Citations

Chronic conditions are the most important cause of morbidity, mortality and health expense in the USA. Comparative effectiveness research (CER) seeks to provide evidence supporting the relative value of alternative courses of action. This research often concludes with estimates of the likelihood of desirable and undesirable outcomes associated with each option. Patients with chronic conditions should engage with their clinicians in deciding which of these options best fits their goals and context. In practicing shared decision-making (SDM), clinicians and patients should make use of CER to inform their deliberations. In these ways, SDM and CER are interrelated. SDM translates CER into patient-centered practice, while CER provides the backbone evidence about options and outcomes in SDM interventions. In this review, we explore the potential for a SDM–CER synergy in improving healthcare for patients with chronic conditions.

AbstractDesmoid tumor, or aggressive fibromatosis, is a rare, histologically benign, fibroblastic lesion that infrequently presents in the head and neck. Desmoid tumors often grow locally, invasively, and may, in rare instances, be fatal secondary to invasion into critical structures, such as airway or major vessels. The most common treatment is surgery, but desmoid tumors are characteristically associated with a high local recurrence rate after resection. Although the margin status seems to be of importance, operations that avoid function loss and esthetic disfigurement should be the primary goal. The efficacy of postoperative radiotherapy is controversial. Its potential benefit should be carefully balanced against possible radiation‐induced adverse effects. Alternative treatment modalities, such as primary radiotherapy and medical treatment or a wait‐and‐see policy, may be preferable to mutilating surgery. Considering all the aforementioned, it seems obvious that desmoid tumors of the head and neck present a therapeutic challenge and require an individualized approach. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.Head Neck, 36: 1517–1526, 2014

Context: Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is a prevalent disorder that affects women of childbearing age and may be related to obesity and insulin resistance. Objective: The purpose of this systematic review was to appraise the evidence of the impact of lifestyle modification (LSM) interventions on outcomes of women with PCOS. Data Sources: Sources included Ovid Medline, OVID Embase, OVID Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus, PsycINFO, and CINAHL (up to January 2011). Study Selection: We included randomized controlled trials that enrolled woman of any age with PCOS who received LSM and compared them against women who received no intervention, minimal intervention, or metformin. Data Extraction: Two authors performed the data extraction independently. Data Synthesis: We included 9 trials enrolling 583 women with a high loss to follow-up rate, lack of blinding, and short follow-up. Compared with minimal intervention, LSM significantly reduced fasting blood glucose (weighted mean difference, −2.3 mg/dL; 95% confidence interval, −4.5 to −0.1, I2 = 72%, P = .04) and fasting blood insulin (weighted mean difference, −2.1 μU/mL, 95% confidence interval, −3.3 to −1.0, I2 = 0%, P < .001). Changes in body mass index were associated with changes in fasting blood glucose (P < .001). Metformin was not significantly better than LSM in improving blood glucose or insulin levels. We found no significant effect of LSM on pregnancy rate, and the effect on hirsutism was unclear. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that LSM reduces fasting blood glucose and insulin levels in women with PCOS. Metformin has similar effects. Translation of these short-term effects to patient-important outcomes, beyond diabetes prevention, remains uncertain.

Purpose. The goal of this study was to identify potential clinical predictors for the development of disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) in patients with septic shock. Material and Methods. We performed a retrospective analysis of a cohort of adult (>18 years of age) patients with septic shock admitted to a medical ICU in a tertiary care hospital from July 2005 until September 2007. A multivariate logistic regression model was used to determine the association of risk factors with overt DIC. Results. In this study, a total of 390 patients with septic shock were analyzed, of whom 66 (17%) developed overt DIC. Hospital mortality was significantly greater in patients who developed overt DIC (68% versus 38%, P<0.001). A delay in the timing of antibiotics was associated with an increased risk of the development of overt DIC (P<0.001). Patients on antiplatelet therapy prior to hospital admission and who that received adequate early goal-directed therapy (EGDT) were associated with a decreased risk of overt DIC (P<0.001). Conclusions. In our cohort of patients with septic shock, there was a risk reduction for overt DIC in patients on antiplatelet therapy and adequate EGDT, while there was an increased risk of DIC with antibiotic delay.

The availability of population-based epidemiological data on the incident risk of stroke is very scarce in Argentina and other Latin American countries. In response to the priorities established by the World Health Organization and the United Nations, PREVISTA was envisaged as a population-based program to determine the risk of first-ever and recurrent stroke and transient ischemic attack incidence and mortality in Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The study will be conducted according to Standardized Tools for Stroke Surveillance (STEPS Stroke) methodology and will enroll all new (incident) and recurrent consecutive cases of stroke and transient ischemic attack in the City of Tandil between May 1st, 2013 and April 30, 2015. The study will include patients with ischemic stroke, non-traumatic primary intracerebral hemorrhage, subarachnoid hemorrhage, and transient ischemic attack. To ensure the inclusion of every cerebrovascular event during an observation period of two years, we will instrument an ‘intensive screening program’, consisting of a comprehensive daily tracking of every potential event of stroke or transient ischemic attack using multiple overlapping sources. Mortality would be determined during follow-up for every enrolled patient. Also, fatal community events would be screened daily through revision of death certificates at funeral homes and local offices of vital statistics. All causes of death will be adjudicated by an ad-hoc committee. The close population of Tandil is representative of a large proportion of Latin-American countries with low- and middle-income economies. The findings and conclusions of PREVISTA may provide data that could support future health policy decision-making in the region.

Background In 2005, the Endocrine Society (TES) adopted the GRADE system of developing clinical practice guidelines. This system facilitates the formulation of evidence-based recommendations by explicitly describing the confidence in estimates (quality of evidence) and strength of each recommendation. Objectives To describe and characterise the relationship between confidence in estimates and strength of recommendation in TES guidelines. Methods We included all published TES guidelines between 2005 (when TES started using GRADE) and 2011. Independently and in duplicate, reviewers extracted, for each recommendation: disease area, confidence in estimates and design of the studies considered, and strength of recommendation. In strong recommendations with low quality of we developed and applied a taxonomy of appropriate recommendations and identified those we considered inappropriate. Results Most of the 357 recommendations issued were supported by evidence warranting low or very low confidence in estimates (256, 72%). Evidence cited in support of these recommendations came exclusively from observational studies in 233 recommendations (65%). Most recommendations were strong (206, 58%); of these, 121 (59%) were supported by evidence warranting low or very low confidence in estimates. In 101/121 (83%), we identified a compelling rationale for the recommendations; in 20 (17%), we did not. Conclusions Most TES strong recommendation based on low quality evidence are justified and appropriate, but a substantial proportion are not. Implications for Guideline Developers Guideline developers should carefully justify any strong recommendations based on low confidence in effect estimates.