Citations

Abstract Rationale The natural history of lung function in patients with bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) after allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplant is poorly characterized. Understanding the trajectory of lung function is necessary for prompt clinical recognition and treatment and also for the rational design of prospective studies. Objectives To describe the longitudinal trajectory of lung function parameters, including FEV1, in patients with BOS after hematopoietic cell transplant. Methods Subjects with BOS defined by National Institutes of Health consensus guidelines criteria from a recent multicenter prospective trial of combination treatment with fluticasone, azithromycin and montelukast and a retrospective cohort from Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center were included. Longitudinal change in FEV1 for each patient was calculated on the basis of available pulmonary function tests in three periods: pre-BOS, from BOS diagnosis to 6 months, and 6–18 months after diagnosis. The effect of treatment on FEV1 trajectory was analyzed by univariate and multivariate linear regression. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to estimate survival. Measurements and Main Results: The FEV1 percent predicted value at diagnosis was 46% (interquartile range, 35–57%) for trial participants and 53% (interquartile range, 41–64%) for the retrospective cohort. There was a concomitant mild reduction in FVC, as well as a marked reduction in forced expiratory flow, midexpiratory phase, at diagnosis. While there was individual heterogeneity, the overall FEV1 trajectory was characterized by a marked decline within 6 months prior to BOS diagnosis, followed by stability of FEV1 early after diagnosis and a slow rate of decline beyond 6 months. The effect of the trial medications on FEV1 trajectory after BOS diagnosis was a mean rate of change of 0.92% predicted per month (95% confidence interval, −0.53 to 2.37) compared with the retrospective cohort, but this was not statistically significant. Two-year overall survival rates were 76% and 72% for the study participants and the retrospective cohort patients, respectively. Earlier time to diagnosis after hematopoietic cell transplant and severity of FVC at diagnosis were significantly associated with reduced survival. Conclusions The FEV1 trajectory in patients with BOS after hematopoietic cell transplant in a contemporary era of management follows a predominant pattern of rapid FEV1 decline in the 6 months prior to diagnosis, followed by FEV1 stabilization after diagnosis.

Patient-centered cognitive support has been shown to be critically important to facilitate the effective use of health information technologies (HIT). There is a well-documented need to better understand HIT-mediated clinical workflow. Current technologies can burden clinicians’ cognitive resources, which is associated with patient safety risks and medical errors. We sought to employ a distributed cognition approach to examine how information flows across the activity system to support clinicians’ problem-solving. Specifically, we studied the propagation of representational states across media, conversations, actors and time in the coordination of patient-care processes. We examined multiple instances of work and information flow in a real-world setting, revealing problems in information flow: a) use of paper artifacts has limitations to facilitating coordination of care, b) clinicians challenged in developing shared awareness, c) responsibility of representing patient states is distributed across documents, d) clinical reasoning that informed care plans was absent from documents. Findings surface a challenge to automated monitoring of care goals; much of the information is present only in clinicians’ minds and in informal documents.

SummaryThe diagnosis of Waldenström macroglobulinaemia (WM) can be challenging given the variety of signs and symptoms patients can present. Furthermore, once the diagnosis of WM is established, the initial evaluation should be thorough as well as appropriately directed. During the 8th International Workshop for WM in London, United Kingdom, a multi‐institutional task force was formed to develop consensus recommendations for the diagnosis and initial evaluation of patients with WM. In this document, we present the results of the deliberations that took place to address these issues. We provide recommendations for history‐taking and physical examination, laboratory studies, bone marrow aspiration and biopsy analysis and imaging studies. We also provide guidance on the initial evaluation of special situations, such as anaemia, hyperviscosity, neuropathy, Bing‐Neel syndrome and amyloidosis. We hope these recommendations serve as a practical guidance to clinicians taking care of patients with a suspected or an established diagnosis of WM.

Educators, policy makers, and health systems leaders are calling for significant reform of undergraduate medical education (UME) and graduate medical education (GME) programs to meet the evolving needs of the health care system. Nationally, several schools have initiated innovative curricula in both classroom and workplace learning experiences to promote education in health systems science (HSS), which includes topics such as value-based care, health system improvement, and population and public health. However, the successful implementation of HSS curricula across schools is challenged by issues of curriculum design, assessment, culture, and accreditation, among others. In this report of a working conference using thematic analysis of workshop recommendations and experiences from 11 U.S. medical schools, the authors describe seven priority areas for the successful integration and sustainment of HSS in educational programs, and associated challenges and potential solutions. In 2015, following regular HSS workgroup phone calls and an Accelerating Change in Medical Education consortium-wide meeting, the authors identified the priority areas: partner with licensing, certifying, and accrediting bodies; develop comprehensive, standardized, and integrated curricula; develop, standardize, and align assessments; improve the UME to GME transition; enhance teachers’ knowledge and skills, and incentives for teachers; demonstrate value added to the health system; and address the hidden curriculum. These priority areas and their potential solutions can be used by individual schools and HSS education collaboratives to further outline and delineate the steps needed to create, deliver, study, and sustain effective HSS curricula with an eye toward integration with the basic and clinical sciences curricula.

Purpose To examine medical student attitudes toward cost-conscious care and whether regional health care intensity is associated with reported exposure to physician role-modeling behaviors related to cost-conscious care. Method Students at 10 U.S. medical schools were surveyed in 2015. Thirty-five items assessed attitudes toward, perceived barriers to and consequences of, and observed physician role-modeling behaviors related to cost-conscious care (using scales for cost-conscious and potentially wasteful behaviors; Cronbach alphas of 0.82 and 0.81, respectively). Regional health care intensity was measured using Dartmouth Atlas End-of-Life Chronic Illness Care data: ratio of physician visits per decedent compared with the U.S. average, ratio of specialty to primary care physician visits per decedent, and hospital care intensity index. Results Of 5,992 students invited, 3,395 (57%) responded. Ninety percent (2,640/2,932) agreed physicians have a responsibility to contain costs. However, 48% (1,1416/2,960) thought ordering a test is easier than explaining why it is unnecessary, and 58% (1,685/2,928) agreed ordering fewer tests will increase the risk of malpractice litigation. In adjusted linear regression analyses, students in higher-health-care-intensity regions reported observing significantly fewer cost-conscious role-modeling behaviors: For each one-unit increase in the three health care intensity measures, scores on the 21-point cost-conscious role-modeling scale decreased by 4.4 (SE 0.7), 3.2 (0.6), and 3.9 (0.6) points, respectively (all P < .001). Conclusions Medical students endorse barriers to cost-conscious care and encounter conflicting role-modeling behaviors, which are related to regional health care intensity. Enhancing role modeling in the learning environment may help prepare future physicians to address health care costs.