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Displaying 231 - 240 of 459 in Annals of Internal Medicine
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Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction for Treating Low Back Pain: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 166, No 11
Background: Mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) is frequently used to treat pain-related conditions, but its effects on low back pain are uncertain. Purpose: To assess the efficacy and safety of MBSR in patients with low back pain. Data Sources: Searches of MEDLINE/PubMed, Scopus, the Cochrane Library, and PsycINFO to 15 June 2016. Study Selection: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that compared MBSR with usual care or an active comparator and assessed pain intensity or pain-related disability as a primary outcome in patients with low back pain. Data Extraction: Two reviewers independently extracted data on study characteristics, patients, interventions, outcome measures, and results at short- and long-term follow-up. Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. Data Synthesis: Seven RCTs involving 864 patients with low back pain were eligible for review. Compared with usual care, MBSR was associated with short-term improvements in pain intensity (4 RCTs; mean difference [MD], −0.96 point on a numerical rating scale [95% CI, −1.64 to −0.34 point]; standardized mean difference [SMD], −0.48 point [CI, −0.82 to −0.14 point]) and physical functioning (2 RCTs; MD, 2.50 [CI, 0.90 to 4.10 point]; SMD, 0.25 [CI, 0.09 to 0.41 point]) that were not sustained in the long term. Between-group differences in disability, mental health, pain acceptance, and mindfulness were not significant at short- or long-term follow-up. Compared with an active comparator, MBSR was not associated with significant differences in short- or long-term outcomes. No serious adverse events were reported. Limitation: The number of eligible RCTs was limited; only 3 evaluated MBSR against an active comparator. Conclusion: Mindfulness-based stress reduction may be associated with short-term effects on pain intensity and physical functioning. Long-term RCTs that compare MBSR versus active treatments are needed in order to best understand the role of MBSR in the management of low back pain. Primary Funding Source: None.
Proprotein Convertase Subtilisin/Kexin Type 9 Monoclonal Antibodies for Acute Coronary Syndrome: A Narrative Review: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 164, No 9
Monoclonal antibodies that inhibit proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 (PCSK9) are an emerging therapy for dyslipidemia. Acute coronary events induce a dynamic increase of PCSK9 levels that may play a role in plaque vulnerability of both culprit and nonculprit coronary vessels. Growing evidence highlights a potential key role of PCSK9 antibodies in managing acute coronary syndrome. This review describes the influence of PCSK9 antibodies on plaque composition and instability, as well as the pharmacokinetic profile and the potential anti-inflammatory and antithrombotic mechanisms associated with PCSK9 inhibition that may confer benefits during the early phase of acute coronary syndrome. The authors posit a rationale for the use of PCSK9 antibodies in patients with acute coronary syndrome and highlight the need for further investigation in this area.
Should We Screen for Coronary Heart Disease in Asymptomatic Persons?: Grand Rounds Discussion From Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 164, No 7
In March 2015, the American College of Physicians (ACP) released a clinical guideline on the value of screening for coronary heart disease (CHD) in asymptomatic persons. The guideline authors found that results of screening studies are unlikely to change patient management or the intensity of risk factor reduction strategies. Most events occur in patients who are at low to intermediate risk for CHD; and in low-risk asymptomatic patients, percutaneous coronary intervention in “screen-positive” patients does not improve outcomes and creates unnecessary risks. As a result, the ACP recommended against screening for asymptomatic patients who are at low risk for CHD. Instead, it recommended a focus on proven strategies, such as treatment of hypertension and hypercholesterolemia, to reduce risk in appropriately selected asymptomatic persons. Two discussants weigh the evidence for and against screening for CHD in asymptomatic patients with varying degrees of risk and provide recommendations for a specific patient who is uncertain whether to proceed to screening.
