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Background Bariatric surgery has been found to be effective in the treatment of severe obesity. Studies have shown that the majority of eligible patients do not undergo surgery. Objectives It is important to identify variables that may impact patient decision making and potentially lead to the disproportionate underutilization of bariatric surgery. Setting The study was conducted at one academic medical center in central Pennsylvania. Methods Bariatric patients who participated in a preoperative psychological assessment from 2017 to early 2020 completed comprehensive self-report questionnaires addressing sociodemographic variables, health history, psychopathology, and eating behaviors. Body mass index was calculated based on clinical measurements of each patient at the start of the preoperative program. Sociodemographic variables and self-report instrument scores were compared between those who completed surgery and those who did not. Results Of the 1234 participants, significant differences were found between the compared variables. All minority groups were less likely to undergo surgery than White patients. Participants reporting higher impairment were less likely to progress to surgery. Impairments across 3 behavioral eating assessments were associated with a lower likelihood of surgery. Conclusion There are multiple factors that contribute to patient progression to surgery, and ultimately whether the patient undergoes bariatric surgery. Results show a need for further investigation surrounding the sociodemographic and psychosocial variables that influence the patient’s advancement to surgery. Both providers and patients could benefit from a deeper understanding of potential barriers to utilization of bariatric surgery.

Physician burnout and its association with the use of electronic health records (EHRs) is well known. The impact of scribes for academic dermatologists and their patients needs to be explored. As physician burnout increases, system-based solutions are needed. To assess the impact of a scribe on physician and patient satisfaction at an academic dermatology clinic. Prospective, pre-post-pilot intervention study. During the pilot intervention, clinicians had clinic sessions with and without a scribe. We assessed changes in (1) clinician satisfaction and burnout, (2) time spent on EHR, and (3) patient satisfaction. An electronic 7-item baseline survey, 23-item mid-study survey, and a 22-item end-of-study survey to assess clinician burnout and feedback on satisfaction with medical scribes. A 19-item post visit satisfaction survey was given to patients. EHR was queried to compare amount of time spent on EHR, closure of charts, and number of patients seen during scribe coverage and at baseline. Of the six clinicians, 100% felt that there was value to scribe support. Physician burnout was low at baseline and did not change post-pilot. Active documentation time, on average, decreased by 67% per patient with a 28% increase in patients seen per clinic. Over 88% of patients disagreed with the statement, “I was uncomfortable disclosing personal information when a scribe was present” (p

Background: In recent years, bariatric surgery has proven to be a leading medical intervention to help patients meet their weight loss goals. While the surgery is an effective tool patients can use...

BACKGROUND Validated, reliable, globally accepted outcome measurement instruments for hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are needed. Current tools to measure the physical signs domain for HS rely on lesion counts, which are time-consuming and unreliable. OBJECTIVES To assess the reliability and validity of the Hidradenitis suppurativa Area and Severity Index Revised (HASI-R) tool, a novel method for assessing HS severity, incorporating signs of inflammation and body surface area involved. METHODS The measurement properties of the HASI-R tool were evaluated. The tool was created by combining the previously published HASI and Severity and Area Score for Hidradenitis instruments. Twenty raters evaluated 15 patients with HS in a hospital-based ambulatory dermatology clinic. The objectives of the study were to assess inter- and intra-rater reliability of the HASI-R and its components, as well as its construct and known-groups validity. Existing lesion count-based clinician-reported measures of HS and their components were also assessed. Raters were also asked their preferences regarding the various HS severity assessment tools. RESULTS The HASI-R had moderate inter-rater reliability [intra-class correlation coefficients (ICC) 0·60]. This was better than all other HS physical sign outcome measures evaluated, which had poor inter-rater reliability (ICC

Introduction: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory condition that requires frequent dermatology visits. Coronavirus disease (COVID-19) led to a shift in healthcare delivery to telemedicine. Teledermatology can be valuable for HS patients to decrease travel and wait times and improve patient access. However, we hypothesized that people with HS may have concerns or challenges participating in HS due to its frequent occurrence in sensitive or difficult-to-photograph locations. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was sent to patients with HS at one academic institution as well as leaders of three patient networks. Results: Survey responses were received from 149 patients. A total of 94.4% were willing to have an online appointment due to COVID-19, and 88.9% were willing to use teledermatology if COVID-19 had not happened. 32.3% of patients reported that they had ever missed an appointment not due to COVID-19. Discussion: Our findings support patient willingness to use teledermatology for treatment and management of their HS.

