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N R Powe

Publications and source records attributed to N R Powe.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed2001

Developing a health-related quality-of-life measure for end-stage renal disease: The CHOICE Health Experience Questionnaire.

The Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for End-Stage Renal Disease ([ESRD] CHOICE) Study was designed to evaluate the effectiveness of alternative dialysis prescriptions. As part of CHOICE, we developed an instrument for measuring health-related quality of life (HRQOL) for patients with ESRD that would complement the Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item Short-Form Survey (SF-36) and be sensitive to differences in dialysis modality (hemodialysis [HD] and peritoneal dialysis [PD]) and dialysis dose. The selection of HRQOL domains to be included was based on: (1) a structured literature review of 47 articles describing 53 different instruments; (2) content analysis of five focus groups with HD and PD patients, nephrologists, and other providers; (3) a survey of 110 dialysis providers about features of different modalities that affect patient HRQOL; and (4) a semistructured survey of 25 patients with ESRD on the effects of dialysis on functioning and HRQOL. To help prioritize domains and items identified by these methods, a representative sample of 136 dialysis patients rated each item for frequency and bother. A panel of nephrologists provided advice about the salience of items to modality or dose. Items and scales were selected with a preference for existing measures tested in patients with ESRD and were tested for reliability and validity. The first four steps yielded 22 HRQOL domains that included 96 items: 8 generic domains in the SF-36 (health perceptions, physical, social, physical and emotional role function, pain, mental health, and energy); 8 additional generic domains (cognitive functioning, sexual functioning, sleep, work, recreation, travel, finances, and general quality of life); and 6 ESRD-specific domains (diet, freedom, time, body image, dialysis access [catheters and/or vascular], and symptoms). New items were developed or adapted to assess ESRD-specific domains. Scales for these items showed adequate internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha > 0.70, except for time [alpha = 0.57] and quality of life [alpha = 0.68]), as well as convergent and discriminant construct validity in a sample of 928 patients. The final questionnaire included 21 domains (time was deleted) and 83 items. We have designed a patient-centered instrument, the CHOICE Health Experience Questionnaire, that addresses domains that may be sensitive to differences in dialysis modality and dose and shows evidence for reliability and validity as a measure of HRQOL in ESRD.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Timing of nephrologist referral and arteriovenous access use: the CHOICE Study.

Recent clinical practice guidelines recommend the creation of an arteriovenous (AV) vascular access (ie, native fistula or synthetic graft) before the start of chronic hemodialysis therapy to prevent the need for complication-prone dialysis catheters. We report on the association of referral to a nephrologist with duration of dialysis-catheter use and type of vascular access used in the first 6 months of hemodialysis therapy. The study population is a representative cohort of 356 patients with questionnaire, laboratory, and medical record data collected as part of the Choices for Healthy Outcomes in Caring for End-Stage Renal Disease Center Study. Patients who reported being seen by a nephrologist at least 1 month before starting hemodialysis therapy (75%) were more likely than those referred later to use an AV access at initiation (39% versus 10%; P < 0.001) and 6 months after starting hemodialysis therapy (74% versus 56%; P < 0.01). Patients referred within 1 month of initiating hemodialysis therapy used a dialysis catheter for a median of 202 days compared with 64, 67, and 19 days for patients referred 1 to 4, 4 to 12, and greater than 12 months before initiating hemodialysis therapy, respectively (P trend < 0.001). Patients referred at least 4 months before initiating hemodialysis therapy were more likely than patients referred later to use an AV fistula, rather than a synthetic graft, as their first AV access (45% versus 31%; P < 0.01). These associations remained after adjustment for age, sex, race, marital status, education, insurance coverage, comorbid disease status, albumin level, body mass index, and underlying renal diagnosis. These data show that late referral to a nephrologist substantially increases the likelihood of dialysis-catheter use at the initiation of hemodialysis therapy and is associated with prolonged catheter use. Regardless of the time of referral, only a minority of patients used an AV access at the initiation of treatment, and greater than 25% had not used an AV access 6 months after initiation. Thus, further efforts to improve both referral patterns and preparation for dialysis after referral are needed.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

Factors influencing access to cardiovascular procedures in patients with chronic kidney disease: race, sex, and insurance.

