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Urgent Care (urgent + care)
Selected AbstractsUrgent care and tight control of rheumatoid arthritis as in diabetes and hypertension: Better treatments but a shortage of rheumatologistsARTHRITIS & RHEUMATISM, Issue 4 2002Theodore Pincus First page of article [source] Home Intravenous Antimicrobial Infusion Therapy: A Viable Option in Older AdultsJOURNAL OF AMERICAN GERIATRICS SOCIETY, Issue 5 2007(See editorial comments by Dr. Kevin High on pp 79 OBJECTIVES: To determine whether older adults and younger adults are equally able to administer home intravenous antimicrobial infusion therapy (home IV antimicrobials) without intensive support from home care agencies. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: Veterans Affairs Ann Arbor Healthcare System, a 100-bed tertiary care medical center. PARTICIPANTS: All patients who received home IV antimicrobials from July 1, 2000, through December 31, 2003. MEASUREMENTS: Demographic data, underlying medical conditions, indications for therapy, antimicrobial agents administered, concomitant medications, frequency of patient visits and phone calls, adverse events, and outcomes of infections. RESULTS: A total of 205 patients received 231 courses of home IV antimicrobials, with 107 courses in patients aged 60 and older and 124 courses in patients younger than 60. For both groups, the most common indication for therapy was osteoarticular infections, and the predominant pathogens were Staphylococcus aureus and coagulase-negative Staphylococcus. Older patients were significantly more likely than younger patients to require the assistance of family members to help with the infusion and were more likely to be seen in urgent care or to call the infectious diseases pharmacist or physicians with questions. Overall, clinical outcomes and numbers of adverse events were similar in both groups, with the exception of nephrotoxicity, which was greater in the older group (P=.02). CONCLUSION: With appropriate support from a hospital-based home IV antimicrobials therapy team, home IV antimicrobial appears to be a viable option for older adults. [source] Biventricular Versus Right Ventricular Pacing in Patients with AV Block (BLOCK HF): Clinical Study Design and RationaleJOURNAL OF CARDIOVASCULAR ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY, Issue 9 2007ANNE B. CURTIS M.D. Background: Right ventricular (RV) pacing restores ventricular systole in patients with atrioventricular (AV) block, yet recent studies have suggested that in patients with AV block and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction, RV pacing may exacerbate the progression to heart failure (HF). BLOCK HF is a prospective, multi-center, randomized, double-blind, controlled trial designed to determine whether patients with AV block, LV dysfunction (EF , 50%), and mild to moderate HF (NYHA I-III) who require pacing benefit from biventricular (BiV) pacing, compared with RV pacing alone. Objective: The primary objective of this trial is to determine whether the time to first event (all-cause mortality, heart failure-related urgent care, or a , 15% increase in left ventricular end systolic volume index [LVESVI]) for patients with BiV pacing is superior to that of patients with RV pacing. Methods: Patients with AV block and LV dysfunction who require permanent pacing and undergo successful implantation of a commercial Medtronic CRT device, with or without an ICD, will be randomized to BiV or RV pacing. Patients are followed at least every 6 months until study closure. Up to 1,636 patients may be enrolled in 150 centers worldwide. Conclusion: BLOCK HF is a large, randomized, clinical study in pacing-indicated patients with AV block, mild to moderate HF symptoms, and LV dysfunction to determine whether BiV pacing is superior to RV pacing in slowing the progression of HF. [source] Oral health status of New Hampshire Head Start children, 2007-2008JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 3 2010Ludmila Anderson MD Abstract Objectives: We report on the baseline prevalence and severity of dental caries of children enrolled in the New Hampshire Head Start program during the 2007-2008 school year. Methods: We selected a random cluster sample of 607 children aged 3-5 years attending 27 Head Start centers across the state. Four volunteer dentists provided oral examinations and determined the presence of untreated dental caries, caries experience, and treatment urgency. Results: Overall, 40 percent of the participating children had experienced dental caries, and 31 percent had at least one untreated decayed tooth. Approximately 22 percent of the children had evidence of maxillary anterior caries, 23 percent were in need of dental care, and <1 percent needed urgent care. Conclusions: The prevalence of dental caries is comparable with that reported by Head Start programs elsewhere. The prevalence of caries affecting maxillary anterior teeth is higher. Further studies should examine state-specific barriers to dental care among this population. [source] Identifying Children with Dental Care Needs: Evaluation of a Targeted School-based Dental Screening ProgramJOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH DENTISTRY, Issue 2 2004David Locker BDS Abstract Objectives: It has been suggested that changes in the distribution of dental caries mean that targeting high-risk groups can maximize the cost effectiveness of dental health programs. This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a targeted school-based dental