MedStar Health

Context-aware optimization of follow-up intervals for type 2 diabetes care using Markov decision processes

Chronic disease management relies on regular patient-provider interactions to monitor progression and control. For type 2 diabetes (T2D), current guidelines prescribe fixed intervals between primary care visits, overlooking heterogeneity in clinical trajectories and patient chara...

Intermediate risk thyroid cancer management: physician survey

Abstract Context Variability exists in use of radioactive iodine (RAI) treatment in intermediate risk (IR) thyroid cancer. Objective The study surveyed clinicians about their use of RAI in theoretical cases of patients with IR thyroid cancer. Design A survey presented patient cas...

Effect of Rapid Rollover on Pneumothorax Rate After Percutaneous CT-Guided Lung Biopsy

PURPOSE: To evaluate whether the rapid rollover technique reduces new or enlarging pneumothorax after anterior or lateral approach CT-guided lung biopsy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective, single-institution, multisite, RCT was undertaken after institutional review board appro...

A time-to-event analysis to conceptualize and predict delay in type 2 diabetes diagnosis in primary care

Delayed diagnosis of type 2 diabetes (T2D) increases the risk of diabetes-related health complications. Although signs of T2D are commonly identified in primary care, delays in diagnosis remain a significant challenge. The relationship between patient-level factors (e.g., demogra...

A Novel Spray-on Dressing is Comparable to Silver Impregnated Foam Dressing in Controlling MRSA Infection and Promoting Healing

Abstract Burn injuries disrupt the skin barrier, increasing susceptibility to infection, delaying healing, and can potentially becoming life-threatening. Wound dressings mitigate this risk by protecting the wound from environmental pathogens. This study evaluated a novel antimicr...

Congenital heart disease in pregnancy and severe maternal morbidity: A distributed data network study

Abstract Introduction Pregnant people with congenital heart disease (CHD) are a growing patient population in obstetrics, yet evidence on the risk for severe maternal morbidity (SMM) has largely been limited to studies that lack specificity for CHD. We conducted this study to dem...

Thirty-day Mortality Among Jehovah's Witness Patients with Gastrointestinal Bleeding Who Decline Blood Transfusion: A Retrospective Cohort Study

INTRODUCTION: Patients with acute gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) who decline allogeneic blood transfusion present a major management challenge, and comparative outcome data are limited. METHODS: We conducted a multicenter retrospective propensity score-matched cohort study acros...