A consultation leaflet to improve an older patient''s involvement in general practice care: a randomized trial

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effects of a programme to enhance the involvement of older patients in their consultations in general practice. DESIGN: Cluster randomized trial, in which data was collected from different cohorts. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Twenty-five general practices in the south-east part of the Netherlands and their patients aged 70 years and over. INTERVENTION: Patients in the intervention group received a leaflet to help them prepare for the consultation. General practitioners (GPs) received an outreach visit to optimize older patients' involvement when visiting their GP. Patients in the control group received usual care. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Questionnaires measuring involvement (COMRADE), enablement (Patient Enablement Index) and satisfaction with their care (EUROPEP). RESULTS: Pre-intervention 315 patients and post-intervention 263 patients were included. Subjects were satisfied with their involvement and the GP's behaviour during the consultation. No differences in effect as a result of the leaflet on involvement, enablement or satisfaction were found between the intervention and the control group. Of 318 patients who received the leaflet and visited their GP in the intervention period, 47 patients used the leaflet. These users were more accustomed to prepare themselves for consultations. Users reported more psychological problems than non-users. CONCLUSIONS: No relevant effects of the implementation programme on involvement, enablement or satisfaction were found. Other strategies are needed to enhance involvement of older patients in their care. Alternatively, older patients may perceive themselves sufficiently involved.     

A randomized intervention to improve heart failure outcomes in community-based home health care

This study examines the effects of a home health intervention designed to standardize nursing care, strengthen nurses' support for patient self-management and yield better CHF patient outcomes. Participants were 371 Medicare CHF patients served by 205 nurses randomized to intervention and control groups in a large urban home healthcare agency (HHA). The intervention consisted of an evidence-based nursing protocol, patient self-care guide, and training to improve nurses'teaching and support skills. Outcome measures included home care,physician and emergency department (ED) use, hospital admission, condition-specific quality of life (QoL), satisfaction with home care services and survival at 90 days. The intervention was associated with a marginally significant reduction in the volume of skilled nursing visits (p = .074), and a reduction variation in the typical number of visits provided (p < .05), without a significant increase in physician or ED use or patient mortality. Hypothesized improvement in other outcomes did not occur.     

Testing the effectiveness of a general practice intervention to improve uptake of colorectal cancer screening: a randomised controlled trial

Objective : Uptake of screening through the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program remains low. General practice guidelines support the general practitioners’ role to offer CRC screening. This study tests the effect that an intervention including point‐of‐care FOBT provision, printed screening advice and GP endorsement has on self‐reported FOBT uptake. Methods : A multisite, 1:1 parallel‐arm, cluster‐randomised controlled trial. Participants aged 50–74, at average risk of CRC and overdue for screening were recruited from four general practices in New South Wales, Australia, from September 2016 to May 2017. Self‐report of FOBT up to eight weeks post baseline. Results : A total of 336 participants consented to complete a baseline survey (64% consent rate), of which 123 were recruited into the trial (28 usual care days and 26 intervention days). Follow‐up data was collected for 114 participants (65 usual care and 49 intervention). Those receiving the intervention had ten times greater odds of completing screening compared to usual care (39% vs. 6%; OR 10.24; 95%CI 2.9‐36.6, p=0.0006). Conclusions : A multicomponent intervention delivered in general practice significantly increased self‐reported FOBT uptake in those at average risk of CRC. Implications for public health : General practice interventions could serve as an important adjunct to the Australian National Bowel Cancer Screening Program to boost plateauing screening rates.     

Intensive support to improve clinical decision making in cardiovascular care: a randomised controlled trial in general practice

Objective: To evaluate the effects of feedback reports combined with outreach visits from trained non-physicians on the clinical decision making of general practitioners (GPs) in cardiovascular care.

Design: Pragmatic cluster controlled trial with randomisation of practices to support (intervention group) or no special attention (control group); analysis after 2 years.

Setting: 124 general practices in The Netherlands.

Participants: 185 GPs.

Main outcome measures: Compliance rates for 12 evidence-based indicators for the management of patients with hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia, angina pectoris, or heart failure. The evaluation relied on the prospective recording of patient encounters by the participating GPs.

