scholarly journals What methods are being used to create an evidence base on the use of laboratory tests to monitor long-term conditions in primary care? A scoping review

2020 ◽  
Vol 37 (6) ◽  
pp. 845-853
Author(s):  
Martha M C Elwenspoek ◽  
Lauren J Scott ◽  
Katharine Alsop ◽  
Rita Patel ◽  
Jessica C Watson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Patient Harm ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Test Ordering

Abstract Background Studies have shown unwarranted variation in test ordering among GP practices and regions, which may lead to patient harm and increased health care costs. There is currently no robust evidence base to inform guidelines on monitoring long-term conditions. Objectives To map the extent and nature of research that provides evidence on the use of laboratory tests to monitor long-term conditions in primary care, and to identify gaps in existing research. Methods We performed a scoping review—a relatively new approach for mapping research evidence across broad topics—using data abstraction forms and charting data according to a scoping framework. We searched CINAHL, EMBASE and MEDLINE to April 2019. We included studies that aimed to optimize the use of laboratory tests and determine costs, patient harm or variation related to testing in a primary care population with long-term conditions. Results Ninety-four studies were included. Forty percent aimed to describe variation in test ordering and 36% to investigate test performance. Renal function tests (35%), HbA1c (23%) and lipids (17%) were the most studied laboratory tests. Most studies applied a cohort design using routinely collected health care data (49%). We found gaps in research on strategies to optimize test use to improve patient outcomes, optimal testing intervals and patient harms caused by over-testing. Conclusions Future research needs to address these gaps in evidence. High-level evidence is missing, i.e. randomized controlled trials comparing one monitoring strategy to another or quasi-experimental designs such as interrupted time series analysis if trials are not feasible.

scholarly journals What is the evidence behind guideline recommendations to monitor chronic diseases in UK primary care?

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (suppl 1) ◽  
pp. bjgp19X702917
Author(s):  
Martha Elwenspoek ◽  
Rita Patel ◽  
Jessica Watson ◽  
Ed Mann ◽  
Katharine Alsop ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Chronic Diseases ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Level Of Evidence ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Optimal Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Strategies

BackgroundMore than half of tests ordered by GP practices are to monitor long-term conditions such as high blood pressure, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). There is a large variation in ordered tests between GP practices, suggesting some tests may not be appropriate. Unnecessary testing should be avoided as it can generate anxiety for patients, increase workload for doctors, and increase costs for the health service.AimThe objective was to review monitoring strategies for hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and CKD patients and to investigate the evidence-base underlying these recommendations.MethodCurrent UK guidelines on the relevant diseases were reviewed. Any guidance on the use of laboratory tests for disease monitoring (not including drug monitoring recommendations), the recommended frequency of testing, as well as the level of evidence on which the guidance was based was extracted.ResultsGuidelines for the use of monitoring tests in primary care for hypertension, diabetes, and CKD are unclear and incomplete; for example, recommended frequency of testing varied between guidelines or was not specified at all. Current recommendations for monitoring chronic diseases are largely based on expert opinion; robust evidence for optimal monitoring strategies and testing intervals is lacking.ConclusionIn the absence of clear evidence, clinicians should consider which tests are likely to influence patient management and should ensure that there is a clear clinical rationale for each test that they perform. Future research should address what the optimal strategy for monitoring chronic conditions consists of, and how it can be evaluated.

scholarly journals Efficiency over thoroughness in laboratory testing decision-making in primary care: findings from a realist review

BJGP Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
pp. bjgpopen20X101146
Author(s):  
Claire Duddy ◽  
Geoff Wong
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Laboratory Testing ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Realist Review ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Underlying Causes ◽  
Important Means ◽  
Test Ordering

Background: Existing research demonstrates significant variation in test-ordering practice, and growth in the use of laboratory tests in primary care. Reviews of interventions designed to change test-ordering practice report heterogeneity in design and effectiveness. Improving understanding of clinicians’ decision making in relation to laboratory testing is an important means of understanding practice patterns and developing theory-informed interventions. Aim: To develop explanations for the underlying causes of patterns of variation and increasing use of laboratory tests in primary care and make recommendations for future research and intervention design. Design and setting: Realist review of secondary data from primary care. Method: Diverse evidence including data from qualitative and quantitative studies was gathered via systematic and iterative searching processes. Data was synthesised according to realist principles to develop explanations accounting for clinicians’ decision-making in relation to laboratory tests. Results: 145 documents contributed data to the synthesis. Laboratory test ordering can fulfil many roles in primary care. Decisions about tests are incorporated into practice heuristics and tests are deployed as a tool to manage patient interactions. Ordering tests may be easier than not ordering tests in existing systems. Alongside high workloads and limited time to devote to decision-making, there is a common perception that laboratory tests are relatively inconsequential interventions. Clinicians prioritise efficiency over thoroughness in decision-making about laboratory tests. Conclusions: Interventions to change test-ordering practice can be understood as aiming to preserve efficiency or encourage thoroughness in decision-making. Intervention designs and evaluations should consider how testing decisions are made in real-world clinical practice.

