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Biomedical subjects

D A Redelmeier

Publications and source records attributed to D A Redelmeier.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2006

The impact of home nocturnal hemodialysis on end-stage renal disease therapies: a decision analysis.

Home nocturnal hemodialysis (HNHD) is cost-effective relative to in-center hemodialysis (IHD) in short-run analyses. The effect in long-run analyses, when technique failures, declining benefits, delayed training, transplantation and death are considered, is unknown. We used decision analysis techniques to examine the relative cost-effectiveness of HNHD and IHD, projecting future costs and health effects over a lifetime with end-stage renal disease. We developed a Markov state-transition model comparing two strategies: only IHD or starting on IHD and subsequently transferring to HNHD. The model incorporates transplantation. In the base case, half the population was eligible for transplantation, with (1/3) of grafts from live donors. The time to transplant was 0.75 years for live and 5 years for deceased donor transplants. The delay before initiation of HNHD was 5 years. Costs and outcomes were discounted at 3% per annum. Model parameters were derived from a literature review. We also conducted one-way sensitivity analyses and Monte Carlo simulations. The HNHD strategy was associated with a quality-adjusted survival estimate of 5.79 quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), with lifetime costs of $538 094. The values for IHD were 5.31 QALYs and $543 602, respectively. Thus, HNHD is cost saving while improving quality of life. The incremental cost-utility ratio was consistently less than $50 000 per QALY in sensitivity and Monte Carlo analyses. Important determinants of cost-effectiveness were transplantation time and whether benefits declined over time. Our model suggests that HNHD improves quality-adjusted survival over IHD at an economically attractive cost-effectiveness ratio.

Cost-Benefit Analysis↗
PubMed2004

Assessing damage in individual joints in rheumatoid arthritis: a new method based on the Larsen system.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate observer agreement using the Larsen system (LS) and a Modified Larsen system (ML) when assessing individual joints of the hands and wrists in rheumatoid arthritis, and to compare the two systems. To determine the minimally important difference (MID) for the ML. METHODS: Thirty radiographs of hands and wrists from 10 patients who presented with RA were graded by two blinded observers, using the LS and then the ML. Patients were followed for a mean of 7.2 years (range: 4-10 years). Inter- and intra-observer agreement were calculated using the kappa statistic with linear incremental weights. Inter-observer agreement was also computed for the summed score, using an intraclass correlation coefficient. Inter-observer error was estimated by calculating the mean and standard deviation of the grading differences between the two observers. Prevalence of damage was calculated as a ratio of damage: no damage and expressed as a percentage. Pairs of radiographs were comparatively graded using a seven-point Likert scale. RESULTS: The kappa statistic for inter-observer agreement was 0.38 (marginal reproducibility) for the LS and 0.52 (good reproducibility) for the ML (P = 0.004). Using a difference of one grade as perfect agreement, it was 0.56 (good reproducibility) for the LS and 0.87 (excellent reproducibility) for the ML (P = 0.001). Intra-observer agreement was high in both systems. The distribution of ML-grade differences varied according to the level of the Likert scale: for "a little bit worse", representing the smallest amount of detectable damage progression, the distribution differences peaked around two grades. This value represented a MID 87% of the time. CONCLUSIONS: The LS lacks precision for individual joints. The ML, it is proposed, has more detailed definitions of grades, and is more reliable. When pairs of radiographs were compared, a two-grade difference on the ML was the MID.

Arthritis, Rheumatoid↗
PubMed2001

Mortality among patients admitted to hospitals on weekends as compared with weekdays.

BACKGROUND: The level of staffing in hospitals is often lower on weekends than on weekdays, despite a presumably consistent day-to-day burden of disease. It is uncertain whether in-hospital mortality rates among patients with serious conditions differ according to whether they are admitted on a weekend or on a weekday. METHODS: We analyzed all acute care admissions from emergency departments in Ontario, Canada, between 1988 and 1997 (a total of 3,789,917 admissions). We compared in-hospital mortality among patients admitted on a weekend with that among patients admitted on a weekday for three prespecified diseases: ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm (5454 admissions), acute epiglottitis (1139), and pulmonary embolism (11,686) and for three control diseases: myocardial infarction (160,220), intracerebral hemorrhage (10,987), and acute hip fracture (59,670), as well as for the 100 conditions that were the most common causes of death (accounting for 1,820,885 admissions). RESULTS: Weekend admissions were associated with significantly higher in-hospital mortality rates than were weekday admissions among patients with ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysms (42 percent vs. 36 percent, P<0.001), acute epiglottitis (1.7 percent vs. 0.3 percent, P=0.04), and pulmonary embolism (13 percent vs. 11 percent, P=0.009). The differences in mortality persisted for all three diagnoses after adjustment for age, sex, and coexisting disorders. There were no significant differences in mortality between weekday and weekend admissions for the three control diagnoses. Weekend admissions were also associated with significantly higher mortality rates for 23 of the 100 leading causes of death and were not associated with significantly lower mortality rates for any of these conditions. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with some serious medical conditions are more likely to die in the hospital if they are admitted on a weekend than if they are admitted on a weekday.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2001

