Inpatient management of gout: we are still failing.

Objective: Despite effective treatment, gout is poorly managed. The aim of this study was to determine rates of serum urate (SU) testing and allopurinol dose adjustment in patients on allopurinol admitted to Christchurch based hospitals.

Methods: The hospital electronic prescribing and administration (ePA) system was used to identify patients on allopurinol during hospital admissions from March 2016-March 2023.

A UK population-based case-control study of blood tests before cancer diagnosis in patients with non-specific abdominal symptoms.

Background: Abnormal results in commonly used primary care blood tests could be early markers of cancer in patients presenting with non-specific abdominal symptoms.

Methods: Using linked data from the UK Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD) and national cancer registry we compared blood test use and abnormal results from the 24-months pre-diagnosis in 10,575 cancer patients (any site), and 52,875 matched-controls aged ≥30 presenting, with abdominal pain or bloating to primary care.

Results: Cancer patients had two-fold increased odds of having a blood test (odds ratio(OR):1.

Registry versus claims-based index dates for studies of cancer diagnosis in administrative data.

Purpose: Studies of healthcare encounters leading to cancer diagnosis have increased over recent years. While some studies examine healthcare utilization before the cancer registry date of diagnosis, relevant pre-diagnosis interactions are not always immediately prior to this date due to date abstraction guidelines. We evaluated agreement of a registry date with a claims-based index and examined Emergency Department (ED) involvement in cancer diagnosis as an example of possible pre-diagnostic healthcare misclassification that could arise from improper date choice.

Dissemination of the Care Ecosystem Collaborative Care Model for Dementia.

Background: Dementia represents a growing healthcare challenge in the United States. The Care Ecosystem, an effective collaborative care model, bridges medical and social care needs for individuals with dementia. The purpose of this study was to describe how the Care Ecosystem has been disseminated and the lessons learned from this experience.

General Practice chest x-ray rate is associated with earlier lung cancer diagnosis and reduced all-cause mortality: a retrospective observational study.

Background: Evidence on whether general practice rates of investigation in symptomatic patients using chest x-ray (CXR) affects outcomes is equivocal.

Aim: Determine if there is an association between rates of general practice (GP) requested CXR and lung cancer outcomes.

Design And Setting: Retrospective observational study (England) Methods: Cancer registry data for patients diagnosed with lung cancer 2014-2018 was linked to data on GP CXRs 2013-2017.