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Biomedical subjects

Susan D Roseff

Publications and source records attributed to Susan D Roseff.

5 recordsLinked to original sources

Gender differences in pain and healthcare utilization for adult sickle cell patients: The PiSCES Project.

BACKGROUND: Many studies have found gender differences in frequency and intensity of pain. Women often report lower pain thresholds, higher pain ratings, and lower tolerance for pain. People with sickle cell disease (SCD) experience both chronic and acute pain throughout life. OBJECTIVES: To compare adult men and women with SCD in terms of reported pain, crises, healthcare utilization, and opioid usage. METHODS: Two hundred twenty-six adults with SCD in Virginia were enrolled in a prospective cohort study of pain and completed daily diaries for 1-6 months. Subjects reported for the previous day their maximum SCD-related pain, distress, and interference (0-9 scale), whether they were in a sickle cell crisis, had unplanned utilization (clinic, emergency room, or hospitalization), or used opioids. Episodes of pain, crisis, or utilization were defined as consecutive days of such. Men and women were compared, using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA), controlling for age, SCD genotype, depression, and education. RESULTS: There were no significant differences between men and women in the percentage of days subjects experienced pain (men 58.6% vs. women 56.5%) or the number of pain episodes/6 months (7.7 vs. 9.6). Mean pain scores were comparable, when subjects were in crisis (5.5 vs. 5.6) or not (2.5 vs. 2.2). Distress and interference results were similar. Men with the SS genotype reported a higher percentage of days with crisis(18.5% vs. 11.6%) and utilization (5.1% vs. 2.7%) than women with the SS genotype. CONCLUSIONS: Contrary to many studies of pain, particularly chronic pain, men and women with SCD reported generally similar pain experiences.

Acute Disease↗

Health related quality of life in sickle cell patients: the PiSCES project.

BACKGROUND: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a chronic disease associated with high degrees of morbidity and increased mortality. Health-related quality of life (HRQOL) among adults with sickle cell disease has not been widely reported. METHODS: We administered the Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form to 308 patients in the Pain in Sickle Cell Epidemiology Study (PiSCES) to assess HRQOL. Scales included physical function, physical and emotional role function, bodily pain, vitality, social function, mental health, and general health. We compared scores with national norms using t-tests, and with three chronic disease cohorts: asthma, cystic fibrosis and hemodialysis patients using analysis of variance and Dunnett's test for comparison with a control. We also assessed whether SCD specific variables (genotype, pain, crisis and utilization) were independently predictive of SF-36 subscales, controlling for socio-demographic variables using regression. RESULTS: Patients with SCD scored significantly worse than national norms on all subscales except mental health. Patients with SCD had lower HRQOL than cystic fibrosis patients except for mental health. Scores were similar for physical function, role function and mental health as compared to asthma patients, but worse for bodily pain, vitality, social function and general health subscales. Compared to dialysis patients, sickle cell disease patients scored similarly on physical role and emotional role function, social functioning and mental health, worse on bodily pain, general health and vitality and better on physical functioning. Surprisingly, genotype did not influence HRQOL except for vitality. However, scores significantly decreased as pain levels increased. CONCLUSION: SCD patients experience health related quality of life worse than the general population, and in general, their scores were most similar to patients undergoing hemodialysis. Practitioners should regard their HRQOL as severely compromised. Interventions in SCD should consider improvements in health related quality of life as important outcomes.

Adolescent↗

Understanding pain and improving management of sickle cell disease: the PiSCES study.

Until recent decades, sickle cell disease (SCD) was associated with recurrent, disabling pain, organ failure and death in childhood or early adulthood. SCD treatment advances have now decreased pain and prolonged survival, but episodic or chronic pain may still require substantial analgesic use and frequent hospitalization for pain episodes. This pain is poorly characterized and often poorly treated. Adult patients may face barriers to comprehensive SCD care, stigmatization of their care-seeking behavior by providers and lack of family support, forcing them into maladaptive coping strategies. The Pain in Sickle Cell Epidemiology Study (PiSCES) attempts to develop and validate a biopsychosocial model of SCD pain, pain response and healthcare utilization in a large, multisite adult cohort. PiSCES participants complete a baseline survey and six months of daily pain diaries in which they record levels of SCD-related pain and related disability and distress as well as responses to pain (e.g., medication use, hospital visits). PiSCES will advance methods of measuring pain and pain response in SCD by better describing home-managed as well as provider-managed pain. PiSCES will assess the relative contributions of biological (disease-related), psychosocial and environmental (readiness to utilize) factors to overall pain and pain response in SCD, suggesting targets for biobehavioral interventions over time. Importantly, PiSCES will also identify "triggers" of SCD pain episodes and healthcare utilization in the moment of pain, suggesting targets for timely care that mutes pain episodes.

Adaptation, Psychological↗

Developing a blood conservation program in cardiac surgery.

The beneficial effects of blood transfusions have been described and widely accepted. Multiple factors, including shortages, costs, infectious risks, immunologic risks, and the risk/benefit ratio to the patient, have made the medical community reassess the guidelines for transfusion. Cardiac surgery presents a unique subset of patients, because intervention at multiple stages in the care of these patients is possible to decrease the need for transfusion. An algorithm for a cardiac surgery program was developed and a reassessment performed. Once it was seen that no detrimental effect on patient care occurred, the program was expanded, was enhanced, and subsequently has been offered to the rest of the health care system. This program has resulted in a decrease in cost while maintaining patient outcomes. The success of the program is believed to be a result of the multidisciplinary approach taken, with a commitment from all members of the blood reduction team being the key component of this success.

Aged↗