RESUMO
This study aimed to evaluate the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on adults with opioid-treated chronic low back pain (CLBP), an understudied area. Participants in a "parent" clinical trial of non-pharmacologic treatments for CLBP were invited to complete a one-time survey on the perceived pandemic impact across several CLBP- and opioid therapy-related domains. Participant clinical and other characteristics were derived from the parent study's data. Descriptive statistics and latent class analysis analyzed quantitative data; qualitative thematic analysis was applied to qualitative data. The survey was completed by 480 respondents from June 2020 to August 2021. The majority reported a negative pandemic impact on their life (84.8%), with worsened enjoyment of life (74.6%), mental health (74.4%), pain (53.8%), pain-coping skills (49.7%), and finances (45.3%). One-fifth (19.4%) of respondents noted increased use of prescribed opioids; at the same time, decreased access to medication and overall healthcare was reported by 11.3% and 61.6% of respondents, respectively. Latent class analysis of the COVID-19 survey responses revealed 2 patterns of pandemic-related impact; those with worse pandemic-associated harms (nâ =â 106) had an overall worse health profile compared to those with a lesser pandemic impact. The pandemic substantially affected all domains of relevant health-related outcomes as well as healthcare access, general wellbeing, and financial stability among adults with opioid-treated CLBP. A more nuanced evaluation revealed a heterogeneity of experiences, underscoring the need for both increased overall support for this population and for an individualized approach to mitigate harms induced by pandemic or similar crises.
Assuntos
COVID-19 , Dor Crônica , Dor Lombar , Humanos , Adulto , Analgésicos Opioides/uso terapêutico , Estudos Transversais , Pandemias , Dor Lombar/terapia , Inquéritos e Questionários , Dor Crônica/terapiaRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the accuracy of emergency physician-performed point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) for the diagnosis of small-bowel obstruction (SBO) compared to computed tomography (CT). METHODS: We performed a prospective, multicenter, observational study examining a convenience sample of adult patients with potential SBO presenting to the emergency department (ED) between July 2014 and May 2017. Each POCUS was interpreted at the bedside by the performing emergency physician and retrospectively by an expert reviewer. Test characteristics were calculated for POCUS, blinded expert interpretation, and specific POCUS parameters. RESULTS: A total of 217 subjects were included in the primary analysis with an overall SBO prevalence of 42.9%. For the diagnosis of SBO, POCUS demonstrated an overall sensitivity, specificity, positive likelihood ratio, and negative likelihood ratio of 0.88 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.80 to 0.94), 0.54 (95% CI = 0.45 to 0.63), 1.92 (95% CI = 1.56 to 2.35), and 0.22 (95% CI = 0.12 to 0.39), respectively. Expert review yielded a similar sensitivity (0.89 [95% CI = 0.81 to 0.95]) with a significantly higher specificity (0.82 [95% CI = 0.74 to 0.88]). The more sensitive sonographic parameters for both POC sonographers and expert reviewers were small-bowel dilation ≥ 25 mm (0.87 [95% CI = 0.79 to 0.93], 0.87 [95% CI = 0.79 to 0.93]) and abnormal peristalsis (0.82 [95% CI = 0.72 to 0.89], 0.85 [95% CI = 0.76 to 0.87]). The more specific parameters for both groups were transition point (0.82 [95% CI = 0.74 to 0.89], 0.98 [95% CI = 0.94 to 1.00]), intraperitoneal free fluid (0.82 [95% CI = 0.74 to 0.89], 0.93 [95% CI = 0.87 to 0.97]), and bowel wall edema (0.76 [95% CI = 0.67 to 0.83], 0.93 [95% CI = 0.87 to 0.97]). CONCLUSION: POCUS is moderately sensitive for SBO, although less specific, when performed by a diverse group of emergency physicians across multiple EDs. Interpretation of acquired POCUS images is significantly more accurate when performed by physicians with prior emergency ultrasound fellowship training and familiarity with the sonographic appearance of SBO.