Rockyview General Hospital

Antibody‐mediated rejection (AbAR) is increasingly recognized in the renal allograft population, and successful therapeutic regimens have been developed to prevent and treat AbAR, enabling excellent outcomes even in patients highly sensitized to the donor prior to transplant. It has become critical to develop standardized criteria for the pathological diagnosis of AbAR. This article presents international consensus criteria for and classification of AbAR developed based on discussions held at the Sixth Banff Conference on Allograft Pathology in 2001. This classification represents a working formulation, to be revisited as additional data accumulate in this important area of renal transplantation. Antibody‐mediated rejection (AbAR) is increasingly recognized in the renal allograft population, and successful therapeutic regimens have been developed to prevent and treat AbAR, enabling excellent outcomes even in patients highly sensitized to the donor prior to transplant. It has become critical to develop standardized criteria for the pathological diagnosis of AbAR. This article presents international consensus criteria for and classification of AbAR developed based on discussions held at the Sixth Banff Conference on Allograft Pathology in 2001. This classification represents a working formulation, to be revisited as additional data accumulate in this important area of renal transplantation.

BACKGROUND: Modern diagnostic strategies for venous thromboembolism (VTE) incorporate pretest probability (PTP; prevalence) assessment. The ability of diagnostic tests to correctly identify or exclude VTE is influenced by VTE prevalence and test accuracy characteristics. OBJECTIVE: These evidence-based guidelines are intended to support patients, clinicians, and health care professionals in VTE diagnosis. Diagnostic strategies were evaluated for pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT) of the lower and upper extremity, and recurrent VTE. METHODS: The American Society of Hematology (ASH) formed a multidisciplinary panel including patient representatives. The McMaster University GRADE Centre completed systematic reviews up to 1 October 2017. The panel prioritized questions and outcomes and used the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) approach to assess evidence and make recommendations. Test accuracy estimates and VTE population prevalence were used to model expected outcomes in diagnostic pathways. Where modeling was not feasible, management and accuracy studies were used to formulate recommendations. RESULTS: Ten recommendations are presented, by PTP for patients with suspected PE and lower extremity DVT, and for recurrent VTE and upper extremity DVT. CONCLUSIONS: For patients at low (unlikely) VTE risk, using D-dimer as the initial test reduces the need for diagnostic imaging. For patients at high (likely) VTE risk, imaging is warranted. For PE diagnosis, ventilation-perfusion scanning and computed tomography pulmonary angiography are the most validated tests, whereas lower or upper extremity DVT diagnosis uses ultrasonography. Research is needed on new diagnostic modalities and to validate clinical decision rules for patients with suspected recurrent VTE.

OBJECTIVE: Low vitamin D status has been associated with multiple sclerosis (MS) prevalence and risk, but the therapeutic potential of vitamin D in established MS has not been explored. Our aim was to assess the tolerability of high-dose oral vitamin D and its impact on biochemical, immunologic, and clinical outcomes in patients with MS prospectively. METHODS: An open-label randomized prospective controlled 52-week trial matched patients with MS for demographic and disease characteristics, with randomization to treatment or control groups. Treatment patients received escalating vitamin D doses up to 40,000 IU/day over 28 weeks to raise serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] rapidly and assess tolerability, followed by 10,000 IU/day (12 weeks), and further downtitrated to 0 IU/day. Calcium (1,200 mg/day) was given throughout the trial. Primary endpoints were mean change in serum calcium at each vitamin D dose and a comparison of serum calcium between groups. Secondary endpoints included 25(OH)D and other biochemical measures, immunologic biomarkers, relapse events, and Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) score. RESULTS: Forty-nine patients (25 treatment, 24 control) were enrolled [mean age 40.5 years, EDSS 1.34, and 25(OH)D 78 nmol/L]. All calcium-related measures within and between groups were normal. Despite a mean peak 25(OH)D of 413 nmol/L, no significant adverse events occurred. Although there may have been confounding variables in clinical outcomes, treatment group patients appeared to have fewer relapse events and a persistent reduction in T-cell proliferation compared to controls. CONCLUSIONS: High-dose vitamin D (approximately 10,000 IU/day) in multiple sclerosis is safe, with evidence of immunomodulatory effects. CLASSIFICATION OF EVIDENCE: This trial provides Class II evidence that high-dose vitamin D use for 52 weeks in patients with multiple sclerosis does not significantly increase serum calcium levels when compared to patients not on high-dose supplementation. The trial, however, lacked statistical precision and the design requirements to adequately assess changes in clinical disease measures (relapses and Expanded Disability Status Scale scores), providing only Class level IV evidence for these outcomes.

