Arch Intern Med
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Multicenter Study
Regional and institutional variation in the initiation of early do-not-resuscitate orders.
Do-not-resuscitate (DNR) orders are an important step in decision making about aggressiveness of care for patients in hospitals. The use of DNR orders is known to vary with patient characteristics, but few studies have investigated the role of hospital factors or of regional variation. We examined these influences on the use of early DNR orders (written <24 hours after admission). ⋯ Hospital characteristics appear to be associated with the use of DNR orders, even after accounting for differences in patient characteristics. This association reflects institutional culture, technological bent, and physician practice patterns. If these factors do not match patient preferences, then improvements in care are needed.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Adherence to heart failure quality-of-care indicators in US hospitals: analysis of the ADHERE Registry.
Quality-of-care indicators have been developed for patients hospitalized with heart failure. However, little is known about current rates of conformity with these indicators or their variability across hospitals. ⋯ Among hospitals providing care for patients with heart failure, there is significant individual variability in conformity to quality-of-care indicators and clinical outcomes and a substantial gap in overall performance. Establishing educational initiatives and quality improvement systems to reduce this variability and eliminate this gap would be expected to substantially improve the care of these patients.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Prospective evaluation of health-related quality of life in patients with deep venous thrombosis.
To our knowledge, the burden of deep venous thrombosis from the patient's perspective has not been quantified. We evaluated health-related quality of life (QOL) after deep vein thrombosis and compared results with general population norms. ⋯ On average, QOL improves during the 4 months following deep vein thrombosis. However, in about one third of patients, QOL deteriorates, and at 4 months, average QOL remains poorer than population norms. Worsening of the postthrombotic syndrome score is associated with worsening of QOL.
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Infections occurring among outpatients having recent contact with the health care system have been termed health care-associated infections. The objective of this study was to analyze the impact of health care-associated status on effectiveness of initial therapy in hospitalized patients with bloodstream infections. ⋯ Among patients treated in the hospital for bloodstream infection, health care-associated status was an independent predictor of ineffective initial antibiotic therapy. Hospitalization within 90 days prior to hospital admission was the component of health care-associated status most strongly associated with ineffective initial therapy.
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Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study Comparative Study Clinical Trial
The Effects of cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory therapy on 24-hour blood pressure in patients with hypertension, osteoarthritis, and type 2 diabetes mellitus.
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors may attenuate the efficacy of antihypertensive agents in high-risk patients. Therefore, we conducted a double-blind, randomized trial to evaluate the effects of celecoxib, rofecoxib, and naproxen on 24-hour blood pressure (BP) in patients with type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and osteoarthritis. ⋯ At equally effective doses for osteoarthritis management, treatment with rofecoxib but not celecoxib or naproxen induced a significant increase in 24-hour systolic BP. However, destabilization of hypertension control occurred to some extent in all 3 treatment groups; this phenomenon was seen more often in patients treated with rofecoxib than with the other therapies.