Current Evidence-based Strategies Research Articles

Use of Electronic Cigarettes Among Cancer Survivors in the U.S.

The population-level patterns of electronic cigarette (e-cigarette) use among cancer survivors in the U.S. are unknown. The objective of this study was to examine the prevalence and correlates of e-cigarette use among cancer survivors in a nationally representative sample. A cross-sectional analysis was conducted of the 2014 National Health Interview Survey of the U.S. non-institutionalized civilian population. The main study outcomes were the prevalence and correlates of ever and current e-cigarette use among adults with self-reported history of cancer, excluding non-melanoma skin cancer (N=2,695). Multivariable logistic regression analyses examined whether e-cigarette use differed by cigarette smoking status and demographic subgroups. The analyses were performed in 2015. The prevalence of e-cigarette use among adult cancer survivors was lower than the general population: 2.8% of cancer survivors reported currently using e-cigarettes and an additional 6.3% had previously used e-cigarettes but were not currently using them. Use of e-cigarettes was most common among cancer survivors who currently smoked cigarettes: 34.3% of current smokers were ever e-cigarette users and 15.6% were current e-cigarette users, compared with former smokers (2.7% ever and 1.4% current e-cigarette users) and never smokers (small sample/estimates unavailable). E-cigarettes are not part of current evidence-based smoking-cessation strategies. However, the finding that cancer survivors who currently smoke cigarettes are more likely to use e-cigarettes highlights the importance of addressing e-cigarette use in patient-provider communications around tobacco cessation.

Traumatic Brain Injury in the Elderly: Burden, Risk Factors, and Prevention.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major public health problem, affecting millions of people each year worldwide. Elderly patients are at particularly high risk after sustaining a TBI due to higher degrees of mortality and functional disability compared with younger patients. In addition, the causative mechanisms of TBI in the elderly are shifting from motor vehicle collisions to falls. In this article, we will review the risk factors and mechanisms that predispose elderly patients to sustain a TBI. We will conclude by using a "Haddon's Matrix" approach to review current evidence-based prevention strategies directed at reducing the burden of TBI in the elderly.

An evidence-based strategy for the conservative management of the male patient with incontinence.

Incontinence is not an isolated symptom in men, but rather a component of a multifactorial problem that may include other lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS). Male urinary incontinence is often seen following prostate surgery and procedures, particularly prostate cancer surgery. Men with enlarged prostates experience overactive bladder symptoms of urgency and frequency. Despite these bothersome lower urinary tract problems in men, conservative treatment remains poorly investigated. This review will provide the current evidence-based strategies for the use of conservative management in men with urinary incontinence and other LUTS. Conservative treatment for urinary incontinence is an effective intervention and has been recommended by the evidence-based guidelines as the first-line intervention for LUTS. Despite this prevalence, the only population of men who continue to receive systematic consideration with respect to conservative management are those with postprostatectomy urinary symptoms. Although continence status gradually improves in the ensuing weeks and months, evidence-based research has shown that preoperative and early postoperative pelvic floor muscle training can speed the recovery of continence in the short and long term. Recent research has also shown that behavioral therapy combined with medication can improve the male symptom of nocturia. Lifestyle changes of weight loss in obese men with diabetes and LUTS and dietary modification has also been shown to be effective. Although sparse, there are data to support conservative interventions as the first-line treatment in men with LUTS. There is a strong recommendation for implementing a pelvic floor muscle training (PFMT) program before and after prostatectomy. Positive lifestyle changes such as weight loss in obese men and dietary modification can lessen urgency, nocturia, and incontinence. Despite this growing evidence on effectiveness, urologists rarely recommend conservative treatment to patients.

Management of advanced uterine leiomyosarcoma.

