scholarly journals Workload impact of the Quality and Outcomes Framework for patients with diabetes: an interrupted time series in general practice

2019 ◽  
Vol 69 (685) ◽  
pp. e570-e577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Claire Gilbert ◽  
Victoria Allgar ◽  
Tim Doran

BackgroundThere are substantial concerns about GP workload. The Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) has been perceived by both professionals and patients as bureaucratic, but the full impact of the QOF on GP workload is not well known.AimTo assess the impact of the QOF on GP consultation rates for patients with diabetes mellitus.Design and settingThis study used interrupted time series of 13 248 745 general practice consultations for 37 065 patients with diabetes mellitus in England.MethodClinical Practice Research Datalink general practice data were used from 2000/2001 to 2014/2015, with introduction of the QOF (1 April 2004) as the intervention, and mean annual GP consultation rates as the primary outcome.ResultsMean annual GP clinical consultation rates were 8.10 per patient in 2000/2001, 6.91 in 2004/2005, and 7.09 in 2014/2015. Introduction of the QOF was associated with an annual change in the trend of GP clinical consultation rates of 0.46 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.23 to 0.69, P = 0.001) consultations per patient, giving a post-QOF trend increasing by 0.018 consultations per year. Introduction of the QOF was associated with an immediate stepped increase of ‘other’ out-of-hours and non-clinical encounters, and trend change of 0.57 (95% CI = 0.34 to 0.81, P<0.001) per year, resulting in a post-QOF trend increasing by 0.27 other encounters per year.ConclusionIntroduction of the QOF was associated with a modest increase in clinical GP consultation rates and substantial increase in other encounters for patients with diabetes independent of changes in diabetes prevalence. National prevalence of diabetes increased by 90.7% from 2004/2005 to 2014/2015, which, combined with this study’s findings, means GPs would have provided nearly double the number of consultations for patients with diabetes over this timescale.

2018 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000554 ◽  
Author(s):  
Caroline E Wright ◽  
Stephen Yeung ◽  
Helen Knowles ◽  
Antoinette Woodhouse ◽  
Emma Barron ◽  
...  

ObjectiveParticipation in the National Diabetes Audit (NDA) has become a contractual requirement for all general practices in England and is used as part of the assessment framework for sustainability and transformation partnership (STP) footprints. The study aimed to investigate general practice-related factors which may influence participation in the NDA, and the impact that participation in the NDA may have on diabetes management and patient care.Research designA cross-sectional analysis of routine primary care data from 45 725 646 patients aged 17+ years registered across 7779 general practices in England was performed using logistic regression. The main outcome measures included general practice voluntary participation in the NDA, general practice-related factors (practice size, deprivation, diabetes prevalence, geographic area, practice population age) and diabetes management outcomes (cholesterol, blood pressure, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c)).ResultsParticipation in the NDA differed significantly according to practice size (t(7653)=−9.93, p=0.001), level of deprivation (χ2(9)=36.17, p<0.0001), diabetes prevalence (p<0.0001), practice population age (p<0.0001), and geographic area (χ2(26)=676.9, p<0.0001). In addition, the Quality and Outcomes Framework diabetes indicator HbA1c (OR 1.01, CI 1.0 to 1.01, p=0.0001) but not cholesterol (p=0.055) or blood pressure (p=0.76) was independently associated with NDA participation when controlling for practice-related factors.ConclusionVariation in NDA participation exists. It is suggested that some practices may need additional support when submitting data to the NDA and that NDA participation may have an impact on diabetes outcomes. However, the use of NDA outcomes as a measure of progress with diabetes care by STPs is still unclear and further investigation is needed.


BMJ Open ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. e029721 ◽  
Author(s):  
James Close ◽  
Ben Fosh ◽  
Hannah Wheat ◽  
Jane Horrell ◽  
William Lee ◽  
...  

