Context: In 2008, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) required U.S. hospices to implement comprehensive quality improvement programs. CMS contracted with the Quality Improvement Organization in North and South Carolina to develop quality measures and instruments to assess hospice and palliative care quality.
Objectives: To develop a set of quality measures, with complete specifications, and data collection tools for use by hospice and palliative care providers in quality improvement.
Methods: Quality measures were identified from: published literature, the National Quality Forum, CMS measures, the National Quality Measures Clearinghouse, and measures submitted by two national hospice organizations. Available data on the quality measures were gathered and pilot data were collected for measures with no available data. A Technical Expert Panel (TEP) rated quality measures on: importance, scientific soundness, feasibility and usability, using numeric scores for each dimension. Scores for quality measures were averaged across dimensions and across TEP members to identify measures for further development.
Results: Of 174 measures identified, 88 were determined appropriate to the setting and were reviewed and rated by the TEP. Measures with overall scores ≥75th percentile (n = 23), measures with high importance scores (n = 7), measures for under-represented domains (n = 2), and process measures antecedent to TEP identified measures (n = 2), and were selected.
Conclusions: Specifications and data collection tools are available for 34 PEACE quality measures that were highly rated by experts in hospice and palliative care. Future research should assess the scientific soundness and responsiveness of these measures to quality improvement.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1089/jpm.2010.0238 | DOI Listing |
JAMA Netw Open
December 2024
Department of Radiation Oncology, Wake Forest University School of Medicine, Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
Importance: Radiotherapy (RT) plan quality is an established predictive factor associated with cancer recurrence and survival outcomes. The addition of radiologists to the peer review (PR) process may increase RT plan quality.
Objective: To determine the rate of changes to the RT plan with and without radiology involvement in PR of radiation targets.
Breast Cancer Res Treat
December 2024
Comprehensive Cancer Center, Helsinki University Hospital, University of Helsinki, PO Box 180, 00290, Helsinki, Finland.
Purpose: This study aimed to analyze changes in serum estradiol (E2) levels during concurrent vaginal estradiol therapy and adjuvant letrozole in postmenopausal breast cancer (BC) patients with vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA). Secondary objectives included assessing the effects of therapy on vaginal atrophy, quality of life (QoL) and menopause-related symptoms.
Methods: 20 postmenopausal patients undergoing adjuvant letrozole therapy and experiencing VVA symptoms were treated with vaginal estradiol for 12 weeks.
Trop Anim Health Prod
December 2024
Faculty of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Science, Universidad Nacional Micaela Bastidas de Apurímac, Abancay, Perú.
In the high altitudes of the Andes, llama breeders shear the fiber from their animals, obtaining fleeces for many purposes. Dehairing the fleece of these animals is a viable alternative to improving the quality and value of the fleece. The study examined the attributes of fiber quality and pilose follicle of dehaired and non-dehaired fleece from Ch'aku llamas and the relationship among these characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIr J Med Sci
December 2024
Amsterdam UMC location University of Amsterdam, Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Sports Medicine, Meibergdreef 9, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Background: Knee injuries are common among elite intercounty Gaelic games players (collectively GAA players).
Aims: The primary aim was to examine knee pain, function, and quality of life in retired elite male GAA players. Secondary objectives were to (i) report the incidence of previous knee surgery and total knee replacement, (ii) assess medication usage, and (iii) investigate any associations between a history of knee injury and/or knee surgery and knee pain, function, and quality of life among retired elite male GAA players.
Menopause
January 2025
Clinique de Recherche en Santé des Femmes, Québec City, Québec, Canada.
Objective: The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of postmenopausal vasomotor symptoms (VMS) and the impact of VMS and related treatment patterns among perimenopausal and postmenopausal Canadian women.
Methods: A subgroup analysis of data from a cross-sectional online survey of women aged 40-65 years conducted November 4, 2021, through January 17, 2022, evaluated the prevalence of moderate/severe VMS among postmenopausal Canadian women. The analysis also assessed survey responses from perimenopausal and postmenopausal Canadian women with moderate/severe VMS who completed the Menopause-Specific Quality of Life questionnaire, Work Productivity and Activity Impairment questionnaire, and the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Sleep Disturbances-Short Form 8b and answered questions about treatment patterns and attitudes toward treatments.
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