PATIENTS SHOW POOR KNOWLEDGE AND LACK OF INTEREST IN CPR

A new study shows that patients facing end-of-life (EOL) care do not have adequate knowledge about cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and that a large population show little interest in discussing EOL preferences. Canadian researchers administered face-to-face questionnaires to 440 hospitalized patients with end-stage cancer or advanced medical diseases. One hundred and sixty family members also participated in the questionnaire, which focused on two aspects: issues related to quality of EOL care and aspects of CPR, EOL communication, and decision-making issues. Researchers found that less than three percent of all patients had accurate knowledge of CPR outcomes and more than one-third declined EOL discussions with their doctor. The study also showed that more than half of patients surveyed had no EOL order (no intubation, "do not resuscitate," etc) in their chart.

This study appears in the August issue of CHEST, the peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Chest Physicians.

OCCUPATIONAL ASTHMA UNDERDIAGNOSED BY CLINICIANS

Clinicians may fail to recognize and effectively manage occupational asthma (OA) in newly diagnosed patients, according to a new study. Researchers from Duke and Stanford Universities analyzed the electronic medical records, pulmonary function test results, and questionnaire responses of 197 adults with newly diagnosed asthma at a California VA hospital. The questionnaire was administered while patients waited to perform the pulmonary function test and included questions about past and current pulmonary history, respiratory symptoms, smoking history, and occupational exposures. Researchers found that while over half of patients reported occupational exposure to respirable agents, cough, and dyspnea, only two percent received a diagnosis of OA. The study showed that none of the patients were diagnosed with work-related asthma and that only one
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Contact: Jennifer Stawarz
jstawarz@chestnet.org
847-498-8306
American College of Chest Physicians
7-Aug-2006