ObjectivesTo evaluate a county-wide deincentivisation of the Quality and Outcomes Framework (QOF) payment scheme for UK General Practice (GP).SettingIn 2014, National Health Service England signalled a move towards devolution of QOF to Clinical Commissioning Groups. Fifty-five GPs in Somerset established the Somerset Practice Quality Scheme (SPQS)—a deincentivisation of QOF—with the goal of redirecting resources towards Person Centred Coordinated Care (P3C), especially for those with long-term conditions (LTCs). We evaluated the impact on processes and outcomes of care from April 2016 to March 2017.Participants and designThe evaluation used data from 55 SPQS practices and 17 regional control practices for three survey instruments. We collected patient experiences (‘P3C-EQ’; 2363 returns from patients with 1+LTC; 36% response rate), staff experiences (‘P3C-practitioner’; 127 professionals) and organisational data (‘P3C-OCT’; 36 of 55 practices at two time points, 65% response rate; 17 control practices). Hospital Episode Statistics emergency admission data were analysed for 2014–2017 for ambulatory-sensitive conditions across Somerset using interrupted time series.ResultsPatient and practitioner experiences were similar in SPQS versus control practices. However, discretion from QOF incentives resulted in time savings in the majority of practices, and SPQS practice data showed a significant increase in P3C oriented organisational processes, with a moderate effect size (Wilcoxon signed rank test; p=0.01; r=0.42). Analysis of transformation plans and organisational data suggested stronger federation-level agreements and informal networks, increased multidisciplinary working, reallocation of resources for other healthcare professionals and changes to the structure and timings of GP appointments. No disbenefits were detected in admission data.ConclusionThe SPQS scheme leveraged time savings and reduced administrative burden via discretionary removal of QOF incentives, enabling practices to engage actively in a number of schemes aimed at improving care for people with LTCs. We found no differences in the experiences of patients or healthcare professionals between SPQS and control practices.


Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (7) ◽  
pp. 873
Author(s):  
Marta González-Touya ◽  
Rocío Carmona ◽  
Antonio Sarría-Santamera

(1) Background: Diabetes mellitus is a significant public health problem. Macrovascular complications (stroke, acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and lower limb amputations (LLAs) represent the leading cause of morbi-mortality in DM. This work aims to evaluate the impact of the approval of the Diabetes Mellitus Strategy of the National Health System (SDM-NHS) on hospitalizations for those macrovascular complications related to DM; (2) Methods: Interrupted time series applying segmented regression models (Negative Binomial) adjusted for seasonality to data from hospital discharge records with a primary or secondary diagnosis of DM (code 250 ICD9MC); (3) Results: Between 2001 and 2015, there have been 7,302,750 hospital discharges with a primary or secondary diagnosis of DM. After the approval of the SDM-NHS, all the indicators showed a downward trend, modifying the previous trend in the indicators of AMI and LLA. The indicators of stroke and AMI also showed an immediate reduction in their rates; (4) Conclusions: After the approval of the SDM-NHS, an improvement has been observed in all the indicators of macrovascular complications of DM evaluated, although it is difficult to establish a causal relationship between the strategy and the effects observed. Interrupted time series is applicable for evaluating the impact of interventions in public health when experimental designs are not possible.


Author(s):  
Larisa Dmitrievna Popovich ◽  
Svetlana Valentinovna Svetlichnaya ◽  
Aleksandr Alekseevich Moiseev

Diabetes – a disease in which the effect of the treatment substantially depends on the patient. Known a study showed that the use of glucometers with the technology of three-color display of test results facilitates self-monitoring of blood sugar and leads to a decrease in glycated hemoglobin (HbAlc). Purpose of the study: to modeling the impact of using of a glucometer with a color-coded display on the clinical outcomes of diabetes mellitus and calculating, the potential economic benefits of reducing the hospitalization rate of patients with diabetes. Material and methods. Based on data from two studies (O. Schnell et al. and M. Baxter et al.) simulation of the reduction in the number of complications with the use of a glucometer with a color indication. In a study by O. Schnell et al. a decrease of HbA1c by 0.69 percent is shown when using the considered type of glucometers, which was the basis of the model. Results. In the model, the use of a glucometer with a color-coded display for type 1 diabetes led to a decrease in the total number of complications by 9.2 thousand over 5 years per a cohort of 40 thousand patients with different initial levels of HbA1c. In a cohort of 40 thousand patients with type 2 diabetes, the simulated number of prevented complications was 1.7 thousand over 5 years. When extrapolating these data to all patients with diabetes included in the federal register of diabetes mellitus (FRD), the number of prevented complications was 55.4 thousand cases for type 1 diabetes and 67.1 thousand cases for type 2 diabetes. The possible economic effect from the use of the device by all patients with a diagnosis of diabetes, which are included in the FRD, estimated at 1.5 billion rubles for a cohort of patients with type 1 diabetes and 5.3 billion rubles for patients with type 2 diabetes. Conclusion. Improving the effectiveness of self-monitoring, which is the result of the use of glucometers with color indicators, can potentially significantly reduce the incidence of complications in diabetes and thereby provide significant economic benefits to society.


