Browsing by Author "Vieira, A"
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- Care causing diagnosis, comorbidities and nutritional status of patients in continuous long term care unitPublication . Marques, M; Gonçalves, V; Vieira, A; Magalhães, F; Godinho, J; Lemos, A; Costa, V; Faria, AnaIntroduction: Poor nutritional status has negative implications on prognosis, cost of care, morbidity and mortality. However, when nutritional assessment is not implemented, malnutrition can go untreated. Objectives: The aim of this study was to establish a relationship between care causing diagnosis, existing comorbidities and nutritional status of patients admitted to a long-term care unit. Methods: In the context of Nutrition Day audit, from 2016 to 2018, nutritional status was assessed using Mini Nutritional Assessment. Sociodemographic and anthropometric data, as well as medical history were collected. Results: Sixty-two individuals were included (51.6% male), with a mean age of 7711 years. Mean BMI was 22.94.3kg/m2. Most of the patients were bedridden or in wheelchair (51.6%). A great part of the sample was at risk of malnutrition (40.3%) and 27.4% was malnourished. The majority of the sample showed dementia (75.8%) and 66.2% had depression. A correlation was found between nutritional status and cognitive status(r = 0.445; p = 0.000); and between nutritional status and functional capacity(r = 0.284; p = 0.025). Care causing diagnosis for most of the patients was central nervous system disease (66.1%), followed by heart disease (59.7%), skeletal muscle disease (30.6%) and cancer (17.7%). An association was found between heart disease and malnutrition (p = 0.023). Almost all of the sample was polymedicated (91.9%) and most was taking antypsychotics and/or neuroleptics (71.0%). Conclusions: In this long-term care unit, malnutrition presented a significant prevalence. Cognitive status decline and low functional capacity seem to be correlated with a worse nutritional status. Also, heart disease was associated with malnutrition, meaning that these are significant risk factors for the development of malnutrition. Nutrition Day audit brings awareness to the importance of nutritional care, as well as the need for development of nutritional screening and assessment protocols.
- Crohn's disease in a southern European country: Montreal classification and clinical activityPublication . Magro, F; Portela, F; Lago, P; Ramos de Deus, J; Vieira, A; Peixe, P; Ministro, P; Cremers, I; Cotter, J; Cravo, M; Tavares, L; Reis, J; Gonçalves, R; Lopes, H; Caldeira, P; Carvalho, L; Azevedo, L; Costa-Pereira, ABACKGROUND: Given the heterogeneous nature of Crohn's disease (CD), our aim was to apply the Montreal Classification to a large cohort of Portuguese patients with CD in order to identify potential predictive regarding the need for medical and/or surgical treatment. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was used based on data from an on-line registry of patients with CD. RESULTS: Of the 1692 patients with 5 or more years of disease, 747 (44%) were male and 945 (56%) female. On multivariate analysis the A2 group was an independent risk factor of the need for steroids (odds ratio [OR] 1.6, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1-2.3) and the A1 and A2 groups for immunosuppressants (OR 2.2; CI 1.2-3.8; OR 1.4; CI 1.0-2.0, respectively). An L3+L3(4) and L(4) location were risk factors for immunosuppression (OR 1.9; CI 1.5-2.4), whereas an L1 location was significantly associated with the need for abdominal surgery (P < 0.001). After 20 years of disease, less than 10% of patients persisted without steroids, immunosuppression, or surgery. The Montreal Classification allowed us to identify different groups of disease severity: A1 were more immunosuppressed without surgery, most of A2 patients were submitted to surgery, and 52% of L1+L1(4) patients were operated without immunosuppressants. CONCLUSIONS: Stratifying patients according to the Montreal Classification may prove useful in identifying different phenotypes with different therapies and severity. Most of our patients have severe disease.
- Incidência de náuseas e vómitos no pós-operatório em pediatriaPublication . Oliveira, C; Vieira, A; Guedes, L; Vargas, S; Barros, F
- Incidência de náuseas e vómitos no pós-operatório em pediatria: comunicação oralPublication . Oliveira, C; Vieira, A; Guedes, L; Vargas, S; Barros, F
- Multidisciplinary Development and Initial Validation of a Clinical Knowledge Base on Chronic Respiratory Diseases for mHealth Decision Support SystemsPublication . Pereira, AM; Jácome, C; Jacinto, T; Amaral, R; Pereira, M; Sá-Sousa, A; Couto, M; Vieira-Marques, P; Martinho, D; Vieira, A; Almeida, A; Martins, C; Marreiros, G; Freitas, A; Almeida, R; Fonseca, JAMost mobile health (mHealth) decision support systems currently available for chronic obstructive respiratory diseases (CORDs) are not supported by clinical evidence or lack clinical validation. The development of the knowledge base that will feed the clinical decision support system is a crucial step that involves the collection and systematization of clinical knowledge from relevant scientific sources and its representation in a human-understandable and computer-interpretable way. This work describes the development and initial validation of a clinical knowledge base that can be integrated into mHealth decision support systems developed for patients with CORDs. A multidisciplinary team of health care professionals with clinical experience in respiratory diseases, together with data science and IT professionals, defined a new framework that can be used in other evidence-based systems. The knowledge base development began with a thorough review of the relevant scientific sources (eg, disease guidelines) to identify the recommendations to be implemented in the decision support system based on a consensus process. Recommendations were selected according to predefined inclusion criteria: (1) applicable to individuals with CORDs or to prevent CORDs, (2) directed toward patient self-management, (3) targeting adults, and (4) within the scope of the knowledge domains and subdomains defined. Then, the selected recommendations were prioritized according to (1) a harmonized level of evidence (reconciled from different sources); (2) the scope of the source document (international was preferred); (3) the entity that issued the source document; (4) the operability of the recommendation; and (5) health care professionals' perceptions of the relevance, potential impact, and reach of the recommendation. A total of 358 recommendations were selected. Next, the variables required to trigger those recommendations were defined (n=116) and operationalized into logical rules using Boolean logical operators (n=405). Finally, the knowledge base was implemented in an intelligent individualized coaching component and pretested with an asthma use case. Initial validation of the knowledge base was conducted internally using data from a population-based observational study of individuals with or without asthma or rhinitis. External validation of the appropriateness of the recommendations with the highest priority level was conducted independently by 4 physicians. In addition, a strategy for knowledge base updates, including an easy-to-use rules editor, was defined. Using this process, based on consensus and iterative improvement, we developed and conducted preliminary validation of a clinical knowledge base for CORDs that translates disease guidelines into personalized patient recommendations. The knowledge base can be used as part of mHealth decision support systems. This process could be replicated in other clinical areas.