Results: The GPs reported 30 101 clinical decisions at baseline and 22 454 decisions after the intervention. A significant improvement was seen for five of the 12 indicators: assessment of risk factors in patients with hypercholesterolaemia (odds ratio 2.04; 95% CI 1.44 to 2.88) or angina pectoris (3.07; 1.08 to 8.79), provision of information and advice to patients with hypercholesterolaemia (1.58, 1.17 to 2.13) or hypertension (1.55, 1.35 to 1.77), and checking for clinical signs of deterioration in patients with heart failure (4.11, 2.17 to 7.77). Single handed practices, non-training practices, and practices with older GPs gained particular benefit from the intervention.

Conclusions: Intensive support from trained non-physicians can alter certain aspects of the clinical decision making of GPs in cardiovascular care. The effect is small and the strategy needs further development.

     

A randomized controlled trial of information-giving to patients referred for coronary angiography: effects on outcomes of care

Objective To assess the impact of providing an educational videotape, ` Treatment Choices for Ischaemic Heart Disease: a Shared Decision-Making Program Videotape ,' to patients referred for coronary angiography compared with standard patient-physician decision making (usual care).
Study design Randomized controlled clinical trial.
Setting University Hospital and Veterans Affairs Hospital.
Patients A consecutive sample of 217 patients referred for coronary angiography were randomized to receive `usual care' or to receive the videotape in addition to standard patient physician decision making (videotape): 109 completed the study (50% completion rate).
Main outcome measures Knowledge of coronary artery disease, satisfaction, self-reported physical and mental health functioning, and the proportion of patients who were referred for coronary revascularization.
Results Compared with patients who received `usual care,' those who received the videotape were more knowledgeable (mean score 83 vs. 58%; P  < 0.0001) but less satisfied with their treatment (79 vs. 88%; P  = 0.038). There were no significant differences between the videotape and `usual care' groups with respect to satisfaction with the decision making process (mean score 73 vs. 77%; P  = 0.37), satisfaction with the decision made (mean score 73 vs. 78%; P  = 0.28), physical functioning (38 vs. 38%; P  = 0.76), mental health functioning (49 vs. 49%; P  = 0.94), or in referral for coronary revascularization (OR 0.60; 95% CI 0.22–1.65; P  = 0.33).
Conclusion Although the educational videotape increased patients' knowledge level, it was associated with a decrease in their level of satisfaction with treatment. Before there is wide-spread dissemination of this technology, advocates should demonstrate its effectiveness in everyday practice.     

General health screenings to improve cardiovascular risk profiles: a randomized controlled trial in general practice with 5-year follow-up

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the impact of general health screenings and discussions with general practitioners on the cardiovascular risk profile of a random population of patients. STUDY DESIGN: A population-based, randomized, controlled, 5-year follow-up trial conducted in a primary care setting. POPULATION: The study group consisted of 2000 patients, randomly selected middle-aged men and women aged 30 to 50 years from family practices in the district of Ebeltoft, Denmark. Of these patients, 1507 (75.4%) agreed to participate. Patients were randomized into (1) a control group who did not receive health screenings, (2) an intervention group that received 2 health screenings, (3) an intervention group that received both the 2 screenings and a 45-minute follow-up consultation annually with their general practitioner. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Cardiovascular risk score (CRS), body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, serum cholesterol, carbon monoxide in expiratory air, and tobacco use. RESULTS: After 5 years, the CRS, BMI, and serum cholesterol levels were lower in the intervention groups compared with the control group. The improved outcome was greater in the baseline risk groups. The number of patients with elevated CRS in the intervention groups was approximately half the number of patients with elevated CRS in the control group. The difference was not a result of medication use. There was no difference between the group that received consultations after the screenings and the group that had health screenings alone. CONCLUSIONS: Health screenings reduced the CRS in the intervention groups. After 5 years of follow-up, the number of persons at elevated cardiovascular risk was about half that expected, based on the prevalence/proportion in a population not receiving the health checks (the control group). The impact of intervention was higher among at-risk individuals. Consultations about health did not appear to improve the cardiovascular profile of the study population.     