Objective: Dermatomyositis (DM) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality, decreased quality of life, and an increased incidence of psychiatric illness. We performed a pilot study to investigate whether concern about malignancy contributes to the psychosocial toll of DM. Method: Patients with a recent DM diagnosis at our institution between 2013 and 2018 and no history of DM-associated malignancy completed standardized questionnaires and a novel survey generated by our group, and participated in focus groups. Results: Seventeen patients (14 females and three males) completed the surveys. The mean Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI) score was 2.75. The mean score on the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) was 5.35, with a range of 0–20. Our independent DM-specific questionnaire revealed a mean of 17.41 (range 2–40). Conclusion: Concern about the increased risk of malignancy contributes to the psychosocial toll of DM. Individual impacts are highly variable and patient specific. Clinicians should assess for depression and anxiety in patients with DM, understanding that concern for malignancy adds to the total psychosocial burden in some patients.

BACKGROUND: Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic inflammatory disease that is not well understood. The HS core outcome set calls for a patient global assessment (PtGA), for which measures are limited. OBJECTIVES: Our aim is to assess the validity, reliability, and responsiveness of a candidate single-item PtGA for HS-specific health-related quality of life (HRQOL). METHODS: Cognitive debriefing interviews were conducted with HS patients in Denmark (DK) and the United States (US). Field testing was conducted via a cross-sectional observational study with adults with HS in the US and DK. The candidate PtGA item, demographic items, and multiple patient-reported scales including the Hidradenitis Suppurativa Quality of Life (HiSQOL), Dermatology Life Quality Index (DLQI), numerical rating scale (NRS) for pain were concurrently administered to evaluate convergent and known-groups validity. The scales with a single-item assessment of change were administered again 24-72 hours later to evaluate reliability and responsiveness. RESULTS: After cognitive debriefing, the candidate PtGA for HS-specific HRQOL was finalized with five response levels. Convergent validity of the PtGA was supported with significant correlations with the HiSQOL score r = 0.79 [95CI: 0.75-0.82] and DLQI (r = 0.78, [95CI: 0.74-0.82]). The PtGA displayed known-groups validity with the DLQI score bands based on significance of an analysis of variance (p

Background Research exploring dietary quality patterns within bariatric populations is limited, despite the significance of eating behaviors for postoperative outcomes. Recent studies revealed associations between food insecurity and disordered eating behavior in bariatric patients; however, the relationship between food insecurity and dietary quality is not known. Objective To examine the association between dietary quality and levels of food security within a sample of presurgical bariatric patients. Setting One academic medical center in central Pennsylvania, United States of America. Methods Patients completed three self-report measures as part of their presurgical psychological assessment process. Food security status was measured by the United States Department of Agriculture’s Food Security Module, modified for self-reports. Participants also completed the Rapid Eating Assessment for Participants, short version, which is a measure of dietary quality with scores ranging from 13–39, and the Adult Eating Behavior Questionnaire. Hierarchical multiple regressions were used to assess relationships between dietary quality and food security levels, and mediation models were built to explore associations between variables. Results Of the 197 participants, 35.5% reported high food security, while 35.0% and 29.5% reported marginal food security and food insecurity, respectively. Compared with patients with high food security, the dietary quality scores of food-insecure patients were 1.3 points lower (95% confidence interval [CI], −3.3 to .7; P = .2) of and marginally food-secure patients were 1.2 points lower (95% CI, −2.9 to .5) than those reporting high food security (P = .2). Conclusions Our findings indicate a need for further exploration into the barriers that prebariatric patients may face when attempting to adhere to pre- and postoperative dietary requirements, particularly for those reporting marginal food security and food insecurity. Future research should target postoperative outcomes, including weight gain, weight regain, and dietary adherence, among the most economically vulnerable bariatric patients.