Availability of antidotes at acute care hospitals in Ontario.

BACKGROUND: Acutely poisoned patients sometimes require immediate treatment with an antidote, and delays in treatment can be fatal. We sought to determine the availability of 10 antidotes at acute care hospitals in Ontario. METHODS: Mailed questionnaire with repeated reminders to pharmacy directors at all acute care hospitals in Ontario. RESULTS: Responses were obtained from 179 (97%) of 184 hospitals. Only 9% of the hospitals stocked an adequate supply of digoxin immune Fab antibody fragments, a life-saving antidote for patients with severe digoxin toxicity, whereas most of the hospitals stocked sufficient supplies of ipecac syrup (88%) and flumazenil (92%), arguably the least crucial antidotes in the survey. Only 1 hospital stocked adequate amounts of all 10 antidotes. Certain hospital characteristics were associated with adequate antidote stocking (increased annual emergency department volume, teaching hospital status and designation as a trauma centre). Conversely, antidote supplies were particularly deficient at small hospitals and, paradoxically, geographically isolated facilities (those most reliant on their own inventory). The cost of antidotes correlated only weakly with stocking rates, and many examples of excessive antidote stocking were identified. INTERPRETATION: Most acute care hospitals in Ontario do not stock even minimally adequate amounts of several emergency antidotes, possibly jeopardizing the survival of an acutely poisoned patient. Much of this problem could be rectified at no additional cost by reducing excessive stock of expensive antidotes and redistributing the resources to acquire deficient antidotes.

Antidotes↗
PubMed2001

Problems for clinical judgement: 4. Surviving in the report card era.

Health care report cards involve comparisons of health care systems, hospitals or clinicians on performance measures. They are going to be an important feature of medical care in Canada in the new millennium as patients demand more information about their medical care. Although many clinicians are aware of this growing trend, they may not be prepared for all of its implications. In this article, we provide some historical background on health care report cards and describe a number of strategies to help clinicians survive and thrive in the report card era. We offer a number of tips ranging from knowing your outcomes first to proactively getting involved in developing report cards.

Canada↗
PubMed2001

Survival in Academy Award-winning actors and actresses.

BACKGROUND: Social status is an important predictor of poor health. Most studies of this issue have focused on the lower echelons of society. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether the increase in status from winning an academy award is associated with long-term mortality among actors and actresses. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort analysis. SETTING: Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. PARTICIPANTS: All actors and actresses ever nominated for an academy award in a leading or a supporting role were identified (n = 762). For each, another cast member of the same sex who was in the same film and was born in the same era was identified (n = 887). MEASUREMENTS: Life expectancy and all-cause mortality rates. RESULTS: All 1649 performers were analyzed; the median duration of follow-up time from birth was 66 years, and 772 deaths occurred (primarily from ischemic heart disease and malignant disease). Life expectancy was 3.9 years longer for Academy Award winners than for other, less recognized performers (79.7 vs. 75.8 years; P = 0.003). This difference was equal to a 28% relative reduction in death rates (95% CI, 10% to 42%). Adjustment for birth year, sex, and ethnicity yielded similar results, as did adjustments for birth country, possible name change, age at release of first film, and total films in career. Additional wins were associated with a 22% relative reduction in death rates (CI, 5% to 35%), whereas additional films and additional nominations were not associated with a significant reduction in death rates. CONCLUSION: The association of high status with increased longevity that prevails in the public also extends to celebrities, contributes to a large survival advantage, and is partially explained by factors related to success.

Achievement↗
PubMed2001

Problems for clinical judgement: 3. Thinking clearly in an emergency.

