Impact of Rurality and Geographical Accessibility on Stroke Care and Outcomes.

Background: Providing equitable health care to rural stroke patients is challenging and associated with less intervention and poorer outcomes. We assessed how several distinct patient-related geographic classifications influenced stroke care and outcomes in Scotland, United Kingdom.

Methods: We conducted a population-level data-linkage study of ischemic stroke patients admitted to the hospital (2010-2018).

A theory of change for patient-initiated follow-up care in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Timely, high-quality care is critical to rheumatoid arthritis (RA) management. In Alberta, thousands of individuals with RA are waiting for care due to the resource-intensive nature of lifelong follow-ups and rheumatologist shortages. With 20-50% of routine follow-ups not leading to treatment changes or raising new concerns, many appointments may be avoidable if care were restructured.

Community led lung health support groups: processes, perspectives and roles for researchers.

https://bit.ly/4ggrwE0.

Expediting care for hepatocellular carcinoma ≤ 3 cm by streamlining radiation segmentectomy: A quality improvement project.

Radiation segmentectomy (RS) for early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is routinely performed in two sessions. A process improvement analysis at a single destination medical center demonstrated a prolonged RS time to treatment in early-stage HCC. In response, a multidisciplinary quality improvement project to optimize RS treatment expediency was initiated.

Predictors of Mortality in Antiphospholipid Antibody-Positive Patients: Prospective Results From Antiphospholipid Syndrome Alliance for Clinical Trials and International Networking Clinical Database and Repository.

Objective: The objective was to determine the mortality rate as well as the causes and predictors of death in antiphospholipid antibody (aPL)-positive patients with and without antiphospholipid syndrome (APS) classification.

Methods: The inclusion criterion for the multicenter international Antiphospholipid Syndrome Alliance for Clinical Trials and International Networking (APS ACTION) registry is positive aPLs according to the Revised Sapporo Classification Criteria tested within one year before enrollment. Patients are observed every 12 ± 3 months with clinical data and blood collection.