Reducing non-attendance in outpatient appointments: predictive model development, validation, and clinical assessment.

Background: Non-attendance to scheduled hospital outpatient appointments may compromise healthcare resource planning, which ultimately reduces the quality of healthcare provision by delaying assessments and increasing waiting lists. We developed a model for predicting non-attendance and assessed the effectiveness of an intervention for reducing non-attendance based on the model.

Methods: The study was conducted in three stages: (1) model development, (2) prospective validation of the model with new data, and (3) a clinical assessment with a pilot study that included the model as a stratification tool to select the patients in the intervention.

Predictors of occult cancer in acute ischemic stroke patients.

Background: We investigated the prevalence of occult malignancy (OM) in acute ischemic stroke patients to evaluate if any biological marker could help to detect the presence of OM.

Methods: We retrospectively reviewed all ischemic stroke patients during 48 months. We did not perform any screening for OM.

Transdermal Rotigotine Improves Sleep Fragmentation in Parkinson's Disease: Results of the Multicenter, Prospective SLEEP-FRAM Study.

Sleep disturbances occur frequently in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of rotigotine on sleep fluctuations in a sample of PD patients with self-reported complaints of nocturnal awakenings. This prospective, open-label, observational, and multicenter study enrolled consecutive outpatients with PD and administered rotigotine (mean dose 8.

Lowering bronchoaspiration rate in an acute stroke unit by means of a 2 volume/3 texture dysphagia screening test with pulsioximetry.

Introduction: During acute stroke, 30% of all patients present dysphagia and 50% of that subgroup will experience bronchoaspiration. Our aim was to compare mortality and bronchoaspiration rates associated with the water test compared to those associated with a 2 volume/3 texture test controlled with pulse oximetry (2v/3t-P test) in our stroke unit.

Patients And Methods: Over a 5-year period, we performed a prospective analysis of all consecutive acute ischaemic stroke patients hospitalised in the Stroke Unit.

Rapid diagnosis and treatment of TIA results in low rates of stroke, myocardial infarction and vascular death.

Introduction: The 90-day risk of cerebral infarction in patients with transient ischaemic attack (TIA) is estimated at between 8% and 20%. There is little consensus as to which diagnostic strategy is most effective. This study evaluates the benefits of early transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) with carotid and transcranial Doppler ultrasound in patients with TIA.