Adverse Events After Same-Day COVID-19 and Influenza Vaccination Versus Influenza Vaccination Alone: A Target Trial Emulation: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 179, No 8
Background: Safety studies of the COVID-19 vaccine have identified some adverse events. Yet newer variant-updated formulations, along with increased hybrid immunity, may change these risks. Early-era safety data may not reflect experience with updated formulations in more immune-experienced populations. Objective: To evaluate 90-day risks for adverse events after coadministration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines compared with influenza vaccination alone, across bivalent, XBB-adapted, and KP-adapted COVID-19 vaccine periods. Design: Target trial emulation using electronic health care data. Setting: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Participants: Participants receiving both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines (n = 705 124) and those receiving only an influenza vaccine (n = 1 813 205) between 1 September 2022 and 26 August 2025. Intervention: Receipt of both COVID-19 and seasonal influenza vaccines versus receipt of only an influenza vaccine. Measurements: 90-day risks for 46 prespecified individual adverse events grouped into 3 composite outcomes (tier 1, serious or life-threatening; tier 2, clinically significant; tier 3, less severe or self-limiting), using weighted discrete-time survival models. Results: For all 3 composite outcomes, risks were similar between groups: tier 1 (risk ratio [RR], 1.03 [95% CI, 0.99 to 1.09]), tier 2 (RR, 0.99 [CI, 0.96 to 1.03]), and tier 3 (RR, 0.99 [CI, 0.96 to 1.02]). Of the 46 individual adverse events, 2 tier-3 risks had nominal statistical significance: syncope (RR, 1.09 [CI, 1.02 to 1.17]) and tinnitus (RR, 0.95 [CI, 0.92 to 0.99]); no risks were statistically significant after correcting for multiple comparisons. For all risks in tier 1 or tier 2, confidence bounds included 1.0 (no effect). In period-stratified analyses, neither composite (tier) nor individual event estimates supported differences in risks between groups. Limitation: Generalizability and potential unmeasured confounding. Conclusion: Same-day coadministration of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines was not associated with an increased risk for adverse events in 3 updated-formulation periods. These findings support the short-term safety of coadministration. Primary Funding Source: U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
Estimating the Effect of Hospital Admission on Health Care Outcomes and Spending Among Persons With Dementia: A Quasi-experimental Study: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 179, No 7
Background: Because transitions in care settings can be confusing for persons with dementia (PWD), hospital admissions can negatively affect their physical and cognitive function. However, the effect of hospital admissions on patient outcomes and health care spending remains largely unknown. Objective: To estimate the effects of hospital admissions on health outcomes and health care spending among PWD. Design: Quasi-experimental instrumental variable method, using emergency physicians’ admission propensity as the instrument. Setting: United States. Patients: Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged 66 years or older with dementia who visited an emergency department (ED) in 2017 to 2019. Measurements: Death, inpatient days (excluding the index hospital admission), and health care spending (excluding the index ED visit and hospital admission) within 30 and 90 days of ED visits. Results: Among 872 085 ED visits (62.9% women; mean age, 83.1 years) included in the analysis, 482 208 (55.3%) resulted in hospital admission. There was no evidence that hospital admission was associated with 30-day mortality rate (adjusted risk difference, −2.6 percentage points [pp] [95% CI, −5.2 to 0.1 pp]) or inpatient days (adjusted difference, 0.1 days [CI, −0.2 to 0.5 days]). Hospital admission was associated with higher 30-day health care spending (adjusted difference, $2547 [CI, $1390 to $3703]). Patterns were similar for 90-day outcomes. Limitation: Residual confounding. Conclusion: Among Medicare beneficiaries with dementia who visited an ED, there was no evidence that hospital admission was associated with mortality rates. Under conventional statistical criteria, an effect of hospital admissions between a 5.2-pp decrease and a 0.1-pp increase in 30-day mortality rates was highly compatible with the data. On the contrary, hospital admission was associated with higher health care spending. Primary Funding Source: None.
Risk for Scrotal Surgery After Laparoscopic Donor Nephrectomy: A Population-Based Cohort Study: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 179, No 1
Background: A potential long-term complication of living kidney donation in male donors is scrotal swelling on the same side as the nephrectomy, and some undergo surgery to relieve discomfort from the fluid collection. The long-term risk for this outcome attributable to donation is unknown. Objective: To evaluate long-term scrotal surgery rates after laparoscopic nephrectomy in male living kidney donors compared with nondonors. Design: Population-based cohort study (2002 to 2024). (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT06716723) Setting: Linked administrative health care databases in Ontario, Canada. Participants: 898 male living kidney donors who had a laparoscopic nephrectomy were matched in a 1:10 ratio with 8980 male nondonors from the general population. The matching characteristics were age, date of cohort entry, rural residence, income, prior vasectomy, and prior inguinal hernia repair. Participants were followed for a median of 9 years, up to 22 years. Measurements: The primary outcome was hospitalization for surgery to address a unilateral scrotal fluid collection. Results: Donors and matched nondonors had a median age of 45 years. The rate of scrotal surgery was higher in donors than nondonors (70 of 898 donors [7.8%] vs. 19 of 8980 nondonors [0.2%]; 8.3 vs. 0.2 events per 1000 person-years; hazard ratio, 38.8 [95% CI, 22.1 to 67.9]; P < 0.001). The median time from donation to scrotal surgery was 5.2 years (IQR, 3.3 to 8.4 years); more than 90% of the surgeries were hydrocelectomies and were performed under general anesthesia. Over 20 years, the cumulative incidence was 13.8% in donors versus 0.7% in nondonors. Limitation: The precise causal mechanism remains unknown. Conclusion: Laparoscopic nephrectomy is associated with a higher risk for subsequent scrotal surgery in male living kidney donors. Primary Funding Source: Canadian Institutes of Health Research.