2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Brown ◽  
Brandi M. White ◽  
Walter J. Jones ◽  
Mulugeta Gebregziabher ◽  
Kit N. Simpson

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via the original article.


2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Martin ◽  
Edwin Amalraj Raja ◽  
Steve Turner

Abstract Background Service reconfiguration of inpatient services in a hospital includes complete and partial closure of all emergency inpatient facilities. The “natural experiment” of service reconfiguration may give insight into drivers for emergency admissions to hospital. This study addressed the question does the prevalence of emergency admission to hospital for children change after reconfiguration of inpatient services? Methods There were five service reconfigurations in Scottish hospitals between 2004 and 2018 where emergency admissions to one “reconfigured” hospital were halted (permanently or temporarily) and directed to a second “adjacent” hospital. The number of emergency admissions (standardised to /1000 children in the regional population) per month to the “reconfigured” and “adjacent” hospitals was obtained for five years prior to reconfiguration and up to five years afterwards. An interrupted time series analysis considered the association between reconfiguration and admissions across pairs comprised of “reconfigured” and “adjacent” hospitals, with adjustment for seasonality and an overall rising trend in admissions. Results Of the five episodes of reconfiguration, two were immediate closure, two involved closure only to overnight admissions and one with overnight closure for a period and then closure. In “reconfigured” hospitals there was an average fall of 117 admissions/month [95% CI 78, 156] in the year after reconfiguration compared to the year before, and in “adjacent” hospitals admissions rose by 82/month [32, 131]. Across paired reconfigured and adjacent hospitals, in the months post reconfiguration, the overall number of admissions to one hospital pair slowed, in another pair admissions accelerated, and admission prevalence was unchanged in three pairs. After reconfiguration in one hospital, there was a rise in admissions to a third hospital which was closer than the named “adjacent” hospital. Conclusions There are diverse outcomes for the number of emergency admissions post reconfiguration of inpatient facilities. Factors including resources placed in the community after local reconfiguration, distance to the “adjacent” hospital and local deprivation may be important drivers for admission pathways after reconfiguration. Policy makers considering reconfiguration might consider a number of factors which may be important determinants of admissions post reconfiguration.


2021 ◽  
pp. 140349482110132
Author(s):  
Agnieszka Konieczna ◽  
Sarah Grube Jakobsen ◽  
Christina Petrea Larsen ◽  
Erik Christiansen

Aim: The aim of this study is to analyse the potential impact from the financial crisis (onset in 2009) on suicide rates in Denmark. The hypothesis is that the global financial crisis raised unemployment which leads to raising the suicide rate in Denmark and that the impact is most prominent in men. Method: This study used an ecological study design, including register data from 2001 until 2016 on unemployment, suicide, gender and calendar time which was analysed using Poisson regression models and interrupted time series analysis. Results: The correlation between unemployment and suicide rates was positive in the period and statistically significant for all, but at a moderate level. A dichotomised version of time (calendar year) showed a significant reduction in the suicide rate for women (incidence rate ratio 0.87, P=0.002). Interrupted time series analysis showed a significant decreasing trend for the overall suicide rate and for men in the pre-recession period, which in both cases stagnated after the onset of recession in 2009. The difference between the genders’ suicide rate changed significantly at the onset of recession, as the rate for men increased and the rate for women decreased. Discussion: The Danish social welfare model might have prevented social disintegration and suicide among unemployed, and suicide prevention programmes might have prevented deaths among unemployed and mentally ill individuals. Conclusions: We found some indications for gender-specific differences from the impact of the financial crises on the suicide rate. We recommend that men should be specifically targeted for appropriate prevention programmes during periods of economic downturn.


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