Blacks and women are less likely to undergo invasive cardiac procedures than whites and men in patients with chronic renal disease. We determined the relationship between ethnic and sex differences in access to cardiac procedures as patients progress to ESRD and acquire Medicare insurance. We performed a cohort study of a nationwide random sample of 4,987 patients who progressed to ESRD in 1986 to 1987 and were followed up for 7 years was used. Data were collected from medical charts and Medicare administrative records. Pre-ESRD, the odds of cardiac procedure use were much lower for white women (adjusted odds 0.67 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.49-0.92]), black men (adjusted odds 0.32 [95% CI 0.20-0.49]), and black women (adjusted odds 0.30 [95%CI 0.18-0.50]) compared with white men. After initiating dialysis therapy, the ethnic and sex differences decreased with odds of receiving a cardiac procedure compared with white men 0.88 (95% CI 0.63-1.21) for white women, 0.66 (95% CI 0.47-0.92) for black men, and 0.75 (95% CI 0.53-1.08) for black women. Patients uninsured pre-ESRD had the largest increase in procedure rates at follow-up. The wide pre-ESRD disparities in cardiac procedure use between white women, black men, and black women compared with white men narrowed substantially with acquisition of Medicare and entry into comprehensive dialysis care. Health insurance contributed to the narrowing of differences. Procedure use for black men still lagged behind the other groups, suggesting the need for closer examination of health needs in this potentially vulnerable group.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Income-based disparities in outcomes for patients with chronic kidney disease.

The impact of income on outcomes for patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), who are largely relieved of structural and financial barriers to care, is poorly understood. We conducted a prospective cohort study of 3,165 patients who developed ESRD in the early 1990s to examine whether low-income patients with ESRD have poorer health outcomes than their socioeconomically advantaged counterparts, and, if so, to determine whether greater health insurance can reduce this disparity. We found that increasing neighborhood income was associated with decreased mortality and an increased likelihood of placement on the renal transplant waiting list. The presence of private insurance coverage in addition to Medicare improved rates of listing for transplantation in a graded manner, with the greatest effect among those living in neighborhoods below the 10th percentile of income, but had no effect on socioeconomic disparities in mortality. Our results suggest that low-income patients with ESRD experience persistent financial barriers to transplantation that can be addressed with greater health benefits. However, they also experience higher mortality that is caused by personal and/or environmental factors that differ by social class. Clinicians, researchers, and policymakers must address these social, cultural, psychologic, and environmental determinants of health to improve the survival of patients with ESRD.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Does growth retardation indicate suboptimal clinical care in children with chronic renal disease and those undergoing dialysis?

Growth failure is an important problem for children with end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Patients receiving replacement therapy for longstanding renal failure since childhood are likely to report dissatisfaction with certain aspects of their lives, especially with final adult height. Additionally, recent data suggest that growth failure in children with ESRD is associated with adverse clinical outcomes, including more frequent hospitalizations, and increased mortality. Although poor growth is unlikely to be the cause of this increased morbidity, growth failure may be a marker for a group of patients at high risk of adverse events. In this review, the authors describe the prevalence of growth retardation in children in the US with chronic renal disease, and present recent data on morbidity associated with growth failure. After reviewing published reports documenting available strategies to optimize growth, the authors conclude that despite vigilance and aggressive clinical management, a subset of children with long-term renal insufficiency and ESRD may still have poor linear growth. A discussion of "optimal care" leads one to consider evidence of current variability in the management of growth retardation in ESRD, and the strengths and limitations of developing practice guidelines to optimize growth in this population.

