibiotics and having previous culture sensitivity testing were included. Providers were randomly selected to use standard EHR functionality or a visual representation of patients’ past culture data as they answered questions about previous sensitivities. Concordance between provider responses and past cultures was assessed using the kappa statistic. Providers were surveyed about their decision-making and the usability of the tool using Likert scales.Results518 ED encounters were screened from 3/5/2018 to 9/30/18, with providers from 144 visits enrolled and analyzed in the intervention arm and 129 in the control arm. Providers using the visualization tool had a kappa of 0.69 (95% CI: 0.65–0.73) when asked about past culture results while the control group had a kappa of 0.16 (95% CI: 0.12–0.20). Providers using the tool expressed improved understanding of previous cultures and found the tool easy to use (P < .001). Secondary outcomes showed no differences in prescribing practices.ConclusionA visual representation of culture sensitivities improves comprehension when compared to standard text-based representations.     

Anxiety,depression, and stress in caregivers of children and adolescents with mental disorders in Ghana and implications for medication adherence

ObjectiveThis study assessed levels of anxiety, depression, and stress among family caregivers of children and adolescents with mental disorders in Ghana and the implication on medication adherence.DesignA cross-sectional study.SettingThe study was conducted at the outpatient departments of the three main public psychiatric hospitals in Ghana.ParticipantsTwo hundred and ten non-paid family caregivers of children and adolescents with mental disorders were recruited for this study.Main Outcome MeasureThe study assessed symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress among the caregivers and estimated caregiver-reported medication adherence.ResultsAbout 56.2%, 66.2% and 78% of the caregivers experienced severe anxiety, severe depression and moderate to severe stress symptoms respectively. From the multiple logistic regression model, while anxiety was significantly affected by religion and education, depression was influenced by sex, age, marital status, proximity to facility, and employment status. Female caregivers had about four times higher odds of being depressed compared to male caregivers (aOR: 3.81, 95% CI: 1.66 – 8.75). The caregiver-reported medication adherence was 11.9%. Anxiety was significantly predictive of medication adherence.ConclusionMost family caregivers of children and adolescents with mental disorders experienced symptoms of anxiety, depression and stress with anxiety having implications for medication adherence. The study findings underscore the need to consider psychological characteristics of caregivers and the provision of mental health support for them, as part of the routine health care for children and adolescents with mental disorders.FundingNone indicated     

The characteristics,management, and aftercare of patients with suicide attempts who attended the emergency department of a general hospital in northern Taiwan

BackgroundSuicide is a serious public health problem worldwide. The emergency department (ED) is often the first place of contact with medical and mental health care for suicidal patients. This study aimed to determine the characteristics, management, and aftercare of patients who attempted suicide and then were taken to the ED of a general hospital in Taipei, Taiwan.MethodsOur study was a cross-sectional retrospective study that consecutively recruited patients with suicide attempts attended to the ED of a general hospital from June 2004 to May 2005. The patients' medical information and records pertaining to their emergency visit were subsequently reviewed.ResultsOverall, 481 persons were recruited into our study. The male:female ratio of total surviving attempters was approximately 1:4 and the average age was 33.6 [standard deviation (SD) 12.3] years. The most frequently observed general characteristics from which participants suffered were mental illness (73.1%) and interpersonal problems (76.1%). Nearly all patients (91.7%) received ED on-site psychosocial assessments from social workers (SWs) and psychiatrists in 84.2% and 53.4% of cases, respectively. Less than half of patients (45.1%) were referred to psychiatric outpatient aftercare, and only 26.1% contacted the psychiatric outpatient clinics after discharge from the ED. The stated reasons for psychiatric outpatient referral were associated with interpersonal problems, current psychiatric illness, the ED on-site psychiatrist consultation, and admission to medical, surgical, or psychiatric wards. However, individuals with interpersonal problems, previous psychiatric intervention, and ED on-site psychiatrist consultation were significantly more likely to attend outpatient psychiatric aftercare.ConclusionIndividuals who harmed themselves had a high rate of psychiatric morbidity and interpersonal problems. However, their adherence to psychiatric outpatient aftercare was low. Improved identification of the needs of patients with suicidal tendencies who did not attend outpatient services will have implications for future services provided to this patient population, and will better enable medical personnel to most effectively assist in suicide attempt interventions.     

