scholarly journals Distance Education to Improve the Quality of Asthma Treatment in Primary Health Care

2019 ◽  
Vol 14 (41) ◽  
pp. 2065 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rudi Roman ◽  
Karine Margarites Lima ◽  
Maria Angela Fontoura Moreira ◽  
Roberto Nunes Umpierre ◽  
Lisiane Hauser ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Distance Education ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Asthma Treatment ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Inhaled Corticosteroid ◽  
Doctor Visits ◽  
Primary Care Teams ◽  
Secondary Results

Objective: The mere dissemination of standard care recommendations has been insufficient to improve clinical results in patients with asthma. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the clinical effectiveness of a multifaceted asthma distance education for primary care providers. Methods: Cluster randomized controlled trial. Full primary care teams were included if they had access to telehealth support and free basic asthma treatment. Before randomization, selected teams indicated asthma patients between 5-45 years old for inclusion. The intervention group received three interactive online sessions, printed educational material, reminders, booklet for patients, and frequent stimulus to use consulting services. The control group received no intervention. Symptomfree days per two weeks was the primary result. Controlled asthma, unscheduled asthma doctor visits, and preventive inhaled corticosteroid use were the secondary results. Six months after intervention, the results were compared with baseline data using generalized estimating equations for repeated measures and clustering effect. Results: Were enrolled 71 primary care teams and 443 individuals. Most patients (60.3%) were female, and 44% were younger than 12 years old. The attendance of interactive sessions by the teams was 50%. The odds ratio (OR) for additional symptom-free day was 1.31 (95%CI 0.61-2.82; p=0.49). For the secondary results, the results were: controlled asthma OR 1.29 (95%CI 0.89-1.87; p=0.18); unscheduled asthma doctor visits OR 0.81 (95%CI 0.60-1.10; p=0.17); and preventive inhaled corticosteroid use OR 1.02 (95%CI 0.71-1.47; p=0.91). Conclusions: Multifaceted distance education in asthma care for primary care providers was not effective to improve patients’ results. Telemedicine needs to deal with significant obstacles in professional education. ClinicalTrials.gov registry: NCT01595971. 

scholarly journals Asylum Seekers and Swiss Nationals with Low-Acuity Complaints: Disparities in the Perceived level of Urgency, Health Literacy and Ability to Communicate—A Cross-Sectional Survey at a Tertiary Emergency Department

2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (8) ◽  
pp. 2769 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karsten Klingberg ◽  
Adrian Stoller ◽  
Martin Müller ◽  
Sabrina Jegerlehner ◽  
Adam D. Brown ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Literacy ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Health Seeking ◽  
Health Seeking Behavior ◽  
Medical Needs ◽  
Seeking Behavior ◽  
Attending Physicians

Background: Emergency departments (EDs) are being increasingly used for low-acuity conditions and as primary care providers. Research indicates that patients with the status of asylum seeker (AS) may be seeking care in EDs at higher levels than nationals. The aim of this study was to identify disparities in the use of emergency care between AS and Swiss nationals (SN) with non-urgent complaints. Methods: Data were obtained from a survey in the period 01/12/2016–31/07/2017 of walk-in low-acuity patients attending the ED of the University Hospital Bern (Switzerland). AS and a gender, age-matched control group of SN of ≥16 years of age were included. Sociodemographic and survey data comprised information about health-seeking behavior in the home and reception country, knowledge of health care systems (HCSs), barriers to care and perceived acuity of the visit. Furthermore, attending physicians assessed the level of urgency of each case. Results: Among AS patients, 30.2% reported that they had no knowledge of the Swiss HCS. In total, 14.2% considered that their medical needs were non-urgent. On the other hand, 43.4% of the attending physicians in the ER considered that the medical needs were non-urgent. This contrast was less pronounced in SN patients. The majority of AS (63.2%) and SN (67.6%) patients sought care from the ED without first contacting a GP. In 53.8% of cases, an interpreter was needed during the ED consultation. Conclusions: Several factors associated with health-seeking behavior in the ED differed between AS and SN patients. Measures to increase health literacy, provision of easily accessible primary care services and intercultural-trained staff could improve quality of care and reduce the usage of EDs as primary care providers.