Sleep and pain

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nicole K. Y. Tang ◽  
Esther F. Afolalu ◽  
Fatanah Ramlee
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Population Level ◽  
Population Based ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Treatment Development ◽  
The Individual ◽  
The Relationship

Pain and sleeplessness are two of the commonest reasons for primary care appointments. The prevalence of each problem alone is high, and to add to the complexity, pain and insomnia frequently co-occur, with pain interrupting sleep and pain being further aggravated following a poor night’s sleep. Sleep and pain management are increasingly recognized as important to public health. In particular, insomnia and chronic pain are long-term conditions that actively contribute to morbidity, disability, economic burden to society, and suffering to the individual and immediate family. This chapter examines the interrelationship between the two at the population level. Specifically, evidence from population-based studies regarding the co-occurrence and temporal link of pain and sleep is reviewed, with moderators and mediators of the relationship highlighted. Possible directions for future research and treatment development are also outlined.

scholarly journals Children and young people’s concerns and needs relating to their use of health technology to self-manage long-term conditions: a scoping review

2020 ◽  
Vol 105 (11) ◽  
pp. 1093-1104
Author(s):  
Sarah Blower ◽  
Veronica Swallow ◽  
Camila Maturana ◽  
Simon Stones ◽  
Robert Phillips ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Young People ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Health Technology ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Journal Articles ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Children And Young People ◽  
Health Technologies ◽  
Online Treatment

BackgroundThe use of patient-facing health technologies to manage long-term conditions is increasing; however, children and young people may have particular concerns or needs before deciding to use different health technologies.AimsTo identify children and young people’s reported concerns or needs in relation to using health technologies to self-manage long-term conditions.MethodsA scoping review was conducted. We searched MEDLINE, PsycINFO and CINAHL in February 2019. Searches were limited to papers published between January 2008 and February 2019. We included any health technology used to manage long-term conditions. A thematic synthesis of the data from the included studies was undertaken. We engaged children with long-term conditions (and parents) to support review design, interpretation of findings and development of recommendations.ResultsThirty-eight journal articles were included, describing concerns or needs expressed by n=970 children and/or young people aged 5–18 years. Most included studies were undertaken in high-income countries with children aged 11 years and older. Studies examined concerns with mobile applications (n=14), internet (n=9), social media (n=3), interactive online treatment programmes (n=3), telehealth (n=1), devices (n=3) or a combination (n=5). Children and young people’s main concerns were labelling and identity; accessibility; privacy and reliability; and trustworthiness of information.DiscussionThis review highlights important concerns that children and young people may have before using technology to self-manage their long-term condition. In future, research should involve children and young people throughout the development of technology, from identifying their unmet needs through to design and evaluation of interventions.

scholarly journals Long-term condition management: health professionals’ perspectives

2011 ◽  
Vol 3 (1) ◽  
pp. 16 ◽  
Author(s):  
Natasha Ashworth ◽  
Shona Thompson
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
New Zealand ◽  
Health Professionals ◽  
Health Care Professionals ◽  
Service Development ◽  
Health Board ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Family Nursing

INTRODUCTION: Long-term conditions (LTCs) are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in New Zealand. The burden upon patients and health care services to manage these conditions has prompted calls for primary care to lead the way in early diagnosis and coordination of LTC care. The purpose of this study was to investigate the perspectives of health professionals in a geographically-isolated region of New Zealand regarding current levels of LTC management to provide direction for future service development. METHODS: Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews conducted in 2009 with 10 purposively sampled health professionals in the primary care field, including four general practitioners, four nurses and two management team personnel, all practising in a regional District Health Board. The resultant data were analysed using a general inductive thematic approach. FINDINGS: Three main themes were identified by the health professionals as being key issues pertaining to the management of LTCs. These are discussed as issues pertaining to management, information and communication and leadership. CONCLUSION: The results showed that LTC management is rated as highly important by health care professionals who are aware of the need to change current delivery methods to improve client outcomes. All those interviewed highlighted issues related to funding as being a significant barrier to implementing innovations in LTC management, including nurse-led services. Plans to develop integrated family health centres, information technology systems and increased collaboration between clinicians were hailed as potential solutions to improving LTC management. KEYWORDS: Chronic disease; family nursing; family practice; nurse led clinics; nurse’s practice patterns

scholarly journals Effect of a price display intervention on laboratory test ordering behavior of general practitioners