screening program in terms of the proportion of children with dental care needs it identified. Methods: The target population was all children in junior and senior kindergarten and grades 2, 4, 6, and 8 who attended schools in four Ontario communities. The study was conducted in a random sample of 38 schools stratified according to caries risk. Universal screening was implemented in these schools. The parents of all children identified as having dental care needs were sent a short questionnaire to document the sociodemographic and family characteristics of these children. Children with needs were divided into two groups: those who would and who would not have been identified had the targeted program been implemented. The characteristics of the two groups were compared. Results: Overall, 21.0 percent of the target population were identified as needing dental care, with 7.4 percent needing urgent care. The targeted program would have identified 43.5 percent of those with dental care needs and 58.0 percent of those with urgent needs. There were substantial differences across the four communities in the proportions identified by the targeted program. Identification rates were lowest when the difference in prevalence of need between the high- and low-risk groups was small and where the low-risk group was large in relation to the high-risk group. The targeted program was more effective at identifying children from disadvantaged backgrounds. Of those with needs who lived in households receiving government income support, 59.0 percent of those with needs and 80.1 percent of those with urgent needs would be identified. Conclusions: The targeted program was most effective at identifying children with dental care needs from disadvantaged backgrounds. However, any improvements in cost effectiveness achieved by targeting must be balanced against inequities in access to public health care resources. [source] Do Children in Rural Areas Still Have Different Access to Health Care?THE JOURNAL OF RURAL HEALTH, Issue 1 2009Results from a Statewide Survey of Oregon's Food Stamp Population ABSTRACT:,Purpose: To determine if rural residence is independently associated with different access to health care services for children eligible for public health insurance. Methods: We conducted a mail-return survey of 10,175 families randomly selected from Oregon's food stamp population (46% rural and 54% urban). With a response rate of 31%, we used a raking ratio estimation process to weight results back to the overall food stamp population. We examined associations between rural residence and access to health care (adjusting for child's age, child's race/ethnicity, household income, parental employment, and parental and child's insurance type). A second logistic regression model controlled for child's special health care needs. Findings: Compared with urban children (reference = 1.00), rural children were more likely to have unmet medical care needs (odds ratio [OR] 1.48, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.07-2.04), problems getting dental care (OR 1.36, 95% CI 1.03-1.79), and at least one emergency department visit in the past year (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.10-1.81). After adjusting for special health care needs (more prevalent among rural children), there was no rural-urban difference in unmet medical needs, but physician visits were more likely among rural children. There were no statistically significant differences in unmet prescription needs, delayed urgent care, or having a usual source of care. Conclusions: These findings suggest that access disparities between rural and urban low-income children persist, even after adjusting for health insurance. Coupled with continued expansions in children's health insurance coverage, targeted policy interventions are needed to ensure the availability of health care services for children in rural areas, especially those with special needs. [source] Neurological Complications Following Adult Lung TransplantationAMERICAN JOURNAL OF TRANSPLANTATION, Issue 4 2010F. J. Mateen The full spectrum of neurologic complications and their impact on survival in lung recipients has not been reported. A retrospective cohort review of the Mayo Clinic Lung Transplant Registry (1988,2008) was performed to determine the range of neurologic complications in a cohort of adult lung recipients. Cox regression models were used to assess risk factors for neurological complications and death posttransplant. One hundred and twenty lung transplant recipients (53% women, median age at transplantation 53 years, range 21,73, median survival 4.8 years) were identified, of whom 95 had a neurological complication posttransplantation (median time to complication 0.8 years). Neurological complications were severe in 46 patients (requiring hospitalization or urgent care and evaluation) and were most often perioperative stroke or encephalopathy. Age predicted neurological complications of any type, whereas lung allocation score, bilateral lung transplantation, sex, underlying lung disease, elevated hemoglobin A1C, renal insufficiency and smoking history did not. Neurological complications of any severity (HR 4.3, 95% CI 2.2,8.6, p < 0.001) and high severity (HR 7.2, 95% CI 3.5,14.6, p < 0.001) were associated with increased risk of death. Neurological complications are common after lung transplantation, affecting 92% of recipients within 10 years. Severe neurologic complications are also common, affecting 53% of recipients within 10 years. [source] | ||||||||||