Faculty Bibliography

In December 2017, the National Academy of Neuropsychology convened an interorganizational Summit on Population Health Solutions for Assessing Cognitive Impairment in Geriatric Patients in Denver, Colorado. The Summit brought together representatives of a broad range of stakeholders invested in the care of older adults to focus on the topic of cognitive health and aging. Summit participants specifically examined questions of who should be screened for cognitive impairment and how they should be screened in medical settings. This is important in the context of an acute illness given that the presence of cognitive impairment can have significant implications for care and for the management of concomitant diseases as well as pose a major risk factor for dementia. Participants arrived at general principles to guide future screening approaches in medical populations and identified knowledge gaps to direct future research. Key learning points of the summit included: recognizing the importance of educating patients and healthcare providers about the value of assessing current and baseline cognition; emphasizing that any screening tool must be appropriately normalized and validated in the population in which it is used to obtain accurate information, including considerations of language, cultural factors, and education; and recognizing the great potential, with appropriate caveats, of electronic health records to augment cognitive screening and tracking of changes in cognitive health over time. Summit Participants Deb Adler¹, Christopher Alban, MD, MBA², Mark Bondi, PhD³, Michelle Braun, PhD⁴, Xavier Cagigas, PhD⁵, Morgan Daven⁶, Robert L. Denney, PsyD^7,8, Lisa Drozdick, PhD⁹, Norman L. Foster, MD^10,11, Ula Hwang, MD^12–15, Laurie Ivey, PsyD¹⁶, Grant Iverson, PhD^7,17, Joel Kramer, PsyD¹⁸, Laura Lacritz, PhD^7,19, Melinda Lantz, MD²⁰, Lisa Latts, MD, MSPH, MBA²¹, Shari M. Ling, MD²², Ana Maria Lopez, MD^23–26, Michael Malone, MD^27,28, Lori Martin-Plank, PhD, MSN, MSPH, RN²⁹, Katie Maslow, MSW³⁰, Don Melady, MSc(Ed), MD^31–33, Melissa Messer³⁴, John Meyers, PsyD⁷, Charles E. McConnel, PhD¹⁹, Randi Most, PhD³⁶, Margaret P. Norris, PhD³⁷, William Perry, PhD^7,85,39, Neil Pliskin, PhD⁴⁰, David Shafer, MBA⁴¹, Nina Silverberg, PhD⁴², Tresa Roebuck-Spencer, PhD^43,44, Colin M. Thomas, MD, MPH⁴⁵, Laura Thornhill, JD⁴⁶, Jean Tsai, MD, PhD^10,47, Nirav Vakharia, MD⁴⁸, Martin Waters, MSW⁴⁹ Organizations Represented Alzheimer’s Association, Chicago, IL AMA/CPT Health Care Professionals Advisory Committee, Chicago, IL American Academy of Clinical Neuropsychology (AACN), Ann Arbor, MI American Academy of Neurology (AAN), Minneapolis, MN American Association of Geriatric Psychiatry (AAGP), McLean, VA American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), Austin, TX American Board of Professional Neuropsychology (ABN), Sarasota, FL American College of Emergency Physicians (ACEP), Philadelphia, PA American College of Physicians (ACP), Philadelphia, PA American Geriatrics Society (AGS), New York, NY American Psychological Association (APA), Washington, DC Beacon Health Options, Boston, MA Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians, Ottawa, ON, Canada Collaborative Family Healthcare Association (CFHA), Rochester, New York Gerontological Society of America, Washington, DC Hispanic Neuropsychological Society (HNS), Los Angeles, CA IBM Watson Health, Denver, CO International Federation of Emergency Medicine, West Melbourne, Australia International Neuropsychological Society (INS), Salt Lake City, UT National Academy of Neuropsychology (NAN), Denver, CO Optum of UnitedHealth Group, Minneapolis, MN Pearson, New York City, New York Psychological Assessment Resources, Inc, Lutz, FL Society for Clinical Neuropsychology, Washington, DC U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Washington, DC *Please note that participation in the Summit does not constitute organizational endorsement of this report

