Featured Publications
Epilepsy quality performance in a national sample of neurologists and primary care providers: Characterizing trends in acute and chronic care management
Altalib H, McMillan KK, Padilla S, Pugh MJ. Epilepsy quality performance in a national sample of neurologists and primary care providers: Characterizing trends in acute and chronic care management. Epilepsy & Behavior 2021, 123: 108218. PMID: 34479039, DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2021.108218.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPrimary care providersEpilepsy carePrimary careChronic careInjury preventionCare providersPsychosocial educationVeterans Affairs Healthcare SystemAnti-seizure medicationsMedication side effectsNew-onset seizuresTypes of seizuresChronic care managementHealthcare systemProportion of peopleChart reviewChart extractionAcute careMedication monotherapyNational sampleTreatment optionsSpecialty careCare measuresVA measurementsSide effects
2023
Role of Deployment History on the Association Between Epilepsy and Traumatic Brain Injury in Post–9/11 Era US Veterans
Henion A, Wang C, Amuan M, Altalib H, Towne A, Hinds S, Baca C, LaFrance W, Van Cott A, Kean J, Roghani A, Kennedy E, Panahi S, Pugh M. Role of Deployment History on the Association Between Epilepsy and Traumatic Brain Injury in Post–9/11 Era US Veterans. Neurology 2023, 101: e2571-e2584. PMID: 38030395, PMCID: PMC10791059, DOI: 10.1212/wnl.0000000000207943.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTraumatic brain injuryDeployed veteransNondeployed veteransHigher oddsNeurologic conditionsBrain injuryEpilepsy impactDeployment-related traumatic brain injurySevere traumatic brain injuryEpilepsy risk factorsMild traumatic brain injuryVeterans Health AdministrationYears of careDeployment-related exposuresService membersService-connected disabilityHistory of deploymentHealthy warrior effectLogistic regression modelsDeployment historyMilitary service membersEpilepsy preventionICD-9/10TBI exposureAntiseizure medicationsUnderstanding headache classification coding within the veterans health administration using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM in fiscal years 2014–2017
Fodeh S, Fenton B, Wang R, Skanderson M, Altalib H, Kuruvilla D, Schindler E, Haskell S, Brandt C, Sico J. Understanding headache classification coding within the veterans health administration using ICD-9-CM and ICD-10-CM in fiscal years 2014–2017. PLOS ONE 2023, 18: e0279163. PMID: 36598881, PMCID: PMC9812322, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0279163.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsVeterans Health AdministrationHeadache diagnosisICD-10-CMICD-10-CM diagnosisICD-10-CM codingSpecialty care clinicsSpecific headache diagnosesICD-9-CM codingDifferent headache typesICD-9-CMRace/ethnicityHeadache comorbidityHeadache NOSPatient ageCare clinicsChronic conditionsHeadache typesProvider typeSociodemographic factorsHealth AdministrationDiagnosisTwo yearsHeadachePatientsMigraine
2021
The Military Injuries: Understanding Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Study: Understanding Relationships among Lifetime Traumatic Brain Injury History, Epilepsy, and Quality of Life
Pugh MJ, Kennedy E, Gugger JJ, Mayo J, Tate D, Swan A, Kean J, Altalib H, Gowda S, Towne A, Hinds S, Van Cott A, Lopez MR, Jaramillo CA, Eapen BC, McCafferty RR, Salinsky M, Cramer J, McMillan KK, Kalvesmaki A, Diaz-Arrastia R, Amuan M, Henion A, Padilla S, McCafferty M, Elizondo B, Wells M. The Military Injuries: Understanding Post-Traumatic Epilepsy Study: Understanding Relationships among Lifetime Traumatic Brain Injury History, Epilepsy, and Quality of Life. Journal Of Neurotrauma 2021, 38: 2841-2850. PMID: 34353118, PMCID: PMC8820288, DOI: 10.1089/neu.2021.0015.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsTraumatic brain injuryPost-traumatic epilepsyHistory of TBIQuality of lifeEvidence of TBILifetime traumatic brain injuryMild traumatic brain injuryHealth recordsHealth-related qualityVA medical recordsWorse physical functioningPopulation-based assessmentVeterans Health AdministrationHealth record dataTraumatic brain injury historyBrain injury historyComplex comorbiditiesMedical recordsBrain injuryPhysical functioningTBI severityInjury historyEpilepsyHealth AdministrationEpilepsy studies
2016
Incidence of Mental Health Diagnoses in Veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn, 2001-2014.
Ramsey C, Dziura J, Justice AC, Altalib HH, Bathulapalli H, Burg M, Decker S, Driscoll M, Goulet J, Haskell S, Kulas J, Wang KH, Mattocks K, Brandt C. Incidence of Mental Health Diagnoses in Veterans of Operations Iraqi Freedom, Enduring Freedom, and New Dawn, 2001-2014. American Journal Of Public Health 2016, 107: 329-335. PMID: 27997229, PMCID: PMC5227942, DOI: 10.2105/ajph.2016.303574.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsMental health diagnosesMajor depressive disorderPosttraumatic stress disorderHealth diagnosisIncidence rateDrug use disorder diagnosisIncident posttraumatic stress disorderOperation Iraqi FreedomAge 18Veterans Health Administration electronic health recordsDisorder diagnosisIncident bipolar disorderHigh-risk groupSociodemographic risk factorsAlcohol use disorder diagnosisMental health conditionsEnduring FreedomIraqi FreedomRace/ethnicityElectronic health recordsIncident schizophreniaRisk factorsDepressive disorderAge 45MDD diagnosisCommunicating diagnostic certainty of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures — a national study of provider documentation
Altalib HH, Elzamzamy K, Pugh MJ, Gonzalez JB, Cheung KH, Fenton BT, Kerns RD, Brandt CA, LaFrance WC. Communicating diagnostic certainty of psychogenic nonepileptic seizures — a national study of provider documentation. Epilepsy & Behavior 2016, 64: 4-8. PMID: 27723497, DOI: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2016.08.032.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchConceptsPsychogenic nonepileptic seizuresElectronic health recordsNonepileptic seizuresVeterans Affairs electronic health recordsDiagnosis of PNESInappropriate health careMajority of patientsPrimary care providersImpressions of patientsHealth care professionalsMental health professionalsEpilepsy criteriaProvider documentationClinical impressionCare providersCare professionalsInternational LeagueDiagnostic certaintyHealth professionalsPatientsProgress notesHealth recordsHealth careSeizuresNeurologistsIncrease in migraine diagnoses and guideline-concordant treatment in veterans, 2004–2012
Altalib H, Fenton B, Sico J, Goulet J, Bathulapalli H, Mohammad A, Kulas J, Driscoll M, Dziura J, Mattocks K, Kerns R, Brandt C, Haskell S. Increase in migraine diagnoses and guideline-concordant treatment in veterans, 2004–2012. Cephalalgia 2016, 37: 3-10. PMID: 26950804, DOI: 10.1177/0333102416631959.Peer-Reviewed Original ResearchMeSH KeywordsAdultAgedAnalgesicsFemaleGuideline AdherenceHumansMaleMiddle AgedMigraine DisordersVeteransConceptsBurden of migraineMigraine diagnosisVeterans Health Administration electronic health recordsGuideline-concordant treatmentGuideline-concordant careMigraine-specific medicationsICD-9 codesChi-square testHealth care systemNumber of veteransElectronic health recordsTriptan prescriptionMigraine preventionGuideline adherenceMigraine medicationsComorbid conditionsNational health care systemMigraine headacheMedicationsMigraineTime-series studyLogistic regressionCare systemPreventive medicineHealth administrators