The purpose of this article is to review current evidence-based management strategies for patients with recurrent and metastatic uterine leiomyosarcoma (LMS). We will focus on treatment of advanced multifocal disease as well as new developments in targeted cancer therapies. The management of patients with advanced uterine LMS is divided between those with localized and those with disseminated disease. Selected patients with localized or single-organ oligometastatic disease may benefit from surgical resection. For patients with disseminated disease, fixed-dose-rate gemcitabine plus docetaxel is an appropriate first-line chemotherapy regimen. Other active cytotoxic agents include doxorubicin, ifosfamide, and dacarbazine. The role of trabectedin (approved by the European Medicine Agency to be marketed for advanced or metastatic soft tissue sarcoma) is being explored. Trials are also underway for targeted therapy in uterine LMS. Currently, the only approved targeted therapy for advanced soft tissue sarcoma is pazopanib. In patients with small volume and slowly progressive estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor-positive disease, antiestrogen therapy with an aromatase inhibitor is a reasonable alternative to observation alone. Despite recent advances, overall survival for advanced disease remains poor and identification of novel agents with activity in LMS is clearly needed.

Public health and church-based constructions of HIV prevention: black Baptist perspective.

The black church is influential in shaping health behaviors within African-American communities, yet few use evidence-based strategies for HIV prevention (abstinence, monogamy, condoms, voluntary counseling and testing, and prevention with positives). Using principles of grounded theory and interpretive description, we explored the social construction of HIV prevention within black Baptist churches in North Carolina. Data collection included interviews with church leaders (n = 12) and focus groups with congregants (n = 7; 36 participants). Analytic tools included open coding and case-level comparisons. Social constructions of HIV/AIDS prevention were influenced by two worldviews: public health and church-based. Areas of compatibility and incompatibility exist between the two worldviews that inform acceptability and adaptability of current evidence-based strategies. These findings offer insight into ways to increase the compatibility of evidence-based HIV prevention strategies within the black Baptist church context.

Role of Novel and Emerging Oral Anticoagulants for Secondary Prevention of Acute Coronary Syndromes

Dual antiplatelet therapy has become a mainstay of long-term management of patients after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). Mortality for these patients remains high despite current evidence-based treatment strategies. The coagulation cascade plays a role in the pathophysiology of ACS, and trials with warfarin in combination with dual antiplatelet therapy have found decreased rates of ischemic events at the expense of increased bleeding risk. Novel oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in the direct factor Xa (FXa) inhibitor and direct thrombin inhibitor (DTI) categories have been evaluated in combination with standard post-ACS therapy. Rivaroxaban, a FXa inhibitor, reduced the rates of ischemic events but increased major bleeding rates. Apixaban did not decrease the rates of ischemic events and also increased major bleeding rates. Other FXa inhibitors have not been studied in the long-term management of ACS (e.g., otamixaban), are not currently being studied in ongoing phase III trials (e.g., TAK-442), or have been discontinued by the manufacturer (e.g., darexaban). The DTI dabigatran had a 2- to 4-fold increased risk of major bleeding with unclear benefit for reducing ischemic events. The factor IXa inhibitor pegnivacogin is an RNA-based aptamer that has been studied in patients undergoing cardiac catheterization but has not been studied for long-term post-ACS management. The European Society of Cardiology Working Group on Thrombosis recommends the use of newer antiplatelet agents over addition of NOACs. Additional guidelines are available to guide management in patients requiring triple antithrombotic therapy but do not provide definitive recommendations on NOACs. Many questions remain about the place of NOACs for long-term post-ACS management. Recent trials have evaluated double versus triple antithrombotic therapy to balance efficacy and bleeding risk, but they did not include NOACs. It also remains unclear if NOACs hold a place in post-ACS therapy in the era of more potent antiplatelet agents such as prasugrel and ticagrelor.

Complex Cartilage Cases in the Athletic Patient: Advances in Malalignment, Instability, Articular Defects, and Meniscal Insufficiency

For sports medicine specialists, patients presenting with multiple coexisting knee pathologies can be some of the most difficult to treat patients, especially those with cartilage pathology. In particular, articular cartilage lesions are often incidental findings, and the decision to treat patients must be based on the lesions' confirmed contribution to patient symptomatology. The combination of malalignment, ligamentous instability, and chondral/meniscal damage in patients is challenging to treat because of the difficulty in determining both the relative contribution of each of the pathologies to patient clinical condition and the timing of performing specific corrective procedures. Corrective operations performed in isolation to treat each of the pathologies have historically produced reasonable results in patients; however, combined procedures for treatment of combined pathologies may prove essential for the success of any single procedure. This review describes the clinical evaluation of patients with multiple coexisting knee pathologies and highlights current evidence-based treatment strategies for the management of these combined disorders.