Improving the Transition From Oncology to Primary Care Teams: A Case for Shared Leadership

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 1012-1019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dominique Tremblay ◽  
Jean Latreille ◽  
Karine Bilodeau ◽  
Arnaud Samson ◽  
Linda Roy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Breast Cancer ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Shared Leadership ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Shared Responsibility ◽  
Primary Therapy ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Curative Intent ◽  
Detailed Case ◽  
Primary Care Teams

This article discusses the case of a 47-year-old woman who underwent primary therapy with curative intent for breast cancer. The case illustrates a number of failure events in transferring information and responsibility from oncology to primary care teams. The article emphasizes the importance of shared leadership, as multiple team members, dispersed in time and space, pursue their own objectives while achieving the common goal of coordinating care for survivors of cancer transitioning across settings. Shared leadership is defined as a team property comprising shared responsibility and mutual influence between the patient and the patient’s family, primary care providers, and oncology teams, whereby they lead each other toward quality and safety of care. Teams, including the patient-family, should achieve leadership when their contribution is relevant in managing task interdependence during transition. Shared leadership fosters coordinated actions to enable functioning as an integrated team-of-teams. This article illustrates how shared leadership can make a difference to coordinate interfaces and pathways, from therapy with curative intent to the follow-up and management of survivors of breast cancer. The detailed case is elaborated as a clinical vignette. It can be used by care providers and researchers to consider the need for new models of care for survivors of cancer by addressing the following questions. Who accepts shared leadership, how, with whom, and under what conditions? What is the evidence that supports the answers to these questions? The detailed case is also valuable for medical and allied health professional education.

Direct observation of depression screening: identifying diagnostic error and improving accuracy through unannounced standardized patients

Diagnosis ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (3) ◽  
pp. 251-256 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alan Schwartz ◽  
Steven Peskin ◽  
Alan Spiro ◽  
Saul J. Weiner
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Clinical Performance ◽  
Standardized Patients ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Depression Screening ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Real Patient ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Icd 10

AbstractBackgroundDepression is substantially underdiagnosed in primary care, despite recommendations for screening at every visit. We report a secondary analysis focused on depression of a recently completed study using unannounced standardized patients (USPs) to measure and improve provider behaviors, documentation, and subsequent claims for real patients.MethodsUnannounced standardized patients presented incognito in 217 visits to 59 primary care providers in 22 New Jersey practices. We collected USP checklists, visit audio recordings, and provider notes after visits; provided feedback to practices and providers based on the first two visits per provider; and compared care and documentation behaviors in the visits before and after feedback. We obtained real patient claims from the study practices and a matched comparison group and compared the likelihood of visits including International Classification of Diseases, 10th Revision (ICD-10) codes for depression before and after feedback between the study and comparison groups.ResultsProviders significantly improved in their rate of depression screening following feedback [adjusted odds ratio (AOR), 3.41; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.52–7.65; p = 0.003]. Sometimes expected behaviors were documented when not performed. The proportion of claims by actual patients with depression-related ICD-10 codes increased significantly more from prefeedback to postfeedback in the study group than in matched control group (interaction AOR, 1.41; 95% CI, 1.32–1.50; p < 0.001).ConclusionsUsing USPs, we found significant performance issues in diagnosis of depression, as well as discrepancies in documentation that may reduce future diagnostic accuracy. Providing feedback based on a small number of USP encounters led to some improvements in clinical performance observed both directly and indirectly via claims.

scholarly journals Effectiveness of the EMPOWER-PAR Intervention on Primary Care Providers’ Adherence to Clinical Practice Guideline on the Management of Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus: A Pragmatic Cluster Randomised Controlled Trial

2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (B) ◽  
pp. 470-479
Author(s):  
Maryam Hannah Daud ◽  
Anis Safura Ramli ◽  
Suraya Abdul-Razak ◽  
Jamaiyah Haniff ◽  
Tg Mohd Ikhwan Tg Abu Bakar Sidik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Care Setting ◽  
Primary Care Setting ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Control Groups

AIM: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of the EMPOWER- participatory action research (PAR) intervention, a multifaceted strategy based on the chronic care model (CCM) on primary care providers (PCP)’ adherence to type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) clinical practice guideline (CPG) in the Malaysian primary care setting. METHODS: This was a pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial –PAR conducted in ten public primary care clinics in Malaysia. Five clinics were randomly selected to provide the EMPOWER-PAR intervention for 1 year and another five clinics continued with usual care. The outcome measure was the absolute change in the proportion of PCP’s adherence to T2DM CPG captured using the “Indicators of Care Pro forma,” based on the recommendation by the Malaysian CPG on the Management of T2DM. Data were collected from the patients’ medical records, at baseline and at 1-year follow-up; and were analyzed using mixed method model. RESULTS: A total of 888 patients were recruited at baseline; 471 were in the intervention and 417 were in the control group. There was no significant demographic difference between the two groups at baseline except for ethnicity. At 1-year, 455 (96.6%) and 406 (97.3%) patients in the intervention and control groups completed the study, respectively. There were significant improvements in the absolute change in the proportion of PCPs’ adherence to T2DM CPG in the intervention group compared to the control group at 1-year follow-up in several indicators of care. These included the recording of BMI (0.6% vs. −1.8%, p<0.001); performing foot examination (2.4% vs. 0.6%, p<0.001); performing funduscopy/fundus photography (1.5% vs. 0.3%, p<0.001); monitoring renal profile (0.9% vs. −0.6%, p=0.001); measuring urine protein (1.2% vs. 0.6%, p<0.001), and giving lifestyle modification and self-management advice (1.2% vs. −0.3%, p<0.001) in the intervention versus control groups, respectively. CONCLUSION: The EMPOWER-PAR intervention has been proven to be effective in improving the PCPs’ adherence to T2DM CPG in several indicators of care. Findings from this study provided objective evidence of the effectiveness of multifaceted intervention based on the CCM in the Malaysian public primary care setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Registered with: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01545401. Date of registration: 1st March 2012.

