A 67-year-old male was admitted with shortness of breath and diarrhea. His COVID-19 polymerase chain reaction test was positive, and he was found to be in acute heart failure. Troponin levels were elevated, echocardiogram showed ejection fraction of 24%, and his electrocardiogram was normal. Inflammatory markers were elevated. Further testing revealed suppressed thyroid-stimulating hormone and elevated free thyroxine (T4). Differential diagnosis at this point included possible myocarditis from the viral illness, exacerbation of heart failure from the viral infection or from thyrotoxicosis was considered. Patient’s heart failure improved with initiation of heart failure therapies; however, biochemically, his thyroid function tests (TFTs) did not improve, despite empiric methimazole. Thyroid antibody tests were unremarkable. Thyroid ultrasound showed mildly enlarged thyroid gland with no increased vascularity and 5-mm bilateral cysts. Thyroid dysfunction was attributed to subacute thyroiditis from COVID-19, methimazole was tapered, and prednisone was initiated. The patient’s TFTs improved. With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that clinicians keep a broad differential in individuals presenting with heart failure, and obtaining baseline TFTs may be reasonable. Rapid treatment of the underlying thyroiditis is important in these patients to improve the cardiovascular outcomes. In our experience, steroid therapy showed a rapid improvement in the TFTs.

Objective To support patient‐centred care and the collaboration of patients and clinicians, we developed and pilot tested a conversation aid for patients with thyroid nodules. Design, Patient and Measurements We developed a web‐based Thyroid NOdule Conversation aid (TNOC) following a human‐centred design. A proof of concept observational pre–post study was conducted (TNOC vs. usual care [UC]) to assess the impact of TNOC on the quality of conversations. Data sources included recordings of clinical visits, post‐encounter surveys and review of electronic health records. Summary statistics and group comparisons are reported. Results Sixty‐five patients were analysed (32 in the UC and 33 in the TNOC cohort). Most patients were women (89%) with a median age of 57 years and were incidentally found to have a thyroid nodule (62%). Most thyroid nodules were at low risk for thyroid cancer (71%) and the median size was 1.4 cm. At baseline, the groups were similar except for higher numeracy in the TNOC cohort. The use of TNOC was associated with increased involvement of patients in the decision‐making process, clinician satisfaction and discussion of relevant topics for decision making. In addition, decreased decisional conflict and fewer thyroid biopsies as the next management step were noted in the TNOC cohort. No differences in terms of knowledge transfer, length of consultation, thyroid cancer risk perception or concern for thyroid cancer diagnosis were found. Conclusion In this pilot observational study, using TNOC in clinical practice was feasible and seemed to help the collaboration of patients and clinicians.

Background We recently developed a Thyroid NOdule conversation aid (TNOC), a conversation tool that supports communication about management options between patients with thyroid nodules and their clinicians. TNOC uses an interactive electronic interface to support conversations about thyroid cancer risk in patients with thyroid nodules and management options. In a pilot study, the use of TNOC in the clinical encounter was associated with improvement in the quality of diagnostic conversations. Research question: The aim of the study was to evaluate the patient's experience when receiving care using TNOC. Methods Prospective study conducted in two academic centers in the U.S. We included adult patients presenting for the evaluation of thyroid nodules and using TNOC in the encounters with their clinicians. Patients that were hyperthyroid, pregnant or had records of previous biopsy were excluded. Patient demographics and clinical features were obtained through electronic health record review. We conducted post-visit semi-structured interviews to assess patients’ experiences using TNOC. The semi-structured interview was developed following constructs included in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Qualitative analysis was conducted following the constant comparative method to identify emerging themes related to the patient experiences using TNOC. After an initial group of themes were identified, a final set of themes was derived based on prevalence and salience, following an iterative process by two coders. Results 53 patients were enrolled in the study and 49 completed the post-visit interview. Most patients were women (N -42, 79%) and white (N-47, 89%) with a median age of 62 years (Interquartile range, 53-70). The median size of the thyroid nodules was 2.3 cm (Interquartile range, 1.3, 3.0) and 45% were ACR-TIRADS 4 or 5 (N-24). Most nodules were found incidentally (N-37, 70%). In the qualitative assessment, the layman terms included in TNOC, the structured, step-wise and visual presentation of information were considered positively by patients. The language, visuals, and structure of TNOC supported knowledge transfer about thyroid nodules and their management options, helping them better understand their situation. Patients felt they worked together with their clinician by going through the conversation aid, making them feel comfortable asking questions. However, patients reported that the clinician's familiarity with TNOC and the learning needs of patients could affect the perceived benefit of the conversation aid. Patients suggested including more information and visuals in TNOC and providing access before/after the visit. Interpretation: Patients found that the use of TNOC in medical encounters was helpful to understand information, treatment options, and working with their clinicians. This information supports the implementation of TNOC in practice to support decision-making. Presentation: Saturday, June 11, 2022 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Background To support the collaboration between patients with thyroid nodules and their clinician, we developed a Thyroid NOdule conversation aid (TNOC). TNOC includes a representation of thyroid cancer risk, alternative management options, and a print-out summary for patients. In a pilot study, the use of TNOC was associated with improvement in the quality of diagnostic conversations. Research question: The aim of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of introducing TNOC into clinical encounters and understand clinicians’ experience with its use. Methods Prospective study conducted in two academic centers in the U.S. We included adult patients with thyroid nodules and their clinicians (endocrinologists and ear, nose, and throat specialists (ENT)). The feasibility of introducing TNOC was evaluated by the fidelity to which TNOC was used (12 item checklist of included components, such as: thyroid cancer risk presentation, management options) and the duration of clinical visits, evaluated through video recordings. Clinicians completed a post-visit survey to evaluate how helpful and easy to use TNOC was and the degree to which it supported collaboration with their patients. A qualitative analysis of semi-structured interviews was conducted after clinicians used TNOC in at least three visits. The interview guide was developed following constructs included in the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research. Analysis was conducted using the constant comparative method. Results Twelve clinicians (9 endocrinologists and 3 ENT) were included and used TNOC with 53 patients. Most patients were women (N -42, 79%) with a median age of 62 years (Interquartile range, 53-70). The median size of the thyroid nodules was 2.3 cm (Interquartile range, 1.3, 3.0). The median clinical visit duration was 17 minutes (Interquartile range 10,28). The median fidelity score was 75% (interquartile range 58, 75), with thyroid cancer risk presentation being the most commonly used item (98%) and the printable summary the least used (15%). Clinicians agreed or strongly agreed that TNOC was helpful (N=34, 65%), easy to use (N=44, 85%), and supported collaboration with patients (N= 32, 62%). In the qualitative analysis, clinicians reported that TNOC was organized and covered commonly discussed topics. Moreover, the use of TNOC could support the clinical interaction and be beneficial for patients by assuring the patient perspective was considered, creating space for questions, and improving how information was presented. Yet, the perceived benefit of using TNOC was expected to be different depending on the expertise of the clinician, as experts might benefit less. Clinicians highlighted the importance of familiarity with TNOC to ease its use and suggested modifications: additional visual content, improved navigation to support dynamic use and providing patient access before/after the visit. Interpretation: Using TNOC to support thyroid nodule management conversations was feasible, helpful, easy to use, and supportive of patient-clinician collaboration. Presentation: Saturday, June 11, 2022 1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.