Articles: health.
-
Measurement-based care (MBC) has been implemented in Veterans Affairs since 2016 and is increasingly used in other mental health care organizations. Little quantitative research exists that assesses patient-level barriers and facilitators of MBC. This study examines correlates of receiving patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) among veterans receiving both psychotherapy and pharmacotherapy (Both), psychotherapy only (Psychotherapy), and pharmacotherapy only (Pharmacotherapy). ⋯ Rates of PROM administration differ depending on the type of treatment received. The probability of PROM administration is influenced by the frequency of encounters and, to a lesser extent, having a diagnosis congruent with symptoms assessed in the set of PROMs considered. Consistent with hypotheses from the MBC implementation literature, potential indicators of clinical severity and cognitive impairment decrease the likelihood of PROM utilization.
-
Randomized Controlled Trial
Life quality improvement of patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing targeted therapy: A case study of continuous care.
To investigate the improvement effect of targeted therapy on non-small cell carcinoma patients life quality after the continuous nursing intervention. 104 non-small cell lung cancer patients in our hospital from July 2017 to November 2019 were allocated evenly and randomly into the control group (C) and the study group (S). By using clinical baseline data, quality of life questionnaire core 30 for cancer patients, evaluation of patient compliance behavior, the MOS item short-form health survey (SF-36), self rating depression scale (SDS), self rating anxiety scale (SAS), Overall Survival (OS) progression-free survival and adverse reaction symptoms were evaluated for the life quality of patients. There was comparability between the 2 sets of basic data. ⋯ Taking a 2-year follow-up period as an example, significant statistical differences existed in OS and progression-free survival rates between adenocarcinoma and squamous carcinoma. SDS and SAS had high consistency in scoring with QLQ-30 and SF-36 scales. Targeted treatment for non-small cell carcinoma patients significantly improves their life quality and reduces the incidence of adverse reactions after continuous nursing intervention.
-
Chronic pain and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are prevalent comorbid conditions, particularly in Veterans; however, there are few integrated treatments for chronic pain and PTSD. Instead, interventions are typically implemented separately and may involve addictive opioids. Although there are highly effective, non-pharmacological treatments for PTSD, they are plagued by high dropout, which may be exacerbated by comorbid pain, as these PTSD treatments typically require increased activity. Importantly, a noninvasive pain treatment, tDCS (transcranial direct current stimulation) shows indications of effectiveness and may be integrated with psychological treatments, even when delivered via telehealth. This study examines the feasibility and initial efficacy of integrating home telehealth tDCS with prolonged exposure (PE), an evidence-based PTSD treatment. ⋯ The findings provide initial support for the feasibility of an entirely home-based, integrated treatment for comorbid PTSD and pain.
-
There is no consensus regarding how best to measure postoperative quality of recovery after anesthesia/surgery (e.g., using 24-hour survey instruments) in veterans or active military. Our goals were to (1) describe health-related quality-of-life (HRQoL) and recovery across time in veterans, (2) examine the commonality between the quality of recovery (QoR-15) and short-form (SF) surveys (including the SF-8, 24-hour version), and (3) examine the responsiveness of these surveys. ⋯ QoR-15 and SF-8 have high content commonality and performed similarly in veterans across time. SF-8 has added benefits of (1) brevity, (2) assessment of physical and mental health components, and (3) being normed to the general population. The SF-8, if used without the QoR-15 in tandem in future study of anesthesia-related outcomes, would need to be supplemented by separate questions addressing postoperative nausea/vomiting (a frequent outcome after anesthesia that is relevant to same-day and next-day mobilization after elective joint replacement surgery).
-
Veteran populations are frequently diagnosed with mental health conditions such as substance use disorder and PTSD. These conditions are associated with adverse outcomes including a higher risk of suicide. The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) has designed a robust mental health system to address these concerns. Veterans can access mental health treatment in acute inpatient, residential, and outpatient settings. Residential programs play an important role in meeting the needs of veterans who need more structure and support. Residential specialty types in the VHA include general mental health, substance use disorder, PTSD, and homeless/work programs. These programs are affiliated with a DVA facility (i.e., medical center). Although residential care can improve outcomes, there is evidence that some patients are discharged from these settings before achieving the program endpoint. These unplanned discharges are referred to using language such as against medical advice, self-discharge, or irregular discharge. Concerningly, unplanned discharges are associated with patient harm including death by suicide. Although there is some initial evidence to locate factors that predict irregular discharge in VHA residential programs, no work has been done to examine features associated with irregular discharge in each residential specialty. ⋯ Irregular discharge is a key concern in VHA residential care. Patient characteristics do not account for all of the observed variation in rates across residential specialty types. There is a need to develop specialty-specific measures of irregular discharge to learn about system-level factors that contribute to irregular discharge. These data can inform strategies to avoid harms associated with irregular discharge.