Management of Thyroid Incidentalomas Encountered by Anesthesiologists and Pain Physicians

Unexpected, asymptomatic thyroid lesions incidentally discovered during unrelated diagnostic or therapeutic interventions are called thyroid incidentalomas (TIs). These lesions are extremely common, creating a clinical problem that most anesthesiologists and pain specialists are unfamiliar with. Ultrasonography (US), which allows high-quality real-time visualization of tissues during brachial plexus block, stellate ganglion block, central vascular access, and other interventions, is the imaging modality of choice of many anesthesiologists and pain medicine specialists for therapeutic interventions on the neck. The increasing number of US procedures performed on the neck will eventually result in an upsurge of anesthesiologists and pain specialists encountering a TI. Interventionalists are responsible for acquiring optimal images, accurate needle positioning during interventions, and storage and appropriate labeling of the obtained images. Ignoring the TI or disclosing the presence of a "tumor" can substantially affect the patient's well-being. In this literature review, we discuss 2 clinical cases of incidentalomas, summarize the current evidence-based strategies, and provide readers with practical guidelines-possibly applicable to other abnormal findings-for the management of incidentally found thyroid lesions.

Surgical Site Infection Prevention Policies and Adherence in California Hospitals, 2010

Surgical Site Infection Prevention Policies and Adherence in California Hospitals, 2010

Chronic Pancreatitis

Chronic pancreatitis is a relentlessly painful condition associated most commonly with alcoholism. Patients suffer wasting and depression as a result of chronic pain. It is important for home care clinicians to recognize the signs of pancreatitis and understand the current evidence-based treatment strategies to control the symptoms. Although alcoholism and depression are frequent comorbidities of pancreatitis, a full discussion of alcoholism and depression is outside the scope of this article.

Estimating the Proportion of Healthcare-Associated Infections That Are Reasonably Preventable and the Related Mortality and Costs

To estimate the proportion of healthcare-associated infections (HAIs) in US hospitals that are "reasonably preventable," along with their related mortality and costs. To estimate preventability of catheter-associated bloodstream infections (CABSIs), catheter-associated urinary tract infections (CAUTIs), surgical site infections (SSIs), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), we used a federally sponsored systematic review of interventions to reduce HAIs. Ranges of preventability included the lowest and highest risk reductions reported by US studies of "moderate" to "good" quality published in the last 10 years. We used the most recently published national data to determine the annual incidence of HAIs and associated mortality. To estimate incremental cost of HAIs, we performed a systematic review, which included costs from studies in general US patient populations. To calculate ranges for the annual number of preventable infections and deaths and annual costs, we multiplied our infection, mortality, and cost figures with our ranges of preventability for each HAI. As many as 65%-70% of cases of CABSI and CAUTI and 55% of cases of VAP and SSI may be preventable with current evidence-based strategies. CAUTI may be the most preventable HAI. CABSI has the highest number of preventable deaths, followed by VAP. CABSI also has the highest cost impact; costs due to preventable cases of VAP, CAUTI, and SSI are likely less. Our findings suggest that 100% prevention of HAIs may not be attainable with current evidence-based prevention strategies; however, comprehensive implementation of such strategies could prevent hundreds of thousands of HAIs and save tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars.