Association between Ambient Air Pollution and Outpatient Visits for Acute Bronchitis in a Chinese City

Objective To investigate the short-term association between outdoor air pollution and outpatient visits for acute bronchitis,which is a rare subject of research in the mainland of China.Methods A time-series analysis was conducted to examine the association of outdoor air pollutants with hospital outpatient visits in Shanghai by using two-year daily data(2010-2011).Results Outdoor air pollution was found to be associated with an increased risk of outpatient visits for acute bronchitis in Shanghai.The effect estimates of air pollutants varied with the lag structures of the concentrations of the pollutants.For lag06,a 10 μg/m3 increase in the concentrations of PM10,SO2,and NO2 corresponded to 0.94%(95% CI:0.83%,1.05%),11.12%(95% CI:10.76%,11.48%),and 4.84%(95% CI:4.49%,5.18%) increases in hospital visits for acute bronchitis,respectively.These associations appeared to be stronger in females(P0.05).Between-age differences were significant for SO2(P0.05),and between-season differences were also significant for SO2(P0.05).Conclusion Our analyses have provided the first evidence that the current air pollution level in China has an effect on acute bronchitis and that the rationale for further limiting air pollution levels in Shanghai should be strengthened.     

Characteristics and effects of nurse dosing over-rides on computer-based intensive insulin therapy protocol performance

Objective

To determine characteristics and effects of nurse dosing over-rides of a clinical decision support system (CDSS) for intensive insulin therapy (IIT) in critical care units.

Design

Retrospective analysis of patient database records and ethnographic study of nurses using IIT CDSS.

Measurements

The authors determined the frequency, direction—greater than recommended (GTR) and less than recommended (LTR)— and magnitude of over-rides, and then compared recommended and over-ride doses'' blood glucose (BG) variability and insulin resistance, two measures of IIT CDSS associated with mortality. The authors hypothesized that rates of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia would be greater for recommended than over-ride doses. Finally, the authors observed and interviewed nurse users.

Results

5.1% (9075) of 179 452 IIT CDSS doses were over-rides. 83.4% of over-ride doses were LTR, and 45.5% of these were ≥50% lower than recommended. In contrast, 78.9% of GTR doses were ≤25% higher than recommended. When recommended doses were administered, the rate of hypoglycemia was higher than the rate for GTR (p=0.257) and LTR (p=0.033) doses. When recommended doses were administered, the rate of hyperglycemia was lower than the rate for GTR (p=0.003) and LTR (p<0.001) doses. Estimates of patients'' insulin requirements were higher for LTR doses than recommended and GTR doses. Nurses reported trusting IIT CDSS overall but appeared concerned about recommendations when administering LTR doses.

Conclusion

When over-riding IIT CDSS recommendations, nurses overwhelmingly administered LTR doses, which emphasized prevention of hypoglycemia but interfered with hyperglycemia control, especially when BG was >150 mg/dl. Nurses appeared to consider the amount of a recommended insulin dose, not a patient''s trend of insulin resistance, when administering LTR doses overall. Over-rides affected IIT CDSS protocol performance.     

A retrospective evaluation of the quality of malaria case management at twelve health facilities in four districts in Zambia