Child↗
PubMed2001

Patterns of ambulatory care use for gynecologic conditions: A national study.

OBJECTIVE: This study was undertaken to describe the site of ambulatory care visits for gynecologic conditions in the United States and to identify patient factors associated with the site of care for these conditions. STUDY DESIGN: We conducted a national cross-sectional study using data from the 1995-1996 National Ambulatory Medical Care and National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Surveys. Visits to private physician offices, hospital outpatient departments, and emergency departments were selected if the principal diagnoses were consistent with 1 of 9 gynecologic categories. Multiple logistic regression was used for all diagnoses to identify factors associated with visits to emergency departments or hospital-based outpatient departments compared with factors associated with visits to private physician offices. Separate regression models were developed for individual diagnoses to test the hypothesis that the factors associated with the site of care would vary across different gynecologic conditions. RESULTS: There were 23,194,000 visits for gynecologic conditions during the 2-year study period. Genital dysplasia, ovarian disorders, and uterine disorders were associated with greater use of hospital outpatient departments and emergency departments compared with physician offices. There was a 30% to 50% reduction in emergency room use for visits by women aged 45 years and older compared with visits by women aged 18 to 29 years. Emergency department use for several gynecologic conditions was 5 to 8 times greater for visits by women with household income <$29,000 than for visits by women with household income > or =$40,000. CONCLUSION: Specific gynecologic diagnoses and patient factors are associated with greater use of emergency departments or hospital outpatient departments compared with physician offices. The association of these factors with the site of care varies across different gynecologic conditions.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2001

A computerized tool for evaluating the effectiveness of preventive interventions.

In identifying appropriate strategies for effective use of preventive services for particular settings or populations, public health practitioners employ a systematic approach to evaluating the literature. Behavioral intervention studies that focus on prevention, however, pose special challenges for these traditional methods. Tools for synthesizing evidence on preventive interventions can improve public health practice. The authors developed a literature abstraction tool and a classification for preventive interventions. They incorporated the tool into a PC-based relational database and user-friendly evidence reporting system, then tested the system by reviewing behavioral interventions for hypertension management. They performed a structured literature search and reviewed 100 studies on behavioral interventions for hypertension management. They abstracted information using the abstraction tool and classified important elements of interventions for comparison across studies. The authors found that many studies in their pilot project did not report sufficient information to allow for complete evaluation, comparison across studies, or replication of the intervention. They propose that studies reporting on preventive interventions should (a) categorize interventions into discrete components; (b) report sufficient participant information; and (c) report characteristics such as intervention leaders, timing, and setting so that public health professionals can compare and select the most appropriate interventions.

Abstracting and Indexing↗
PubMed2001

Evidence-based practice centers: production of evidence report on management of atrial fibrillation.

Healthcare practitioners are increasingly expected to understand and practice evidence-based healthcare. However, to apply evidence-based healthcare methods on an individual basis in a specific clinic or with a specific patient is rarely possible because it is time consuming and requires specialized skills. One way of facilitating evidence-based care is to use evidence-based products produced by others. In 1997, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality designated 12 evidence-based practice centers. Since their inception, these evidence-based practice centers have produced 40 evidence reports. This article provides an overview of the purpose and process of evidence-based practice centers using examples from the first evidence report produced by the Johns Hopkins Evidence-based Practice Center. The steps in the process of developing an evidence report include recruitment of experts, refinement of the questions, design of the literature search plan, quality assessment and data abstraction from identified articles, synthesis of evidence, peer review, and dissemination. Each step is defined and illustrated with examples from the development of an evidence report on atrial fibrillation.

Atrial Fibrillation↗
PubMed2001

Specialty of principal care physician and Medicare expenditures in patients with coronary artery disease: impact of comorbidity and severity.