Pain in the Older Adult: An Imperative Across All Health Care Settings

Across all care settings for older patients, pain is often ineffectively managed. A gap still exists between best-practice recommendations for pain assessment/treatment and current clinical practice, despite the availability of guidelines. Using a validated pain scale is critical to objectively evaluate pain intensity. Assessing pain in patients with cognitive impairment can be particularly challenging, but using pain behaviors and specifically designed, reliable, and valid tools can assist the process. Other guiding principles when selecting pain assessment tools, such as clinical usability and potential limitations, are discussed. Once pain is identified, the goals of care for older patients center on positively affecting function. Pain undertreatment is a particularly important phenomenon to address, because unrelieved persistent pain can significantly affect older individuals. Approaches tailored to an individual's needs and supported by the best available evidence should be implemented to improve patient outcomes and to increase the consistency with which care is delivered to the growing population of older Americans. The goal of this paper was to provide current evidence-based strategies and tools for pain assessment in older adults, including those with cognitive impairment.

Simplifying Adherence in Schizophrenia

Treatment nonadherence is a formidable challenge in today's clinical practice. Despite decades of focused research, medication adherence continues to be a significant risk factor for poor prognosis in schizophrenia. Studies demonstrate that no single strategy is effective for all patients and that a multidisciplinary approach customized to the patient's individual needs results in improved adherence rates. This Open Forum presents a comprehensive model for organizing and incorporating current and future evidence-based strategies with a focus on educational strategies, psychotherapeutic techniques, and a strong therapeutic alliance.

Current neoadjuvant strategies in rectal cancer

Treatment modalities in rectal cancer have undergone a slow, evolutionary transition over the past 30 years. More recently, contemporary descriptions of advanced preoperative chemotherapy and radiation schema have led to a rapid revolution in the management of this disease. In this review we focus on current evidence-based neoadjuvant strategies used in the treatment of locally advanced rectal cancer and metastatic rectal disease. Finally, we provide a foundation for discussion of still unresolved issues.

Ventilator‐Associated Pneumonia Bundled Strategies: An Evidence‐Based Practice

Ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) is an ongoing challenge for critical care nurses as they use current evidence-based strategies to decrease its incidence and prevalence. Mechanical intubation negates effective cough reflexes and impedes mucociliary clearance of secretions, causing leakage and microaspiration of virulent bacteria into the lungs. VAP is responsible for 90% of nosocomial infections and occurs within 48 hours of intubation. VAP is a major health care burden in terms of mortality, escalating health care costs, increased length of ventilator days and length of hospital stay. (1) To provide a review of the literature on VAP bundle (VAPB) practices. (2) To describe the etiology and risk factors and define bundled practices. (3) To discuss an explanatory framework that promotes knowledge translation of VAPBs into clinical settings. (4) To identify areas for further research and implications for practice to decrease the incidence of VAP. Electronic searches in MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane Collaboration were conducted using keywords specific to VAP. The inclusion criteria were: (1) Studies were original quantitative research published in an English peer-reviewed journal for the years 1997 to 2007. (2) Each study included an examination of bundled practices. (3) The clinical outcomes of critically ill adults with VAP were assessed. The studies were identified from the bibliographies of key references. Six studies were accepted based on the inclusion criteria. Each contributing author conducted the review and analysis of selected studies independently. The findings were compared and contrasted by all authors to establish consensus. Evidence shows that VAPB practices decrease VAP rates. Bundled practices result in decreased ventilator days, intensive care unit length of stay, and mortality rates. A strong association was seen, with an increased clinician compliance with VAPB protocols with decreased VAP rates. Methodologically robust randomized controlled trials are required to examine the efficacy of VAPBs and determine causality between VAPBs and clinical outcomes. Organizational commitment is needed to adopt a conceptual framework that promotes effective knowledge translation, incorporating factors of evidence, context, and facilitation of VAPBs into clinical settings. Instituting nurse-led intervention champion leaders to facilitate reliable and consistent implementation of VAPBs into practice is warranted.

Implementing Evidence-based Nursing Practice in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit

With the widespread use of central venous catheters in children, the incidence of catheter-related bloodstream infections (CR-BSIs) is increasing. Current evidence-based practice strategies to decrease CR-BSIs include using maximum barrier techniques during insertion, practicing good hand hygiene, performing skin antisepsis with 2% chlorhexidine, using a chlorhexidine-impregnated patch (CIP) covered by a semipermeable polyurethane dressing, and promptly removing catheters when no longer needed. Implementation of evidence-based practice bundles, along with monthly monitoring of infection surveillance, has resulted in significant decreases in the average rates of CR-BSIs per 1,000 catheter days in many pediatric intensive care units.