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dennis M. J. Muris ◽  
Max Molenaers ◽  
Trang Nguyen ◽  
Paul W. M. P. Bergmans ◽  
Bernadette A. C. van Acker ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
The Netherlands ◽  
Laboratory Test ◽  
General Practitioners ◽  
Laboratory Tests ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Diagnostic Laboratory ◽  
The Mean ◽  
Test Ordering

Abstract Background Redundant use of diagnostic tests in primary care has shown to be a contributor to rising Dutch healthcare costs. A price display in the test ordering system of the electronic health records (EHRs) could potentially be a low-cost and easy to implement intervention to a decrease in test ordering rate in the primary care setting by creating more cost-awareness among general practitioners (GPs). The aim of this study was to assess the effect of a price display for diagnostic laboratory tests in the EHR on laboratory test ordering behavior of GPs in the Westelijke Mijnstreek region in the Netherlands. Methods A pre-post intervention study among 154 GPs working in 57 general practices was conducted from September 2019, until March 2020, in the Netherlands. The intervention consisted of displaying the costs of 22 laboratory tests at the time of ordering. The primary outcome was the mean test ordering rate per 1.000 patients per month, per general practice. Results Test ordering rates were on average rising prior to the intervention. The total mean monthly test order volume showed a non-statistically significant interruption in this rising trend after the intervention, with the mean monthly test ordering rate levelling out from 322.4 to 322.2 (P = 0.86). A subgroup analysis for solely individually priced tests showed a statistically significant decrease in mean monthly test ordering rate after implementation of the price display for the sum of all tests from 67.2 to 63.3 (P = 0.01), as well as for some of these tests individually (i.e. thrombocytes, ALAT, TSH, folic acid). Leucocytes, ESR, vitamin B12, anti-CCP and NT-proBNP also showed a decrease, albeit not statistically significant (P > 0.05). Conclusions Our study suggests that a price display intervention is a simple tool that can alter physicians order behavior and constrain the expanding use of laboratory tests. Future research might consider alternative study designs and a longer follow-up period. Furthermore, in future studies, the combination with a multitude of interventions, like educational programs and feedback strategies, should be studied, while potentially adverse events caused by reduced testing should also be taken into consideration.

scholarly journals The use of social network analysis in social support and care: a systematic scoping review protocol

2022 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rosario Fernández-Peña ◽  
María-Antonia Ovalle-Perandones ◽  
Pilar Marqués-Sánchez ◽  
Carmen Ortego-Maté ◽  
Nestor Serrano-Fuentes
Keyword(s):  
Social Support ◽  
Social Network ◽  
Social Network Analysis ◽  
Network Analysis ◽  
Scoping Review ◽  
Disease Transmission ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Long Term Conditions ◽  
Scoping Reviews

Abstract Background In recent decades, the literature on Social Network Analysis and health has experienced a significant increase. Disease transmission, health behavior, organizational networks, social capital, and social support are among the different health areas where Social Network Analysis has been applied. The current epidemiological trend is characterized by a progressive increase in the population’s ageing and the incidence of long-term conditions. Thus, it seems relevant to highlight the importance of social support and care systems to guarantee the coverage of health and social needs within the context of acute illness, chronic disease, and disability for patients and their carers. Thus, the main aim is to identify, categorize, summarize, synthesize, and map existing knowledge, literature, and evidence about the use of Social Network Analysis to study social support and care in the context of illness and disability. Methods This scoping review will be conducted following Arksey and O'Malley's framework with adaptations from Levac et al. and Joanna Briggs Institute’s methodological guidance for conducting scoping reviews. We will search the following databases (from January 2000 onwards): PubMed, MEDLINE, Web of Science Core Collection, SCOPUS, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, PROSPERO, and DARE. Complementary searches will be conducted in selected relevant journals. Only articles related to social support or care in patients or caregivers in the context of acute illnesses, disabilities or long-term conditions will be considered eligible for inclusion. Two reviewers will screen all the citations, full-text articles, and abstract the data independently. A narrative synthesis will be provided with information presented in the main text and tables. Discussion The knowledge about the scientific evidence available in the literature, the methodological characteristics of the studies identified based on Social Network Analysis, and its main contributions will highlight the importance of health-related research's social and relational dimensions. These results will shed light on the importance of the structure and composition of social networks to provide social support and care and their impact on other health outcomes. It is anticipated that results may guide future research on network-based interventions that might be considered drivers to provide further knowledge in social support and care from a relational approach at the individual and community levels. Trial registration Open Science Framework https://osf.io/dqkb5.

