Emotional quality-of-life and outcomes in adolescents with asthma

OBJECTIVE: Examine the association between emotional quality-of-life (QOL) and asthma morbidity in adolescents with asthma. STUDY DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey of 185 adolescents with asthma 11 to 17 years of age cared for in three managed care organizations (MCOs) in the United States. The asthma-specific Pediatric Asthma Quality of Life Questionnaire (PAQLQ) and a short version of the generic Child Health and Illness Profile-Adolescent Edition (CHIP-AE) were used to assess emotional QOL. Asthma morbidity measures were: asthma control, emergency department (ED) visits, hospitalizations, doctor visits for worsening asthma, and missed school because of asthma. RESULTS: Of the adolescents surveyed, 45% reported feeling depressed, 41% had ED visits, and 30% missed >or=1 day of school because of asthma. Poorer asthma-specific emotional QOL was associated with poorer control of asthma symptoms ( P < .0001), missed school (OR 7.1, P < .05), and doctor visits for worsened asthma (OR = 7.0, P < .05). CONCLUSIONS: Emotional symptoms related to asthma are common in adolescents with persistent asthma and asthma-specific QOL is related to increased asthma morbidity, healthcare use, and school absenteeism. Adolescents with high morbidity from asthma exhibit poorer QOL. Therefore, the evaluation of asthma-specific emotional QOL should be included in the assessment of adolescents with asthma.     

Successful navigation of late career transitions

The purpose of this educational review was to describe the challenges that may face the anesthesiologist near the end of their career and to propose strategies that will enable the individual to continue to be a productive and valued member of their Department, both clinically and by other contributions.     

Efforts to catalogue non-governmental organizations with a role in global burn relief

IntroductionNon-governmental organizations (NGOs) have been instrumental in the treatment of traumatic injuries, including burns, particularly in low- and middle-income counties. The purpose of this project was to catalogue burn injury related NGO activities, describe coordinated efforts, and provide insight to burn health care professionals seeking volunteer opportunities.MethodsEligible burn NGOs were identified through internet searches, literature reviews, and social media. The organizations’ websites were reviewed for eligibility and contact was attempted to confirm details. Global health organizations, including the World Health Organization, were consulted for their viewpoints.ResultsWe identified 27 unique NGOs working in the area of burn care in African countries, all with differing missions, capacities, recruitment methods, and ability to respond to disaster. We also describe 14 global NGOs, some of which accept volunteers. Some NGOs were local, while others were headquartered in western countries.ConclusionsTo our knowledge, this is the first effort towards the establishment of a Burn-NGO catalogue. Challenges included: frequent shifts in geographical regions supported, lack of collaboration among organizations, availability of public information, and austere environments. We invite collaborators to assist in the creation of a comprehensive, interactive and complete catalogue.     

Predictors of MRI Leakage Among Patients Attributed to an Academic Medical Center Commercial Risk-Shared Insurance Contract

PurposeFor health care organizations engaged in risk-shared insurance contracts, leakage of advanced diagnostic imaging to imaging sites not affiliated with the risk-sharing organization may undermine performance on financial and quality metrics. The goal of this study was to identify factors that are predictive of leakage of MRI examinations among patients attributed to an academic health care organization’s risk-shared commercial insurance contract.MethodsAdministrative claims data from 2015 through 2016 for patients attributed to a single risk-shared commercial insurance contract at a large academic medical center (AMC) were analyzed. Primary outcome was MRI leakage: an outpatient MRI study performed at a site not affiliated with the AMC’s integrated health care system. Ordering provider alignment with the AMC’s risk-shared insurance contract was categorized as strong, weak, or none. Multivariate regression analyses were conducted to evaluate the relationship between provider alignment and MRI leakage, while adjusting for selected covariates.ResultsAmong 8,215 patients meeting inclusion criteria, there were 13,272 MRI encounters. The overall proportion of leaked MRI studies was 12.7%. MRI studies ordered by providers with weak AMC alignment (odds ratio, 3.16; 95% confidence interval, 2.49-4.02) or no AMC alignment (odds ratio, 3.68; 95% confidence interval, 3.12-4.33) were more likely to leak than MRI studies ordered by providers with strong AMC alignment.ConclusionsAn ordering provider with no alignment with an AMC’s commercial risk-shared insurance contract was the strongest predictor of MRI leakage. Population health management initiatives aimed at reducing leakage should consider the impact of provider networks and clinical referral patterns that drive imaging utilization.     

Progress in the international protection of human rights

Great progress has been made in the international protection of human rights since 10 December 1948 (when the United Nations General Assembly adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights). Amidst the doom and gloom of the media's reporting of current affairs, it is easy to overlook this progress. This article provides a definition of ‘human rights’ and examines early human rights campaigns. It then considers the areas of progress: human rights are now part of the international political vocabulary, there is a recognition that respect for human rights can assist a country's economic and social development, there has been a growth of human rights treaties and techniques and non‐governmental organizations (NGOs) see protecting human rights as a major activity. State sovereignty has been eroded as national governments are being held accountable to the international community for their human rights policies. A new challenge is to ensure respect for human rights by non‐state entities, such as transnational corporations. The growing culture of international protection of human rights is here to stay. This is not a reason for complacency, but it is a sign of hope.     

Workplace trauma and the law

The law places increasing responsibilities on organizations to protect its workforce from psychological injury. This paper looks at the development of British law relating to traumatic stress and explores a growing concern of clinicians that the law and the legal processes themselves may increase the psychological injury of victims of traumatic stress. The statutory requirement for organizations to provide effective support for employees following a traumatic incident is enshrined in law. However organizations are confused by the conflicting statements on the effectiveness of debriefing and trauma counselling.     

Adenoid cystic breast cancer

BACKGROUND: Adenoid cystic carcinoma is a rare type of breast cancer that is generally reported in individual case reports or as series from major referral centers. To characterize early diagnostic criteria for adenoid cystic carcinoma and to determine whether breast-preserving surgery with radiotherapy is as effective as mastectomy for eradicating the disease, we reviewed clinical records of a large series of patients treated for adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast at a large health maintenance organization (HMO) that includes primary care facilities and referral centers. METHODS: Using the data bank of the Northern California Cancer Registry of the Kaiser Permanente Northern California Region (KPNCR), we retrospectively reviewed medical records of patients treated for adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast. Follow-up also was done for these patients. RESULTS: Adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast was diagnosed in 22 of 27,970 patients treated for breast cancer at KPNCR from 1960 through 2000. All 22 patients were female and were available for follow-up. Mean age of patients at diagnosis was 61 years (range, 37 to 94 years). In 17 (77%) of the women, a lump in the breast led to initial suspicion of a tumor; in 4 (23%) of the 22 patients, mammography led to suspicion of a tumor. Median tumor size was 20 mm. Pain was a prominent symptom. Surgical management evolved from radical and modified radical mastectomy to simple mastectomy or lumpectomy during the study period, during which time 1 patient died of previous ordinary ductal carcinoma of the contralateral breast, and 7 died of unrelated disease. At follow-up, 12 of the 13 remaining patients were free of disease; 1 patient died of the disease; and 1 patient remained alive despite late occurrence of lymph node and pulmonary metastases. CONCLUSIONS: Whether breast-preserving surgery with radiotherapy is as effective as mastectomy for treating adenoid cystic carcinoma of the breast has not been determined.