PubMed Health⌕ Search

Biomedical subjects

John E Heffner

Publications and source records attributed to John E Heffner.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2005

Safety in training and learning in the intensive care unit.

Resident and subspecialty fellow trainees in the intensive care unit (ICU) present risks for patient safety because of their inexperience yet offer opportunities to promote safe patient care because of their around-the-clock presence and their involvement in frontline processes of care. Most trainees approach their ICU experiences without previous education in performance improvement or patient safety. This article reviews the barriers that are faced by residents in providing safe patient care and outlines the nature of a patient safety curriculum that could tap the opportunities that are presented by trainees to promote safer patient care.

Critical Care↗
PubMed2004

Using intranet-based order sets to standardize clinical care and prepare for computerized physician order entry.

BACKGROUND: The high cost of computerized physician order entry (CPOE) and physician resistance to standardized care have delayed implementation. An intranet-based order set system can provide some of CPOE's benefits and offer opportunities to acculturate physicians toward standardized care. INTRANET CLINICIAN ORDER FORMS (COF): The COF system at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) allows caregivers to enter and print orders through the intranet at points of care and to access decision support resources. RESULTS: Work on COF began in March 2000 with transfer of 25 MUSC paper-based order set forms to an intranet site. Physician groups developed additional order sets, which number more than 200. Web traffic increased progressively during a 24-month period, peaking at more than 6,400 hits per month to COF. Decision support tools improved compliance with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services core indicators. DISCUSSION: Clinicians demonstrated a willingness to develop and use order sets and decision support tools posted on the COF site. COF provides a low-cost method for preparing caregivers and institutions to adopt CPOE and standardization of care. The educational resources, relevant links to external resources, and communication alerts will all link to CPOE, thereby providing a head start in CPOE implementation.

Computer Communication Networks↗
PubMed2004

Pleural effusion in interstitial lung disease.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This review reports recent information on the occurrence of pleural effusions in association with disorders that produce interstitial parenchymal lung disease. RECENT FINDINGS: The occurrence of effusions has been expanded to include systemic sclerosis, polymyositis-dermatomyositis, several drugs, and several miscellaneous causes of interstitial lung disease (ILD). SUMMARY: Pleural effusions occur in patients with various forms of interstitial lung disease. The effusions require a clinical evaluation to exclude complications of therapy and coexisting conditions unrelated to the underlying ILD.

Connective Tissue Diseases↗
PubMed2004

Training resident physicians toward improved patient safety.

Residents in training represent both a problem and opportunity in promoting enhanced patients safety in acute care settings. Trainees do not bring the experience and knowledge of attending physicians to the bedside and have an increased risk for medical errors. Yet, the around-the-clock presence of residents in the hospital and their awareness of impediments to safer patient care present a potential for preventing error-related adverse events. Capturing this potential for improved patient safety requires a broadened training curriculum that focuses on patient safety.

Curriculum↗
PubMed2003

Long-term effects of inhaled corticosteroids on FEV1 in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. A meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: There is no consensus on the effectiveness of inhaled corticosteroids for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). PURPOSE: To evaluate the long-term effects of inhaled corticosteroids on the rate of FEV1 decline in patients with COPD. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, EMBASE, CISCOM, and AMED databases and the Cochrane Library (1966 to December 2002), reference lists from identified articles, and consultation with experts. Searches were not limited to the English language. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized, placebo-controlled trials that examined the rate of FEV1 decline as a primary outcome in patients with COPD. DATA EXTRACTION: Two reviewers independently extracted the data by using predetermined criteria. DATA SYNTHESIS: For the six studies that met the inclusion criteria, the summary estimate for the difference in FEV1 decline between the placebo and treatment groups was -5.0 +/- 3.2 mL/y (95% CI, -11.2 to 1.2 mL/y; P = 0.11). CONCLUSIONS: The use of inhaled corticosteroids was not associated with the rate of FEV1 decline in 3571 patients followed for 24 to 54 months.

Administration, Inhalation↗
PubMed2003

Tracheotomy application and timing.

Tracheotomy is one of the most commonly performed surgical procedures among critically ill patients. In the past, tracheotomy was delayed as long as possible in ventilator-dependent patients because of concerns regarding injury to the airway from the surgical procedure. Greater recognition of the benefits of tracheotomy in terms of greater patient comfort and mobility has promoted its earlier performance. No data identify an ideal time for tracheotomy. The decision to convert a patient from translaryngeal intubation to a tracheostomy requires anticipation of the duration of expected mechanical ventilation and the weighing of the expected benefits and risks of the procedure. The convenience of percutaneous tracheotomy performed in the ICU by critical care specialists without formal surgical training has further promoted the adoption of tracheotomy for ventilator-dependent patients. Regardless of the method for performing tracheotomy, meticulous surgical technique and careful postoperative management are necessary to maintain the excellent safety record of tracheotomy for critically ill patients.