The efficacy of convalescent plasma for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is unclear. Although most randomized controlled trials have shown negative results, uncontrolled studies have suggested that the antibody content could influence patient outcomes. We conducted an open-label, randomized controlled trial of convalescent plasma for adults with COVID-19 receiving oxygen within 12 d of respiratory symptom onset ( NCT04348656 ). Patients were allocated 2:1 to 500 ml of convalescent plasma or standard of care. The composite primary outcome was intubation or death by 30 d. Exploratory analyses of the effect of convalescent plasma antibodies on the primary outcome was assessed by logistic regression. The trial was terminated at 78% of planned enrollment after meeting stopping criteria for futility. In total, 940 patients were randomized, and 921 patients were included in the intention-to-treat analysis. Intubation or death occurred in 199/614 (32.4%) patients in the convalescent plasma arm and 86/307 (28.0%) patients in the standard of care arm-relative risk (RR) = 1.16 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94-1.43, P = 0.18). Patients in the convalescent plasma arm had more serious adverse events (33.4% versus 26.4%; RR = 1.27, 95% CI 1.02-1.57, P = 0.034). The antibody content significantly modulated the therapeutic effect of convalescent plasma. In multivariate analysis, each standardized log increase in neutralization or antibody-dependent cellular cytotoxicity independently reduced the potential harmful effect of plasma (odds ratio (OR) = 0.74, 95% CI 0.57-0.95 and OR = 0.66, 95% CI 0.50-0.87, respectively), whereas IgG against the full transmembrane spike protein increased it (OR = 1.53, 95% CI 1.14-2.05). Convalescent plasma did not reduce the risk of intubation or death at 30 d in hospitalized patients with COVID-19. Transfusion of convalescent plasma with unfavorable antibody profiles could be associated with worse clinical outcomes compared to standard care.

Steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS) carries a high risk of toxicity from steroids or steroid-sparing agents. This open-label, noninferiority, randomized controlled trial at four sites in Italy tested whether rituximab is noninferior to steroids in maintaining remission in juvenile SDNS. We enrolled children age 1-16 years who had developed SDNS in the previous 6-12 months and were maintained in remission with high prednisone doses (≥0.7 mg/kg per day). We randomly assigned participants to continue prednisone alone for 1 month (control) or to add a single intravenous infusion of rituximab (375 mg/m(2); intervention). Prednisone was tapered in both groups after 1 month. For noninferiority, rituximab had to permit steroid withdrawal and maintain 3-month proteinuria (mg/m(2) per day) within a prespecified noninferiority margin of three times the levels among controls (primary outcome). We followed participants for ≥1 year to compare risk of relapse (secondary outcome). Fifteen children per group (21 boys; mean age, 7 years [range, 2.6-13.5 years]) were enrolled and followed for ≤60 months (median, 22 months). Three-month proteinuria was 42% lower in the rituximab group (geometric mean ratio, 0.58; 95% confidence interval, 0.18 to 1.95 [i.e., within the noninferiority margin of three times the levels in controls]). All but one child in the control group relapsed within 6 months; median time to relapse in the rituximab group was 18 months (95% confidence interval, 9 to 32 months). In the rituximab group, nausea and skin rash during infusion were common; transient acute arthritis occurred in one child. In conclusion, rituximab was noninferior to steroids for the treatment of juvenile SDNS.

