A program evaluation of Arkansas Improving Multidisciplinary Pain Care and Treatment (AR-IMPACT)

2021 ◽  
Vol 17 (3) ◽  
pp. 227-239
Author(s):  
Corey J. Hayes, PharmD, PhD, MPH ◽  
Heather R. Morgan, BS ◽  
Michael A. Cucciare, PhD ◽  
Masil George, MD ◽  
Johnathan H. Goree, MD ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Case Conference ◽  
Barriers To Adoption ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
Case Conferences ◽  
Time Requirements ◽  
Care And Treatment ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Pain Care ◽  
Evaluation Survey

Objective: Arkansas Improving Multidisciplinary Pain Care and Treatment (AR-IMPACT) is an interprofessional team that delivers televideo case conferences to help providers optimize treatment of pain using nonopioid, evidence-based therapies. This article assesses AR-IMPACT using the RE-AIM (reach, efficacy, adoption, implementation, maintenance) framework.Design: A cross-sectional study.Setting: Large, academic medical center.Participants: Healthcare providers.Interventions: Televideo case conferences.Main outcome measures: Reach was evaluated by the number of participants, professions represented, and counties/states in which providers resided. Efficacy was assessed via a participant evaluation survey. Adoption was evaluated by calculating the number of repeat participants and soliciting information on barriers to adoption of conference recommendations in clinical practice using the participant evaluation survey. Implementation was evaluated by calculating the time and cost burden of the program.Results: Reach was widespread; continuing education (CE) credits have been claimed by 395 providers in 54 of the 75 counties in Arkansas and 18 states outside Arkansas. For efficacy, the majority of providers noted increases in their knowledge due to AR-IMPACT (89.6 percent). Like reach, adoption was also extensive; approximately 42 percent of AR-IMPACT participants attended more than one conference, and close to 56 percent of participants noted no barriers to adopting the changes discussed in the conferences. With implementation, the time requirements for developing a case conference ranged from 2 to 4 hours, and the cost per CE credit was $137, which is on par with other programs.Conclusions: AR-IMPACT was successful, particularly in reach and efficacy. Entities that implement programs similar to AR-IMPACT will likely experience extensive uptake by providers.

Applied Status and Quality of Graphs in Five Academic Medical Journals in Shanghai (Preprint)

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zisheng Ai ◽  
Yuhong Tang ◽  
Jiaqi Zheng ◽  
Sanyou Wu ◽  
Ying Wu
Keyword(s):  
Evaluation Criteria ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Medical Journals ◽  
Graph Type ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
Substantial Problem ◽  
Error Bias ◽  
Important Form

BACKGROUND Figures are an important form of expressing results commonly found in medical papers and make data easy to read and compare. The quality of graphs in original papers has improved in western medical journals. However, some figures fail to correctly express the results of a paper. Additionally, graph quality and application has not been assessed in medical journals outside western countries. OBJECTIVE To determine the frequency and types of data graphs used in Chinese academic medical journals and evaluate the quality of graphs used in original medical papers. METHODS A total of 783 papers were surveyed from the medical journals of five colleges and universities in Shanghai from 2011 to 2015. A cross-sectional study was used to analyse the applied status and graph quality. The evaluation criteria of graphs mainly included graph type, visual clarity, completeness, and special standards. RESULTS Most authors prefer to use simple charts, and bar charts with 95% CI were the most widely used. More than 60% of charts have problems with visual clarity, completeness, and special standards. Of 841 incorrect graphs, 10 (0.58%) graphs had three combined problems of graph characteristics, and 292 (34.72%) graphs had any two combined problems of graph characteristics. For detailed errors, the absence of variance description was the most substantial problem, especially in 2014 and in some academic medical journals. CONCLUSIONS Graphs are less commonly applied in the five university journals. However, the quality of papers using graphs was not properly controlled. Editors and journal quality management should strengthen the quality control of charts in papers. Authors should also avoid error bias and distorting their conclusions.

