scholarly journals Essential Indicators of Quality in Primary Care Settings: An Evidence-Based, Structured, Expert Approach

Author(s):  
Sylvia J Hysong ◽  
Arredondo J Kelley ◽  
Ashley M Hughes ◽  
Houston Lester ◽  
Frederick L Oswald ◽  
...  

Backgrond and Objective: Primary health care has a central role in the workings of the health care system and health of the American public. Thus, a high-performing, high-quality primary care system is essential. As a result, measurement frameworks are needed to assess the quality of the infrastructure, workforce configurations, and processes available in primary care practices due to the complexity of primary care. As part of a larger project supported by AHRQ (grant no. 1 R01 HS 025982), our research team reports the use of an evidence-based approach to compile a targeted set of existing care measures. These measures are prioritized according to their overall contribution and value to primary care. Within this paper, we describe the process by which the performance measures were selected and present the final set of measures resulting from the process. Methods and Results: We adapted The Productivity Measurement and Enhancement System, or ProMES, to select and rank existing primary care measures according to value to the primary care clinic. ProMES is a comprehensive performance measure development approach firmly grounded in motivational theory and performance measurement that uses expert elicitation to identify objectives of performance, corresponding measures and priority rankings. A design team of Nine subject matter experts (SMEs) identified three fundamental objectives for delivery of high-quality primary care, themed around access, patient-healthcare team partnerships, and technical quality. The SMEs also selected sixteen performance indicators from the 44 pre-vetted measures that already exist in three different data sources for primary care. One indicator, Team 2 Day Post Discharge Contact Ratio, was selected as an indicator for both Objective 2 and 3. Indicators were prioritized according to value using the contingency functions developed by the design team. Finally, the SMEs proposed nine new indicators of quality not currently in existence to address critical gaps in measuring the primary care domain. Implications and Future Directions: Performance measures selected as part of our modified-ProMES process assist in the implementation of targeted care quality measures prioritized in accordance to their value in primary care . Our measure set provides an actionable catalogue of measures that can serve as a first step toward interoperability of electronic health record systems. Future work toward this goal should address both logistical considerations (e.g., data capture, common data/programming language) and lingering measurement challenges, such as the best way to operationalize these measures for teams working in complex and shifting situations (e.g., rotating team members).

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (S2) ◽  
pp. 2048-2048
Author(s):  
P.S. Jensen

IntroductionDespite major research advances in pediatric psychopharmacology and psychotherapy over the last 20 years, the lack of well-trained specialists has posed almost insurmountable barriers to many children and families from receiving high-quality, evidence-based assessment and treatments. The REACH Institute, an international non-profit organization dedicated to disseminating evidence-based treatments, has developed portable, effective methods to train primary care and specialty health providers in pediatric psychopharmacology and psychotherapies.ObjectivesTo develop effective, scientifically-proven methods for teaching and disseminating evidence-based treatments.AimsTo develop, disseminate, and evaluate high quality approaches for teaching primary care and specialty mental health practitioners in pediatric psychopharmacology.MethodsUsing novel approaches grounded in scientific behavioral change technologies, over 700 health care providers have been trained in evidence-based pediatric psychopharmacology in sites across multiple countries, including the US, Canada, and Norway. All trainings are rigorously evaluated for changes in health care practitioners' behaviors and clinical practices, including within an NIH-funded randomized controlled trial (RCT).ResultsTrainings have been very well-received across multiple countries, requiring only minor adaptations. These trainings have been effective in yielding changes in health care practitioners abilities and actual clinical practices, enabling more children to access appropriate pediatric psychopharmacology.ConclusionsEffective and disseminable methods for changing health care practitioners behaviors in applying pediatric psychopharmacology treatments are possible, and can be adapted to different countries, languages, and cultural contexts.


2003 ◽  
Vol 3 (6) ◽  
pp. 324-328 ◽  
Author(s):  
John F. Steiner ◽  
Patricia A. Braun ◽  
Paul Melinkovich ◽  
Judith E. Glazner ◽  
Vijayalaxmi Chandramouli ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. 18-28
Author(s):  
Paula Tanabe ◽  
Audrey L. Blewer ◽  
Emily Bonnabeau ◽  
Hayden B. Bosworth ◽  
Denise H. Clayton ◽  
...  

