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Objectives: Gallbladder cancer (GBC) is a rare, poor‐prognosis cancer with unique demographics, comorbidities and a paucity of research. This study investigated inpatient palliative care and its associations with demographics, comorbidities (e.g., obesity), length of stay and hospital charges in GBC in US hospitals (2007–2016). Methods: Data were extracted from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) database that contains deidentified clinical and nonclinical information for each hospitalisation. Inpatient palliative care utilisation was identified using the International Classification of Diseases (ICD‐9 and ICD‐10) codes (V66.7 and Z51.5). Generalised regression analysis was conducted with adjustment for variations in predictors. Results: Of the 4921 reported GBC hospitalizations, only 10.3% encountered palliative care. Palliative care was associated with reduced hospital charges by $12,405 per hospitalisation (P < 0.0001) with no change in length of stay. Palliative care utilisation increased over time (P = 0.004). It was associated with age >80 years, with more severe disease, and in‐hospital death (P < 0.0001). Obesity had a negative association with palliative care utilisation (P = 0.0029). Discussion Our novel study found that obese people were less likely to use palliative care services in GBC. Interventions are needed to increase palliative care consultation in GBC patients, particularly in obese patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The STarT MSK tool was developed to enable risk stratification of patients with common musculoskeletal (MSK) pain conditions and help identify individuals who may require more targeted interventions or closer monitoring in primary care settings, however, its validity in U.S.-based outpatient physical therapy settings has not been investigated. The 10-item Keele STarT MSK risk stratification tool was tested for construct (convergent and discriminant) and predictive validity using a multicenter, prospective cohort study design. Participants (n = 141) receiving physical therapy for MSK pain of the back, neck, shoulder, hip, knee, or multisite regions completed intake questionnaires including the Keele STarT MSK tool, Functional Comorbidity Index (FCI), Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome Review-of-Systems and Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome Yellow Flag tools. Pain intensity, pain interference, and health-related quality of life (Medical Outcomes Study 8-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-8) physical [PCS] and mental [MCS] component summary scores) were measured at 2- and 6-month follow-up. Participants were classified as STarT MSK tool low (44%), medium (39%), and high (17%) risk. Follow-up rates were 70.2% (2 months) and 49.6% (6 months). For convergent validity, fair relationships were observed between the STarT MSK tool and FCI and SF-8 MCS (r = .35-.37) while moderate-to-good relationships (r = .51-.72) were observed for 7 other clinical measures. For discriminant validity, STarT MSK tool risk-dependent relationships were observed for Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome Review-of-Systems, Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome Yellow Flag, pain interference, and SF-8 PCS (low < medium < high; P < .01) and FCI, pain intensity, and SF-8 MCS (low < medium-or-high; P < .01). For predictive validity, intake STarT MSK tool scores explained additional variability in pain intensity (11.2%, 20.0%), pain interference (7.5%, 14.1%), and SF-8 PCS (8.2%, 12.8%) scores at 2 and 6 months, respectively. This study contributes to the existing literature by providing additional evidence of STarT MSK tool cross-sectional construct validity and longitudinal predictive validity. PERSPECTIVE: This study presents STarT MSK risk stratification tool validity findings from a U.S. outpatient physical therapy sample. The STarT MSK tool has the potential to help physical therapists identify individuals presenting with the most common MSK pain conditions who may require more targeted interventions or closer monitoring., (Copyright © 2024 United States Association for the Study of Pain, Inc. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)