Factors associated with HIV care and treatment cascade in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, 2014–2017: A cross-sectional study

2021 ◽  
pp. 095646242097594
Author(s):  
Guilherme B Shimocomaqui ◽  
Craig S Meyer ◽  
Maria L Ikeda ◽  
Elson Romeu Farias ◽  
Tonantzin R Gonçalves ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Viral Load ◽  
Rio Grande ◽  
Undetectable Viral Load ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Hiv Care ◽  
Rio Grande Do Sul ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Treatment Cascade ◽  
Care And Treatment

In 2018, Rio Grande do Sul (RS) had some of the highest HIV/AIDS rates in Brazil, and we did not find any studies about the HIV care and treatment cascade (HCTC) related to this state. We aimed to estimate the indicators of HCTC of RS, Brazil, and associated factors. A cross-sectional study with all people living with HIV (PLWH) in RS between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2017 was conducted using a national database which registers all HIV notifications, CD4 and viral load laboratory data and antiretroviral therapy (ART) usage in the public health system. We considered sex, age, education, race, year of HIV diagnosis, and health region as predictor factors, and defined linkage to care, retention to care, being on ART, and having undetectable viral load as the HCTC indicators. Descriptive analysis and multivariable logistic regression were performed using Stata 15.2. A total of 116,121 PLWH were diagnosed, 79,959 were linked to care, 72,117 retained in care, 69,219 on ART, and 54,857 had undetectable viral load from 2014 to 2017. We observed greatest attrition for younger age, non-white, and lower education in all HCTC indicators. Women are more likely to have undetectable viral load (OR = 1.04, 95% CI: 1.01–1.07), even though they are less likely to be retained to care (OR = 0.92; 95% CI: 0.89–0.96) and on ART (OR = 0.82; 95% CI: 0.78–0.86). Although all HCTC indicators have increased over the period and the “test and treat” policy indicates improvements in ART and in undetectable viral load outcomes, evidence suggests specific attrition and disparities such as those related to HIV healthcare facilities should be addressed. These findings may be used by researchers, health professionals, and policymakers in order to investigate and implement interventions to better engage PLWH across the HCTC.

The Role and Activities of Board-Certified Chaplains in Advance Care Planning

2021 ◽  
pp. 104990912198999
Author(s):  
Jung Kwak ◽  
Soyeon Cho ◽  
George Handzo ◽  
Brian P. Hughes ◽  
Sami S. Hasan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Advance Care Planning ◽  
Self Report ◽  
Healthcare Team ◽  
Care Planning ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Team Members ◽  
Roles And Responsibilities ◽  
Healthcare Settings ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
Advance Care

Background: Healthcare chaplains have key roles in providing palliative support to patients and families, and they are well-suited to facilitate advance care planning (ACP). However, empirical data on the roles and responsibilities of chaplains in facilitating ACP are limited. Objectives: To examine the roles of board-certified healthcare chaplains in ACP in various healthcare settings. Methods: A cross-sectional, web-based self-report survey was conducted with 585 board-certified chaplains recruited from 3 major professional chaplains’ organizations in the U.S. The survey data included chaplains’ demographic and professional characteristics, their roles and responsibilities, and responses regarding communication and participation with other healthcare team members in facilitating ACP, including experienced barriers. Results: More participants worked in community hospital settings (42%) and academic medical centers (19.6%) than in any other setting. Over 90% viewed ACP as an important part of their work, 70% helped patients complete advance directives, and 90% helped patients discuss their preferences about end-of-life treatments. Many chaplains were not consistently included in team discussions regarding decision-making, although most chaplains reported that they could always find ways to communicate with their teams. Conclusion: Professional board-certified chaplains regularly engage in facilitating ACP discussions with patients and families in various healthcare settings. There is a need to recognize and provide systematic support for the role of chaplains in facilitating ACP conversations and to integrate chaplains into routine interdisciplinary team and family meetings.