Introduction Internalized weight bias (IWB) is significantly related to poor psychosocial health outcomes in patients with increased body mass index (BMI). The objective of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties and correlates of the Weight-Bias Internalization Scale in a pre-surgical bariatric population. Methods Self-report measures were administered to patients prior to surgery. Measures assessed internalized weight bias, body dissatisfaction, depression, anxiety, quality of life, and eating behaviors. Statistical methods included confirmatory factor analysis to examine the factor structure [of the WBIS] in this population, descriptive statistics, correlations, and hierarchical linear regression between continuous variables to determine patterns of associations, and t-tests to compare levels of IWB between the current sample and previously documented samples. Results Confirmatory factor analysis indicated an acceptable fit using a one-factor structure for the WBIS, with one item removed. Mean WBIS in the current sample was comparable to that documented in a community sample of adults with overweight and obesity, as well as a sample of adolescents seeking bariatric surgery. Additionally, IWB was positively associated with body dissatisfaction, restrained, emotional, and external eating, depression, and anxiety, and negatively associated with quality of life. Further, individuals endorsing episodes of loss of control over eating had significantly higher WBIS scores. Conclusions This study highlights the strong pattern of associations with measures of body image, disordered eating, and quality of life point toward the relevance of IWB to bariatric patients' experiences. Future studies to explore the longitudinal effects of IWB in a post-bariatric population are needed particularly to understand psychosocial and surgical health outcomes.

Background: People with hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) are interested in dietary alterations to manage the condition. However, there are few data on the prevalence of this or the impact on HS activity. The objective of this study was to investigate the prevalence and impact of dietary alterations made by people with HS. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was sent to people with HS through multiple sources. Participants reported food alterations in the prior 6 months. ­Results: Overall, 242 complete surveys were included in this analysis; the mean age was 35.8 years, and most (87.5%) were women. The majority (75.8%, n = 182) altered at least one food from their diet. Within this group, 154 (84.6%) made changes to multiple food groups. The top 5 food groups that were altered were gluten (48.8%), dairy (44.2%), refined sugars (40.0%), tomatoes (36.7%), and alcohol (37.1%). Smoking was eliminated in 27.5% of participants. Some participants (30.9%) reported the change made the HS “much better.” Conclusions: Dietary alteration to manage HS was common among participants in this study. Some people reported improvement in HS activity, but some noted worsening. Additional research is needed to evaluate the efficacy of dietary alteration to manage HS and to better understand the underlying pathomechanisms.

Background Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, inflammatory skin disease with a large impact on patients' health-related quality of life. However, reliable and consistent outcome measures to assess body surface area (BSA) of HS have not been established. Objectives To develop and assess the reliability and validity of a novel outcome instrument for assessment of HS BSA in a clinical trial setting. Methods Qualitative interviews and focus groups were conducted from July to August 2015 and October 2017 to January 2018. Evaluation of the measurement was assessed during a single-day grading session with patients in April 2018. Participants, who included clinicians or patients, were recruited from academic medical centres in the U.S. mid-Atlantic region. Results Concept elicitation included input from 10 providers, of which 60% (n = 6) were female, 80% (n = 8) dermatology specialists and 20% (n = 2) gynaecology specialists. Cognitive debriefing was conducted with 11 providers, of which 82% (n = 9) were dermatologists and 18% (n = 2) gynaecologists. The evaluation stage included 10 clinicians and 23 patients. The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) for inter-rater reliability was 0·60 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0·44-0·74]. The ICC for intrarater reliability was 0·98 (95% CI 0·94-1·00). Transformation of the BSA score resulted in an increase in inter-rater reliability to 0·75 (95% CI 0·62-0·85) or 0·76 (95% CI 0·62-0·85). Scores all demonstrated concurrent validity, with statistically significant correlations with extant scoring methods. Conclusions This novel scale is a reliable and valid HS outcome instrument and may capture a wide range of patients by assessing BSA. Future research is necessary to demonstrate its responsiveness. What's already known about this topic? The major HS disease activity scales rely on lesions counts and have moderate-to-good reliability. Body surface area (BSA) is one of the physical signs included in the Core Outcome Set for HS, but is not a part of existing HS disease activity scales. What does this study add? A novel disease severity scale, the Severity and Area Score for Hidradenitis (SASH), was developed and the psychometric properties assessed. There was high inter-rater reliability of 0·75 and 0·76 when BSA was scored on an ordinal scale, and an excellent intrarater reliability of 0·98. The SASH score also demonstrated convergent validity with extant instruments. What are the clinical implications of this work? The ability of clinicians to accurately assess disease status will be improved. Implementation of the SASH score will help guide and assess the effectiveness of appropriate treatment choice.