ObjectiveTo establish the appropriateness of malaria case management at health facility level in four districts in Zambia.MethodsThis study was a retrospective evaluation of the quality of malaria case management at health facilities in four districts conveniently sampled to represent both urban and rural settings in different epidemiological zones and health facility coverage. The review period was from January to December 2008. The sample included twelve lower level health facilities from four districts. The Pearson Chi-square test was used to identify characteristics which affected the quality of case management.ResultsOut of 4891 suspected malaria cases recorded at the 12 health facilities, more than 80% of the patients had a temperature taken to establish their fever status. About 67% (CI₉₅ 66.1-68.7) were tested for parasitemia by either rapid diagnostic test or microscopy, whereas the remaining 22.5% (CI₉₅ 21.3.1-23.7) were not subjected to any malaria test. Of the 2247 malaria cases reported (complicated and uncomplicated), 71% were parasitologically confirmed while 29% were clinically diagnosed (unconfirmed). About 56% (CI₉₅ 53.9-58.1) of the malaria cases reported were treated with artemether-lumefantrine (AL), 35% (CI₉₅ 33.1-37.0) with sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine, 8% (CI₉₅ 6.9-9.2) with quinine and 1% did not receive any anti-malarial. Approximately 30% of patients WHO were found negative for malaria parasites were still prescribed an anti-malarial, contrary to the guidelines. There were marked inter-district variations in the proportion of patients in WHOm a diagnostic tool was used, and in the choice of anti-malarials for the treatment of malaria confirmed cases. Association between health worker characteristics and quality of case malaria management showed that nurses performed better than environmental health technicians and clinical officers on the decision whether to use the rapid diagnostic test or not. Gender, in service training on malaria, years of residence in the district and length of service of the health worker at the facility were not associated with diagnostic and treatment choices.ConclusionsMalaria case management was characterised by poor adherence to treatment guidelines. The non-adherence was mainly in terms of: inconsistent use of confirmatory tests (rapid diagnostic test or microscopy) for malaria; prescribing anti-malarials which are not recommended (e.g. sulphadoxine-pyrimethamine) and prescribing anti-malarials to cases testing negative. Innovative approaches are required to improve health worker adherence to diagnosis and treatment guidelines.     

Assessing the Sensibility of Two Clinical Decision Support Systems

Clinicians in Emergency Medicine (EM) are increasingly exposed to guidelines and treatment recommendations. To help access and recall these recommendations, electronic Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) have been developed. This study examined the use and sensibility of two CDSS designed for emergency physicians. CDDS for community acquired pneumonia (CAP) and neutropenic fever (NF) were developed by multidisciplinary teams and have been accessed via an intranet-based homepage (eCPG) for several years. Sensibility is a term coined by Feinstein that describes common sense aspects of a survey instrument. It was modified by emergency researchers to include four main headings: (1) Appropriateness; (2) Objectivity; (3) Content; and (4) Discriminative Power. Sensibility surveys were developed using an iterative approach for both the CAP and NF CDSS and distributed to all 25 emergency physicians at one Canadian site. The overall response rate was 88%. Respondents were 88% male and 83% were less than 40; all were attending EM physicians with specialty designations. A number reported never having used the CAP (21%) or NF (33%) CDSS; 54% (CAP) and 21% (NF) of respondents had used the respective CDSS less than 10 times. Overall, both CDSS were rated highly by users with a mean response of 4.95 (SD 0.56) for CAP and 5.62 (SD 0.62) for NF on a seven-point Likert scale. The majority or respondents (CAP 59%, NF 80%) felt that the NF CDSS was more likely than the CAP CDSS to decrease the chances of making a medical error in medication dose, antibiotic choice or patient disposition (4.61 vs. 5.81, p=0.008). Despite being in place for several years, CDSS for CAP and NF are not used by all EM clinicians. Users were generally satisfied with the CDSS and felt that the NF was more likely than the CAP CDSS to decrease medical errors. Additional research is required to determine the barriers to CDSS use.     

Contemporary management and outcomes of infective tunnelled haemodialysis catheter-related right atrial thrombi: a case series and literature review

INTRODUCTIONInfective haemodialysis catheter-related right atrial thrombus (CRAT) is a complication of tunnelled catheter use. Management recommendations are based mainly on published case series prior to 2011. We report our institution’s recent experience in managing infective haemodialysis CRAT and correlate treatment with outcomes.METHODSWe conducted a retrospective analysis of haemodialysis CRAT cases diagnosed on transthoracic echocardiography between 1 January 2011 and 31 December 2017. Clinical outcomes, including mortality at 180 days post diagnosis and thrombus resolution, were traced from electronic medical records.RESULTSThere were 14 cases identified. The median age was 59 (range 47–88) years and 11 (78.6%) were male. Sepsis was the most common reason for hospitalisation (71.4%). Blood cultures identified Staphylococcus aureus in seven cases, of which two were methicillin-resistant. Three had coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. All cases received antibiotics with infectious disease physician input. Seven were treated with catheter removal alone, of which three died within 180 days. Both cases treated with catheter removal plus anticoagulation survived at 180 days. Of the two cases who had anticoagulation without catheter removal, one died within 180 days and the other did not have thrombus resolution. Three underwent surgical thrombus removal, of which two died postoperatively and the last required repeated operations and prolonged hospitalisation. Mortality at 180 days post diagnosis was 42.9%.CONCLUSIONCatheter removal and anticoagulation are modestly effective. Surgery is associated with poor outcomes. Despite contemporary management, infective haemodialysis CRAT still results in high mortality. Prospective studies are needed to identify the optimal management.     

