Objectives:The Functional Dyspepsia Symptom Diary (FDSD) was developed to address the lack of symptom-focused, patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures designed for use in functional dyspepsia (FD) patients and meeting Food and Drug Administration recommendations for PRO instrument development.Methods:Concept elicitation interviews were conducted with FD participants to identify symptoms important and relevant to FD patients. A preliminary version of the FDSD was constructed, then completed by FD participants on an electronic device in cognitive interviews to evaluate the readability, comprehensibility, relevance, and comprehensiveness of the FDSD, and to preliminarily evaluate its measurement properties.Results:During concept elicitation interviews, 45 participants spontaneously reported 19 symptom concepts. Of those, seven symptoms were selected for assessment by the eight-item FDSD. Cognitive interviews with 57 participants confirmed that participants were able to comprehend and provide meaningful responses to the FDSD, and that the handheld electronic FDSD format was suitable for use in the target population. Scores of the FDSD were well-distributed among response options, item discrimination indices suggested that the FDSD items differentiate among patients with varying degrees of FD severity, and inter-item correlations suggested that no items of the FDSD were capturing redundant information. Internal consistency estimates (0.87) and construct-related validity estimates using known-groups methods were within acceptable ranges.Conclusions:The FDSD is a content-valid PRO measure, with preliminary psychometric evidence providing support for the FDSD’s items and total score. Further psychometric evaluations are recommended to more fully test the FDSD’s score performance and other measurement properties in the target patient population.

Contraceptive stock-outs are a worldwide problem, yet published research on the impacts of contraceptive stock-outs have not been comprehensively reviewed and synthesized. This systematic review highlights findings about the impacts of contraceptive stock-outs on users, providers, and facilities and identifies topics that should be explored to ensure everyone can access their preferred method of contraception. We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Popline, and JSTOR for studies addressing the impacts of contraceptive stockouts. Of 435 studies, 25 publications addressed the impacts of contraceptive stock-outs. Only two articles focused solely on contraceptive stock-outs; the remaining studies examined stock-outs alongside other factors that may influence contraceptive service provision. Studies discussed how stock-outs limited individuals' ability to use their preferred contraceptive method, influenced where contraceptive methods were obtained and how much they cost, and limited providers' and facilities' abilities to provide contraceptive care. Comparing the impacts of contraceptive stock-outs across studies was challenging, as reliability of stock was sometimes not distinguished from overall method availability, and studies used variable methods to measure stock-outs. Evidence presented in this review can inform efforts to ensure that preferred contraceptive methods are consistently available and accessible to all.

Providing effective analgesia for trauma in austere settings is particularly difficult and often complicated by equipment and medication limitations and harsh environmental conditions. Common modalities that are employed in conventional clinical practices may not be available or pragmatic in austere environments. Furthermore, side effects such as sedation, altered mentation, or hypoxemia require additional resources and attention. We report 2 cases that demonstrate the use of intravenous lidocaine for the management of acute pain, secondary to trauma, in an austere environment. In the first, the administration of intravenous lidocaine reduced pain, secondary to a tibia fracture, thereby facilitating splinting. In the second, a patient, who had sustained rib fractures, was also treated with intravenous lidocaine. In this case, the analgesic effects of the medication resulted in reduction in pain and improvement in pulmonary function. Of note, the narrow therapeutic window of this modality was made evident as both patients transiently experienced tinnitus following the initial lidocaine bolus. This report describes 2 cases in which intravenous lidocaine was used to manage acute pain, in an austere environment, while avoiding many of the detrimental effects that accompany alternative analgesics.

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Objectives: To establish clinical consensus on important and relevant quality-of-care (QoC) attributes in ulcerative colitis (UC) treatment that may improve treatment outcomes and guide best practices. Methods: Thirty-eight QoC attributes were identified in a literature review. Sixteen European-based experts were selected based on their contributions to UC guidelines, publications, and patient care. A 3-round, modified Delphi panel was conducted including an interview round, and 2 web-based rounds to reach consensus and finalize a QoC attribute list. Results: The draft QoC attribute list derived from a literature review and Round 1, expert interviews, comprised 63 attributes. In Rounds 2 and 3, the QoC attributes frequently rated as critically important were diagnosis (n = 15, 93.8%), treatment adherence (n = 15, 93.8%), and access to care/treatment (Round 2: n = 14, 87.5%; Round 3: n = 15, 93.8%). The final QoC attribute list consisted of 61 attributes across 20 domains, with the most attributes reported in the “treatment goals” domain (n = 9). Conclusion: QoC is a complex and evolving concept that can improve outcomes while maximizing healthcare resources. Limited time and resources hamper clinicians’ ability to openly and empathetically communicate with patients; novel technology may help to offer solutions.