Biomedical subjects

Noranna B Warner

Publications and source records attributed to Noranna B Warner.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Trust in physicians and elements of the medical interaction in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus.

OBJECTIVE: To identify components of the patient-doctor relationship associated with trust in physicians. METHODS: We assessed 102 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) seen at publicly funded hospitals in Houston, Texas. Patients completed a self-response survey examining patient perceptions of the medical encounter and trust in their physicians. Evaluated components of physicians' behaviors included: informativeness, sensitivity to concerns, reassurance and support, patient-centeredness, and participatory decision-making style. Scales were scored 0 to 10, with higher numbers indicating more positive perceptions of communication. RESULTS: Seventy patients had RA and 32 SLE; 25% were white, 43% Latino, 31% African American, and 75% were female. Mean scores for the medical interaction and trust scales ranged from 6.2-7.1, indicating moderate degrees of positive perceptions. All components were highly and positively correlated with each other, and with trust, suggesting that these traits are all elements of a positive style of doctor-patient communication. In multivariate analysis, ethnicity, physicians' informativeness, physicians' sensitivity to concerns, patient-centeredness, disease activity, and patient trust in the US health care system were independent predictors of trust in physicians. A separate model examined the predictors of patient disclosure of information. Patient perceptions of physicians' patient-centeredness and severity of disease activity were independently predictive of patient disclosure of information. CONCLUSION: In patients with SLE and RA, trust in physicians is significantly associated with patients' ethnicity and their perceptions about specific components of physicians' communication style. Trust in physicians can be improved by using a patient-centered approach, being sensitive to patient concerns, and providing adequate clinical information. Furthermore, patients appear to be more willing to disclose concerns when physicians use a patient-centered communication style.

Adult↗

PubMed2005

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy associated with metastatic melanoma.

Hypertrophic osteoarthropathy (HOA) is one of the paraneoplastic syndromes most commonly associated with non-small-cell lung cancer. Although pulmonary metastasis is the second most common initial site of melanoma metastasis, HOA is rarely detected in patients with metastatic melanoma in the lung. We report a case of a 45-year-old woman with advanced melanoma who developed HOA after her disease had progressed through first-line systemic therapy. The patient's diagnosis of HOA was made on the basis of digital clubbing, arthralgia, pain, joint effusion and periosteal bone formation on X-ray with negative rheumatologic laboratory studies. Only six cases of HOA in metastatic melanoma have been reported previously. This diagnosis should be considered with lung metastases and the presentation of polyarthralgia with appropriate laboratory and imaging findings. Interestingly, the patient responded to bisphosphonates and second-line chemotherapy with carboplatin and paclitaxel, which is commonly used for lung cancer, not advanced melanoma. As with many paraneoplastic syndromes, successful treatment of the underlying disease was associated with a rapid resolution of the symptoms.

Female↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Relapsing polychondritis.

Relapsing polychondritis is a rare disease most commonly presenting as inflammation of the cartilage of the ears and nose. Auricular chondritis, with red ears resembling infectious cellulitis, is the most common initial finding. Antibodies to type II collagen in cartilage are found, and the earlobes are classically spared. Chronic disease may result in a flabby, droopy ear, cauliflower ear, or saddle nose deformity. Acute involvement of the tracheal cartilage may cause collapse of the airway with obstruction and pulmonary infections. Arthritis may be oligoarticular or polyarticular, most often involving the costochondral junctions. Other manifestations include audiovestibular damage; heart valve disease; and neurologic, ocular, and renal disease. Corticosteroids remain the major treatment. Other therapies include nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, dapsone, colchicine, azathioprine, methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, hydroxychloroquine, cyclosporine, and infliximab.

Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal↗