This review provides a pulmonary-focused description of the age-associated changes in the integrative physiology of exercise, including how declining lung function plays a role in promoting multimorbidity in the elderly through limitation of physical function. We outline the ageing of physiological systems supporting endurance activity: 1) coupling of muscle metabolism to mechanical power output; 2) gas transport between muscle capillary and mitochondria; 3) matching of muscle blood flow to its requirement; 4) oxygen and carbon dioxide carrying capacity of the blood; 5) cardiac output; 6) pulmonary vascular function; 7) pulmonary oxygen transport; 8) control of ventilation; and 9) pulmonary mechanics and respiratory muscle function. Deterioration in function occurs in many of these systems in healthy ageing. Between the ages of 25 and 80 years pulmonary function and aerobic capacity each decline by ∼40%. While the predominant factor limiting exercise in the elderly likely resides within the function of the muscles of ambulation, muscle function is (at least partially) rescued by exercise training. The age-associated decline in pulmonary function, however, is not recovered by training. Thus, loss in pulmonary function may lead to ventilatory limitation in exercise in the active elderly, limiting the ability to accrue the health benefits of physical activity into senescence.

A unique renal neoplasm characterized by eosinophilic cytoplasm and solid and cystic growth was recently reported in patients with tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC). We searched multiple institutional archives and consult files in an attempt to identify a sporadic counterpart. We identified 16 morphologically identical cases, all in women, without clinical features of TSC. The median age was 57 years (range, 31 to 75 y). Macroscopically, tumors were tan and had a solid and macrocystic (12) or only solid appearance (4). Average tumor size was 50 mm (median, 38.5 mm; range, 15 to 135 mm). Microscopically, the tumors showed solid areas admixed with variably sized macrocysts and microcysts that were lined by cells with a pronounced hobnail arrangement. The cells had voluminous eosinophilic cytoplasm with prominent granular cytoplasmic stippling and round to oval nuclei with prominent nucleoli. Scattered histiocytes and lymphocytes were invariably present. Thirteen of 16 patients were stage pT1; 2 were pT2, and 1 was pT3a. The cells demonstrated a distinct immunoprofile: nuclear PAX8 expression, predominant CK20-positive/CK7-negative phenotype, patchy AMACR staining, but no CD117 reactivity. Thirteen of 14 patients with follow-up were alive and without disease progression after 2 to 138 months (mean: 53 mo; median: 37.5 mo); 1 patient died of other causes. Although similar to a subset of renal cell carcinomas (RCCs) seen in TSC, we propose that sporadic "eosinophilic, solid, and cystic RCC," which occurs predominantly in female individuals and is characterized by distinct morphologic features, predominant CK20-positive/CK7-negative immunophenotype, and indolent behavior, represents a novel subtype of RCC.

The optimal management of lower pole renal calculi is controversial. We compared shock wave lithotripsy (SWL) and ureteroscopy (URS) for the treatment of patients with small lower pole stones in a prospective, randomized, multicenter trial.A total of 78 patients with 1 cm or less isolated lower pole stones were randomized to SWL or URS. The primary outcome measure was stone-free rate on noncontrast computerized tomography at 3 months. Secondary outcome parameters were length of stay, complication rates, need for secondary procedures and patient derived quality of life measures.A total of 67 patients randomized to SWL (32) or URS (35) completed treatment. The 2 groups were comparable with respect to age, sex, body mass index, side treated and stone surface area. Operative time was significantly shorter for SWL than URS (66 vs 90 minutes). At 3 months of followup 26 and 32 patients who underwent SWL and URS had radiographic followup that demonstrated a stone-free rate of 35% and 50%, respectively (p not significant). Intraoperative complications occurred in 1 SWL case (unable to target stone) and in 7 URS cases (failed access in 5 and perforation in 2), while postoperative complications occurred in 7 SWL and 7 URS cases. Patient derived quality of life measures favored SWL.This study failed to demonstrate a statistically significant difference in stone-free rates between SWL and URS for the treatment of small lower pole renal calculi. However, SWL was associated with greater patient acceptance and shorter convalescence.

