Browsing by Author "McPherson, Katie A."

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    Smoking Related Home Oxygen Burn Injuries: Continued Cause for Alarm
    (Karger, 2016-02) Carlos, William G.; Baker, Mary S.; McPherson, Katie A.; Bosslet, Gabriel T.; Sood, Rajiv; Torke, Alexia M.; Department of Medicine, IU School of Medicine
    Background: Home oxygen therapy is a mainstay of treatment for patients with various cardiopulmonary diseases. In spite of warnings against smoking while using home oxygen, many patients sustain burn injuries. Objectives: We aimed to quantify the morbidity and mortality of such patients admitted to our regional burn unit over a 6-year period. Methods: A retrospective chart review of all patients admitted to a regional burn center from 2008 through 2013 was completed. Admitted patients sustaining burns secondary to smoking while using home oxygen therapy were selected as the study population to determine morbidity. Results: Fifty-five subjects were admitted to the burn unit for smoking-related home oxygen injuries. The age range was 40-84 years. Almost all subjects were on home oxygen for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (96%). Seventy-two percent of burns involved <5% of the total body surface area, 51% of patients were intubated, and of those 33% had evidence of inhalation injury. The hospital mortality rate was 14.5%. The mean length of hospital stay was 8.6 days, and 54.5% were discharged to a nursing home or another advanced facility. Finally, concomitant substance abuse was found in 27%, and a previous history of injury from smoking while on home oxygen was discovered in 14.5%. Conclusions: This single-center analysis is one of the largest describing burn injuries stemming from smoking while using home oxygen therapy. We identified the morbidity and mortality associated with these injuries. Ongoing education and careful consideration of prescribing home oxygen therapy for known smokers is highly encouraged.
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    Wellness and Coping of Physicians Who Worked in ICUs During the Pandemic: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional North American Survey
    (Wolters Kluwer, 2022) Burns, Karen E.A.; Moss, Marc; Lorens, Edmund; Jose, Elizabeth Karin Ann; Martin, Claudio M.; Viglianti, Elizabeth M.; Fox-Robichaud, Alison; Mathews, Kusum S.; Akgun, Kathleen; Jain, Snigdha; Gershengorn, Hayley; Mehta, Sangeeta; Han, Jenny E.; Martin, Gregory S.; Liebler, Janice M.; Stapleton, Renee D.; Trachuk, Polina; Vranas, Kelly C.; Chua, Abigail; Herridge, Margaret S.; Tsang, Jennifer L.Y.; Biehl, Michelle; Burnham, Ellen L.; Chen, Jen-Ting; Attia, Engi F.; Mohamed, Amira; Harkins, Michelle S.; Soriano, Sheryll M.; Maddux, Aline; West, Julia C.; Badke, Andrew R.; Bagshaw, Sean M.; Binnie, Alexandra; Carlos, W. Graham; Çoruh, Başak; Crothers, Kristina; D'Aragon, Frederick; Denson, Joshua Lee; Drover, John W.; Eschun, Gregg; Geagea, Anna; Griesdale, Donald; Hadler, Rachel; Hancock, Jennifer; Hasmatali, Jovan; Kaul, Bhavika; Kerlin, Meeta Prasad; Kohn, Rachel; Kutsogiannis, D. James; Matson, Scott M.; Morris, Peter E.; Paunovic, Bojan; Peltan, Ithan D.; Piquette, Dominique; Pirzadeh, Mina; Pulchan, Krishna; Schnapp, Lynn M.; Sessler, Curtis N.; Smith, Heather; Sy, Eric; Thirugnanam, Subarna; McDonald, Rachel K.; McPherson, Katie A.; Kraft, Monica; Spiegel, Michelle; Dodek, Peter M.; Diversity-Related Research Committee of the Women in Critical Care (WICC) Interest Group of the American Thoracic Society; Medicine, School of Medicine
    Objectives: Few surveys have focused on physician moral distress, burnout, and professional fulfilment. We assessed physician wellness and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic. Design: Cross-sectional survey using four validated instruments. Setting: Sixty-two sites in Canada and the United States. Subjects: Attending physicians (adult, pediatric; intensivist, nonintensivist) who worked in North American ICUs. Intervention: None. Measurements and main results: We analysed 431 questionnaires (43.3% response rate) from 25 states and eight provinces. Respondents were predominantly male (229 [55.6%]) and in practice for 11.8 ± 9.8 years. Compared with prepandemic, respondents reported significant intrapandemic increases in days worked/mo, ICU bed occupancy, and self-reported moral distress (240 [56.9%]) and burnout (259 [63.8%]). Of the 10 top-ranked items that incited moral distress, most pertained to regulatory/organizational ( n = 6) or local/institutional ( n = 2) issues or both ( n = 2). Average moral distress (95.6 ± 66.9), professional fulfilment (6.5 ± 2.1), and burnout scores (3.6 ± 2.0) were moderate with 227 physicians (54.6%) meeting burnout criteria. A significant dose-response existed between COVID-19 patient volume and moral distress scores. Physicians who worked more days/mo and more scheduled in-house nightshifts, especially combined with more unscheduled in-house nightshifts, experienced significantly more moral distress. One in five physicians used at least one maladaptive coping strategy. We identified four coping profiles (active/social, avoidant, mixed/ambivalent, infrequent) that were associated with significant differences across all wellness measures. Conclusions: Despite moderate intrapandemic moral distress and burnout, physicians experienced moderate professional fulfilment. However, one in five physicians used at least one maladaptive coping strategy. We highlight potentially modifiable factors at individual, institutional, and regulatory levels to enhance physician wellness.