BACKGROUND:The landmark National Lung Screening Trial demonstrated significant reduction in lung cancer-related mortality. However, European lung cancer screening (LCS) trials have not confirmed such benefit. We examined LCS patterns and determined the impact of LCS-led diagnosis on the mortality of newly diagnosed patients with lung cancer in an underserved community. PATIENTS AND METHODS/METHODS:Medical records of patients diagnosed with primary lung cancer in 2013 through 2016 (n = 855) were reviewed for primary care provider (PCP) status and LCS eligibility and completion, determined using United States Preventative Services Task Force guidelines. Univariate analyses of patient characteristics were conducted between LCS-eligible patients based on screening completion. Survival analyses were conducted using Kaplan-Meier and multivariate Cox regression. RESULTS:In 2013 through 2016, 175 patients with primary lung cancer had an established PCP and were eligible for LCS. Among them, 19% (33/175) completed screening prior to diagnosis. LCS completion was associated with younger age (P = .02), active smoking status (P < .01), earlier stage at time of diagnosis (P < .01), follow-up in-network cancer treatment (P = .03), and surgical management (P < .01). LCS-eligible patients who underwent screening had improved all-cause mortality compared with those not screened (P < .01). Multivariate regression showed surgery (hazard ratio, 0.31; P = .04) significantly affected mortality. CONCLUSION/CONCLUSIONS:To our knowledge, this is the first study to assess LCS patterns and mortality differences on patients with screen-detected lung cancer in an urban underserved setting since the inception of United States Preventative Services Task Force guidelines. Patients with a LCS-led diagnosis had improved mortality, likely owing to cancer detection at earlier stages with curative treatment, which echoes the finding of prospective trials.

Carbapenem-resistant and hypervirulent Klebsiella pneumoniae have emerged recently. These strains are both hypervirulent and multidrug resistant, and may also be highly transmissible and able to cause severe infections in both the hospital and in the community. Clinical and public health need is required for a rapid and comprehensive molecular detection assay to identify and track their spread and provide timely infection control information. Here we develop a rapid multiplex PCR assay capable of distinguishing K. pneumoniae carbapenem-resistant ST258 and ST11, and hypervirulent ST23, ST65/375 and ST86 clones, as well as capsular types K1, K2, KL47 and KL64, and virulence genes rmpA, rmpA2, iutA and iroN The assay demonstrated 100% concordance with 118 previously genotyped K. pneumoniae isolates, and revealed different populations of carbapenem-resistant and hypervirulent strains in two collections in China and the United States. The results showed that carbapenem-resistant and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae strains are still rare in the US, while in China ∼50% carbapenem-resistant strains carry rmpA/rmpA2 and iutA virulence genes, largely associated with the epidemic ST11 strains. Similarly, a high prevalence of hypervirulent strains were found in carbapenem-susceptible isolates in two Chinese hospitals, but they primarily belong to ST23, 65/375 and 86, which is distinct from the carbapenem-resistant strains. Taken together, our results demonstrated this PCR assay can be a useful tool for the molecular surveillance of carbapenem-resistant and hypervirulent K. pneumoniae.

To compare the prevalence of mammography and prostate-specific antigen (PSA) testing in 9/11-exposed persons with the prevalence among the US population, and examine the association between 9/11 exposures and these screening tests using data from the World Trade Center Health Registry (WTCHR) cohort. We studied 8190 female and 13,440 male enrollees aged ≥40 years at survey completion (2015-2016), who had a medical visit during the preceding year, had no self-reported breast or prostate cancer, and did not have screening for non-routine purposes. We computed age-specific prevalence of mammography (among women) and PSA testing (among men), and compared to the general population using 2015 National Health Interview Survey data (NHIS). We also computed the adjusted prevalence ratio (PR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) to examine the relationship between 9/11 exposures and screening uptakes using modified Poisson regression. Our enrollees had higher prevalences of mammogram and PSA testing than the US general population. 9/11 exposure was not associated with mammography uptake. Proximity to the WTC at the time of the attacks was associated with PSA testing in the age 60-74 group (PR = 1.06; 95% CI = 1.00-1.12). Among rescue/recovery workers and volunteers (RRW), being a firefighter was associated with higher PSA testing than other RRW across all age groups (40-49: PR = 1.45, 95% CI 1.16-1.81; 50-59: PR = 1.33, 95% CI 1.22-1.44; 60-74: PR = 1.14, 95% CI 1.06-1.23). Screening activities should be considered when studying cancer incidence and mortality in 9/11 exposed populations.

