Browsing by Author "Spears, Charis A"

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    Impact of Spinal Cord Stimulation on Opioid Dose Reduction: A Nationwide Analysis.
    (Neurosurgery, 2020-12) Adil, Syed M; Charalambous, Lefko T; Spears, Charis A; Kiyani, Musa; Hodges, Sarah E; Yang, Zidanyue; Lee, Hui-Jie; Rahimpour, Shervin; Parente, Beth; Greene, Kathryn A; McClellan, Mark; Lad, Shivanand P

    Background

    Opioid misuse in the USA is an epidemic. Utilization of neuromodulation for refractory chronic pain may reduce opioid-related morbidity and mortality, and associated economic costs.

    Objective

    To assess the impact of spinal cord stimulation (SCS) on opioid dose reduction.

    Methods

    The IBM MarketScan® database was retrospectively queried for all US patients with a chronic pain diagnosis undergoing SCS between 2010 and 2015. Opioid usage before and after the procedure was quantified as morphine milligram equivalents (MME).

    Results

    A total of 8497 adult patients undergoing SCS were included. Within 1 yr of the procedure, 60.4% had some reduction in their opioid use, 34.2% moved to a clinically important lower dosage group, and 17.0% weaned off opioids entirely. The proportion of patients who completely weaned off opioids increased with decreasing preprocedure dose, ranging from 5.1% in the >90 MME group to 34.2% in the ≤20 MME group. The following variables were associated with reduced odds of weaning off opioids post procedure: long-term opioid use (odds ratio [OR]: 0.26; 95% CI: 0.21-0.30; P < .001), use of other pain medications (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.65-0.87; P < .001), and obesity (OR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.60-0.94; P = .01).

    Conclusion

    Patients undergoing SCS were able to reduce opioid usage. Given the potential to reduce the risks of long-term opioid therapy, this study lays the groundwork for efforts that may ultimately push stakeholders to reduce payment and policy barriers to SCS as part of an evidence-based, patient-centered approach to nonopioid solutions for chronic pain.
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    Influence of Caretakers' Health Literacy on Delays to Traumatic Brain Injury Care in Uganda.
    (Annals of global health, 2020-10) Nwosu, Chinemerem; Spears, Charis A; Pate, Charles; Gold, Deborah T; Bennett, Gary; Haglund, Michael; Fuller, Anthony

    Background

    Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a life-altering condition, and delays to care can significantly impact outcomes. In Uganda, where nurse shortages are prevalent, patients' family members are the primary caretakers of these patients and play an important role in ensuring patients' access to timely care. However, caretakers often have little or no knowledge of appropriate patient care. Caretakers' ability to navigate the healthcare system and find and use health information to support their patients can impact delays in seeking, reaching, and receiving care.

    Objectives

    This study seeks to determine the factors that impact TBI patient caretakers' health literacy and examine how these factors influence delays in care.

    Methods

    This study was carried out in the Mulago National Referral Hospital neurosurgical ward, where 27 adult caretakers were interviewed using semi-structured, in-depth, qualitative interviews. "The Three Delay Framework" was utilized to understand participants' experiences in seeking, reaching, and receiving care for TBI patients. Thematic content analysis and manual coding was used to analyze interview transcripts and identify overarching themes in participant responses.

    Findings

    The main health literacy themes identified were Extrinsic, Intrinsic and Health System Factors. Nine sub-themes were identified: Government Support, Community Support, Financial Burdens, Lack of Medical Resources, Access to Health Information, Physician Support, Emotional Challenges, Navigational Skills, and Understanding of Health Information. These components were found to influence the delays to care to varying degrees. Financial Burdens, Government Support, Emotional Challenges, Physician Support and Lack of Medical Resources were recurring factors across the three delays.

    Conclusion

    The health literacy factors identified in this study influence caretakers' functional health literacy and delays to care in a co-dependent manner. A better understanding of how these factors impact patient outcomes is necessary for the development of interventions targeted at improving a caretaker's ability to maneuver the healthcare system and support patients in resource-poor settings.