Posts by Christine S. Ritchie, MD, MSPH
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Medical Grand Rounds: Chronic Pain in Aging and Serious Illness
Leaders from the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital presented on biopsychosocial considerations and intervention opportunities for chronic pain in aging and serious illness at a recent Medical Grand Rounds presentation.
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Medical Grand Rounds: Innovations in Geriatric Medicine
In this Medical Grand Rounds presentation, Christine S. Ritchie, MD, MSPH, director of the Center for Aging and Serious Illness at Massachusetts General Hospital, joined other geriatric experts from the Boston area to discuss the latest innovations in geriatric medicine.
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Persistent Pain Substantially Affects Function, Well-being of U.S. Older Adults
In the first nationally representative study of its kind, Christine S. Ritchie, MD, MSPH, and colleagues established persistent pain is highly prevalent among older U.S. adults, and it led to a 14% greater risk of decline in physical function and a 11% greater risk of decline in well-being over seven-year follow-up.
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Non-home Discharge Likely for Older Adults After Elective Diverticulitis Surgery
Christy E. Cauley, MD, MPH, Christine S. Ritchie, MD, MSPH, and colleagues found 19% of adults ages 70 and older who had elective colectomy for diverticulitis were discharged somewhere other than home, and across age groups the risk was 28 times higher for patients with any level of preoperative functional dependence.
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3A Model Helps Clinicians Explore Older Adults' Attitudes Toward Nonpharmacologic Pain Management
Christine S. Ritchie, MD, MSPH, of the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, and colleagues identified three domains—awareness, appeal and access—as barriers and facilitators of older adults' use of nonpharmacologic approaches to managing chronic pain.
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Combining Claims Data, EHR Best for Identifying Seriously Ill Populations
Christine S. Ritchie, MD, MSPH, of the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, and colleagues found that searching both electronic health records and claims data is optimal for identifying adults of any age with serious illness, operationalized as serious medical conditions.
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Older Age Alone Should Not Rule Out Intensive Treatment of Aggressive Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers demonstrated that intensive therapy for aggressive non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has survival benefits across all age brackets of older adults, and they identified factors associated with greater risk of toxicities and unplanned hospitalization.
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Mass General Assists Veterans Affairs in Selecting Quality Measures for Palliative and End-of-Life Cancer Care
Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH, and Anne M. Walling, MD, PhD, of the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, served as advisors to a project of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs that aims to improve palliative and end-of-life care for cancer patients.
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Very Few Older Adults Are Included in Trials of IBD Medications
Only 0.9% of patients in recent randomized, controlled trials of medications for inflammatory bowel disease were ≥65 years old, and for trials of biologic agents, the figure was 0.5%, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers determined based on the first systematic review of this issue.
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Black, Hispanic Patients with Dementia More Likely to Be Disenrolled from Hospice
A study found that Black or Hispanic patients with dementia may receive lower-quality hospice care than white patients with dementia.
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With Intensive Preparation, Seriously Ill Elders Can Participate in Virtual Research
In a project relevant to research during pandemics, Christine Seel Ritchie, MD, MSPH, of The Mongan Institute and Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine, and colleagues successfully used videoconferencing to include homebound elders and caregivers in 15 meetings of a stakeholder advisory board.
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COVID-19 Prompted Integrating Palliative Care into Emergency Departments
In a national qualitative study, Massachusetts General Hospital researchers identified innovations in palliative care delivery, staffing, technology and training within emergency departments during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Hospice Patient Preferences for Full Code, Intensive Treatment Produces Ethical Dilemmas
Mass General researchers have documented that when hospice patients/families choose full-code status and/or intensive treatment, staff can experience ethical dilemmas about balancing the needs to respect those wishes, avoid harm and alleviate suffering.
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Age-related Disparity in Participation of Video-based Telehealth
Massachusetts General Hospital researchers found that during the first surge of COVID-19, adults 60 and older were significantly less likely than younger patients to have video-based telehealth visits and significantly more likely to have telephone visits.
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Pilot of Embedded Palliative Care Early in COVID-19 Was Well Received by Emergency Clinicians
When surveyed about a pilot program of embedded palliative care early in the COVID-19 pandemic, emergency department clinicians reported a generally positive experience, including a perception of improved patient care.
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Prescribing Potentially Inappropriate Medications to Older Adults Is Common, Costly
Between 2014 and 2018, 43 billion doses of potentially inappropriate medications were dispensed to adults over 65, with spending of $25.2 billion.
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Commentary: The Safety Net Needs to Be "Geriatricized"
Christine Seel Ritchie, MD, MSPH, of the Mongan Institute and Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, and colleagues have four pointers for clinicians in safety net settings who want to optimize care of adults with geriatric conditions.
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Home-based SARS-CoV-2 Testing by EMS Personnel Improves Care of Vulnerable Populations
Mass General Brigham is operating a home-based SARS-CoV-2 testing program that leverages a resource already available in most U.S. communities: ambulance agencies.
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Medical Grand Rounds: Impact of COVID-19 among Older Persons
On May 28, 2020, the 12th lecture in the Medical Grand Rounds’ COVID-19 series featured a panel of experts who discussed the impact of COVID-19 on older populations.
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Geriatrics Research Focuses on Evidence-based Care Models
Mass General's geriatrics and dementia research identifies care gaps and the need for effective models and tools for the treatment of chronically ill seniors.
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Food Insecurity Prevalent in Urban Older Adults
In an urban primary care population of older adults with multiple chronic conditions, the strongest risk factors for food insecurity were being younger, African American and having a mental health diagnosis.
Biography
Christine Ritchie, MD, MSPH, is the Kenneth L. Minaker Chair in Geriatrics and Director of Research for the Division of Palliative Care and Geriatric Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital. She is a board-certified geriatrician and palliative care physician and conducts research focused on optimizing quality of life for those with chronic serious illness and multimorbidity. She co-leads the NINR-funded Palliative Care Research Cooperative and the national Home-based Primary Care and Palliative Care Consortium, which seeks to improve our understanding and care of the homebound population. Dr. Ritchie will be establishing a Center for Aging and Serious Illness Research within the Mass General Mongan Institute. The center is designed to bring together researchers who will focus on improving the well-being of older adults and enhancing the lived experience of those with advanced illnesses, applying methods from intervention, implementation, population health and health policy research.
Geriatrics & Palliative Care
The Division of Palliative Care & Geriatric Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital offers a wide range of clinical expertise including inpatient services, outpatient programs and home based programs.