The Prevalence and Characteristics of Difficult Patient Encounters: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 179, No 3
Background: Patients are sometimes experienced as difficult by their providers. Purpose: To estimate the prevalence of difficult patient encounters among adults being seen in nonpsychiatric settings. Secondary goals were to assess patient and provider characteristics associated with difficulty as well as patient outcomes. Data Sources: MEDLINE, Web of Science, SciELO, ProQuest, Theses, Scopus, PsycInfo, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Global Index Medicus, and EMBASE (inception through 7 July 2025). Study Selection: In duplicate and independently. Data Extraction: Prevalence, patient characteristics (sex, mental health diagnosis, somatization, personality disorders, and chronic pain), provider characteristics (type of provider, encounter setting, burnout, years of experience, and sex), and encounter outcomes (patient unmet expectations and satisfaction) were extracted in duplicate. Data Synthesis: The prevalence of difficult encounters among clinic patients was 0.17 (95% CI, 0.15 to 0.19). Patient characteristics that increased difficulty included personality disorders (relative risk [RR], 2.2 [CI, 1.5 to 3.1]), depression (RR, 1.9 [CI, 1.7 to 2.2]), anxiety (RR, 2.1 [CI, 1.7 to 2.6]), and chronic pain (RR, 1.9 [CI, 1.5 to 2.4]). Providers with less experience (weighted mean difference, −3.5 years [CI, −5.0 to −1.9 years]) rated more encounters as difficult. Patients perceived as difficult were more likely to have unmet visit expectations (RR, 1.9 [CI, 1.4 to 2.5]) and lower satisfaction (RR, 0.76 [CI, 0.65 to 0.88]). Limitation: Limited data and heterogeneity for many secondary analyses. Conclusion: Providers perceived 17% of clinic patients as difficult. Patients perceived as difficult were more likely to have depression, anxiety, a greater number of symptoms, personality disorders, or chronic pain. Less experienced providers were more likely to judge patients as difficult. Patients from difficult encounters had more unmet visit expectations and less satisfaction. Primary Funding Source: None. (PROSPERO: CRD42024583715)
Impacts of Communication Type and Quality on Patient Safety Incidents: A Systematic Review: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 178, No 5
Background: Poor communication in health care increases the risk for patient safety incidents. However, there is no up-to-date synthesis of these data. Purpose: To synthesize studies investigating how poor communication between health care practitioners and patients (and between different groups of practitioners) affects patient safety. Data Sources: Ovid MEDLINE, CINAHL, APA PsycInfo, CENTRAL, Scopus, and the ProQuest Dissertations & Theses Citation Index from 1 January 2013 to 7 February 2024. Study Selection: Studies published in any language that quantified the effects of poor communication on patient safety. Data Extraction: Two independent reviewers extracted data, assessed risk of bias, and appraised strength of evidence. Study heterogeneity precluded meta-analysis, so results were reported with narrative description, reporting medians and interquartile ranges (IQRs). Data Synthesis: Forty-six eligible studies (67 826 patients) were included. Risk of bias was low for 20, moderate for 16, and high for 10 studies. Four studies investigated whether poor communication was the only identified cause of a patient safety incident; here, poor communication caused 13.2% (IQR, 6.1% to 24.4%) of safety incidents. Forty-two studies investigated whether poor communication contributed to patient safety incidents alongside other causes; here, poor communication contributed to 24.0% (IQR, 12.0% to 46.8%) of safety incidents. Study heterogeneity was high in terms of setting, continent, health care staff, and safety incident type. The strength of the evidence was low or very low. Limitation: There was important study heterogeneity, generally low study quality, and poor reporting of essential data. Conclusion: Poor communication is a major cause of patient safety incidents. Research is needed to develop effective interventions and to learn more about how poor communication leads to patient safety incidents. Primary Funding Source: Stoneygate Trust. (PROSPERO: CRD42024507578)
Association of Semaglutide With Tobacco Use Disorder in Patients With Type 2 Diabetes: Target Trial Emulation Using Real-World Data: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 177, No 8