Based on indicators that emerged from The First Physical Therapy Summit on Global Health (2007), the Second Summit (2011) identified themes to inform a global physical therapy action plan to integrate health promotion into practice across the World Confederation for Physical Therapy (WCPT) regions. Working questions were: (1) how well is health promotion implemented within physical therapy practice; and (2) how might this be improved across five target audiences (i.e. physical therapist practitioners, educators, researchers, professional body representatives, and government liaisons/consultants). In structured facilitated sessions, Summit representatives (n = 32) discussed: (1) within WCPT regions, what is working and the challenges; and (2) across WCPT regions, what are potential directions using World Café(TM) methodology. Commonalities outweighed differences with respect to strategies to advance health-focused physical therapy as a clinical competency across regions and within target audiences. Participants agreed that health-focused practice is a professional priority, and a strategic action plan was needed to develop it as a clinical competency. The action plan and recommendations largely paralleled the principles and objectives of the World Health Organization's non-communicable diseases action plan. A third Summit planned for 2015 will provide a mechanism for follow-up to evaluate progress in integrating health-focused physical therapy within the profession.

Background: Despite exercise capacity and quality-of-life benefits, pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) and cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programmes are not easily accessed because of several barriers. A solution may be telerehabilitation (TR), in which patients exercise in their communities while they are monitored via teletechnology. However, the benefits of TR for the purposes of PR and CR have not been systematically reviewed. Objective: To determine whether the benefits of the exercise component of PR and CR using TR are comparable to usual-care (UC) programmes. Methods: A comprehensive literature search was performed of the Medline, Embase, and CINAHL databases up to July 13, 2015. Meta-analyses were performed for peak oxygen consumption, peak workload, exercise test duration, and 6-minute walk test (6MWT) distance using the I 2 statistic and forest plots displaying standardized mean difference (SMD). Results: Of 1,431 citations found, 8 CR studies met the inclusion criteria. No differences were found in exercise outcomes between UC and TR groups for CR studies, except in exercise test duration, which slightly favoured UC (SMD 0.268, 95% CI: 0.002, 0.534, p<0.05). Only 1 PR study was included, and it showed similar improvements on the 6MWT between the UC and TR groups. Conclusion: TR for patients with cardiac conditions provided benefits similar to UC with no adverse effects reported. Similar studies of TR for patients with pulmonary conditions need to be conducted.

BACKGROUND: Although obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) has been linked to insulin resistance and glucose intolerance, it is unclear whether there is an independent association between OSA and diabetes mellitus (DM) and whether all patients with OSA are at risk. The objective of this study was to determine the association between OSA and DM in a large cohort of patients referred for sleep diagnostic testing. METHODS: A cross-sectional analysis of participants in a clinic-based study was conducted between July 2005 and August 2007. DM was defined by self-report and concurrent use of diabetic medications (oral hypoglycaemics and/or insulin). Sensitivity analysis was performed using a validated administrative definition of diabetes. OSA was defined by the respiratory disturbance index (RDI) using polysomnography or ambulatory monitoring. Severe OSA was defined as an RDI > or = 30/h. Subjective sleepiness was defined as an Epworth Sleepiness Scale score > or = 10. RESULTS: Complete data were available for 2149 patients. The prevalence of DM increased with increasing OSA severity (p<0.001). Severe OSA was associated with DM following adjustment for patient demographics, weight and neck circumference (odds ratio (OR) 2.18; 95% CI 1.22 to 3.89; p<0.01). Following a stratified analysis, this relationship was observed exclusively in sleepy patients (OR 2.59 (95% CI 1.35 to 4.97) vs 1.16 (95% CI 0.31 to 4.37) in non-sleepy patients). CONCLUSIONS: Severe OSA is independently associated with DM in patients who report excessive sleepiness. Future studies investigating the impact of OSA treatment on DM may wish to focus on this patient population.