Evaluating the Outcomes of a Hospital-to-Community Model of Integrated Care for Dementia

2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Ngoc Huong Lien Ha ◽  
Philip Yap Lin Kiat ◽  
Sean Olivia Nicholas ◽  
Ivana Chan ◽  
Shiou Liang Wee
Keyword(s):  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Integrated Care ◽  
Dementia Care ◽  
Behavioural Problems ◽  
Gdp Per Capita ◽  
Post Intervention ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Life Years ◽  
Per Capita ◽  
The Cost

<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Living with dementia is challenging for persons with dementia (PWDs) and their families. Although multi-component intervention, underscored by the ethos of person-centred care, has been shown to maintain quality of life (QOL) in PWDs and caregivers, a lack of service integration can hinder effectiveness. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> CARITAS, an integrated care initiative provided through a hospital-community care partnership, endeavours to provide person-centred dementia care through ambulatory clinic consults, case management, patient and caregiver engagement, and support. We evaluated CARITAS’ clinical outcomes and cost-effectiveness with a naturalistic cross-sectional within-subject design. We assessed patients’ function, QOL, and behavioural problems post-intervention. We estimated CARITAS’ cost-effectiveness from a patient’s perspective, benchmarking it against other dementia treatments and Singapore’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita. <b><i>Results:</i></b> CARITAS care significantly improved health utility (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001), reduced caregiver burden (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001), and improved PWDs’ behavioural problems (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001) related to “memory” (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001), “disruption” (<i>p</i> = 0.017), and “depression” (<i>p</i> &#x3c; 0.001). CARITAS’ benefits (<i>d</i><sub>RMBPC</sub> = 0.357, <i>d</i><sub>EQ5D index</sub> = 0.328, <i>d</i><sub>ZBI</sub> = 0.361) were comparable to those of other pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions for dementia. CARITAS costs SG$133,056.69 per quality-adjusted life years gain, yielding an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of 1.31 and 1.49 against the cost of donepezil in patients with mild Alz­heimer’s disease and Singapore’s GDP per capita in 2019, respectively, falling within the cost-effectiveness threshold of 1.0–3.0. <b><i>Discussion:</i></b> CARITAS integrated dementia care is a cost-effective intervention that showed promising outcomes for PWDs and their caregivers.

scholarly journals Cost-Effectiveness of Colorectal Cancer Genetic Testing

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8330
Author(s):  
Abdul Rahman Ramdzan ◽  
Mohd Rizal Abdul Manaf ◽  
Azimatun Noor Aizuddin ◽  
Zarina A. Latiff ◽  
Keng Wee Teik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Colorectal Cancer ◽  
Genetic Testing ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Cancer Survival ◽  
Screening Method ◽  
Targeted Prevention ◽  
Activity Based Costing ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Increased Risk ◽  
The Cost

Colorectal cancer (CRC) remains the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Approximately 3–5% of CRCs are associated with hereditary cancer syndromes. Individuals who harbor germline mutations are at an increased risk of developing early onset CRC, as well as extracolonic tumors. Genetic testing can identify genes that cause these syndromes. Early detection could facilitate the initiation of targeted prevention strategies and surveillance for CRC patients and their families. The aim of this study was to determine the cost-effectiveness of CRC genetic testing. We utilized a cross-sectional design to determine the cost-effectiveness of CRC genetic testing as compared to the usual screening method (iFOBT) from the provider’s perspective. Data on costs and health-related quality of life (HRQoL) of 200 CRC patients from three specialist general hospitals were collected. A mixed-methods approach of activity-based costing, top-down costing, and extracted information from a clinical pathway was used to estimate provider costs. Patients and family members’ HRQoL were measured using the EQ-5D-5L questionnaire. Data from the Malaysian Study on Cancer Survival (MySCan) were used to calculate patient survival. Cost-effectiveness was measured as cost per life-year (LY) and cost per quality-adjusted life-year (QALY). The provider cost for CRC genetic testing was high as compared to that for the current screening method. The current practice for screening is cost-saving as compared to genetic testing. Using a 10-year survival analysis, the estimated number of LYs gained for CRC patients through genetic testing was 0.92 years, and the number of QALYs gained was 1.53 years. The cost per LY gained and cost per QALY gained were calculated. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) showed that genetic testing dominates iFOBT testing. CRC genetic testing is cost-effective and could be considered as routine CRC screening for clinical practice.