Telementoring for improving primary care provider knowledge and competence in managing chronic pain: A randomised controlled trial

2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 21-27 ◽  
Author(s):  
Linda H Eaton ◽  
Daniel S Godfrey ◽  
Dale J Langford ◽  
Tessa Rue ◽  
David J Tauben ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Chronic Pain ◽  
Controlled Trial ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Perceived Competence ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Knowledge And Attitudes ◽  
Randomised Controlled

Introduction Primary care providers are frequently unprepared to manage chronic pain adequately due in part to insufficient professional training. This study evaluated the effect of a telementoring intervention on knowledge and perceived competence related to chronic pain management. Methods The study design was a cluster randomised controlled trial. Primary care clinics that were part of the University of Washington Medicine Telehealth network were the unit of randomization. Primary care providers comprised the intervention group ( n = 23) and the control group ( n = 18). Providers in the intervention group attended telementoring sessions through the TelePain programme and presented patient cases at the beginning and end of their enrolled patients’ 12-week study period. TelePain sessions included a didactic presentation and telementoring for specific patient cases by a panel of pain specialists from the disciplines of pain medicine, internal medicine, anaesthesiology, rehabilitation medicine, psychiatry, addiction medicine, nursing and complementary and integrative pain management. Providers’ baseline and end-of-study knowledge and perceived competence in managing chronic pain were assessed by three questionnaires: Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain, the KnowPain-12 and the Perceived Competence Scale. Results Knowledge (Z = –0.34, p = 0.97 (Knowledge and Attitudes Survey Regarding Pain) and Z = 0.49, p = 0.62 (KnowPain-12)) and perceived competence (Z = –0.74, p = 0.46) did not increase for providers in the intervention group compared with providers in the control group. These providers attended on average 12.5 sessions (range 0–31) while participating in the study. Discussion Further research is recommended to establish the effectiveness of this telementoring intervention.

scholarly journals Patient Discomfort and Resident Confidence After Knee Intra-articular Injection Simulation Training: A Randomized Control Trial Study

2018 ◽  
Vol 11 ◽  
pp. 117954411878290 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adae O Amoako ◽  
George GA Pujalte ◽  
Neha Kaushik ◽  
Timothy Riley
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Simulation Training ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Comfort Level ◽  
Control Group ◽  
P Value ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Patient Discomfort ◽  
The Mean

Teaching primary care providers how to perform musculoskeletal procedures has become increasingly important as more and more patients with orthopedic conditions present in primary care clinics. This study aims to evaluate whether targeted simulation model training in residency can increase residents’ comfort level in performing intra-articular knee injections and decrease the pain of the procedure, as reported by patients injected. Residents were randomized into intervention and control groups. The comfort level of the residents as well as the pain levels from the procedures, as reported by patients, was recorded. The mean comfort level for the intervention group was 1.2, compared with that in the control group, which was 2.13; P value was .047. The mean pain level in the intervention group was 1.8, whereas in the control group was 3.63; P value was .156. Simulation training may boost residents’ comfort level, but not necessarily decrease patient discomfort during intra-articular knee injections.

scholarly journals Development of a centralized, remote clinical pharmacy service to enhance primary care

2021 ◽  
Vol 19 (1) ◽  
pp. 2348
Author(s):  
Rachel J. Finkelstein ◽  
Christopher P. Parker ◽  
Barcey T. Levy ◽  
Barry L. Carter ◽  
Korey Kennelty
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Clinical Pharmacy ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Clinical Pharmacy Service ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Care Needs ◽  
Physician Practices ◽  
Private Physician ◽  
Large Patient ◽  
Primary Care Teams