Background: Reports of reduced desire to smoke in patients treated with semaglutide, a glucagon-like peptide receptor agonist (GLP-1RA) medication for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity, have raised interest about its potential benefit for tobacco use disorders (TUDs). Objective: To examine the association of semaglutide with TUD-related health care measures in patients with comorbid T2DM and TUD. Design: Emulation target trial based on a nationwide population-based database of patient electronic health records. Setting: United States, 1 December 2017 to 31 March 2023. Participants: Seven target trials were emulated among eligible patients with comorbid T2DM and TUD by comparing the new use of semaglutide versus 7 other antidiabetes medications (insulins, metformin, dipeptidyl-peptidase-4 inhibitors, sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors, sulfonylureas, thiazolidinediones, and other GLP-1RAs). Measurements: The TUD-related health care measures (medical encounter for diagnosis of TUD, smoking cessation medication prescriptions, and smoking cessation counseling) that occurred within a 12-month follow-up were examined using Cox proportional hazards and Kaplan–Meier survival analyses. Results: The study compared 222 942 new users of antidiabetes medications including 5967 of semaglutide. Semaglutide was associated with a significantly lower risk for medical encounters for TUD diagnosis compared with other antidiabetes medications, and was strongest compared with insulins (hazard ratio [HR], 0.68 [95% CI, 0.63 to 0.74]) and weakest but statistically significant compared with other GLP-1RAs (HR, 0.88 [CI, 0.81 to 0.96]). Semaglutide was associated with reduced smoking cessation medication prescriptions and counseling. Similar findings were observed in patients with and without a diagnosis of obesity. For most of the group comparisons, the differences occurred within 30 days of prescription initiation. Limitation: Documentation bias, residual confounding, missing data on current smoking behavior, body mass index, and medication adherence. Conclusion: Semaglutide was associated with lower risks for TUD-related health care measures in patients with comorbid T2DM and TUD compared with other antidiabetes medications including other GLP-1Ras, primarily within 30 days of prescription. These findings suggest the need for clinical trials to evaluate semaglutide’s potential for TUD treatment. Primary Funding Source: National Institutes of Health.
Long-Term Effects of Individualized Acupuncture for Chronic Neck Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial: Annals of Internal Medicine: Vol 177, No 10
Background: Long-term effects of individualized acupuncture in persons with chronic neck pain (CNP) remain unknown. Objective: To evaluate the efficacy and safety of pressure pain, sensory-based individualized acupuncture for relieving CNP. Design: A 24-week multicenter randomized controlled clinical trial. (ChiCTR1800016371) Setting: Outpatient settings at 4 clinical centers in China from May 2018 to March 2020. Participants: 716 participants with CNP. Intervention: Participants were randomly assigned to a waiting list (WL) group or to 1 of 3 interventions, which consisted of 10 sessions over 4 weeks: higher sensitive acupoints (HSA), lower sensitive acupoints (LSA), and sham acupoints (SA) acupuncture groups. Measurements: The primary outcome was the change in the visual analogue scale (VAS) score for neck pain (range, 0 to 100) from baseline to 4 weeks, with a difference of 10 points considered the minimum clinically important threshold. The VAS was also assessed every 4 weeks through 24 weeks. Results: The modified intention-to-treat population included 683 participants. The mean baseline VAS was 50.36, 50.10, 49.24, and 49.16 for HSA, LSA, SA, and WL, respectively. Compared with a mean baseline to week 4 change of −12.16 in the HSA group, the mean changes were −10.19 in the LSA group (net difference [ND], −1.97 [95% CI, −5.03 to 1.09]), −6.11 in the SA group (ND, −6.05 [CI, −9.10 to −3.00]), and −2.24 in the WL group (ND, −9.93 [CI, −12.95 to −6.90]). The intervention effects persisted at 24-week follow-up. Limitation: Lack of complete blinding and limited generalizability. Conclusion: Individualized acupuncture interventions using high- or low-sensitivity acupuncture points were more effective in reducing CNP than SA and WL control groups sustained through 24 weeks, but the magnitude of relative improvement did not reach a minimal clinically important difference. Primary Funding Source: National Natural Science Foundation of China.