Electronic blood glucose monitoring impacts on provider and patient behavior

ObjectiveRecent technological development along with the constraints imposed by the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic have led to increased availability of patient-generated health data. However, it is not well understood how to effectively integrate this new technology into large health systems. This article seeks to identify interventions to increase utilization of electronic blood glucose monitoring for patients with diabetes.Materials and MethodsA large randomized controlled trial tested the impact of multiple interventions to promote use of electronic blood glucose tracking. The total study sample consisted of 7052 patients with diabetes across 68 providers at 20 selected primary care offices. The design included 2 stages: First, primary care practices were randomly assigned to have their providers receive education regarding blood glucose flowsheet orders. Then, patients in the treated practices were assigned to 1 of 4 reminder interventions.ResultsProvider education successfully increased provider take-up of an online blood glucose monitoring tool by 64 percentage points, while a comparison of reminder interventions revealed that emphasizing accountability to the provider encouraged patients to track their blood glucose online. An assessment of downstream outcomes revealed impacts of the interventions on prescribing behavior and A1c testing frequency.DiscussionIt is important to understand how health systems can practically promote take-up and awareness of emerging digital health alternatives or those with persistently low utilization in clinical settings.ConclusionThese results indicate that provider training and support are critical first steps to promote utilization of patient-generated health data, and that patient communications can provide further motivation.     

No magic bullets: a systematic review of 102 trials of interventions to improve professional practice.

OBJECTIVE: To determine the effectiveness of different types of interventions in improving health professional performance and health outcomes. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, SCISEARCH, CINAHL and the Research and Development Resource Base in CME were searched for trials of educational interventions in the health care professions published between 1970 and 1993 inclusive. STUDY SELECTION: Studies were selected if they provided objective measurements of health professional performance or health outcomes and employed random or quasi-random allocation methods in their study designs to assign individual subjects or groups. Interventions included such activities as conferences, outreach visits, the use of local opinion leaders, audit and feedback, and reminder systems. DATA EXTRACTION: Details extracted from the studies included the study design; the unit of allocation (e.g., patient, provider, practice, hospital); the characteristics of the targeted health care professionals, educational interventions and patients (when appropriate); and the main outcome measure. DATA SYNTHESIS: The inclusion criteria were met by 102 trials. Areas of behaviour change included general patient management, preventive services, prescribing practices, treatment of specific conditions such as hypertension or diabetes, and diagnostic service or hospital utilization. Dissemination-only strategies, such as conferences or the mailing of unsolicited materials, demonstrated little or no changes in health professional behaviour or health outcome when used alone. More complex interventions, such as the use of outreach visits or local opinion leaders, ranged from ineffective to highly effective but were most often moderately effective (resulting in reductions of 20% to 50% in the incidence of inappropriate performance). CONCLUSION: There are no "magic bullets" for improving the quality of health care, but there are a wide range of interventions available that, if used appropriately, could lead to important improvements in professional practice and patient outcomes.     

Use of reminders for preventive procedures in family medicine.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the effectiveness of three computerized reminder systems in the delivery of five preventive procedures in family practice. DESIGN: Prospective, randomized, controlled study. SETTING: Ottawa Civic Hospital Family Medicine Centre. PARTICIPANTS: Of 8502 patients 15 years of age or more who were not in a hospital or institution 5883 were randomly assigned, by family, to a control group, a physician reminder group (passive) or a telephone or letter reminder group (active). The remaining 2619 patients were not included in the randomized portion of the study but were monitored. INTERVENTION: During 1 year the patients in the active reminder groups received a telephone call or letter reminding them of any overdue preventive procedures; for those in the passive reminder group the physician was reminded at an office visit to provide any overdue service. OUTCOME MEASURE: Rates of completion of the preventive procedures required. MAIN RESULTS: All three reminder systems significantly improved the delivery of preventive services (p less than 0.001). The procedure completion rates were 42.0% in the letter reminder group, 42.0% in the telephone reminder group, 33.7% in the physician reminder group and 14.1% in the randomized control group. The use of a letter was more cost-effective than the telephone system, but the physician reminder system was the most cost-effective. CONCLUSION: Computerized reminder systems do improve the delivery of preventive services in family practice.     

As the child with chronic disease grows up: transitioning adolescents with special health care needs to adult-centered health care

The purpose of this article is to inform readers of the Delaware Medical Journal about the concept of transitional care for adolescents and young adults with chronic health care needs. This is a topic that has recently received national attention and was the subject of a supplement to Pediatrics in December 2002. The concept of transitional care bears special importance in Delaware as every year hundreds of children with chronic disease turn 18 and leave their pediatric providers. It is uncertain that these children resume their care with an adult health care provider, and there is almost always some lag in time as patients attempt to find an adult provider who is knowledgeable about their condition and willing to assume them as a patient. An even greater uncertainty is whether or not adult providers are prepared to take care of this new generation of adults with cyanotic congenital heart disease, spina bifida, cerebral palsy, and other conditions. This article explores some of these ideas and discusses what is available in the transition literature and where to go from here.     