The resuscitation of a patient in extremis is frequently characterized by chaos and disorganization, and is one of the most stressful situations in medicine. We reviewed selected studies from the fields of anesthesia, emergency medicine and critical care that address the process of responding to a critically ill patient. Individual clinicians can improve their performance by increased exposure to emergencies during training and by the incorporation of teamwork, communication and crisis resource management principles into existing critical care courses. Team performance may be enhanced by assessing personality factors when selecting personnel for high-stress areas, explicit assignment of roles, ensuring a common "culture" in the team and routine debriefings. Over-reliance on technology and instinct at the expense of systematic responses should be avoided. Better training and teamwork may allow for clearer thinking in emergencies, so that knowledge can be translated into effective action and better patient outcomes.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2001

Problems for clinical judgement: 2. Obtaining a reliable past medical history.

Ordinary human reasoning may lead patients to provide an unreliable history of past experiences because of errors in comprehension, recall, evaluation and expression. Comprehension of a question may change depending on the definition of periods of time and prior questions. Recall fails through the loss of relevant information, the fabrication of misinformation and distracting cues. Evaluations may be mistaken because of the "halo effect" and a reluctance to change personal beliefs. Expression is influenced by social culture and the environment. These errors can also occur when patients report a history of present illness, but they tend to be more prominent with experiences that are more remote. An awareness of these specific human fallibilities might help clinicians avoid some errors when eliciting a patient's past medical history.

Diagnostic Errors↗
PubMed2001

Problems for clinical judgement: 1. Eliciting an insightful history of present illness.

This article presents the results of a review of studies of psychology that describe how ordinary human reasoning may lead patients to provide an unreliable history of present illness. Patients make errors because of mistakes in comprehension, recall, evaluation and expression. Comprehension of a question changes depending on ambiguities in the language used and conversational norms. Recall fails through the forgetting of relevant information and through automatic shortcuts to memory. Evaluation can be mistaken because of shifting social comparisons and faulty personal beliefs. Expression is influenced by moods and ignoble failures. We suggest that an awareness of how people report current symptoms and events is an important clinical skill that can be enhanced by knowledge of selected studies in psychology. These insights might help clinicians avoid mistakes when eliciting a patient's history of present illness.

Humans↗
PubMed2001

Major trauma in elderly adults receiving lipid-lowering medications.

BACKGROUND: Some clinical trials, laboratory experiments, and in vitro studies suggest that lipid-lowering medications predispose a person to traumatic injury. METHODS: We used population-based administrative database analysis to study adults age 65 years or more over a 5-year interval (n = 1,348,259). RESULTS: About 12% of the cohort received a prescription for a lipid-lowering medication and about 88% did not. The two groups had similar distributions of age, gender, and income. Overall, 2,557 (0.2%) were hospitalized for major trauma. Those who received a lipid-lowering medication were 39% less likely to sustain a major trauma than those who did not receive such medication (95% confidence interval, 29 to 47). Similar results were observed after adjustment for age, gender, and income; cardiac and neurologic medications; and lethality. No other cardiac or neurologic medication was associated with an apparent safety advantage. CONCLUSION: Lipid-lowering medications do not lead to a clinically important increase in the absolute risk of major trauma for elderly patients in the community.

Age Distribution↗
PubMed2001

Emergency department overcrowding following systematic hospital restructuring: trends at twenty hospitals over ten years.

OBJECTIVE: Hospital restructuring often results in fewer inpatient beds, increased ambulatory services, and closures of hospitals or emergency departments (EDs). The authors sought to determine the impact of systematic hospital restructuring on ED overcrowding. METHODS: Time series analyses of average monthly overcrowding for EDs in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, from 1991 and 2000 (n = 20 hospitals, 120 months) were conducted. Autoregression models evaluated the rate of increase of overcrowding before and during systematic restructuring. A secondary analysis included total ED visits, patient age, and sex distribution as covariates. Seasonality was assessed by means of spectral analysis. RESULTS: Severe and moderate overcrowding averaged 3% and 14% of the time each month, respectively, over the whole period. Before restructuring (n = 74 months), severe and moderate overcrowding averaged 0.5% and 9% per month, respectively; during restructuring (n = 46 months), the monthly averages were 6% and 23%, respectively. Neither severe nor moderate overcrowding was increasing before restructuring. During restructuring, however, both increased significantly (severe 0.2% per month [p < 0.0001]; moderate 0.5% per month [p < 0.0001]). Similar results were found after controlling for ED utilization. Female gender independently predicted increased overcrowding; older age predicted reduced moderate overcrowding; number of total visits was not a predictor. Spectral analysis revealed significant seasonality in overcrowding. CONCLUSIONS: Hospital restructuring was associated with increased ED overcrowding, even after controlling for utilization and patient demographics. Restructuring should proceed slowly to allow time for monitoring of its effects and modification of the process, because the impact of incremental reductions in hospital resources may be magnified as maximum operating capacity is approached.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Microalbuminuria screening for patients having type 2 diabetes mellitus: who wants to participate?