Background: Sickle cell disease (SCD) is a genetic condition affecting primarily individuals of African descent, who happen to be disproportionately impacted by poverty and who lack access to health care. Individuals with SCD are at high likelihood of high acute care utilization and chronic pain episodes. The multiple complications seen in SCD contribute to significant morbidity and premature mortality, as well as substantial costs to the healthcare system. Objectives: SCD is a complex chronic disease resulting in the need for primary, specialty and emergency care. Many providers do not feel prepared to care for individuals with SCD, despite the existence of evidence-based guidelines. We report the development of a SCD toolbox and the dissemination process to primary care and emergency department (ED) providers in North Carolina (NC). We report the effect of this dissemination on health-care utilization, cost of care, and overall cost-benefit. Methods: The SCD toolbox was adapted from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute recommendations. Toolbox training was provided to quality improvement specialists who then disseminated the toolbox to primary care providers (PCPs) affiliated with the only NC managed care coordination system and ED providers. Tools were made available in paper, online, and in app formats to participating managed care network practices (n=1800). Medicaid claims data were analyzed for total costs and benefits of the toolbox dissemination for a 24-month pre- and 18-month post-intervention period. Results: There was no statistically significant shift in the number of outpatient specialty visits, ED visits or hospitalizations. There was a small decrease in the number of PCP visits in the post-implementation period. The dissemination resulted in a net cost-savings of $361 414 ($14.03 per-enrollee per-month on average). However, the estimated financial benefit associated with the dissemination of the SCD toolbox was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Although we did not find the expected shift to increased PCP visits and decreased ED visits and hospitalizations, there were many lessons learned.


Author(s):  
Lara Arcipreti Boel Souza ◽  
Heliny Carneiro Cunha Neves ◽  
Natália Del Angelo Aredes ◽  
Isabel Cristina Lima Jobim Medeiros ◽  
George Oliveira Silva ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Objective: To report the experience of the nursing supervised curricular internship in the program “O Brasil Conta Comigo” carried out in the Covid-19 pandemic. Method: Experience report of activities developed in Primary Health Care in a municipality in the southern region of the state of Goiás during the Covid-19 pandemic, from April to November 2020. Results: The inclusion in the government program allowed the strengthening of the student’s active role in the teaching-learning process and teaching-service approximation, with the student as the point of connection, which resulted in the implementation of actions for the fight against the pandemic in the municipality, such as elaboration, implementation, and evaluation of the service flowchart for people with suspected Covid-19. Conclusion: The experience was successful, as it consolidated knowledge regarding leadership and autonomy, integration between theory and practice, critical thinking, and evidence-based problem solving. The participation in the program allowed for contributions to assistance and management in the actions to combat the new coronavirus in the scope of primary care, as well as for the contribution to the training of the student tutored by nurses in the field and supervised by professors from the federal university of origin.


PEDIATRICS ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 95 (2) ◽  
pp. 270-272
Author(s):  
Evan Charney

In a 1973 monograph on the education of physicians for primary care, Joel Alpert and I wrote, "There are two interrelated and serious problems in our present educational structure—not enough physicians enter primary care and those who do so are not adequately prepared for the job."1 Twenty years and many task forces and exhortatory editorials later, much the same could be said. But that conclusion would not be entirely fair: changes have indeed occurred in the subsequent two score years. There is now clear consensus that a strong primary care system should be the linchpin of our nation's health care system, with 50 to 60% of physicians as generalists, 2,3 and the medical profession has at least professed to agree with that strategy.4


2018 ◽  
Vol 21 (11) ◽  
pp. 1524-1530 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Nina Siman ◽  
Charles M Cleland ◽  
Nancy Van Devanter ◽  
Trang Nguyen ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Smoking prevalence is high in Vietnam, yet tobacco dependence treatment (TDT) is not widely available. Methods We conducted a quasiexperimental study that compared the effectiveness of health care provider advice and assistance (ARM 1) versus ARM 1 plus village health worker (VHW) counseling (ARM 2) on abstinence at 6-month follow-up. This study was embedded in a larger two-arm cluster randomized controlled trial conducted in 26 community health centers (CHCs) in Vietnam. Subjects (N = 1318) were adult patients who visited any participating CHC during the parent randomized controlled trial intervention period and were self-identified as current tobacco users (cigarettes and/or water pipe). Results At 6-month follow-up, abstinences rates in ARM 2 were significantly higher than those in ARM 1 (25.7% vs. 10.5%; p < .001). In multivariate analyses, smokers in ARM 2 were almost three times more likely to quit compared with those in ARM 1 (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 2.96, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.78% to 4.92%). Compared to cigarette-only smokers, water pipe–only smokers (AOR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.26% to 0.62%) and dual users (AOR = 0.62, 95% CI = 0.45% to 0.86%) were less likely to achieve abstinence; however, the addition of VHW counseling (ARM 2) was associated with higher quit rates compared with ARM 1 alone for all smoker types. Conclusion A team approach in TDT programs that offer a referral system for health care providers to refer smokers to VHW-led cessation counseling is a promising and potentially scalable model for increasing access to evidence-based TDT and increasing quit rates in low middle-income countries (LMICs). TDT programs may need to adapt interventions to improve outcomes for water pipe users. Implications The study fills literature gaps on effective models for TDT in LMICs. The addition of VHW-led cessation counseling, available through a referral from primary care providers in CHCs in Vietnam, to health care provider’s brief cessation advice, increased 6-month biochemically validated abstinence rates compared to provider advice alone. The study also demonstrated the potential effectiveness of VHW counseling on reducing water pipe use. For LMICs, TDT programs in primary care settings with a referral system to VHW-led cessation counseling might be a promising and potentially scalable model for increasing access to evidence-based treatment.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document