OBJECTIVE: To explore differences in expenditures for elderly patients with acute and chronic coronary artery disease according to the specialty of the principal care physician. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of Medicare claims. PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 250,514 patients with coronary artery disease (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification [ICD-9-CM] codes 410-414) were drawn from a national random sample of 1992 Medicare expenditures. Patients were classified by the physician type with the highest number of Medicare Part B outpatient claims into a cardiologist group and a generalist group. The outcome was mean total expenditures, stratifying (1) by comorbidity as measured by the modified Charlson Index and (2) by severity defined as the proportion of patients with acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina. RESULTS: Those patients in the cardiologist group had lower comorbidity and higher severity than those in the generalist group. Overall mean expenditures were significantly higher for the cardiologist group than for the generalist group ($7658 vs $6047; P < .001). These differences in mean expenditures were evident at each level of comorbidity. However, when stratified by severity of diagnosis, differences were seen predominantly in those with acute diagnoses. For those with either acute myocardial infarction or unstable angina, the mean expenditures were higher for the cardiologist group than for the combined generalist group ($15,378 vs $12,260; P < .001); however, the mean expenditures for those with only chronic conditions were similar ($4856 vs $4745; P = .53). CONCLUSION: Expenditures were higher when cardiologists were the principal care physicians treating patients with acute disease but not chronic disease.

Acute Disease↗
PubMed2001

Patients, populations and policy: patient outcomes in chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease represents an interesting illustration for evaluating an epidemic of chronic illness, the impact of care processes and technology on health outcomes, the impact of financial incentives and cost containment on health outcomes, and the choices society must consider in responding to a chronic illness. The evidence suggests that strong economic pressures exist in the care of chronic kidney disease and that cost containment is important. The results in large part reflect the impact of economic pressures on clinical decision making in the absence of good evidence on outcomes. To improve clinical decision making we need valid evidence linking specific processes of care to patient outcomes. Specific processes amenable to study include the provision of preventive services, physician and nurse technical and interpersonal care and adherence to clinical practice guidelines. The ESRD Quality Study (EQUAL) currently underway and supported by the National Institutes of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, may help to guide physicians and centers in caring for their patients with chronic kidney disease. This investigation examines the relation between process of care and outcomes and expands outcomes measure to include disease-specific quality-of-life measures and patient satisfaction and accounts for case mix using the Index of Co-Existent Disease, a measure of the extent of different comorbid diseases as well as their severity (18,19,20). Better data on how processes of care are linked to health outcomes can inform decision making and allow educated cost cutting and quality maintenance.

Costs and Cost Analysis↗
PubMed2001

Primary care physician job satisfaction and turnover.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship of personal characteristics, organizational characteristics, and overall job satisfaction to primary care physician (PCP) turnover. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: A cohort of 507 postresident, nonfederally employed PCPs younger than 45 years of age, who completed their medical training between 1982 and 1985, participated in national surveys in 1987 and 1991. Psychological, economic, and sociological theories and constructs provided a conceptual framework. Primary care physician personal, organizational, and overall job satisfaction variables from 1987 were considered independent variables. Turnover-related responses from 1991 were dependent variables. Bivariate and multivariate analyses were conducted. RESULTS: More than half (55%) of all PCPs in the cohort left at least 1 practice between 1987 and 1991. Twenty percent of the cohort left 2 employers. PCPs dissatisfied in 1987 were 2.38 times more likely to leave (P < .001). Primary care physicians who believed that third-party payer influence would decrease in 5 years were 1.29 times more likely to leave (P < .03). Non-board certified PCPs were 1.3 times more likely to leave (P < .003). Primary care physicians who believed that standardized protocols were overused were 1.18 times more likely to leave (P < .05). Specialty, gender, age, race, and practice setting were not associated with PCP turnover. CONCLUSIONS: Turnover was an important phenomenon among PCPs in this cohort. The results of this study could enable policy makers, managed care organizations, researchers, and others to better understand the relationship between job satisfaction and turnover.