Abstract Background Parents of infants in neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) are often unintentionally marginalized in pursuit of optimal clinical care. Family Integrated Care (FICare) was developed to support families as part of their infants’ care team in level III NICUs. We adapted the model for level II NICUs in Alberta, Canada, and evaluated whether the new Alberta FICare™ model decreased hospital length of stay (LOS) in preterm infants without concomitant increases in readmissions and emergency department visits. Methods In this pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial conducted between December 15, 2015 and July 28, 2018, 10 level II NICUs were randomized to provide Alberta FICare™ ( n = 5) or standard care ( n = 5). Alberta FICare™ is a psychoeducational intervention with 3 components: Relational Communication, Parent Education, and Parent Support. We enrolled mothers and their singleton or twin infants born between 32 0/7 and 34 6/7 weeks gestation. The primary outcome was infant hospital LOS. We used a linear regression model to conduct weighted site-level analysis comparing adjusted mean LOS between groups, accounting for site geographic area (urban/regional) and infant risk factors. Secondary outcomes included proportions of infants with readmissions and emergency department visits to 2 months corrected age, type of feeding at discharge, and maternal psychosocial distress and parenting self-efficacy at discharge. Results We enrolled 654 mothers and 765 infants (543 singletons/111 twin cases). Intention to treat analysis included 353 infants/308 mothers in the Alberta FICare™ group and 365 infants/306 mothers in the standard care group. The unadjusted difference between groups in infant hospital LOS (1.96 days) was not statistically significant. Accounting for site geographic area and infant risk factors, infant hospital LOS was 2.55 days shorter (95% CI, − 4.44 to − 0.66) in the Alberta FICare™ group than standard care group, P = .02. Secondary outcomes were not significantly different between groups. Conclusions Alberta FICare™ is effective in reducing preterm infant LOS in level II NICUs, without concomitant increases in readmissions or emergency department visits. A small number of sites in a single jurisdiction and select group infants limit generalizability of findings. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT02879799 , retrospectively registered August 26, 2016.

The incidence of deep-vein thrombosis and the need for thromboprophylaxis following isolated trauma below the knee is uncertain. We have investigated this with a prospective randomised double-blind controlled trial using low molecular weight heparin with saline injection as placebo in patients aged between 18 and 75 years who had sustained an isolated fracture below the knee which required operative fixation. All patients had surgery within 48 hours of injury and were randomised to receive either the placebo or low molecular weight heparin for 14 days, after which they underwent bilateral lower limb venography, interpreted by three independent radiologists. Further follow-up was undertaken at two, six, eight and 12 weeks. A total of 238 patients fulfilled all the inclusion criteria, with 127 in the low molecular weight heparin group and 111 in the placebo group, all of whom underwent bilateral venography. There was no statistically significant difference in the incidence of deep-vein thrombosis between those patients treated with low molecular weight heparin or the placebo (p = 0.22). The number of deep-vein thromboses in the two groups was 11 (8.7%) and 14 (12.6%), respectively. Age and the type of fracture were significantly associated with the rate of deep-vein thrombosis (p = 0.001 and p = 0.009, respectively) but gender, comorbidities and the body mass index were not. The overall incidence of deep-vein thrombosis in this series was 11%. There was no clinical or statistical significant reduction in the incidence of deep-vein thrombosis with the use of thromboprophylaxis. However, we accept that owing to a cessation of funding, recruitment to this trial had to be ended prior to establishing the necessary sample size. Our results cannot, therefore, categorically exclude the possibility that low molecular weight heparin treatment could be beneficial. We recommend a further multicentre trial be undertaken to resolve this matter.