scholarly journals Rapid Evidence Assessment of Mental Health Outcomes of Pandemics for Health Care Workers: Implications for the Covid-19 Pandemic

2021 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Waring ◽  
Susan Giles
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Health Care Workers ◽  
Initial Response ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Post Traumatic Stress ◽  
Knowledge Framework ◽  
Care Workers

Background: Little is known about the long-term mental health (MH) impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on health care workers (HCWs). However, synthesizing knowledge from past pandemics can help to anticipate this, along with identifying interventions required, when, and target populations most in need. This paper provides a balanced evaluation of what is currently known about short- and long-term MH impacts of pandemics on HCWs and effect of methodological limitations on knowledge claims.Method: A rapid evidence assessment (REA) was conducted on 41 studies published in the past two decades that examined MH outcomes for HCWs in relation to pandemics.Results: Findings of literary synthesis highlight common MH outcomes across pandemics, including increased stress, distress, burnout, and anxiety in the short-term, and post-traumatic stress and depression in the long-term. Findings also show the key role that organizations and public health bodies play in promoting adaptive coping and reducing health worries and the emotional and psychological distress caused by this. Evidence highlights particular groups at risk of developing MH issues (contact with patients that are infected, having children), and time points where risk may increase (initial response phase, when quarantined). However, inconsistencies in measures, analysis, and reporting all create limitations for pooling data.Conclusions: Findings can be used by researchers to provide a knowledge framework to inform future research that will assist HCWs in responding to pandemics, and by policy makers and service planners to provide an evidence-led brief about direction and evidence base for related policy initiatives, interventions or service programmes.

Evidence-Based Treatment for the Eating Disorders

2010 ◽  
pp. 451-451
Author(s):  
Phillipa J. Hay ◽  
Angélica de M. Claudino
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Distinct Advantage ◽  
Specialist Care ◽  
Feeding And Eating Disorders ◽  
Online Therapies ◽  
Primary Care Practitioners

This chapter comprises a focused review of the best available evidence for psychological and pharmacological treatments of choice for anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), and other specified and unspecified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED and UFED), discusses the role of primary care and online therapies, and presents treatment algorithms. In AN, although there is consensus on the need for specialist care that includes nutritional rehabilitation in addition to psychological therapy, no single approach has yet been found to offer a distinct advantage. In contrast, manualized cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for BN has attained “first-line” treatment status with a stronger evidence base than other psychotherapies. Similarly, CBT has a good evidence base in treatment of BED and for BN, and BED has been successfully adapted into less intensive and non-specialist forms. Behavioral and pharmacological weight loss management in treatment of co-morbid obesity/overweight and BED may be helpful in the short term, but long-term maintenance of effects is unclear. Primary care practitioners are in a key role, both with regard to providing care and with coordination and initiation of specialist care. There is an emerging evidence base for online therapies in BN and BED where access to care is delayed or problematic.

Evidence-Based Treatment for the Eating Disorders

2012 ◽  
Author(s):  
Phillipa J. Hay ◽  
Angélica de M. Claudino
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Eating Disorders ◽  
Evidence Base ◽  
Good Evidence ◽  
Distinct Advantage ◽  
Specialist Care ◽  
Feeding And Eating Disorders ◽  
Online Therapies ◽  
Primary Care Practitioners

This chapter comprises a focused review of the best available evidence for psychological and pharmacological treatments of choice for anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervosa (BN), binge eating disorder (BED), and other specified and unspecified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED and UFED), discusses the role of primary care and online therapies, and presents treatment algorithms. In AN, although there is consensus on the need for specialist care that includes nutritional rehabilitation in addition to psychological therapy, no single approach has yet been found to offer a distinct advantage. In contrast, manualized cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) for BN has attained “first-line” treatment status with a stronger evidence base than other psychotherapies. Similarly, CBT has a good evidence base in treatment of BED and for BN, and BED has been successfully adapted into less intensive and non-specialist forms. Behavioral and pharmacological weight loss management in treatment of co-morbid obesity/overweight and BED may be helpful in the short term, but long-term maintenance of effects is unclear. Primary care practitioners are in a key role, both with regard to providing care and with coordination and initiation of specialist care. There is an emerging evidence base for online therapies in BN and BED where access to care is delayed or problematic.

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