Adult↗
PubMed2001

Managed care and primary care physicians' overall career satisfaction.

Salaried employment among primary care physicians (PCPs) is becoming the rule rather than the exception. Because of this trend, the consequences of employment, types of practice revenues and overall career satisfaction will have the greatest impact on this group, their employers, and the populations they serve. This article examines the relationship between managed care contracts, managed care revenues and salaried PCP overall career satisfaction. Proportion of practice revenues from managed care and types of managed care contracts were associated with PCP overall career satisfaction. The implications of these findings and their importance to PCP turnover are discussed.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗
PubMed2000

Relation between prepublication release of clinical trial results and the practice of carotid endarterectomy.

CONTEXT: Little is known about how clinical practice is affected by disseminating results of clinical trials prior to publication in peer-reviewed journals. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether prepublication release of carotid endarterectomy (CEA) trial results via National Institutes of Health Clinical Alerts was associated with prompt changes in patient care that were consistent with the new medical evidence. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PATIENTS: Longitudinal data series analysis using acute care hospital discharge data from the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project for patients who had CEA performed in acute care hospitals in 7 states (New York, California, Pennsylvania, Florida, Colorado, Illinois, and Wisconsin). The trials were the North American Symptomatic Carotid Endarterectomy Trial (NASCET clinical alert released February 1991) and the Asymptomatic Carotid Atherosclerosis Study (ACAS clinical alert released September 1994). MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE: Carotid endarterectomy rate during each month from 1989 (2 years before the NASCET clinical alert) to 1996 (2 years after the ACAS clinical alert), adjusted for age and sex. Because both trials were limited to patients 80 years or younger in hospitals with low mortality, we also stratified CEA rates by patient age and hospital mortality rate. RESULTS: From 1989 through 1996, 272849 CEAs were performed in the acute care hospitals in these 7 states, with the annual number increasing from 22300 to 51 495. Afterthe NASCET clinical alert, the adjusted CEA rate increased 3.4% per month (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.6%-5.3%) during the following 6 months and then increased 0.5% per month (95% CI, 0.2%-0.8%; P<.04) after journal publication of the NASCET study. After the ACAS clinical alert, the CEA rate increased 7.3 % per month (95% CI, 6.0%-8.5%) during the following 7 months and then decreased by 0.44% per month (95% CI, -0.86% to -0.0002%; P<.04) after journal publication of the ACAS study. After the ACAS clinical alert, the CEA rate increased more in patients aged 80 years or older than in younger patients; whereas, after journal publication of ACAS, the CEA rate decreased more rapidly in the older population. The overall proportion of CEAs performed in low-mortality hospitals did not change substantially after release of the clinical alerts or after journal publication. CONCLUSION: In this study, prepublication dissemination of CEA trial results with clinical alerts was associated with prompt and substantial changes in medical practice, but the observed changes suggest that the results were extrapolated to patients and settings not directly supported by the trials.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Cost-utility analysis of the cochlear implant in children.

CONTEXT: Barriers to the use of cochlear implants in children with profound deafness include device costs, difficulty assessing benefit, and lack of data to compare the implant with other medical interventions. OBJECTIVE: To determine the quality of life and cost consequences for deaf children who receive a cochlear implant. DESIGN: Cost-utility analysis using preintervention, postintervention, and cross-sectional surveys conducted from July 1998 to May 2000. SETTING: Hearing clinic at a US academic medical center. PARTICIPANTS: Parents of 78 profoundly deaf children (average age, 7.5 years) who received cochlear implants. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Direct and total cost to society per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY) using the time-trade-off (TTO), visual analog scale (VAS), and Health Utilities Index-Mark III (HUI), discounting costs and benefits 3% annually. Parents rated their child's health state at the time of the survey and immediately before and 1 year before implantation. RESULTS: Recipients had an average of 1.9 years of implant use. Mean VAS scores increased by 0. 27, from 0.59 before implantation to 0.86 at survey. In a subset of participants, TTO scores increased by 0.22, from 0.75 to 0.97 (n = 40) and HUI scores increased by 0.39, from 0.25 to 0.64 (n = 22). Quality-of-life scores were no different 1 year before and immediately before implantation. Discounted direct costs were $60,228, yielding $9,029 per QALY using the TTO, $7,500 per QALY using the VAS, and $5,197 per QALY using the HUI. Including indirect costs such as reduced educational expenses, the cochlear implant provided a savings of $53,198 per child. CONCLUSIONS: Cochlear implants in profoundly deaf children have a positive effect on quality of life at reasonable direct costs and appear to result in a net savings to society. JAMA. 2000;284:850-856