Kidney neoplasms are among the most heterogeneous and diverse tumors. Continuous advancement of this field is reflected in the emergence of new tumour entities and an increased recognition of the expanding morphologic, immunohistochemical, molecular, epidemiologic and clinical spectrum of renal tumors. Most recent advances after the 2016 World Health Organization (WHO) classification of renal cell tumors have provided new evidence on some emerging entities, such as anaplastic lymphoma kinase rearrangement-associated RCC (ALK-RCC), which has already been included in the WHO 2016 classification as a provisional entity. Additionally, several previously unrecognized entities, not currently included in the WHO classification, have also been introduced, such as eosinophilic solid and cystic renal cell carcinoma (ESC RCC), low-grade oncocytic renal tumor (LOT) and high-grade oncocytic renal tumor (HOT) of kidney. Although pathologists play a crucial role in the recognition and classification of these new tumor entities and are at the forefront of the efforts to characterize them, the awareness and the acceptance of these entities among clinicians will ultimately translate into more nuanced management and improved prognostication for individual patients. In this review, we summarise the current knowledge and the novel data on these emerging renal entities, with an aim to promote their increased diagnostic recognition and better characterization, and to facilitate further studies that will hopefully lead to their formal recognition and consideration in the future classifications of kidney tumors.

The purpose of this study was to examine whether executive dysfunction differentially impacts list-learning and story recall tasks in a sample of older adults referred for suspected cognitive impairment. Older adults (N = 61) with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or probable mild dementia, and those who did not meet criteria for diagnosis of dementia, were assessed using measures of executive function and verbal memory. Two groups were established based on performance on measures of executive function: (a) the No Executive Dysfunction group (NoED; n = 33) consisted of persons without impairment on any obtained measures of executive function; and (b) the Executive Dysfunction group (ED; n = 28) contained persons with impairment on at least one of the measures of executive function. The two groups were compared on performance on two measures of verbal memory, the California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II) and the Logical Memory (LM) subtest from the Wechsler Memory Scale-Revised (WMS-R). The NoED group performed significantly better than the ED group on the total learning and short delay free recall trials of the CVLT-II. However, there were no significant differences between the groups on the other indices of the CVLT-II (i.e., long delay free recall, recognition, recall repetitions, recall intrusions, or recognition false-positives) or on the immediate and delayed recall trials of the LM measure. These results support previous research demonstrating the impact of executive dysfunction on the acquisition of and short-delay retrieval of verbal information in older adults with suspected cognitive impairment.

The MMI was introduced into the medical admissions process at the University of Calgary (UofC) in 2006. This report outlines the steps which were involved in its development and our evaluation of the process. The MMI allowed us to interview applicants in one weekend, with fewer interviewers and less time required per interviewer compared to our previous interview process. Most importantly, more than 90% of both the applicants and interviewers found the process to be very acceptable. This process allowed us to ensure that the interview process focused on the non-cognitive traits we are looking for in the students we admit to the UofC.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: An appreciation of a family's difficult experience in dealing with their critically ill loved ones has created the concept of 'family-centered care'. The purpose of this paper is to review the literature on the needs of the family during their intensive care unit experience. RECENT FINDINGS: Families consistently highlight three major issues that they deem could be improved from their perspective. Increased information about their loved ones, proximity to the patient and a more flexible visiting policy stand out as relevant issues to families. SUMMARY: Medical staff and administrators should recognize that families of critically ill patients have particular needs that help them cope with having their loved ones in an intensive care unit. Simple changes in philosophy and policy would greatly decrease the anxiety these families experience.

Overexpression of the pro-survival protein heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and loss of the pro-apoptotic tumour suppressor PTEN are common events in prostate cancer (PCA). We assessed the occurrence of both HO-1 expression and PTEN deletion in two cohorts of men with localized and castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC). The phenotypic cooperation of these markers was examined in preclinical and clinical models. Overall, there was a statistically significant difference in HO-1 epithelial expression between benign, high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (HGPIN), localized PCA, and CRPC (p < 0.0001). The highest epithelial HO-1 expression was noted in CRPC (2.00 ± 0.89), followed by benign prostate tissue (1.49 ± 1.03) (p = 0.0003), localized PCA (1.20 ± 0.95), and HGPIN (1.07 ± 0.87) (p < 0.0001). However, the difference between HGPIN and PCA was not statistically significant (p = 0.21). PTEN deletions were observed in 35/55 (63.6%) versus 68/183 (37.1%) cases of CRPC and localized PCA, respectively. Although neither HO-1 overexpression nor PTEN deletions alone in localized PCA showed a statistically significant association with PSA relapse, the combined status of both markers correlated with disease progression (log-rank test, p = 0.01). In a preclinical model, inhibition of HO-1 by shRNA in PTEN-deficient PC3M cell line and their matched cells where PTEN is restored strongly reduced cell growth and invasion in vitro and inhibited tumour growth and lung metastasis formation in mice compared to cells where only HO-1 is inhibited or PTEN is restored. In summary, we provide clinical and experimental evidence for cooperation between epithelial HO-1 expression and PTEN deletions in relation to the PCA patient's outcome. These findings could potentially lead to the discovery of novel therapeutic modalities for advanced PCA.

