The doctor-patient relationship: quantification of the interaction.
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Health Care Reform↗
Biomedical subjects
R G Farmer
Publications and source records attributed to R G Farmer.
Development of patient satisfaction surveys in the Czech Republic: a new approach to an old theme.
Although patient satisfaction surveys have become well established features of Western healthcare systems, free expression was suppressed for much of the past 50 years in the Czech Republic. As part of a quality assurance program established at the University Hospital Kralovske Vinohrady in Prague, and under the direction of a sociologist, a patient satisfaction pilot study was instituted as a precursor to a broader and ongoing survey. A cohort of 150 patients who were discharged following hospitalization on one of three medical or surgical services were given the opportunity to respond to a 36 item questionnaire devised as a result of study of similar instruments, 101 completed the questionnaire. Patients who responded were comparable to those hospitalized on these services, and other factors, demographic and otherwise, were likewise comparable. Once the concerns regarding the opportunity for free expression were addressed, it was found that interpersonal interactions with physicians, nurses, and other healthcare personnel provided the greatest satisfaction for patients and greatly exceeded amenities such as the quality of the hospital room and food. As a result of this pilot study, a subsequent survey of more than 500 patients has begun. It is believed that such surveys will provide useful data for quality assurance as well as involving patients in an assessment of the care provided.
Cohort Studies↗
Efficacy of depot leuprolide in premenstrual syndrome: effect of symptom severity and type in a controlled trial.
OBJECTIVE: To determine whether depot leuprolide is effective in premenstrual syndrome (PMS) and whether symptom type or severity affects therapeutic or hormonal responses and the incidence of adverse events. METHODS: Twenty-five women who met strict diagnostic criteria for PMS completed a double-blind, placebo-controlled, 6-month crossover trial at a university medical center. Depot leuprolide (3.75 mg/month) or saline was administered intramuscularly for three consecutive treatment cycles. Efficacy, adverse events, and hormone concentrations were assessed at each visit. Repeated-measures analysis of variance was used to analyze continuous data, and ordinal and binary data were analyzed using nonparametric techniques. RESULTS: Depot leuprolide treatment was significantly more effective than placebo on all rating scales. Irritability, neurologic symptoms, breast tenderness, and fatigue were most responsive to treatment. Symptoms were reduced to follicular phase levels only in women without premenstrual depression. Those with moderate premenstrual depression improved but remained clinically symptomatic, whereas the group with severe premenstrual depression showed no improvement on any efficacy measure. Adverse events were lowest in those without premenstrual depression and highest in those with severe depression. Leuprolide suppressed estradiol and progesterone in most premenstrual depression groups but had varying effects on gonadotropins. CONCLUSIONS: Leuprolide treatment reduced both behavioral and physical symptoms and was well tolerated in the absence of severe premenstrual depression. Women should be evaluated for depression severity before receiving a GnRH agonist. The differential response to leuprolide suggests that it may possess diagnostic value in determining distinct subtypes of PMS.
Adolescent↗
Health care in Armenia today.
Although one of the smallest of the new independent states of the former Soviet Union, the Republic of Armenia has an ancient tradition and a strong ethnic identification, greatly enhanced by the diaspora. In addition to the problems following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Armenia has had to contend with a draining war in Nagorno-Karabakh and the after-effects of a devastating earthquake in 1988. Humanitarian efforts have ranged from emergency supply deliveries to longer-term sustainable health care partnerships. The United States government, through the Agency for International Development, has organized such partnerships, partially as a result of a multinational mission in 1992 and a subsequent hospital-to-hospital program developed by the American International Health Alliance. We describe the current state of health care in Armenia and some of the problems that need to be addressed to improve health care services to its citizens.
Armenia↗
Soviet crisis: a matter of perspective.
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Commonwealth of Independent States↗
Health care and public health in the former Soviet Union, 1992. Ukraine--a case study.