- Trauma Associado às Touradas à Corda nos Açores: Um Estudo TransversalPublication . Vieira, B; Taranu, V; Vieira, A; Soares, D; Soares, A; Silva, A; Galvão, D; Bagnari, I; Melo, D; Pimentel, F; Sousa, J; Martins, L; Pinheiro, L; Vargas, M; Reis, Ó; Valente, S; Bettencourt, R; Oliveira, T; Mora, AIntroduction: The aim of the study was to describe trauma injuries associated with rope bullfights in the Azores, Portugal, regarding the cause of the incident, trauma mechanism, most affected anatomical areas, and injury severity. Methods: Two-year cross-sectional study in the local hospital with prospective data collection. Patients who were consecutively admitted to the local hospital’s emergency department with trauma injuries from the bull’s direct impact or from falls either during the bull’s escape or when handling the rope, were included. Data on general demographics, lesion characteristics, treatments, need for hospitalization and mortality were collected. Results: Fifty-six incidents and 80 trauma injuries were identified. The main cause of trauma was the bull’s direct impact (37; 66.07%) and the mechanism of injury was blunt trauma in all patients (100%; 56). Head and neck injuries (27; 33.75%) were the most common. The median Injury Severity Score at the emergency department admission was 4. Major trauma was noted in five patients (8.92%). Ten patients (17.85%) needed hospitalization with a median hospital stay of seven days. Three of the 10 hospitalized patients (30%) were previously admitted to the intensive care unit. Surgery was performed in six patients (10.71%). Conclusion: The main cause of trauma was the bull’s direct impact, and the mechanism of injury was blunt trauma. The most affected anatomical areas were the head and neck. These findings are a wake-up call to the impact of these events regarding the economic costs they entail, the costs for the health of the local population, the safety measures currently implemented and the availability of the necessary means to treat these patients.
- Ulcerative colitis in a Southern European country: a national perspectivePublication . Portela, F; Magro, F; Lago, P; Cotter, J; Cremers, I; Deus, J; Vieira, A; Lopes, H; Caldeira, P; Barros, L; Reis, J; Carvalho, L; Gonçalves, R; Campos, MJ; Ministro, P; Duarte, MA; Amil, J; Rodrigues, S; Azevedo, L; Costa-Pereira, ABACKGROUND: The incidence, prevalence, and even the clinical behavior of ulcerative colitis (UC) are highly variable in different world regions. In previous studies, Portugal was reported as having a milder clinical behavior. The aim of this study was to apply the Montreal Classification in a large group of UC Portuguese patients in order to describe their clinical characteristics and evaluate variables potentially useful for outcome prediction. METHODS: A cross-sectional study based on data collected from a nationwide online registry was undertaken. RESULTS: In all, 2863 patients with UC were included. Twenty-one percent had ulcerative proctitis, 52% left-sided colitis, and 28% extensive colitis. Sixty percent of patients had taken steroids, 14% immunosuppressors, 1% biologicals, and 4.5% were submitted to surgery. Patients with extensive colitis had more severe activity, needing more steroids, immunosuppressors, and surgery. At the time of diagnosis 61% were less than 40 years old and 5% less than 16. Younger patients also had a more aggressive initial course. Thirty-eight percent of patients had only taken salicylates during the disease course and were characterized by a lower incidence of systemic symptoms at presentation (3.8% versus 8.8%, P < 0.001), fewer extraintestinal manifestations (7.7% versus 24.0%, P < 0.001), and a higher prevalence of proctitis (32.1% versus 10.0%). CONCLUSIONS: A more aggressive phenotype was found in extensive colitis and in the initial course of younger patients, with an increased need for steroids and immunosuppressors. In addition, a significant percentage of patients, particularly with proctitis, showed a milder clinical evolution and were maintained in remission only with salicylates.