Details

Autor(en) / Beteiligte

• Ehlers, Anne P., MD, MPH
• Drake, F. Thurston, MD, MPH
• Kotagal, Meera, MD, MPH
• Simianu, Vlad V., MD, MPH
• Achar, Chethana
• Agrawal, Nidhi, PhD, MBA
• Joslyn, Susan L., PhD
• Flum, David R., MD, MPH

Titel

Factors Influencing Delayed Hospital Presentation in Patients with Appendicitis: The APPE Survey

Ist Teil von

• The Journal of surgical research, 2017-01, Vol.207, p.123-130

Ort / Verlag

United States: Elsevier Inc

Erscheinungsjahr

2017

Quelle

MEDLINE

Beschreibungen/Notizen

• Abstract Background Among patients with acute appendicitis (AA), perforation is thought to be associated with symptom duration before treatment. Perforation rates vary between hospitals raising the possibility that some perforations are preventable. The factors that compel patients to present earlier or later are unknown, but are critical in developing quality improvement interventions aimed at reducing perforation rates. Materials and Methods The Appendicitis Patient Pre-Hospital Experience (APPE) Survey is a prospective study of adults and parents of children with AA in 6 hospitals participating in Washington State’s Comparative Effectiveness Research Translation Network (CERTAIN). The APPE survey includes questions about symptom duration before presentation (late defined as >24 hours), predisposing characteristics, enabling factors, and need. Results Among 80 patients, perforation occurred more frequently in late presenters (44% vs. 11%, p<0.01). Late presenters more frequently drove themselves to the hospital (64% vs. 52%, p=0.05) as opposed to relying on friends/family members, and described their health behavior as “waiting it out” when something is wrong (71% vs. 46%, p=0.03). We found similar sociodemographics, clinical characteristics, healthcare utilization, optimism, healthcare trust, and risk-taking between the two cohorts. Conclusions Late presenters described reduced social support and a tendency to “wait it out,” and had higher rates of perforation than early presenters. These characteristics have not been well studied conditions but are important to understand to identify patients at high-risk for delayed presentation. Future interventions might target those with low social support, or those who are reluctant to seek care early to decrease rates of perforation.