Validity of electronic health record-derived quality measurement for performance monitoring

Background

Since 2007, New York City''s primary care information project has assisted over 3000 providers to adopt and use a prevention-oriented electronic health record (EHR). Participating practices were taught to re-adjust their workflows to use the EHR built-in population health monitoring tools, including automated quality measures, patient registries and a clinical decision support system. Practices received a comprehensive suite of technical assistance, which included quality improvement, EHR customization and configuration, privacy and security training, and revenue cycle optimization. These services were aimed at helping providers understand how to use their EHR to track and improve the quality of care delivered to patients.

Materials and Methods

Retrospective electronic chart reviews of 4081 patient records across 57 practices were analyzed to determine the validity of EHR-derived quality measures and documented preventive services.

Results

Results from this study show that workflow and documentation habits have a profound impact on EHR-derived quality measures. Compared with the manual review of electronic charts, EHR-derived measures can undercount practice performance, with a disproportionately negative impact on the number of patients captured as receiving a clinical preventive service or meeting a recommended treatment goal.

Conclusion

This study provides a cautionary note in using EHR-derived measurement for public reporting of provider performance or use for payment.     

Use of telehealth to improve chronic disease management

Remote patient monitoring that tracks vital signs of patients with chronic diseases is offering more-frequent contact between the patient and the primary care provider, providing earlier detection of potential problems, and allowing real-time alerts, resulting in a proactive, affordable option for best-practice health care.     

Socioeconomic Distribution of Health and Health Care Utilization in a New Town in Hong Kong, China

Objectives To assess the association of socioeconomic indicators with various chronic and acute illnesses and the utilization of public health care in a new town in Hong Kong, China.Methods Illness experience and socioeconomic and demographic data of 7570 residents from 2022 randomly selected households were collected through telephone interviews. The relationships between indicators and illnesses/choice of health care were explored using stepwise logistic regressions after adjusting for sex and age. Results Significant positive associations were noted between low household income and diabetes meUitus, any chronic illnesses among adults and flu among younger subjects; low educational level and accident-related illness among adults; being born in Chinese mainland and flu, any acute illness in adults. For the utilization of public health care, low household income was the most consistent risk factor. Conclusion This study did not demonstrate a unidirectional socioeconomic gradient in health but supported the hypothesis that socioeconomic deprivation was associated with the utilization of public health care.     

Prompting Clinicians about Preventive Care Measures: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Preventive care measures remain underutilized despite recommendations to increase their use. The objective of this review was to examine the characteristics, types, and effects of paper- and computer-based interventions for preventive care measures. The study provides an update to a previous systematic review. We included randomized controlled trials that implemented a physician reminder and measured the effects on the frequency of providing preventive care. Of the 1,535 articles identified, 28 met inclusion criteria and were combined with the 33 studies from the previous review. The studies involved 264 preventive care interventions, 4,638 clinicians and 144,605 patients. Implementation strategies included combined paper-based with computer generated reminders in 34 studies (56%), paper-based reminders in 19 studies (31%), and fully computerized reminders in 8 studies (13%). The average increase for the three strategies in delivering preventive care measures ranged between 12% and 14%. Cardiac care and smoking cessation reminders were most effective. Computer-generated prompts were the most commonly implemented reminders. Clinician reminders are a successful approach for increasing the rates of delivering preventive care; however, their effectiveness remains modest. Despite increased implementation of electronic health records, randomized controlled trials evaluating computerized reminder systems are infrequent.     

走出战略决策误区确保医院改革健康发展

医院改革存在以药养医、医患关系商品化、医疗体制改革产业化三个误区,导致了医疗费用过快增长、医患关系紧张.医院改革必须在政府主导还是市场导向,是以医养医还是以药养医,医患是健康维护者被维护者的伙伴关系还是经济利益关系之间做出明确的决择.     

