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Olesen Drachmann posted an update 1 week, 1 day ago
Patients with follow-up MLHFQ scores demonstrated improvements in QoL, despite increasingly complex medication regimens. Medication regimen complexity alone is likely an insufficient marker for predicting QoL in patients with HF. BACKGROUND An accurate medication history is crucial for maintaining continuity of care. Cell Cycle inhibitor There are numerous opportunities for discrepancies to occur, such as medication omissions, commissions, incorrect dosing, incorrect frequencies, or incorrect formulations. Medication discrepancies may prolong hospital length of stay, increase the number of future emergency department (ED) visits, and increase hospital readmissions. Numerous studies have established the advantages of utilizing pharmacy technicians to complete medication histories. This study aimed to compare the accuracy of obtaining medication histories through pharmacy technicians compared to nursing staff. OBJECTIVE To compare the accuracy of obtaining medication histories through pharmacy technicians compared to nursing staff in the emergency department. METHODS This was a single-center, retrospective, observational analysis of patients presenting to the ED between December 2018 through January 2019. A pharmacy technician received on-site training on hial medication errors. BACKGROUND Since 2013, the United States Preventive Services Task Force has recommended annual screening for lung cancer in high-risk patients with low-dose computed tomography (LDCT). Current literature has provided estimates of the lung cancer screening rate and only prior to appropriate insurance coverage for LDCTs. The aim of this study was to use newly established registry data to assess the lung cancer screening rate across the United States. MATERIALS AND METHODS Using data from the Lung Cancer Screening Registry provided by the American College of Radiology in 2016, we collected the total number of LDCT screens performed from all 1962 accredited radiographic screening sites. The 2015 National Health Interview Survey was used to estimate screening eligible smokers per United States Preventive Services Task Force criteria. These data were compared to calculate screening rate. RESULTS In 2016, 2.0% of 7.6 million eligible smokers were screened. Rates varied by region from 1.1% in the West to 3.9% in the Northeast. The South consisted of 40.4% of eligible smokers and the most accredited screening sites (37%); however, their screening rate was among the lowest (1.7%) in the nation. Smoking cessation counseling was offered to 84% of screened current smokers prior to receiving LDCTs. CONCLUSIONS Lung cancer screening remains heavily underutilized despite guideline recommendation since 2013, insurance coverage, and its potential to prevent thousands of lung cancer deaths annually. BACKGROUND Postoperative alopecia is a rare complication after surgery. The etiology is thought to be pressure-induced hair follicles ischemia caused by prolonged immobilized head. Headrest is always used as head positioner during operation. The contact pressure between the head and headrest is believed to be related to the development of postoperative alopecia. The aim of this study was to find a headrest with the minimum contact pressure. METHODS Five different materials headrests – folded sheet, foam donut, gel donut, natural latex, and memory foam were examined. The contact pressures between the manikin’s head and tested headrests were continuously recorded for 4 h using CONFORMat System sensor. The average and peak pressures over the contact area were measured at 15 min, 30 min, 45 min, 1 h, 2 h, 3 h, and 4 h. A generalized estimating equations (GEEs) analysis and one way repeated measures ANOVA were used to assess the data. RESULTS The memory foam headrest showed the lowest average and peak contact pressures over the contact area (p less then 0.05), and the natural latex headrest, gel donut headrest, foam donut headrest, and folded sheet headrest revealed increase of the contact pressures in order. The peak contact pressure of the gel donut headrest at 4 h was significantly higher than that of at 15 min (p = 0.032) and 30 min (p = 0.037). CONCLUSION Of the five headrests we examined, the memory foam headrest is suggested to be the best choice for surgical patients because of its lowest contact pressure. Amyloid cardiomyopathy is emerging as an important and under-recognised cause of heart failure and cardiac arrhythmias, especially in older adults. This disorder is characterised by extracellular deposition of amyloid fibrils that form due to misfolding of secreted light chains (AL) or transthyretin protein (ATTR). In ATTR, amyloid aggregates typically result from excessive accumulation of wild-type transthyretin (ATTRwt) or from protein structural defects caused by TTR gene variants (ATTRv). Amyloid fibril deposition may predominantly affect the heart or show multi-system involvement. Previously considered to be rare and inexorably progressive with no specific therapy, there has been enormous recent interest in ATTR cardiomyopathy due to upwardly-revised estimates of disease prevalence together with development of disease-modifying interventions. Because of this, there is a clinical imperative to have a high index of suspicion to identify potential cases and to be aware of contemporary diagnostic methods and treatment options. Genetic testing should be offered to all patients with proven ATTR to access the benefits of new therapies specific to ATTRv and allow predictive testing of family members. With heightened awareness of amyloid cardiomyopathy and expanded use of genetic testing, a substantial rise in the numbers of asymptomatic individuals who are carriers of pathogenic variants is expected, and optimal strategies for monitoring and treatment of these individuals at risk need to be determined. Pre-emptive administration of fibril-modifying therapies provides an unprecedented opportunity for disease prevention and promises to change amyloid cardiomyopathy from being a fatal to a treatable disorder. Alcohol use disorder which includes alcohol abuse and dependence represents one of the leading risk factors for premature mortality in Europe and it is responsible of over 200 conditions, including neuropsychiatric disorders, chronic diseases, cancers and accidents leading to permanent disability. Alcohol use disorder represents the most common cause of liver damage in the Western world, with a wide spectrum of diseases ranging from steatosis, steatohepatitis, fibrosis, cirrhosis and cancer. The present clinical practice guidelines by the Italian Association for the Study of the Liver (AISF) are focused on the current knowledge about epidemiology, pathophysiology, clinical features, diagnosis and treatment of alcohol associated liver disease, aiming to provide practical recommendations on the management of this complex pathological condition.