江苏某农村地区实施家庭督导提高高血压治疗依从性的干预试验

目的 探讨家庭成员督导对提高高血压治疗依从性的效果.方法 以江苏省扬中市为研究现场,采用社区试验设计将554例原发性高血压患者随机分为两组.对照组288例接受常规高血压管理措施,干预组266例接受家庭成员督导干预,比较两组依从性和行为的变化情况.结果 12个月末时干预组血压测量频率≥1次/月的比例为96.24%,服药依从率65.97%,食盐摄入减少率87.59%;对照组血压测量频率≥1次/月的比例为74.73%.服药依从率77.07%,食盐摄入减少率75.44%.结论 家庭成员督导对于提高高血压患者治疗依从性和促进膳食行为改变具有应用价值.     

Measles Virus IgG Avidity Assay for Use in Identification of Measles Vaccine Failures in Tianjin,China

Objective To identify measles vaccine failures in Tianjin, China using a measles virus Ig G avidity assay.Methods The China Information System for Disease Control and Prevention(CISDCP) was used to collect information about measles cases and blood specimens in Tianjin from 2013 to 2015. Measlesspecific Ig M and Ig G antibodies were detected using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay(ELISA).Avidity testing for measles Ig G was performed using a commercial enzyme immunoassay(EIA).Results A total of 284 confirmed measles cases were identified. Of this total, 262(92.25%) were in patients aged ≥ 20 years. High avidity was exhibited in 172(60.56%) cases, while 80(28.17%) cases demonstrated low avidity. High avidity was detected in only 21.43% of cases in patients aged 1 year.The proportion of high avidity increased with age, and was significantly higher in patients aged 30–39 years at 70.07%(χ~2 = 17.27, P = 0.002). Of the 52 measles cases in patients with a history of vaccinations,41(78.85%) cases showed high avidity, indicating secondary vaccine failures(SVF). In these vaccinations,there was no significant difference(P 0.05) in clinical severity between high avidity and low avidity cases. However, regardless of vaccination status, clinical severity was significantly lower in high avidity cases(P 0.001) than in low avidity cases. The percentages of positive measles Ig M results in high avidity and low avidity cases were 66.28% and 91.25%, respectively. Geometric Mean Concentration(GMC) was significantly lower in high avidity cases at 33.73 U/m L, compared to 166.07 U/m L in low avidity cases.Conclusions Low clinical severity and inconclusive Ig M antibody results are more likely in high avidity measles cases. Measles cases were more common in adults. Therefore, a further dose of vaccines should be recommended for 30–39 years in Tianjin.     

Phosphate binders usage,patients knowledge,and adherence: A cross-sectional study in 4 centers at Qassim,Saudi Arabia

Objectives:To assess phosphate binders’ usage, knowledge regarding their utilization, and adherence among hemodialysis patients in Qassim, Saudi Arabia.Methods:A prospective cross-sectional study conducted at 4 dialysis centers in Qassim, Saudi Arabia with inclusion of 237 patients’ undergoing hemodialysis between November 2018 to January 2019. The study involved interviewing the patients, reviewing their medical records for biomarkers used to assess kidney function, and assessing the patients’ knowledge-based regarding dietary phosphate control, as well as adherence to phosphate binders’ usage.Results:Out of 237 included patients, male to female ratio was 54:46. The prevalence of prescribing non-calcium phosphate binders was 82.7% whereas prescribing calcium phosphate binders was 73.8%. A total of 63% of patients showed a medium level of adherence to phosphate binders. Although adherence level was not poor, therapeutic efficacy was affected by other factors such as administration time adherence positively correlated with the serum phosphate level (p=0.00).Conclusion:Phosphate binders usage is frequent among hemodialysis patients in Qassim centers. Circulating phosphate level was affected by the extent of patients’ knowledge of dietary control and adherence to the usage of phosphate binders. Thus, we recommend enhancing patient education in reference to high- and low- phosphate-rich diet to take wise dietary decisions, lower pill burden, and improve adherence toward the control of hyperphosphatemia