The dissolution of the Soviet Union created many problems for the health care systems of the New Independent States (NIS). To address these problems, the U.S. Secretary of State convened a coordinating conference in Washington, D.C., on 22-23 January 1992 at which more than 50 nations and organizations were represented. After this conference, an expert medical working group visited 10 republics of the NIS during February and March 1992. Hospitals, public health facilities, and pharmaceutical plants and distribution sites were visited to assess the health care needs of a large population in a vast geographic area. It was concluded that the massive health care system of the Soviet Union remains largely intact but has major economic and supply deficiencies. The assessment process and findings in one republic, Ukraine, are presented. Ukraine was chosen because of its size, location, and representativeness.
Accidents↗
Quality of life in multiple sclerosis. Comparison with inflammatory bowel disease and rheumatoid arthritis.
Multiple sclerosis (MS) and other chronic illnesses can drastically decrease quality of life (QOL), but there has been little systematic study of QOL in patients with chronic medical diseases. We analyzed QOL in 68 patients with MS, 164 patients with inflammatory bowel disease, and 75 patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The previously validated test instrument was a standardized interview consisting of 41 questions clustered in four subscales: functional and economic scale, social and recreational scale, affect and life in general scale, and medical problems scale. Patients were included in the study if they had a definite medical diagnosis and disease duration of 10 years or longer. In the patients with MS, Kurtzke's Expanded Disability Status Scale correlated strongly only with the medical problems score. Of Kurtzke's Functional System Scales, only the visual Functional System Scores was correlated with total QOL and subscale scores, suggesting that vision is strongly related to QOL. Duration of MS was unrelated to QOL scores. There were significant differences between patients with MS, inflammatory bowel disease, and rheumatoid arthritis on the subscale and total QOL scores. Results suggested that QOL was best in the inflammatory bowel disease group and worst in the MS group. Numerous statistically significant differences on individual questions were evident, suggesting that unique clinical profiles differentially characterize these diseases. Assessments of QOL are a meaningful addition to impairment scales, such as Kurtzke's Expanded Disability Status Scale. Furthermore, QOL scores may meaningfully measure the impact of a chronic medical disease, such as MS, compare the impacts of different diseases, and assess the effects of therapeutic intervention.
Activities of Daily Living↗
Colonic vasoactive intestinal peptide nerves in inflammatory bowel disease.
Vasoactive intestinal peptide is a neuropeptide with potent modulatory activity on intestinal immunity and may be implicated in the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Previous studies have reported abnormal morphology of vasoactive intestinal peptide-stained enteric nerves, in addition to increased, normal or decreased levels of extractable peptide in Crohn's disease (CD) and ulcerative colitis (UC) tissues. These observations have not been correlated with the amount of enteric nerve fibers or the degree of mucosal inflammation. The investigation was intended to determine whether abnormalities of vasoactive intestinal peptide in IBD are related to quantitative changes of enteric nerve fibers or mucosal inflammation, and whether they are specific for CD or UC. To do this, digitized morphometric analysis was applied to a large number of IBD and control colonic surgical specimens that were immunostained for vasoactive intestinal peptide and S100 protein and scored for severity of inflammation. The results showed that, as compared with controls, there is a marked decrease of vasoactive intestinal peptide-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the lamina propria and submucosa (P less than 0.0001), and of S100-immunoreactive nerve fibers in the lamina propria (P less than 0.0001) of patients with IBD. In the lamina propria but not the submucosa, the variation of decrease is significantly associated with the severity (P less than 0.0001) but not the type (P greater than 0.9) of IBD because it is detected in both CD and UC. We conclude that in IBD there is loss of mucosal neuropeptidic innervation that is intimately associated with inflammation. This loss probably represents a nonspecific event subsequent to damage to enteric nerve fibers but may contribute to disruption of local immunoregulation.
Adolescent↗
Lower gastrointestinal bleeding in inflammatory bowel disease.
