3 results
Comparing situational influences on differential healthcare utilization trajectories in patients on home palliative care: A qualitative study
- Sungwon Yoon, Hendra Goh, Zhi Zheng Yeo, Grace Meijuan Yang, Poh Heng Chong, Qingyuan Zhuang
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- Journal:
- Palliative & Supportive Care , First View
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 01 February 2024, pp. 1-8
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Objectives
Patients with terminal cancer receiving home palliative care present differential healthcare utilization trajectories before death. It remains unclear which situational elements influence these trajectories among disparate patient groups. The aim of this study was to compare situational influences on “persistently high” and “low stable” trajectories of healthcare utilization in patients who received palliative care support at home.
MethodsBereaved family caregivers were recruited from our prior quantitative study investigating healthcare utilization trajectories in oncology patients on home-based palliative care. In-depth interviews were conducted with 30 family caregivers. Data were analyzed using thematic analysis.
ResultsAnalysis of data uncovered how the 2 utilization trajectories were influenced by the interplay of 1 or more of 4 situational elements. Perceived symptom control in patients, influenced by their determination to die at home, shapes the susceptibility to situational contingencies, resulting in differential utilization trajectories. Caregivers’ mental readiness in dealing with unexpected circumstances has a significant impact on the overall manageability of care, ultimately affecting decisions related to healthcare utilization. The concordance between symptom needs and scope of homecare services in a given situation proves to be an important determinant. Lastly, perceived accessibility to informal support in times of need acts as a contextual reinforcement, either preventing or precipitating decisions regarding healthcare utilizations.
Significance of resultsOur findings hold important implications for the provision of homecare services, in particular, the need for comprehensive assessment of end-of-life wishes during homecare enrolment and strengthening psychological preparedness of caregivers. Expansion of home-based clinical interventions tailored to high utilizers, and funding for temporary in-home respite should be considered to optimally manage potentially preventable acute healthcare utilization.
3532 Vitamin D assay utilization and outcomes in pregnant women in an urban safety net medical center: a retrospective cohort study
- Grace Hyojung Yoon, Michael Holick, Arash Hossein
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- Journal:
- Journal of Clinical and Translational Science / Volume 3 / Issue s1 / March 2019
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 26 March 2019, p. 30
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OBJECTIVES/SPECIFIC AIMS: The goals of this retrospective cohort study is threefold: 1) to assess how many pregnant women at Boston Medical Center from 2012 to 2017 have had their vitamin D status checked prior to and during pregnancy, 2) determine associations between vitamin D levels, birth outcomes and demographics and 3) assess how many of those found to have lower than satisfactory vitamin D levels (<30ng/mL) received interventions, including receiving vitamin D supplementation and/or being referred to an appropriate specialist such as an endocrinologist or a nutritionist. METHODS/STUDY POPULATION: Our study population is mothers over age 18 who received care at Boston Medical Center during their pregnancy from 2012 to 2017. Our primary outcomes are vitamin D utilization rates and associations between vitamin D levels with clinical outcomes during pregnancy and at birth. Secondary outcomes are demographic predictors of mothers who receive vitamin D testing and those who have complications associated with low vitamin D. We will conduct multiple linear regressions to check for associations between vitamin D levels, birth outcomes and demographic variables. We will adjust vitamin D levels with maternal BMI. De-identified clinical data was gathered from Boston University Medical Center’s (BUMC) Clinical Data Warehouse. This retrospective study was approved with a HIPAA waiver by the BUMC Institutional Data Warehouse. All statistical analysis was completed using SAS version 9.4 and was primarily done by the student PI and reviewed by Dr. Hossein, the co-investigator who is trained as a statistician and geneticist. The team also utilized Boston University’s Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Research Design (BERD) team to check the feasibility of the statistical methods. RESULTS/ANTICIPATED RESULTS: We anticipate that our descriptive demographic data will reflect the medical center’s predominantly black/Hispanic and low-income profile. Based on previous literature, we expect low vitamin D levels to have positive associations with gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and preterm birth. Analyses are currently actively in progress and we expect to have results before the ACTS conference date in March, 2019. DISCUSSION/SIGNIFICANCE OF IMPACT: Vitamin D is an essential part of the human body system. It is well documented in current literature that vitamin D is correlated with bone health, mental health and maternal health. Moreover, there is evidence that maternal vitamin D supplementation prevents vitamin D deficiency in newborns. Previous literature suggests that low vitamin D may be associated with gestational diabetes, pre-eclampsia, and pre-term births. Boston Medical Center is Massachusetts’ largest urban medical center and acts as its only safety-net hospital, serving predominantly low-income and socially marginalized patient populations. There is limited existing research on assessment of maternal vitamin D in urban hospital settings. Pregnant women rarely receive vitamin D screenings as part of their prenatal checkups as current national and regional guidelines do not require pregnant women to be screened for vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency. The results will demonstrate the potential effects vitamin D supplementation, or lack thereof, in expectant mothers living in urban, safety net communities. We hope to inform prenatal care practices and attitudes of vitamin D supplementation in maternal health with the results of our study.
A Population-Based Study of Dystrophin Mutations in Canada
- Jean K. Mah, Kathryn Selby, Craig Campbell, Amelie Nadeau, Mark Tarnopolsky, Anna McCormick, Joseph M. Dooley, Hanna Kolski, Andrew J. Skalsky, R. Garth Smith, David Buckley, Peter N. Ray, Grace Yoon
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- Journal:
- Canadian Journal of Neurological Sciences / Volume 38 / Issue 3 / May 2011
- Published online by Cambridge University Press:
- 02 December 2014, pp. 465-474
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Introduction:
We carried out a population-based study of dystrophin mutations in patients followed by members of the Canadian Paediatric Neuromuscular Group (CPNG) over a ten-year period.
Objectives:We aimed to describe the changes in diagnostic testing for dystrophinopathy and to determine the frequency of dystrophin mutations from 2000 to 2009.
Methods:De-identified data containing the clinical phenotypes, diagnostic methods, and mutational reports from dystrophinopathy patients followed by CPNG centres from January 2000 to December 2009 were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Results:773 patients had a confirmed diagnosis of dystrophinopathy based on genetic testing (97%), muscle biopsy (2%), or family history (1%). 573 (74%) had complete deletion/duplication analysis of all 79 exons or whole gene sequencing, resulting in 366 (64%) deletions, 64 (11%) duplications, and 143 (25%) point mutations. The percentage of patients who were diagnosed using currently accepted genetic testing methods varied across Canada, with a mean of 63% (SD 23). 246 (43%) mutations involved exons 45 to 53. The top ten deletions (n=147, 26%) were exons 45-47, 45-48, 45, 45-50, 45-55, 51, 45-49, 45-52, 49-50, and 46-47. 169 (29%) mutations involved exons 2 to 20. The most common duplications (n=29, 5.1%) were exons 2, 2-7, 2-17, 3-7, 8-11, 10, 10-11, and 12.
Conclusion:This is the most comprehensive report of dystrophin mutations in Canada. Consensus guidelines regarding the diagnostic approach to dystrophinopathy will hopefully reduce the geographical variation in mutation detection rates in the coming decade.