Importance Standard morphological terminology and definitions are vital for identification of lesion types in the clinical trial setting and communication about the condition. For hidradenitis suppurativa (HS), morphological definitions have been proposed by different groups, representing various regions of the world, but no international consensus has been reached regarding such definitions. A lack of globally harmonized terminology and definitions may contribute to poor-quality data collection in clinical trials as well as poor communication among clinicians, investigators, and patients. Objective To establish and validate consensus definitions for typical morphological findings for HS lesions. Methods This study was conducted from August 2019 to August 2020. A Delphi study technique was used to assess agreement and then resolve disagreement on HS terminology among international experts. After an initial preparation phase, the process consisted of 3 rounds. In each round, participants reviewed preliminary definitions and rated them as “keep, with no changes,” “keep, with changes,” or “remove.” Eight HS primary lesions, including papule, pustule, nodule, plaque, ulcer, abscess, comedo, and tunnel, were selected because they are most frequently used in HS clinician-reported outcome measures. The initial definitions were based on extant literature, and modifications were made between rounds based on qualitative thematic analysis of open-ended responses or discussion. Consensus was defined as greater than 70% to accept a definition. Consensus stability across rounds was defined as less than 15% change in agreement. Reliability was evaluated using the Gwet agreement coefficient. Validation was based on assessment of face validity and stability across rounds. Results A total of 31 experts participated. All 8 HS primary lesion definitions achieved greater than 70% consensus by Delphi round 3. Stability was achieved for papule, pustule, and abscess. The Gwet agreement coefficient increased from 0.49 (95% CI, 0.26-0.71) in round 1 to 0.78 (95% CI, 0.64-0.92) in round 3. Face validity was supported by expert endorsement to keep terms in survey responses. Previously unmeasured variation among clinicians’ definition of tunnels was identified, and consensus was achieved. Conclusions and Relevance An international group of experts agreed on definitions for morphological features of HS lesions frequently included in HS clinical trials. These international consensus terms and definitions are needed to support consistency of lesion identification and quantification in clinical trials.

Not available.

INTRODUCTION: Dermoscopy aids family physicians (FPs) in skin cancer detection. The triage amalgamated dermoscopic algorithm (TADA) was created to simplify the dermoscopic evaluation of a skin growth. The purpose of this image-based study was to evaluate the effect of teaching the clinical and dermoscopic features of benign skin lesions on the diagnostic accuracy of skin cancer identification using TADA. We also sought to determine the best method to teach benign neoplasms. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study of an educational intervention, FPs participated in dermoscopy training. Participants were divided into 3 groups for teaching of common benign neoplasms (dermatofibroma, angioma, and seborrheic keratosis/lentigo): didactic + interactive, didactic + heuristic, and didactic. For each group, the benign teaching was followed by skin cancer identification training with TADA. All participants took a 30 image pre-test and 30 image post-test. RESULTS: Fifty-nine participants completed the study. The mean preintervention score (out of 30 correct responses) was 17.9 (SD, 4.5) and increased to 23.5 (SD, 3.0) on the postintervention evaluation (P < .001). Sensitivity for skin cancer increased from 62.5% to 88.1% following the intervention. Postintervention specificity for skin cancer was 87.8%. Sensitivity and specificity increased following the intervention for all 3 types of benign neoplasms. Diagnostic accuracy was not impacted by the method of benign teaching. CONCLUSION: Short dermoscopy training sessions with dedicated time for benign growths followed by TADA training for malignant growths are an effective means of teaching FPs dermoscopy and result in a high sensitivity and specificity for the identification of benign and malignant skin neoplasms.