BACKGROUND & AIMS/OBJECTIVE:Treatment options for recurrent ascites resulting from decompensated cirrhosis include serial large volume paracentesis and albumin infusion (LVP+A) or insertion of a transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS). Insertion of TIPSs with covered stents during early stages of ascites (early TIPS, defined as 2 LVPs within the past 3 weeks and less than 6 LVPs in the prior 3 months) significantly improves chances of survival and reduces complications of cirrhosis compared to LVP+A. However, it is not clear if TIPS insertion is cost-effective in these patients. METHODS:We developed a Markov model using the payer perspective for a hypothetical cohort of patients with cirrhosis with recurrent ascites receiving early TIPSs or LVP+A using data from publications and national databases collected from 2012-2018. Projected outcomes included quality-adjusted life-year (QALY), costs (2017 US dollars), and incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs; $/QALY). Sensitivity analyses (1-way, 2-way, and probabilistic) were conducted. ICERs less than $100,000 per QALY were considered cost effective. RESULTS:In base case analysis, early insertion of TIPS had a higher cost, ($22,770) than LVP+A, ($19,180) but also increased QALY (0.73 for early TIPSs and 0.65 for LVP+A), resulting in an ICER of $46,310/QALY. Results were sensitive to cost of uncomplicated TIPS insertion and transplant, need for LVP+A, probability of transplant, and decompensated QALY. In probabilistic sensitivity analysis, TIPS insertion was the optimal strategy in 59.1% of simulations. CONCLUSIONS:Based on Markov model analysis, early placement of TIPSs appears to be a cost-effective strategy for management of specific patients with cirrhosis and recurrent ascites. TIPS placement should be considered early and as a first-line treatment option for select patients.

OBJECTIVE:Patients describe feelings of bias and prejudice in clinical encounters; however, their perspectives on restoring the encounter once bias is perceived are not known. Implicit bias has emerged as a target for curricular interventions. In order to inform the design of novel patient-centered curricular interventions, this study explores patients' perceptions of bias, and suggestions for restoring relationships if bias is perceived. METHODS:The authors conducted bilingual focus groups with purposive sampling of self-identified Black and Latino community members in the US. Data were analyzed using grounded theory. RESULTS:Ten focus groups (in English (6) and Spanish (4)) with N = 74 participants occurred. Data analysis revealed multiple influences patients' perception of bias in their physician encounters. The theory emerging from the analysis suggests if bias is perceived, the outcome of the encounter can still be positive. A positive or negative outcome depends on whether the physician acknowledges this perceived bias or not, and his or her subsequent actions. CONCLUSIONS:Participant lived experience and physician behaviors influence perceptions of bias, however clinical relationships can be restored following perceived bias. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS:Providers might benefit from skill development in the recognition and acknowledgement of perceived bias in order to restore patient-provider relationships.

BACKGROUND:Common mechanisms against small intestinal bacterial overgrowth (SIBO), including an intact ileocecal valve, gastric acid secretion, intestinal motility, and an intact immune system, are compromised in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), and therefore, a relatively high incidence of SIBO has been reported in this population. AIMS/OBJECTIVE:We aimed to determine whether an improvement in IBD clinical activity scores is seen after testing and treating SIBO. METHODS:A retrospective cohort study of 147 patients with inflammatory bowel disease who were referred for SIBO breath testing from 1/2012 to 5/2016 was performed. Characteristics of SIBO positive and treated patients were compared to SIBO negative patients, including the changes in Partial Mayo Score or Harvey Bradshaw Index (HBI), using Student's t test for continuous variables and Chi-squared or Fisher's exact test for categorical variables. RESULTS:61.9% were SIBO positive and treated, and 38.1% were SIBO negative. In Crohn's disease, the median HBI decreased from 5 to 3 and 5 to 4, in the SIBO positive and negative groups, respectively (p = 0.005). In ulcerative colitis, the Partial Mayo Score decreased from 2 to 1.5 and 2 to 1, respectively (p = 0.607). CONCLUSIONS:This study examines the clinical effect of testing and treating for SIBO in an IBD population. We see a significant reduction in HBI after testing for and treating SIBO. Future prospective studies are necessary to further investigate the role of SIBO in the evaluation and management of IBD.