Workplace exercise intervention to prevent depression: A pilot randomized controlled trial

ObjectiveThis study evaluates whether it is feasible to deliver an exercise program to inactive employees with minimal symptoms of depression, and the size of effects on the mental and physical health of employees.MethodIn the fall of 2008, 30 white-collar employees with minimal symptoms of depression (5 ≤ PHQ-9 ≤ 9) were randomly assigned to a 10-week in-company fitness program with two supervised training sessions per week or to a control group. Demographics, depression scores, and exercise behavior were determined by questionnaire, physical health variables were measured and company records were checked to calculate sickness absence data. Participants were measured at baseline and 10 weeks after (post-test).ResultsANCOVA showed that the difference between the groups on the average change in depression from baseline to post-test approached significance. Eighty-six percent of the participants in the exercise group were below the cut-off point for experiencing minimal symptoms of depression, compared with 31% of the control participants. Most physical measures improved significantly from baseline to post-test in the exercise group compared to the control group. The difference between the groups on average change in sickness absence was not significant.ConclusionsThis intervention was feasible and shows that exercise can reduce the risk of depression in employees with sedentary jobs, an inactive lifestyle, and a high-risk of depression. A large randomized controlled trial with a long-term follow-up is needed to establish the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of exercise in the prevention of depression in a workplace setting.     

An outreach intervention to implement evidence based practice in residential care: a randomized controlled trial [ISRCTN67855475]

Background

The aim of this project was to assess whether outreach visits would improve the implementation of evidence based clinical practice in the area of falls reduction and stroke prevention in a residential care setting.

Methods

Twenty facilities took part in a randomized controlled trial with a seven month follow-up period. Two outreach visits were delivered by a pharmacist. At the first a summary of the relevant evidence was provided and at the second detailed audit information was provided about fall rates, psychotropic drug prescribing and stroke risk reduction practices (BP monitoring, aspirin and warfarin use) for the facility relevant to the physician. The effect of the interventions was determined via pre- and post-intervention case note audit. Outcomes included change in percentage patients at risk of falling who fell in a three month period prior to follow-up and changes in use of psychotropic medications. Chi-square tests, independent samples t-test, and logistic regression were used in the analysis.

Results

Data were available from case notes at baseline (n = 897) and seven months follow-up (n = 902), 452 residential care staff were surveyed and 121 physicians were involved with 61 receiving outreach visits. Pre-and post-intervention data were available for 715 participants. There were no differences between the intervention and control groups for the three month fall rate. We were unable to detect statistically significant differences between groups for the psychotropic drug use of the patients before or after the intervention. The exception was significantly greater use of "as required" antipsychotics in the intervention group compared with the control group after the pharmacy intervention (RR = 4.95; 95%CI 1.69–14.50). There was no statistically significant difference between groups for the numbers of patients "at risk of stroke" on aspirin at follow-up.

Conclusions

While the strategy was well received by the physicians involved, there was no change in prescribing patterns. Patient care in residential settings is complex and involves contributions from the patient's physician, family and residential care staff. The project highlights challenges of delivering evidence based care in a setting in which there is a pauCity of well controlled trial evidence but where significant health outcomes can be attained.     

Professionalism in general practice: development of an instrument to assess professional behaviour in general practitioner trainees

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study is to develop a new tool to assess professional behaviour in general practitioner (GP) trainees: the evaluation of professional behaviour in general practice (EPRO-GP) instrument. METHODS: Our study consisted of 4 phases: (1) development of a model of professionalism in general practice based on a literature review on professionalism, competency models of general practice and the overall educational objectives of postgraduate training for general practice; (2) development of the EPRO-GP instrument in collaboration with a sounding board; (3) establishing the content validity of the EPRO-GP instrument using a nominal group technique; and (4) establishing the feasibility of the EPRO-GP instrument in 12 general practice trainees and their general practice trainers. RESULTS: The model of professionalism in general practice encompassed 4 themes within professionalism: (a) professionalism towards the patient; (b) professionalism towards other professionals; (c) professionalism towards the public; and (d) professionalism towards oneself. These 4 themes covered 26 elements of professionalism. This model provided the framework of the EPRO-GP instrument, which we developed further by operationalising the 26 elements in 127 behavioural items. The expert ratings confirmed the content validity of the instrument with one exception: the element "altruism" was removed as a stand-alone category but it remained throughout the tool in items giving primacy to patient welfare. The results on the feasibility of the EPRO-GP instrument were very encouraging. All tutorials yielded professional behaviour learning points. DISCUSSION: Our results support the content validity of the EPRO-GP instrument as well as its feasibility as a tool to educate for professionalism in general practice.     