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) places a significant burden on the health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of patients, many of whom have depression. Resilience can play a role in mitigating the negative stressors, such as the symptoms of HS, on patients' mental health.To investigate the correlation among resilience, depression, and HRQOL for patients with HS.This cross-sectional survey study of 154 patients from 2 referral centers in the United States and in Denmark was conducted from June 1, 2016, to March 31, 2017. Patients were considered eligible if they were 18 years or older and had a visit for HS at 1 of the 2 referral centers in the past 2 years (from January 1, 2014, through December 31, 2016). Patients were excluded if they declined to participate, could not read or write in English or Danish, or had a cognitive disability that would preclude their understanding of the survey questions.The survey instrument included 4 questionnaires: (1) a sociodemographic and clinical characteristics questionnaire, (2) the Brief Resilient Coping Scale, (3) the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and (4) the Dermatology Life Quality Index. The main outcome of interest was the HRQOL as measured by the Dermatology Life Quality Index.All 154 patients submitted a completed survey. The mean (SD) age of the participants was 40.93 (13.5) years; most participants were women (130 [84.4%]), and most participants self-identified as white (139 [90.2%]). The rate of depression among the patients in this study was comparable to those reported in previous studies; 55 patients (35.7%) were classified as having depression, and 32 patients (20.8%) had borderline depressive symptoms. Patient-rated HS severity and the depression score each independently estimated 27% and 10% of variation in HRQOL, respectively. The interaction term for resilience and depression was significant, indicating that resilience moderates depression. Analysis of the mediation effects of resilience was not significant, indicating that resilience did not mediate the association between depressive symptoms and HRQOL. The resilience score was significantly associated with depressive symptoms (regression coefficient a = -0.21; P .001), and the depressive symptoms score (c = 0.637; P .001) was significantly associated with lower HRQOL (c' = 0.644; P .001). However, both the direct association (b = 0.033; P = .86) and the indirect association (a × b = 0.007; P = .87) of resilience with HRQOL were not significant.Patients with higher resilience levels experienced a smaller decrease in HRQOL as depressive symptoms increased. Because the findings suggest that resilience can be taught, there is an opportunity to develop a resiliency training program and investigate its role in stress levels and depressive symptoms, as well as in HRQOL and disease activity.

Importance Actinic keratosis (AK) is a skin growth induced by UV light exposure that requires long-term management because a small proportion of the disease can progress to squamous cell carcinoma. The influence of how clinicians frame or present information to patients may affect decision making about AK. Objective To evaluate the differences in patients’ decisions on whether to receive treatment for AK related to information presentation or choice framing. Design, Setting, and Participants A prospective survey study was performed from June 1 to July 31, 2016, in participants who were able to read English. Participants were recruited through the Penn State Milton S. Hershey Dermatology Clinic and an online survey site. The survey was conducted through an online portal. A total of 571 individuals were recruited. Regression analysis, correlation coefficient analysis, and test-retest validation were conducted. Main Outcomes and Measures The proportions of patients choosing to receive treatment for AK. Analyses were performed to adjust for age, sex, educational level, history of skin cancer, and history of AK. Results Of the 571 recruited participants, 539 (94.4%) returned completed surveys. The mean (SD) age of respondents was 42.9 (17.8) years; 306 (56.8%) were women. The decision to receive treatment for AK varied from 57.7% (n = 311) to 92.2% (n = 497) for the 5 scenarios presented in the questions ( P P ≤ .001). Based on a regression analysis, age, sex, and previous diagnosis of skin cancer were not significantly associated with the participants’ responses. Conclusions and Relevance This study found that patients’ decisions on whether to receive treatment for AK is significantly affected by physician wording, especially with alterations in the presentation of risk of malignant transformation.