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List Hogan posted an update 6 months ago
Patient-reported satisfaction scores, including the Press Ganey surveys, are increasingly used as measures for quality healthcare among surgical subspecialties. However, the influence of surgeon sociodemographics is not clear.
This cross-sectional study analyzed Press Ganey surveys linked to outpatient surgical visits at a single academic institution from January 2015 to December 2018 as they related to surgeon age, gender, and race. The primary outcome variable was achievement of a top-box score (5/5) on likelihood to recommend surgeon queries. Secondary analysis examined the relationship of likelihood to recommend surgeon to other survey questions, such as those regarding surgeon courtesy, concern, understandability, patient inclusion in medical decision making, and patient confidence in surgeon. χ
tests and generalized estimating equation regression models were run to assess correlation.
In bivariate analysis of 36,840 surveys, non-Hispanic white surgeons were more likely to receive likelihood to rtion surveys based on surgeon demographics.
Top-box scores varied by surgeon race and gender in correlation with patients’ perceived confidence in the provider. Interpretation of Press Ganey scores should account for potential bias in patient satisfaction surveys based on surgeon demographics.
Cancer patients account for a large segment of the German healthcare system, with a 5-year prevalence of around 1.7 million persons. Advances in oncological treatment, now frequently performed on an outpatient basis, are granting many of these individuals a longer life span. At the same time, cancer patients often suffer disease-related symptoms and adverse effects from their tumor treatment, which may strongly impair their quality of life despite the improved techniques for management of side effects.
This review is based on a selective literature search of the PubMed and Cochrane Library databases carried out in December 2019 and January 2020. Special attention was paid to guidelines, expert opinions, and recommendations from professional societies.
Alongside decreased well-being, cancer patients often suffer from fatigue (70-100%), loss of appetite (6-53%), pain (30-80 %), and dyspnea (10-70%). The prevalence and severity of the symptoms varies depending on the tumor entity and the patient’s sex. A meta-analysis showed that besides causal treatment, physical activity achieves moderately strong effects in tumor-associated fatigue syndrome (Cohen’s d = 0.30 ). The WHO recommends early use of opioids in tumor-associated pain. A meta-analysis of randomized trials described symptom relief by means of opioids also in dyspnea (standardized mean difference -0.32 ). Increasingly, guidelines are recommending regular palliative medical symptom screening.
Regular documentation of symptoms in outpatients offers the opportunity for targeted management of symptoms during treatment with the involvement of various disciplines such as palliative medicine, exercise therapy, and psychotherapy.
Regular documentation of symptoms in outpatients offers the opportunity for targeted management of symptoms during treatment with the involvement of various disciplines such as palliative medicine, exercise therapy, and psychotherapy.
Gliflozins are effective drugs for the treatment of type 2 diabetes. They inhibit sodium glucose cotransporter 2 in the proximal renal tubule, leading to increased glucose excretion. On the basis of findings from relevant studies, gliflozins are also increasingly used in clinical practice to treat congestive heart failure and renal failure.
This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved from a selective literature search in PubMed and GoogleScholar.
Cardiovascular safety studies revealed early on that gliflozins can lower the hospitalization rate of patients suffering from congestive heart failure with a reduced leftventricular ejection fraction (HFrEF). They also showed favorable effects on multiple renal endpoints. In recent years, studies such as DAPA-HF and CREDENCE have further documented the benefit of gliflozins in the treatment of congestive heart failure and renal failure in patients with type 2 diabetes, and gliflozins have accordingly been incorporated into the pertinent guidelines. In the recently published EMPEROR-Reduced trial, empagliflozin was found to significantly lower the frequency of a combined cardiovascular endpoint in patients with HFrEF (19.4 % versus 24.7%; hazard ratio 0.75; 95% confidence interval ; number needed to treat 19, p <0.001). In the DAPA-CKD trial, which was also recently published, dapagliflozin was found to significantly lower the frequency of a combined renal endpoint (9.2% versus 14.5%; HR 0.61 ; NNT 19; p <0.001).
On the basis of findings from specific studies, gliflozins will henceforth be a major class of drug for the treatment of HFrEF and renal failure, independently of the presence of type 2 diabetes.
On the basis of findings from specific studies, gliflozins will henceforth be a major class of drug for the treatment of HFrEF and renal failure, independently of the presence of type 2 diabetes.
The different types of pulmonary fibrosis are a subgroup of the interstitial lung diseases (ILDs). They are associated with a chronic and often progressive course.
This review is based on pertinent publications retrieved by a selective search in the EMBASE and PubMed databases, with an emphasis on articles published from 2000 to 2020.
The most common type of pulmonary fibrosis is idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). Among other relevant types, the most important ones are fibrosing hypersensitivity pneumonitis (fHP) and ILDs associated with systemic diseases, all of which are rare and generally carry a poor prognosis. SGX-523 The essential prerequisite to accurate diagnosis is aninterdisciplinary approach, taking account of the clinical, histological, and radiological aspects. The main complications of pulmonary fibrosis are acute exacerbations and pulmonary hypertension; comorbidities are also of prognostic relevance. Treatment of pulmonary fibrosis depends on the subtype and clinical behavior. For IPF, antifibrotic therapy is indicated; fHP, on the other hand, is mainly treated by antigen avoidance and immune modulation.