Abstract Background Every year, about 15 million of the world’s infants are born preterm (before 37 weeks gestation). In Alberta, the preterm birth rate was 8.7% in 2015, the second highest among Canadian provinces. Approximately 20% of preterm infants are born before 32 weeks gestation (early preterm), and require care in a Level III neonatal intensive care unit (NICU); 80% are born moderate (32 weeks and zero days [32 0/7 ] to 33 6/7 weeks) and late preterm (34 0/7 to 36 6/7 weeks), and require care in a Level II NICU. Preterm birth and experiences in the NICU disrupt early parent-infant relationships and induce parental psychosocial distress. Family Integrated Care (FICare) shows promise as a model of care in Level III NICUs. The purpose of this study is to evaluate length of stay, infant and maternal clinical outcomes, and costs following adaptation and implementation of FICare in Level II NICUs. Methods We will conduct a pragmatic, cluster randomized controlled trial (cRCT) in ten Alberta Level II NICUs allocated to one of two groups: FICare or standard care. The FICare Alberta model involves three theoretically-based, standardized components: information sharing, parenting education, and family support. Our sample size of 181 mother-infant dyads per group is based on the primary outcome of NICU length of stay, 80% participation, and 80% retention at follow-up. Secondary outcomes (e.g., infant clinical outcomes and maternal psychosocial distress) will be assessed shortly after admission to NICU, at discharge and 2 months corrected age. We will conduct economic analysis from two perspectives: the public healthcare payer and society. To understand the utility, acceptability, and impact of FICare, qualitative interviews will be conducted with a subset of mothers at the 2-month follow-up, and with hospital administrators and healthcare providers near the end of the study. Discussion Results of this pragmatic cRCT of FICare in Alberta Level II NICUs will inform policy decisions by providing evidence about the clinical effectiveness and costs of FICare. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov, ID: NCT02879799 . Registered on 27 May 2016. Protocol version: 9 June 2016; version 2.

PURPOSE: To measure the effect of including a clinical librarian in the health care team on medical residents and clinical clerks. METHOD: In 2009, medical residents and clinical clerks were preassigned to one of two patient care teams (intervention and control). Each team had a month-long rotation on the general medicine teaching unit. The clinical librarian joined the intervention team for morning intake, clinical rounding, or an afternoon patient list review, providing immediate literature searches, formal group instruction, informal bedside teaching, and/or individual mentoring for use of preappraised resources and evidence-based medicine search techniques. Both intervention and control teams completed pre and post surveys comparing their confidence levels and awareness of resources as well as their self-reported use of evidence for making patient care decisions. The nonintervention team was surveyed as the control group. RESULTS: The clinical librarian intervention had a significant positive effect on medical trainees' self-reported ability to independently locate and evaluate evidence resources to support patient care decisions. Notably, 30 of 34 (88%) reported having changed a treatment plan based on skills taught by the clinical librarian, and 27 of 34 (79%) changed a treatment plan based on the librarian's mediated search support. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical librarians on the care team led to positive effects on self-reported provider attitudes, provider information retrieval tendencies, and, notably, clinical decision making. Future research should evaluate economic effects of widespread implementation of on-site clinical librarians.