Bench-to-bedside review: Clostridium difficile colitis

In recent years, the incidence and severity of Clostridium difficile-associated disease (CDAD) have increased dramatically. Beginning in 2000, widespread regional outbreaks associated with a previously uncommon hypervirulent strain of C. difficile have occurred in North America and Europe. Most likely because of increased toxin production as well as other virulence factors, this epidemic strain has caused more severe and refractory disease leading to complications, including intensive care unit admission, colectomies, and death. Worldwide increasing use of fluoroquinolones and cephalosporins has likely contributed to the proliferation of this epidemic strain, which is highly resistant to both. The elderly have been disproportionately affected by CDAD, but C. difficile has also recently emerged in populations previously considered to be at low risk, including healthy outpatients and peripartum women, although it is unknown if these cases are related to the epidemic strain. Nevertheless, transmission within hospitals is the major source of C. difficile acquisition, and previous or concurrent antimicrobial use is almost universal among cases. Applying current evidence-based strategies for management and prevention is critically important, and clinicians should maintain an awareness of the changing epidemiology of CDAD and take measures to reduce the risk of disease in patients.

Pain assessment and procedural pain management practices in neonatal units in Australia

To identify current pain assessment and procedural pain management practices in neonatal units in Australia. Postal survey conducted during December 2003 and January 2004. The survey comprised questions relating to pain assessment scores, pain reduction strategies for minor painful procedures and the use of articulated policies relating to procedural pain management. Participants were the Nurse Unit Managers or their nominees of neonatal intensive care units, special care units and newborn emergency transport services in Australia. Surveys were sent to 181 eligible organizations, and 105 of these were returned (58%). Six units (6%) used pain assessment scores on a regular basis, and 16 units (15%) had an articulated policy directing pain management practices during painful procedures. Non-nutritive sucking and various nursing comfort measures were the pain reduction strategies most frequently used during minor painful procedures. Twenty-four units (23%) used sucrose or other sweet-tasting solutions during procedures; however, the reported frequency of their usage was low. Breast-feeding during venepuncture, heel lance and intramuscular or subcutaneous injection was infrequently practised and topical anaesthetic agents were rarely used. This survey demonstrates that the majority of Australian neonatal units have no articulated policy to guide pain management during painful procedures and do not regularly undertake pain assessments. Current evidence-based strategies to reduce procedural pain in hospitalized infants are used infrequently.

Potency after Radical Prostatectomy: From New Techniques to Better Results

Introduction and objectives Radical prostatectomy remains a commonly used procedure in the treatment of clinically localized prostate cancer. We critically analyzed current and future evidence-based strategies for preventing and managing postoperative erectile dysfunction (ED). Methods We conducted a systematic literature review using MEDLINE and CancerLit for the period from January 1997 through August 2005. We also assessed abstracts published in European Urology, the Journal of Urology, the International Journal of Impotence Research, and the Journal of Sexual Medicine, as well as official proceedings of internationally recognized scientific societies, during the same period. Results Patient selection and surgical technique are the major determinants of postoperative erectile function. Novel surgical approaches have been associated with increasing success in terms of restoring of erectile and urinary function after surgery. Pathophysiology of ED after radical prostatectomy includes chronic cavernosal hypoxia and apoptosis of corporeal smooth muscle cells, which might play a role in the development of cavernous arteriogenic and veno-occlusive dysfunction following radical prostatectomy. Recent evidence suggests that both pharmacological prophylaxis and treatment of postoperative ED are effective and safe. Conclusion In the hands of experienced high-volume surgeons, properly selected patients undergoing nerve-sparing radical prostatectomy should be able to achieve unassisted or medically assisted full erections in the postoperative period.