Biomedical subjects

Henry J Henk

Publications and source records attributed to Henry J Henk.

3 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2003

Atopy: a patient-specific risk factor for diffuse lamellar keratitis.

OBJECTIVE: To identify whether atopy is a patient-specific risk factor for the development of diffuse lamellar keratitis (DLK) after laser in situ keratomileusis (LASIK). DESIGN: Retrospective survey study. PARTICIPANTS: Three hundred sixty consecutive patients who underwent same-day bilateral myopic astigmatic primary LASIK procedures during March 1, 2000, through July 31, 2000. METHODS: We collected data for 360 consecutive patients undergoing LASIK during a 4-month period. On preoperative medical history questionnaires, patients self-identified whether they were atopic. All patients also indicated whether they were taking antiallergy medications or were untreated for allergy. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The incidence of DLK after LASIK surgery. RESULTS: The risk of DLK in untreated atopic patients was much greater than the risk of DLK among nonatopics (odds ratio, 5.85; 95% confidence interval, 2.89-11.85; P = 0.001). However, the risk of DLK among atopic patients taking an oral systemic nonsedating histamine receptor 1 antagonist and among nonatopic patients did not differ significantly (odds ratio, 0.54; 95% confidence interval, 0.12-2.46; P = 0.43). CONCLUSIONS: Atopy is a patient-specific risk factor for the development of DLK after primary bilateral LASIK for either myopia or myopic astigmatism. Atopic individuals benefit from preoperative treatment to minimize the incidence of DLK and the potential for visual loss.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Antidepressant medication management and Health Plan Employer Data Information Set (HEDIS) criteria: reasons for nonadherence.

BACKGROUND: While nationwide data have found that many patients do not meet the National Committee for Quality Assurance uniform standards for successful antidepressant treatment, reasons for this failure are not well understood. We examined the reasons for this failure through a systematic chart review. METHOD: A chart review was conducted on a random sample of 249 health maintenance organization patients who failed 1 or more of the 3 Health Plan Employer Data Information Set criteria (i.e., 3 follow-up visits or adequate duration of acute or continuation phase treatment). RESULTS: The most common reason for visits failure (N = 192) was that the patient restarted a previously prescribed successful antidepressant (N = 30, 16%). In 23 patients (12%), the patient had a visit with the prescribing provider, but mental health was not coded or documented in the case notes. Twenty-one percent (N = 40) were misclassified as not having 3 visits. The most common reasons for misclassification were mental health was discussed but not coded (N = 16, 8%) and wrong start dates due to use of medication samples (N = 10, 5%). Patient nonadherence was the most common reason for failure to meet adequate acute (N = 109) and continuation (N = 99) phase duration of treatment (13% and 24%, respectively); only 9% stopped taking medication in the acute phase due to side effects. Twenty-five percent of patients had told their doctor they were taking their medication while the pharmacy database found they were not. CONCLUSION: A large discrepancy between patients' actual and reported compliance was found and may in part account for physicians' inability to detect and thus address this issue. Patients' restarting a previous medication is common and warrants discussion regarding differential need for visit frequency.

Adolescent↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Patterns of urges during early abstinence in alcohol-dependent subjects.

Urges for alcohol can lead to relapse, but some alcoholics report few urges. We hypothesized that ecological momentary assessment techniques would reveal multiple urge patterns in newly-abstinent alcoholics. Forty-eight alcohol-dependent subjects used PDAs to assess urges to drink in abstinence. Mean and standard deviation of urges were used in cluster analysis, and cluster characteristics were compared. Four clusters were defined, the largest cluster including 29 subjects with low mean urge and low variability. Clusters differed in negative affect and anger but not in abstinence rates. Four distinct urge patterns during abstinence were identified, and 60% of abstinent, alcohol-dependent subjects reported low, stable urge levels.

Adult↗