Laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication offers high patient satisfaction with relief of extraesophageal symptoms of gastroesophageal reflux disease

Nissen fundoplication is applied for patients with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), usually because of symptoms of esophageal injury. When presenting symptoms are extraesophageal, there is less enthusiasm for operative control of reflux because of concerns of etiology and efficacy. This study was undertaken to evaluate the efficacy of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication in palliating extraesophageal symptoms of GERD. Patients were asked to score their symptoms before and after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication on a Likert scale (0 = never/none to 5 = always/every time I eat). A total of 322 patients with extraesophageal symptoms (asthma, cough, gas/bloat, chest pain, and odynophagia) of 4 to 5 were identified and analyzed. After fundoplication, all extraesophageal symptom scores improved (P < 0.0001 for all, Wilcoxon matched-pairs test). Likewise, postoperative symptoms were noted to be greatly improved or resolved in 67 per cent to 82 per cent of patients for each symptom. Furthermore, after fundoplication, patients were less likely to modify their dietary (82% vs 49%) or sleeping habits (70% vs 28%) to avoid initiating/ exacerbating symptoms. Although extraesophageal symptoms are conventionally thought to be inadequately palliated by surgery, this study documents excellent relief of extraesophageal symptoms after laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication, denotes high patient satisfaction, and encourages application of laparoscopic Nissen fundoplication.     

How does feedback from patients impact upon healthcare student clinical skill development and learning? A systematic review

Background: A key feature of health professionals’ training, irrespective of discipline, is the acquisition and application of clinical and communication skills. Despite this, little is known about the potential role of patient feedback on this process. This systematic review aimed to answer the question: How does feedback from patients impact upon healthcare student clinical skill development and learning?

Design: Systematic review of published literature.

Methods: Electronic databases were searched for studies that explored the effects of patient feedback on student learning and were published before March 2016. Eligible articles underwent methodological evaluation using the McMaster University Critical Evaluation Forms and data extraction.

Results: A total of 237 articles were retrieved following searches of electronic databases and hand searches of reference lists. Twelve (7 quantitative, 2 qualitative, 3 mixed methods) studies met the inclusion criteria. Eleven studies reported that patient feedback improved students’ clinical skills.

Conclusion: Minimal research has explored the impact of patient feedback on student learning. The research to date suggests that direct feedback from patients may be beneficial for the development of students’ communication and clinical skills; however, the wide variety of evaluation methods and the lack of validated tools for patients to provide feedback suggest that further exploration is warranted.     

Dermatotoxicologic clinical solutions: clinical management of fragrance mix #1 #2 patients?

Today’s fragrances are present in more than just perfumes, having become ubiquitous in skin care products such as creams, shampoos, sun tan lotion and deodorants. While aromatics can arouse the senses, aromatic compounds applied to skin can also cause allergic contact dermatitis. This article describes diagnosis, limitations of patch testing for fragrance mix 1 and fragrance mix 2, the relevance of fragrance concentration in products, use testing of common consumer products and our current recommendations in regards to the management of fragrance contact allergy.     

Is 30-Day Mortality after Admission for Heart Failure an Appropriate Metric for Quality?

Background

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) model for publicly reporting national 30-day-risk-adjusted mortality rates for patients admitted with heart failure fails to include clinical variables known to impact total mortality or take into consideration the culture of end-of-life care. We sought to determine if those variables were related to the 30-day mortality of heart failure patients at Geisinger Medical Center.