Background FRAX® is a validated, computer-based clinical fracture risk calculator that estimates 10-year risk of major osteoporotic (clinical spine, forearm, hip or shoulder) fracture, and hip fracture alone. It is widely used for decision-making in fracture prevention, but may underestimate risk in HIV-infected individuals. Some experts recommend considering HIV a cause of secondary osteoporosis when calculating FRAX in HIV-infected individuals. Methods From the Veterans Aging Study Virtual Cohort (VACS-VC), we included 24451 HIV-infected and uninfected 50-70 year old men with complete data in year 2000 to approximate all but two factors (i.e. history of secondary osteoporosis and parental hip fracture) for modified-FRAX calculation without bone density and 10-year observational data for incident fragility fracture. Accuracy of the modified-FRAX calculation was compared by observed/estimated (O/E) ratios of fracture by HIV status. Results Accuracy of modified-FRAX was less for HIV-infected (O/E=1.62, 95%CI: 1.45, 1.81) than uninfected men (O/E=1.29, 95%CI: 1.19, 1.40), but improved when HIV was included as a cause of secondary osteoporosis (O/E=1.20, 95%CI: 1.08, 1.34). However, only 3-6% of men with incident fractures were correctly identified by the modified-FRAX using accepted FRAX thresholds for pharmacologic therapy. Conclusions Modified-FRAX underestimated fracture rates more in older HIV-infected than otherwise similar uninfected men. Accuracy improved when HIV was included as a cause of secondary osteoporosis, but it still performed poorly for case-finding. Further studies are necessary to determine how to use FRAX or define an HIV-specific index to risk stratify for screening and treatment in older HIV-infected individuals.

Background: Many patients with serious kidney disease have an elevated symptom burden, high mortality, and poor quality of life. Palliative care has the potential to address these problems, yet nephrology patients frequently lack access to this specialty. Objectives: We describe patient demographics and clinical activities of the first 13 months of an ambulatory kidney palliative care (KPC) program that is integrated within a nephrology practice. Design/Measurements: Utilizing chart abstractions, we characterize the clinic population served, clinical service utilization, visit activities, and symptom burden as assessed using the Integrated Palliative Care Outcome Scale-Renal (IPOS-R), and patient satisfaction. Results: Among the 55 patients served, mean patient age was 72.0 years (standard deviation [SD] = 16.7), 95% had chronic kidney disease stage IV or V, and 46% had a Charlson Comorbidity Index >8. The mean IPOS-R score at initial visit was 16 (range = 0-60; SD = 9.1), with a mean of 7.5 (SD = 3.7) individual physical symptoms (range = 0-15) per patient. Eighty-seven percent of initial visits included an advance care planning conversation, 55.4% included a medication change for symptoms, and 35.5% included a dialysis decisionmaking conversation. Overall, 96% of patients who returned satisfaction surveys were satisfied with the care they received and viewed the KPC program positively. Conclusions: A model of care that integrates palliative care with nephrology care in the ambulatory setting serves high-risk patients with serious kidney disease. This KPC program can potentially meet documented gaps in care while achieving patient satisfaction. Early findings from this program evaluation indicate opportunities for enhanced patient-centered palliative nephrology care.

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Objectives: The ideal clinical model to deliver palliative care to patients with advanced kidney disease is currently unknown. Internationally, ambulatory kidney palliative care clinics have emerged with positive outcomes, yet there is limited data from the United States (US). In this exploratory study we report perceptions of a US-based ambulatory kidney palliative care clinic from the perspective of patient and caregiver attendees. The objective of this study was to inform further improvement of our clinical program. Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted to elicit the patient and caregiver experience. Eleven interviews (8 patients with chronic kidney disease stage IV or V and 3 caregivers) were analyzed using qualitative description design. Results: We identified 2 themes: “Communication addressing the emotional and physical aspects of disease” and “Filling gaps in care”; Subthemes include perceived value in symptom management, assistance with coping with disease, engagement in advance care planning, program satisfaction and patient activation. Significance of Results: Qualitative analysis showed that attendees of an ambulatory kidney palliative care clinic found the clinic enhanced the management of their kidney disease and provided services that filled current gaps in their care. Shared experiences highlight the significant challenges of life with kidney disease and the possible benefits of palliative care for this population. Further study to determine the optimal model of care for kidney palliative care is needed. Inclusion of the patient and caregiver perspective will be essential in this development.

Nurses are often first to identify and manage a patient leaving against medical advice (AMA), and so they are critical contributors to the development of strategies to address this problem. We studied AMA discharge in order to help develop useful interventions. We performed a cross-sectional analysis of 55,938 discharges from a single urban hospital for the years 2002-2003 and 2012-2013. AMA discharge rates were higher for HIV-infected patients than for patients with alcohol-related disorders or sickle cell anemia in both time periods, even after adjustment for age, race, sex, insurance status, and household income. For HIV infection, 25% of AMA discharges occurred in patients with multiple AMA discharges and 30-day readmission rates were higher after an AMA discharge: odds ratio 1.57 (95% confidence interval 1.01 to 2.43, p = .046). Team-based and nursing interventions that incorporate the treatment-based values and preferences of HIV-infected patients with prior AMA discharges may improve linkage to care and reduce readmissions.