Effect of a tailored physical activity intervention delivered in general practice settings: results of a randomized controlled trial

OBJECTIVES: We evaluated the effectiveness of a minimal intervention physical activity strategy (physician-based assessment and counseling for exercise [PACE]) applied in general practice settings in the Netherlands. METHODS: Randomization took place at the general practice level. Participants were patients aged 18-70 years of age who had been diagnosed with hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, or non-insulin-dependent diabetes and had not been regularly physically active in the past 6 months. Outcome measures were assessed at baseline and at 8-week, 6-month, and 1-year follow-ups. RESULTS: No significant intervention effect over time was observed on physical activity level or stage of change for regular physical activity, and an inverse intervention effect was observed for waist circumference. However, the study population as a whole exhibited a significant increase in physical activity and a borderline significant decrease in body weight at the 1-year follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: Positive effects on physical activity level and body weight were observed, but the PACE intervention was not more effective than the standard physical activity advice.     

Effect of a comprehensive intervention program targeting general practice staff on quality of life in patients at high cardiovascular risk: A randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: We implemented a comprehensive intervention program targeting general practice staff, that proved successful in optimizing practice organization and clinical decision-making. In this paper, health-related quality of life (HRQL) is investigated as a clinical outcome. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of the implementation of an intervention program on the HRQL in patients at high cardiovascular risk. RESEARCH DESIGN: Randomized controlled trial. Intervention practices (n = 62) received a comprehensive intervention program (by means of outreach visitors) lasting 21 months. HRQL of patients at high cardiovascular risk was assessed by the MOS 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), at baseline and after intervention. Three patient categories were distinguished: diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular disease and hypertension. RESULTS: HRQL deteriorated in all respondents, but more pronounced in the control group. In diabetes patients the differences between intervention and control group were significant for the Vitality and Mental Health scales, with mean difference in change of 3.93 (95% CI: 1.08-6.78) and 3.71 (95% CI: 0.73-6.68), respectively. Patients with cardiovascular disease had significantly different changes on three scales: physical functioning (3.57, 95% CI: 0.71-6.43), vitality (3.01, 95% CI: 0.72-5.30) and social functioning (3.96, 95% CI: 0.50-7.42). In patients with hypertension, there were no differences between the intervention and control group. CONCLUSION: Our comprehensive intervention program resulted in changes in HRQL on several domains, particularly in patients with diabetes and cardiovascular disease.     

Improving quality of organizing cardiovascular preventive care in general practice by outreach visitors: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Adequate care for patients with cardiovascular risks requires an adequate practice organization. Educational outreach visits are a promising approach to modifying professional behavior. We aimed to assess whether the quality of cardiovascular preventive care in general practice can be improved through a comprehensive intervention implemented by an educational outreach visitor. METHODS: After baseline measurements, general practices (n = 124) in the southern half of The Netherlands were randomly allocated to either intervention or control group. The intervention, based on the educational outreach model, comprised 15 practice visits over a period of 21 months and addressed a large number of issues around task delegation, availability of instruments and patient leaflets, record-keeping, and follow-up routines. Twenty-one months after the start of the intervention, postintervention measurements were performed. The difference between ideal and actual practice in each aspect of organizing preventive care was defined as a deficiency score. Primary outcome measure was the difference in deficiency scores before and after the intervention. RESULTS: All practices completed both baseline and postintervention measurements. The difference in change between intervention and control group adjusted for baseline was statistically significant (P < 0.001) for each aspect of organizing preventive care. The largest absolute improvement was found for the number of preventive tasks performed by the practice assistant. CONCLUSIONS: This study showed that a comprehensive intervention implemented by outreach visitors was effective in improving organization of cardiovascular preventive care in general practice.     

