Development of a decision analytic model to support decision making and risk communication about thrombolytic treatment

Background Individualised prediction of outcomes can support clinical and shared decision making. This paper describes the building of such a model to predict outcomes with and without intravenous thrombolysis treatment following ischaemic stroke. Methods A decision analytic model (DAM) was constructed to establish the likely balance of benefits and risks of treating acute ischaemic stroke with thrombolysis. Probability of independence, (modified Rankin score mRS ≤ 2), dependence (mRS 3 to 5) and death at three months post-stroke was based on a calibrated version of the Stroke-Thrombolytic Predictive Instrument using data from routinely treated stroke patients in the Safe Implementation of Treatments in Stroke (SITS-UK) registry. Predictions in untreated patients were validated using data from the Virtual International Stroke Trials Archive (VISTA). The probability of symptomatic intracerebral haemorrhage in treated patients was incorporated using a scoring model from Safe Implementation of Thrombolysis in Stroke-Monitoring Study (SITS-MOST) data. Results The model predicts probabilities of haemorrhage, death, independence and dependence at 3-months, with and without thrombolysis, as a function of 13 patient characteristics. Calibration (and inclusion of additional predictors) of the Stroke-Thrombolytic Predictive Instrument (S-TPI) addressed issues of under and over prediction. Validation with VISTA data confirmed that assumptions about treatment effect were just. The C-statistics for independence and death in treated patients in the DAM were 0.793 and 0.771 respectively, and 0.776 for independence in untreated patients from VISTA. Conclusions We have produced a DAM that provides an estimation of the likely benefits and risks of thrombolysis for individual patients, which has subsequently been embedded in a computerised decision aid to support better decision-making and informed consent

Assessing the effectiveness of primary angioplasty compared with thrombolysis and its relationship to time delay: a Bayesian evidence synthesis

Background: Meta-analyses of trials have shown greater benefits from angioplasty than thrombolysis after an acute myocardial infarction, but the time delay in initiating angioplasty needs to be considered. Objective: To extend earlier meta-analyses by considering 1- and 6-month outcome data for both forms of reperfusion. To use Bayesian statistical methods to quantify the uncertainty associated with the estimated relationships. Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis published in 2003 was updated. Data on key clinical outcomes and the difference between time-to-balloon and time-to-needle were independently extracted by two researchers. Bayesian statistical methods were used to synthesise evidence despite differences between reported follow-up times and outcomes. Outcomes are presented as absolute probabilities of specific events and odds ratios (ORs; with 95% credible intervals (Crl)) as a function of the additional time delay associated with angioplasty. \ Results: 22 studies were included in the meta-analysis, with 3760 and 3758 patients randomised to primary angioplasty and thrombolysis, respectively. The mean ( SE) angioplasty-related time delay ( over and above time to thrombolysis) was 54.3 (2.2) minutes. For this delay, mean event probabilities were lower for primary angioplasty for all outcomes. Mortality within 1 month was 4.5% after angioplasty and 6.4% after thrombolysis ( OR = 0.68 ( 95% Crl 0.46 to 1.01)). For non-fatal reinfarction, OR = 0.32 ( 95% Crl 0.20 to 0.51); for non-fatal stroke OR = 0.24 ( 95% Crl 0.11 to 0.50). For all outcomes, the benefit of angioplasty decreased with longer delay from initiation. Conclusions: The benefit of primary angioplasty, over thrombolysis, depends on the former's additional time delay. For delays of 30-90 minutes, angioplasty is superior for 1- month fatal and non-fatal outcomes. For delays of around 90 minutes thrombolysis may be the preferred option as assessed by 6-month mortality; there is considerable uncertainty for longer time delays

Clinical judgement and therapeutic decision making

AbstractClinical decision making is under increased scrutiny due to concerns about the cost and quality of medical care. Variability in physician decision making is common, in part because of deficiencies in the knowledge base, but also due to the difference in physicians' approaches to clinical problem solving. Evaluation of patient prognosis is a critical factor in the selection of therapy, and careful attention to methodology is essential to provide reliable information.Randomized controlled clinical trials provide the most solid basis for the establishment of broad therapeutic principles. Because randomized studies cannot be performed to address every question, observational studies will continue to play a complementary role in the evaluation of therapy. Randomized studies in progress, meta analyses of existing data, and increased use of administrative and collaborative clinical data bases will improve the knowledge base for decision making in the future