An increasing number of patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have been observed over the past two to three decades at the Cleveland Clinic. This has allowed extensive follow-up and determination of long-term prognosis. The diseases are chronic, require medication over a long period of time, are frequently associated with the need for operation, and often have complications and recurrences. In addition, a substantial number of patients have onset disease at a young age and thus, the propensity for recurrences and complications makes IBD of significant clinical importance. The symptoms of IBD are chronic and usually include diarrhea and often malnutrition. Rectal bleeding is found in almost all patients with ulcerative colitis and in about 25% of patients with Crohn's disease. However, severe hemorrhage in IBD occurs in a small number (1-5%) of patients. When this occurs, it often does so as an episode which may be associated with severe illness systemically as well as creating diagnostic confusion. For patients with ulcerative colitis, the progressive severity of bleeding may be an important indication for surgery (colectomy); in Crohn's disease, patients with ileocolic location of disease are more likely to have severe hemorrhage, and may require resection as a result. Despite the similarities of Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis, there are significant differences particularly in the long-term (greater than 10 years) follow-up. For patients with Crohn's disease, the major long-term problem is the need for surgery (2/3-3/4 of patients) and recurrence (+/- 50%).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Colonic Neoplasms↗
Surgical treatment of enterovesical fistulas in Crohn's disease.
A review of the surgical treatment of enterovesical fistula in Crohn's disease was undertaken to evaluate its effectiveness and long-term results. Sixty-three patients, 39 men and 24 women, with a mean age of 34.4 years were identified with enterovesical fistula. They had documented Crohn's disease for a mean period of 7.0 years. Distribution of anatomic pattern was 34.9 percent ileal, 7.9 percent colonic, and 57.2 percent ileocolic. Nineteen (30.1 percent) had previous abdominal surgery for Crohn's disease. Presenting symptoms included frequency and dysuria in 93.6 percent, pneumaturia in 79.3 percent, and fecaluria in 63.4 percent; 60.3 percent of patients had all three features. Enterovesical fistula was confirmed preoperatively in 43 patients, suspected clinically in 15 patients, and diagnosed intraoperatively in 5 patients. Sixty-one of 63 patients underwent surgery with resection of the phlegmon or abscess with the diseased bowel and curettage or resection of the fistula. After curettage of the bladder defect, pelvic and bladder drainage was instituted. Coexistent fistulas, most commonly ileosigmoid, occurred in 31 patients. Intra-abdominal abscesses were found in 21 patients, of whom 15 required two-stage procedures. One patient died (mortality 1.6 percent), urine leak occurred in 3.2 percent, and wound infection occurred in 1.6 percent. Follow-up (mean, 106 months) has identified one recurrence of enterovesical fistula due to Crohn's disease, and a further recurrence from concomitant sigmoid diverticulitis. Enterocutaneous fistulas developed in 6.4 percent and 11 patients (17.4 percent) have required further resections for Crohn's disease. Surgical treatment of enterovesical fistula in Crohn's disease is a safe and effective treatment.
Adolescent↗
Infectious causes of diarrhea in the differential diagnosis of inflammatory bowel disease.
The infectious causes of enteritis and colitis are numerous. However, the actual clinical differential diagnosis with either ulcerative colitis or Crohn's disease is usually not a significant problem, except, of course, in two circumstances: (1) acute onset of diarrhea with or without rectal bleeding, and (2) patients who have AIDS, are immunocompromised, or are male homosexuals. However, if one bears in mind that rectal bleeding and mucosal abnormalities which are diffuse and uniform are the hallmark of ulcerative colitis, that Crohn's disease has perianal and external manifestations as its significant clinical hallmark, and both diseases tend to be chronic and recurrent, the clinical distinction can usually be made. However, it is important to recognize that there is an increasing awareness of intestinal infections, partly as a result of study of male homosexuals or patients with AIDS, as well as increased recognition of other infectious causes of diarrhea, including traveler's diarrhea, that associated with C. difficile, and that found with infection due to Campylobacter. As is usually the case in clinical medicine, however, careful and accurate history, attention to detail on physical and sigmoidoscopic examination, and laboratory (usually stool culture) data will lead to the appropriate diagnosis.
Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome↗
Evolution of the concept of proctosigmoiditis: clinical observation.
Proctosigmoiditis, or distal colon ulcerative colitis, has been recognized as a clinical entity for over 50 years and considerable information has emerged from the study of the clinical course of patients with distal colon ulcerative colitis who are followed for a period of years. For most patients the condition is benign, although periods of exacerbation can occur between remissions, characterized by rectal bleeding. However, extension of the disease, development of cancer, and the requirement of surgery are all relatively unusual. It has recently been recognized that there are many other causes of proctitis than the idiopathic form, and this has raised important questions in differential diagnosis, particularly in the proctitis occurring in homosexual males. Proctitis, proctosigmoiditis, and distal colon ulceratice colitis and not Crohn's disease; conversely perianal fistulae and abscesses are rare in distal colon ulcerative colitis. Treatment with various forms of topical agents has often been satisfactory.
Colitis↗
Cancer risk in ulcerative colitis.
Intestinal cancer may develop in patients with long-standing and extensive disease. This can occur in cases with either mild or severe inflammation. The development of cancer is usually preceded by dysplasia.
Colitis, Ulcerative↗
Pouch ileitis.
Pouch ileitis is the most poorly understood complication of ileal reservoir surgery. Variability in definition of this syndrome may account for differences in incidence rate, associated symptoms, and response rate to therapy present in the literature. Outcomes of 19 episodes of pouch ileitis in patients having undergone prior colectomy and continent ileostomy construction for presumed ulcerative colitis were analyzed. An episode of pouch ileitis was characterized by: (1) abdominal pain, (2) increased ileal output, (3) mucosal inflammation within the continent ileostomy, and (4) absence of other recognized concurrent postoperative complications. The mean time of occurrence after construction of the continent ileostomy was 25 months (range 3-54 months). The mean length of follow-up of patients included in this analysis was 49 months from the time of continent ileostomy construction (range 22-101 months). Associated clinical symptoms included bloody effluent (53%), nausea or emesis (47%), and fever (42%). Endoscopic features were often nonspecific, with mucosal erythema (84%), edema (79%), friability (58%), and mucosal ulceration (53%) the most common. In those episodes of pouch ileitis where ileoscopy revealed no evidence of mucosal ulceration, complete resolution of the episode occurred 89% of the time, with 78% treated with antibiotics alone. In those episodes where mucosal ulceration was described on ileoscopy, 40% of episodes completely resolved after medical treatment, 20% with antibiotics alone. The varied clinical symptoms, endoscopic findings, and response to treatment raises the possibility that what has previously been described in the literature as pouch ileitis may be a heterogeneous group not of single etiology.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Colectomy↗
Perforating and nonperforating Crohn's disease. An unpredictable guide to recurrence after surgery.
Four hundred eighty-six patients who have had resections for Crohn's disease at the Cleveland Clinic were reviewed. The patients were categorized by indication for surgery into three groups: perforating (P) (135 patients), nonperforating (NP) (278 patients), and miscellaneous (M) (77) patients. One hundred ninety-four patients had two or more resections and 56 underwent a third resection. Patients were no more likely to have the same indication for surgery at the time of the second resection (P = 25 percent; NP = 44 percent; M = 57 percent) or the third resection (P = 11 percent; NP = 65 percent; M = 55 percent). There was also no difference in the interval between resections for the P and NP groups. The lack of agreement between resections suggests that the categorization of patients into P and NP groups does not facilitate prediction of the nature of recurrent disease. The concept of aggressive perforating and indolent nonperforating Crohn's is not substantiated by this study.
Adult↗
Dysplasia in ulcerative colitis: aneuploidy versus morphology.
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Aneuploidy↗
Medical quality assessment and the American College of Physicians.
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Health Services Research↗