A randomized controlled trial of facilitating information giving to patients with chronic medical conditions: effects on outcomes of care.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of an intervention to facilitate information giving to patients with chronic medical conditions on outcomes of care. METHODS: A consecutive sample of 276 eligible patients with chronic medical conditions at a family medicine clinic was randomized to control and experimental interventions. A total of 205 completed the study. Experimental group patients received copies of their medical record progress notes, and they completed question lists for physician review, while control group patients received health education sheets and completed suggestion lists for improving clinic care. Self-reported physical functioning, global health, and patient satisfaction and adherence were measured at enrollment and after the interventions. Visit lengths and patient response to medical record sharing after the interventions were also measured. RESULTS: After the intervention, experimental group patients reported 3.7% better overall physical functioning than did control patients (mean = 83.6, standard deviation [SD] = 17.6 vs mean = 79.9, SD = 25.3; P = .005 after adjusting for covariates). The experimental group was more satisfied with their physician's care (mean = 31.4, SD = 4.6 vs mean = 31.3, SD = 5.2; P = .045 after adjusting for covariates). They were also more interested in seeing their medical records than were control patients (mean = 12.0, SD = 2.8 vs mean = 11.2, SD = 2.8; P = .002 after adjusting for covariates). Experimental group patients also reported an 8.3% improvement in overall health status (postintervention mean = 3.0, SD = 1.1) compared with their pre-intervention health status (mean = 2.8, SD = 1.0; P =.001). Visit lengths for patients in the experimental group did not differ from those of the control group. CONCLUSIONS: A simple patient-centered intervention to facilitate information giving in the primary health care of patients with chronic medical conditions can improve self-reported health, physical functioning, and satisfaction with care.     

Home health care may improve diabetic outcomes among non-English speaking patients in primary care practice: a pilot study

There are multiple challenges to proactive diabetic management in minority, non-English speaking populations. In this study, we seek to determine if enrollment in a home health care program would improve diabetic outcomes in this traditionally vulnerable population. Of the 64 non-English speaking diabetics evaluated in our clinic between 1/1/2002 and 12/30/2005, 26 (40.6%) patients who met the criteria for poor glycemic control (defined by HgbA1c > 8% on two separate occasions) were identified, but three were excluded because they did not participate in home health. Comparing diabetic outcomes 24 months post-home health intervention to 24 months prior, patients showed improvement in mean HbA1c, mean LDL, and mean systolic blood pressure. With home health intervention, there appears to be improved diabetic outcomes across all measured parameters.     

The use of text messaging to improve attendance in primary care: a randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND: Non-attendance is common in primary care and previous studies have reported that reminders were useful in reducing broken appointments. OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of a text messaging reminder in improving attendance in primary care. DESIGN: Multicentre three-arm randomized controlled trial. SETTING: Seven primary care clinics in Malaysia. Participants. Patients (or their caregivers) who required follow-up at the clinics between 48 hours and 3 months from the recruitment date. Interventions. Two intervention arms consisted of text messaging and mobile phone reminders 24-48 hours prior to scheduled appointments. Control group did not receive any intervention. Outcome measures. Attendance rates and costs of interventions. RESULTS: A total of 993 participants were eligible for analysis. Attendance rates of control, text messaging and mobile phone reminder groups were 48.1, 59.0 and 59.6%, respectively. The attendance rate of the text messaging reminder group was significantly higher compared with that of the control group (odds ratio 1.59, 95% confidence interval 1.17 to 2.17, P = 0.005). There was no statistically significant difference in attendance rates between text messaging and mobile phone reminder groups. The cost of text messaging reminder (RM 0.45 per attendance) was lower than mobile phone reminder (RM 0.82 per attendance). CONCLUSIONS: Text messaging reminder system was effective in improving attendance rate in primary care. It was more cost-effective compared with the mobile phone reminder.