Ethical Decision-Making among Critical Care Unit Nurses

The health care business has created complex relationships between consumers and health care institutions. Rising health costs, rationing of health care and medical technology have put critical care unit (CCU) nurses in complex environments where they must face ethical conflict. CCU nurses find themselves ill equipped to make sound decisions concerning ethical dilemmas. Nurses must ensure the patient\u27s choices are respected and honored due to the duties inherent in the nurse-patient relationship. The purpose of this study was to explore the process of ethical decision making (EDM) as it is experienced by CCU nurses. Gaining an understanding of this process may assist nursing education programs, and provide a basis for ethical nursing practice in the critical care setting. The grounded theory method described by Glaser (1967) and Strauss (1978) guided data collection and analysis. The sample was comprised of 10 full-time critical care nurses. Data were collected over the course of two academic semesters using methods common to field research. The constant comparative method of data analysis was used. Results indicated that critical care nurses identified ethical conflict in four major areas: professional values versus personal values, respect for patient autonomy versus duty to do no harm, professional standards versus institutional policies, caring versus controlling. Constraining intervening conditions that inhibited resolution of ethical conflicts were: legal issues, professional relationships, paternalism, medical futility, and physician burnout. The intervening conditions that facilitated resolution of ethical conflicts were: cultural perspectives, open communication, and caring. Strategies for responding to the ethical conflicts evolved from the data: opening up, getting people to talk, and supporting the patient. Consequences of these strategies were described as: reaching understanding, and sensing harm. The inter-relationship of these categories resulted in a core category of facilitating resolution. Facilitating resolution, the basic social process, describes the linking of action/interactional sequences as they evolved over time. The major implications of this study are that shared decision making in ethical conflict will result in positive outcomes for patients and nurses involved in ethical dilemmas. Relationship enhancement methods increase perceptual abilities in EDM. Further nursing research should include inquiry into the use of power in interactions, therapeutic empathy, and permeability of nurses\u27 internal and external boundaries in the opening up phase of EDM

Thinking styles and doctors' knowledge and behaviours relating to acute coronary syndromes guidelines

Background How humans think and make decisions is important in understanding behaviour. Hence an understanding of cognitive processes among physicians may inform our understanding of behaviour in relation to evidence implementation strategies. A personality theory, Cognitive-Experiential Self Theory (CEST) proposes a relationship between different ways of thinking and behaviour, and articulates pathways for behaviour change. However prior to the empirical testing of interventions based on CEST, it is first necessary to demonstrate its suitability among a sample of healthcare workers. Objectives To investigate the relationship between thinking styles and the knowledge and clinical practices of doctors directly involved in the management of acute coronary syndromes. Methods Self-reported doctors' thinking styles (N = 74) were correlated with results from a survey investigating knowledge, attitudes, and clinical practice, and evaluated against recently published acute coronary syndrome clinical guidelines. Results Guideline-discordant practice was associated with an experiential style of thinking. Conversely, guideline-concordant practice was associated with a higher preference for a rational style of reasoning. Conclusion Findings support that while guidelines might be necessary to communicate evidence, other strategies may be necessary to target discordant behaviours. Further research designed to examine the relationships found in the current study is required

The Empirical Foundations of Telemedicine Interventions for Chronic Disease Management

The telemedicine intervention in chronic disease management promises to involve patients in their own care, provides continuous monitoring by their healthcare providers, identifies early symptoms, and responds promptly to exacerbations in their illnesses. This review set out to establish the evidence from the available literature on the impact of telemedicine for the management of three chronic diseases: congestive heart failure, stroke, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. By design, the review focuses on a limited set of representative chronic diseases because of their current and increasing importance relative to their prevalence, associated morbidity, mortality, and cost. Furthermore, these three diseases are amenable to timely interventions and secondary prevention through telemonitoring. The preponderance of evidence from studies using rigorous research methods points to beneficial results from telemonitoring in its various manifestations, albeit with a few exceptions. Generally, the benefits include reductions in use of service: hospital admissions/re-admissions, length of hospital stay, and emergency department visits typically declined. It is important that there often were reductions in mortality. Few studies reported neutral or mixed findings.Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/140284/1/tmj.2014.9981.pd

The use of meta-analysis in economic evaluation

Meta-analysis provides a family of statistical techniques for combining the results of similar studies. This paper examines the meta-analysis of clinical data in economic studies, and points to the issues and considerations that must be addressed when designing and conducting a meta-analysis of clinical data for use in an economic evaluation. We investigate whether the standard approaches employed in the meta-analysis of clinical data are satisfactory to meet the demands of economic evaluation, and assess the meta-analyses contained in a sample of economic evaluations identified from the NHS conomic Evaluation Database. Finally, we provide guidance on the appropriate use of meta-analysis for economic evaluations.economic evaluation, meta-analysis

The Genomic Medicine Model: An Integrated Approach to Implementation of Family Health History in Primary Care

As an essential tool for risk stratification, family health history (FHH) is a central component of personalized medicine; yet, despite its widespread acceptance among professional societies and its established place in the medical interview, its widespread adoption is hindered by three major barriers: quality of FHH collection, risk stratification capabilities and interpretation of risk stratification for clinical care. To overcome these barriers and bring FHH to the forefront of the personalized medicine effort, we developed the genomic medicine model (GMM) for primary care. The GMM, founded upon the principles of the Health Belief Model, Adult Learning Theory and the implementation sciences, shifts responsibility for FHH onto the patient, uses information technology (MeTree©) for risk stratification and interpretation, and provides education across multiple levels for each stakeholder, freeing up the clinical encounter for discussion around personalized preventive healthcare plans. The GMM has been implemented and optimized as part of an implementation-effectiveness hybrid pilot study for breast/ovarian cancer, colon cancer and thrombosis, and risk for hereditary cancer syndromes in two primary care clinics in NC, USA. This paper describes the conceptual development of the model and key findings relevant for broader uptake and sustainability in the primary care community

Endovascular Treatment of Ischemic Stroke: Treat the right patient, at the right time, in the right place

The effect of endovascular treatment for ischemic stroke varies between individual patients and is highly time-dependent. The overall aim of this thesis was to increase the benefit of endovascular treatment by optimizing prediction of outcome and treatment effect (Part I), reducing treatment delay (Part II), and improving prehospital triage strategies (Part III)