scholarly journals Cross-sectional study of prevalence and risk factors, and a cost-effectiveness evaluation of screening and preventive treatment strategies for latent tuberculosis among migrants in Singapore

BMJ Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. e050629
Author(s):  
Vanessa W Lim ◽  
Hwee Lin Wee ◽  
Phoebe Lee ◽  
Yijun Lin ◽  
Yi Roe Tan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Cost Effectiveness ◽  
Length Of Stay ◽  
Latent Tuberculosis ◽  
Cross Sectional Study ◽  
Secondary Outcome ◽  
Sectional Study ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Ltbi Prevalence ◽  
The Cost

ObjectivesWHO recommends that low burden countries consider systematic screening and treatment of latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) in migrants from high incidence countries. We aimed to determine LTBI prevalence and risk factors and evaluate cost-effectiveness of screening and treating LTBI in migrants to Singapore from a government payer perspective.DesignCross-sectional study and cost-effectiveness analysis.SettingMigrants in Singapore.Participants3618 migrants who were between 20 and 50 years old, have not worked in Singapore previously and stayed in Singapore for less than a year were recruited.Primary and secondary outcome measuresCosts, quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs), threshold length of stay, incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICERs), cost per active TB case averted.ResultsOf 3584 migrants surveyed, 20.4% had positive interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA) results, with the highest positivity in Filipinos (33.2%). Higher LTBI prevalence was significantly associated with age, marital status and past TB exposure. The cost-effectiveness model projected an ICER of S$57 116 per QALY and S$12 422 per active TB case averted for screening and treating LTBI with 3 months once weekly isoniazid and rifapentine combination regimen treatment compared with no screening over a 50-year time horizon. ICER was most sensitive to the cohort’s length of stay in Singapore, yearly disease progression rates from LTBI to active TB, followed by the cost of IGRA testing.ConclusionsFor LTBI screening and treatment of migrants to be cost-effective, migrants from high burden countries would have to stay in Singapore for ~50 years. Risk-stratified approaches based on projected length of stay and country of origin and/or age group can be considered.

The cost of decontaminating an ED after finding a bed bug: results from a single academic medical center

2016 ◽  
Vol 34 (3) ◽  
pp. 649 ◽  
Author(s):  
Vicken Totten ◽  
Holli Charbonneau ◽  
Wyatt Hoch ◽  
Samir Shah ◽  
Johnathan Michael Sheele
Keyword(s):  
Medical Center ◽  
Academic Medical Center ◽  
Bed Bug ◽  
Academic Medical ◽  
The Cost

Health, Longevity, and Welfare Inequality of Older Americans

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-45
Author(s):  
Ray Miller ◽  
Neha Bairoliya
Keyword(s):  
Expected Utility ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Poor Health ◽  
Cost Of Living ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Older Americans ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Welfare Inequality ◽  
Health And Mortality ◽  
Over Time

Abstract We estimate the distribution of well-being among the older U.S. population using an expected utility framework that incorporates differences in consumption, leisure, health, and mortality. We find large disparities in welfare that have increased over time. Incorporating the cost of living with poor health into elderly welfare substantially increases the overall inequality. Disparity measures based on cross-sectional income or consumption underestimate the growth in aggregate welfare inequality. Moreover, health is a better indicator of an individual's relative welfare position than income or consumption.

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