Child↗
PubMed2000

Lack of benefit for intravenous thrombolysis in patients with myocardial infarction who are older than 75 years.

BACKGROUND: The benefit of intravenous thrombolytic therapy in elderly patients with myocardial infarction is uncertain. There are no randomized trials of thrombolytic efficacy or observational studies of clinical effectiveness that focus specifically on the elderly. METHODS AND RESULTS: To determine whether thrombolytic therapy for elderly patients is associated with a survival advantage in a large observational database, we conducted a retrospective cohort study of 7864 Medicare fee-for-service patients aged 65 to 86 years with the primary discharge diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction who were admitted with clinical and ECG indications for thrombolytic therapy and no absolute contraindications. The study included all US acute care nongovernment hospitals without on-site angioplasty capability. Using proportional-hazards methods, we found that in a comprehensive multivariate model, there was a significant interaction (P<0.001) between age and the effect of thrombolytic therapy on 30-day mortality rates. For patients 65 to 75 years old, thrombolytic therapy was associated with a survival benefit, consistent with randomized trials. Among patients aged 76 to 86 years, thrombolytic therapy was associated with a survival disadvantage, with a 30-day mortality hazard ratio of 1.38 (95% CI 1. 12 to 1.71, P=0.003). For these patients, there was no benefit from thrombolytic therapy in any clinical subgroup. CONCLUSIONS: In nationwide clinical practice, thrombolytic therapy for patients >75 years old is unlikely to confer survival benefit and may have a significant survival disadvantage. Reperfusion research that is focused on elderly patients is urgently needed.

Aged↗
PubMed2000

Barriers pediatricians face when using asthma practice guidelines.

OBJECTIVE: To describe barriers to the successful use of the 1997 National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) asthma guidelines. METHODS: We conducted 3 focus groups to understand barriers to the use of 4 recommendations within the NHLBI guidelines (prescription of inhaled corticosteroids, recommendation of daily peak flowmeter use, smoking cessation screening and counseling, and allergen exposure counseling). PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-one pediatricians and 1 nurse practitioner, who each followed an average of 47 patients with asthma, participated. Six participants (27%) had a faculty or adjunct appointment at a medical school. Nineteen (90%) of the 21 pediatricians were board certified. RESULTS: We identified 171 comments about barriers to adherence. Type of recommendation and physician year of graduation from medical school were related to which barrier was prominent. For corticosteroid prescription, senior physicians mentioned lack of agreement, whereas younger physicians described lack of confidence in dosing or recognizing contraindications. For peak flow-meter use, senior physicians emphasized lack of training. Only senior physicians described the inertia of previous practice as a barrier. All groups mentioned time limitations. CONCLUSIONS: Efforts to improve adherence to asthma guidelines should consider the range of barriers that pediatricians face, such as lack of awareness, familiarity, or agreement, and external barriers owing to environmental, guideline, or patient factors. In addition, this study documents barriers not previously considered, such as lack of self-efficacy, lack of outcome expectancy, and inertia of previous practice, that prevent adherence. Because type of recommendation and physician demographics are related to which barriers are prominent, interventions to improve NHLBI guideline adherence should be tailored to these factors.

Adolescent↗