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: "Difficult-to-recruit" patients are sometimes less compliant with their care, are more reluctant to seek medical attention and less likely to survive than their "easy-to-recruit" counterparts. They also tend to be excluded from clinical trials. The aim of this paper was to evaluate whether such differences extend to patients' willingness to be screened for diabetic nephropathy in a family practice setting. DESIGN: A cross-sectional study. SETTING: A Canadian university family practice unit. PATIENTS: Two hundred and forty-seven patients with type 2 (adult-onset) diabetes mellitus as identified by computer searches of patient records of approximately 12,000 patients in the family practice unit. INTERVENTION: A cross-sectional secondary preventive screening program obtained urine samples from all patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus, regardless of patients' willingness to participate. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: The prevalence of micro- and macroalbuminuria. RESULTS: Of the 247 patients identified, 186 (75%) easy-to-recruit enrollees agreed to participate in screening and 61 (25%) difficult-to-recruit non-enrollees initially declined to be screened. The non-enrollees were subsequently evaluated by their own family physicians as part of routine clinical care and the results were captured for analysis. Overall rates of albuminuria were similar in the easy- and difficult-to-recruit groups (31% versus 38%, p = 0.151). The main predictors of albuminuria were female sex (odds ratio [OR] = 2.1, p = 0.021), duration of diabetes in years (OR = 1.05, p = 0.023), current use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (OR = 2.26, p = 0.008) and number of diabetic complications (OR = 1.45, p = 0.028). CONCLUSIONS: There is little difference in the prevalence of albuminuria related to patients' willingness to participate in a screening program. Therefore, there are no disproportionate gains for family practice researchers who aggressively seek difficult-to-recruit patients in this set ting. In contrast, primary care doctors should make every effort to ensure optimal care to diabetic patients regardless of a patient's initial hesitancy.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

How to read clinical journals: X. How to react when your colleagues haven't read a thing.

Physicians receive little instruction on how to interact with colleagues, and even less guidance on what to do when their colleagues are poorly informed. Eight techniques are presented here that may be of use in dealing with colleagues who have clearly not read the literature and are unable to maintain the facade that they have. If employed properly and used judiciously, these techniques may help avoid embarrassment for all and may also improve the exchange of valuable information between professionals.

Humans↗
PubMed2000

Quality of life and utility in irradiated laryngeal cancer patients.

PURPOSE: To determine quality of life (QOL) and health utility in irradiated laryngeal cancer survivors. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Over 6 months, consecutive follow-up patients at a comprehensive cancer centre completed the QOL questionnaire FACT-H&N and the time trade-off (TTO) utility instrument. RESULTS: Inclusion criteria were met by 339 patients, of whom 269 were eligible, 245 were approached, and 120 agreed to participate. Most participants were men (83%) who had received radiotherapy (97%) for Stage I disease (53%) of the glottis (75%); 7% had undergone total laryngectomy. Participants differed from nonparticipants only in being younger (mean age, 65 vs. 68 years, p = 0.0049) and having higher performance status (Karnofsky 88 vs. 84, p = 0.0012). The average scores for FACT-H&N and the TTO were 124/144 (SD, 14) and 0.90/1.0 (SD, 0.16) respectively. FACT-H&N score was more highly correlated with Karnofsky score (r = 0.43, p = 0.001) than with the TTO (r = 0.29, p = 0.002). Gender predicted QOL (means: M = 125, F = 118), while natural speech, no relapses, and more time since initial treatment predicted higher utility. CONCLUSION: The QOL of irradiated laryngeal cancer survivors was reasonably high and independent of initial disease variables. The QOL questionnaire correlated more strongly with performance status than with utility, suggesting that QOL and utility measures may be perceived differently by patients.

Aged↗