Cricoid Cartilage↗
PubMed2003

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in geriatric critical care.

COPD is a progressive disorder that is punctuated in its later stages with acute exacerbations that present a risk for respiratory failure. COPD has a disproportionate impact on older patients. In the ICU, therapy is directed toward unloading fatigued respiratory muscles, treating airway infection, and prescribing bronchodilatory drugs. Most patients survive hospitalization in the ICU for an episode of respiratory failure. The severity of the underlying lung disease, however, underlies the poor outcomes of patients in terms of postdischarge survival and quality of life.

Aged↗
PubMed2003

Multilevel and continuous pleural fluid pH likelihood ratios for evaluating malignant pleural effusions.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Expert consensus recommends testing pleural fluid for pH to assist the selection of patients with malignant pleural effusions for pleurodesis. Although published studies report an association between pleural fluid pH and patient outcomes after pleurodesis, clinicians have no definitive information on how to use pH to select patients for pleurodesis. Thus, we quantitatively assessed different methods for deriving likelihood ratios from pleural fluid pH and evaluated the potential role of pH in selecting patients for pleurodesis. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, systematic reviews, article reference lists, and contact with primary authors. STUDY SELECTION: Studies that assessed the impact of pleural fluid pH on survival and pleurodesis failure rates among patients with malignant pleural effusions. DATA EXTRACTION: Primary authors provided their data in electronic spreadsheets. DATA SYNTHESIS: Retrieved data sets included survival and pleurodesis failure rates for 417 patients and 433 patients, respectively. Binary, multilevel, and continuous likelihood ratios were calculated to estimate the likelihood of death within 3 months of pleurodesis or pleurodesis failure rates. Values for the likelihood ratios were compared for each of the three strategies, and relative clinical and statistical significance were assessed. Pleural fluid pH had marginal performance for identifying patients with < 3-month anticipated survival; binary likelihood ratios provided as much information as the multilevel and continuous strategies. Likelihood ratios for identifying patients likely to fail pleurodesis were clinically useful. Continuous likelihood ratios provided statistically more information as compared with the multilevel and binary strategies. CONCLUSIONS: Pleural fluid pH has marginal value for estimating death within 3 months of pleurodesis, and binary likelihood ratios (cut point </= 7.20) perform as well as the other strategies assessed. Pleural fluid pH provides more useful information for estimating the likelihood of pleurodesis failure for which continuous likelihood ratios provide the most information as compared with binary or multilevel likelihood ratios.

Data Interpretation, Statistical↗
PubMed2003

Pleurodesis practice for malignant pleural effusions in five English-speaking countries: survey of pulmonologists.

BACKGROUND: Pleurodesis is important in the management of malignant pleural effusions, but no consensus exists on the optimal agent or methods of pleurodesis. How pleurodesis is practiced worldwide has not been studied. OBJECTIVES: To identify variations in the clinical practice of pleurodesis in major English-speaking countries, and to quantify the experience of pulmonologists on the effectiveness and adverse effects of different pleurodesis agents worldwide. METHODS: Eight hundred fifty-nine pulmonologists practicing in the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand participated in a Web-based survey. RESULTS: The respondents collectively perform > 8,300 pleurodesis annually. Talc was the preferred agent by most respondents (slurry, 56%; poudrage, 12%), followed by tetracycline derivatives (26%), and bleomycin (7%). Differences were seen in pleurodesis practice patterns among practitioners among and within the surveyed countries. Physicians' overall satisfaction with the available pleurodesis agents was modest (5.0 out of 8), and the reported success rate averaged only 66%. Talc (both poudrage and slurry) was perceived as significantly more effective, but was associated with significantly more pain, nausea, and fever (p < 0.05). Respiratory failure occurred more commonly with talc poudrage than with other agents (p < 0.05), and had been observed by 70% and 54% of physicians who used talc poudrage and slurry, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Significant variations exist in how pleurodesis is performed worldwide. Pleurodesis agents currently available are perceived as suboptimal. Talc poudrage and slurry were perceived to be more effective, but were associated with more complications, including respiratory failure.

Adult↗
PubMed2003

The guideline approach to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: how effective?

Clinical practice guidelines are systematically developed to assist health care decisions in specific clinical circumstances. They first arose to improve quality of care by decreasing unexplained practice variation, controlling health care costs, fostering evidence-based decision-making, and accelerating the application of new advances in medical science to everyday practice. Unfortunately, multiple studies demonstrate incomplete and varied effectiveness of clinical practice guidelines in altering clinician behavior and improving patient outcomes. Efforts to enhance guideline effectiveness have focused on improving the methods for guideline development, diffusion, dissemination, and implementation. Despite evidence of limited effectiveness, more than 40 clinical practice guidelines pertaining to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease have been published since 1985. The present article reviews those guidelines, evidence for their effectiveness, and approaches to improve their implementation.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