More than 50% of Americans possess at least one chronic condition and another 25% suffer from two or more, leaving primary care teams tasked to care for the chronic, acute, and preventive care needs of their large patient panels. Pharmacists can reduce the burden on busy providers by effectively managing chronic diseases as members of health care teams. Many private physician practices lack the resources to include pharmacists on their teams.  A centralized, remote clinical pharmacy services model allows pharmacists to remotely manage chronic disease in patients in collaboration with primary care providers. The purpose of this report is to describe how a centralized, remote clinical pharmacy team was developed, trained, and effectively integrated into multiple, diverse primary care settings across the U.S.

scholarly journals The effects of Enhanced Primary Healthcare interventions on primary care providers’ job satisfaction

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wen Jun Wong ◽  
Aisyah Mohd Norzi ◽  
Swee Hung Ang ◽  
Chee Lee Chan ◽  
Faeiz Syezri Adzmin Jaafar ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Job Satisfaction ◽  
Primary Healthcare ◽  
Healthcare Delivery ◽  
Intervention Group ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Post Intervention

Abstract Background: In response to the rising burden of cardiovascular risk factors, the Malaysian government has implemented Enhanced Primary Healthcare (EnPHC) interventions in July 2017 at public clinic level to improve management and clinical outcomes of type 2 diabetes and hypertensive patients. Healthcare providers (HCPs) play crucial roles in healthcare service delivery and health system reform can influence HCPs’ job satisfaction. However, studies evaluating HCPs’ job satisfaction following primary care transformation remain scarce in low- and middle-income countries. This study aims to evaluate the effects of EnPHC interventions on HCPs’ job satisfaction. Methods: This is a quasi-experimental study conducted in 20 intervention and 20 matched control clinics. We surveyed all HCPs who were directly involved in patient management. A self-administered questionnaire which included six questions on job satisfaction were assessed on a scale of 1-4 at baseline (April and May 2017) and post-intervention phase (March and April 2019). Unadjusted intervention effect was calculated based on absolute differences in mean scores between intervention and control groups after implementation. Difference-in-differences analysis was used in the multivariable linear regression model and adjusted for providers and clinics characteristics to detect changes in job satisfaction following EnPHC interventions. A negative estimate indicates relative decrease in job satisfaction in the intervention group compared with control group. Results: A total of 1042 and 1215 HCPs responded at baseline and post-intervention respectively. At post-intervention, the intervention group reported higher level of stress with adjusted differences of -0.139 (95% CI -0.266,-0.012; p=0.032). Nurses, being the largest workforce in public clinics were the only group experiencing dissatisfaction at post-intervention. In subgroup analysis, nurses from intervention group experienced increase in work stress following EnPHC interventions with adjusted differences of -0.223 (95% CI -0.419,-0.026; p=0.026). Additionally, the same group were less likely to perceive their profession as well-respected at post-intervention (β= -0.175; 95% CI -0.331,-0.019; p=0.027]). Conclusions: Our findings suggest that EnPHC interventions had resulted in some untoward effect on HCPs’ job satisfaction. Job dissatisfaction can have detrimental effects on the organisation and healthcare system. Therefore, provider experience and well-being should be considered before introducing healthcare delivery reforms to avoid overburdening of HCPs.

The Perspective of Older Men With Depression on Suicide and Its Prevention in Primary Care

Crisis ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (5) ◽  
pp. 397-405 ◽  
Author(s):  
Steven Vannoy ◽  
Mijung Park ◽  
Meredith R. Maroney ◽  
Jürgen Unützer ◽  
Ester Carolina Apesoa-Varano ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Low Socioeconomic Status ◽  
Thematic Analysis ◽  
Older Men ◽  
Primary Care Providers ◽  
Depression Treatment ◽  
Care Providers ◽  
Low Socioeconomic ◽  
Self Image ◽  
The Impact

Abstract. Background: Suicide rates in older men are higher than in the general population, yet their utilization of mental health services is lower. Aims: This study aimed to describe: (a) what primary care providers (PCPs) can do to prevent late-life suicide, and (b) older men's attitudes toward discussing suicide with a PCP. Method: Thematic analysis of interviews focused on depression and suicide with 77 depressed, low-socioeconomic status, older men of Mexican origin, or US-born non-Hispanic whites recruited from primary care. Results: Several themes inhibiting suicide emerged: it is a problematic solution, due to religious prohibition, conflicts with self-image, the impact on others; and, lack of means/capacity. Three approaches to preventing suicide emerged: talking with them about depression, talking about the impact of their suicide on others, and encouraging them to be active. The vast majority, 98%, were open to such conversations. An unexpected theme spontaneously arose: "What prevents men from acting on suicidal thoughts?" Conclusion: Suicide is rarely discussed in primary care encounters in the context of depression treatment. Our study suggests that older men are likely to be open to discussing suicide with their PCP. We have identified several pragmatic approaches to assist clinicians in reducing older men's distress and preventing suicide.

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