老年肺纤维化患者纤维支气管镜检查血氧饱和度减低易感染性探讨及护理对策

目的：探讨在可曲性纤维支气管镜检查（FFB）中,动脉血氧饱和度减低的原因及其护理措施。方法：经脉搏血氧饱和度仪（简称血氧仪）持续监测336例病人的血氧饱和度（SpO2）并记录,分析SpO2下降与各种临床参数和原有肺疾病的关系。结果：在336例中,86例（22％）有过一次性SpO2下降（SpO2〈90％的时间大于10s）,年龄大于65岁者,55％有过一次性SpO2下降,低氧血症发生率明显高于年龄低于65岁组（27％）,P〈0．05。与患有其他肺疾病者相比较,肺纤维化（IIP）组出现SpO2下降的危险性较大（P〈0．05）。多因素分析表明,年龄和（IIP）分别是SpO2下降的独立危险因素,而多数病人（94％）不需要常规吸氧。结论：虽然纤维支气管镜检查是安全的,但老年、肺纤维化是发生低氧血症的高危因素。在临床实践中通过完善纤维支气管镜的操作流程,提高操作水平,细心的病情观察,良好真心的护理及健康教育指导,能有效的降低老年肺纤维化病人纤支镜检查低氧血症的发生。     

老年慢性病继发肺部真菌感染预防进展

老年慢性病继发肺部真菌感染逐年增多,继发肺部真菌感染诊断困难,治疗难度大,严重威胁老年慢性病者的生命,因此,老年慢性病者预防继发肺部真菌感染具有重要的临床意义.部分学者对老年人使用抗生素后继发肺部真菌感染及老年慢性病继发肺部真菌感染的特点及原因进行了分析,报道了老年患者发生真菌感染的易感特点、影响因素,并提出一些预防措施,在预防继发肺部真菌感染方面做出了较大的贡献,目前针对老年慢性病继发肺部真菌感染的特点进行系统研究预防对策较少,本研究的预防对策内容如下：①给老年慢病者肌注肺炎疫苗每3年0.5 mL、流感疫苗每年0.5 mL,增强机体免疫力.②控制慢病症状,减少住院次数,根据血培养、药敏试验选用窄谱抗菌药,宜小剂量配双黄连等中药使用,用药7～10 d停药.③加强口腔、咽部护理,使用0.3％碳酸氢钠盐水含漱.采用本预防对策能有效预防老年慢性病继发肺部真菌感染的发生,能减少住院次数,缩短老年慢性病患者的住院时间,降低老年慢性病对药物的耐药性,提高治愈率,减轻患者的经济负担,降低老年慢性病患者的病死率,值得临床进一步研究.     

Computer assisted screening: effect on the patient and his consultation

The initial impact of computer assisted preventive screening in general practice consultations has been monitored. The technology has not been found stressful by patients, and the power of the consultation to alleviate low arousal has been increased by computer use. No appreciable increase in the durations of consultation was detected, despite an average computer initiated input of two minutes eight seconds. The computer has successfully prompted preventive screening and health education with a sixfold increase in the number of potentially relevant procedures being mentioned. The actual information presented by the computer has been shown to be crucial, with the terminal's mere presence an ineffective reminder. The computer terminal was used in 65% of the consultations for which it was available, which, if sustained, represents an effective screening programme for attending patients.     

Comparison of three methods of recalling patients for influenza vaccination.

Despite recommendations supporting annual influenza vaccination for people aged 65 years or older, vaccination rates remain low. Several studies have evaluated the effect of sending mailed reminders, but few have compared alternative ways of reminding patients to receive the vaccine. In a randomized trial of 939 patients aged 65 years or older in four family practices carried out between Oct. 23 and Dec. 31, 1984, we compared three ways of reminding elderly patients to receive the vaccine: personal reminder by the physician, telephone reminder by the nurse and reminder by letter. The vaccination rates for the three groups were 22.9%, 37% and 35.1% respectively. No reminder was issued to a control group, and the rate was 9.8%. Some patients could not be reached by telephone, and some did not see the physician during the specified time. Among the patients whom the nurse actually contacted, the vaccination rate was 43.5%; the rate for patients whom the doctor actually saw was 45.1%. Overall, a telephone reminder by the nurse was the most effective method, and at an hourly salary of $16 or less this method would also be the most cost-effective. The reminders used in this study were automatically generated from a computerized medical record system. The study shows how a computerized system can be used to identify patients for whom preventive procedures are due.     

The health of the very aged.

Little information is available on the health status of persons 85 years or over. Recent United States data indicate that 20% of individuals 85 years of age or over reside in nursing and personal care homes and that among these institutional residents 31% are bedfast, 11% are chairfast and 71% manifest evidence of senility. An investigation into the health of persons 85 years of age or over in two Ontario counties revealed that 39% resided in long-stay institutions, and that one of the main differences between old people living independently in the community and those in institutions was the higher proportion of the latter needing help with the activities of daily living and showing mental disorientation. Of those individuals 85 years of age or over in institutions for 1 year, 26% acknowledged often feeling depressed and 18% acknowledged often wishing they were dead, but these tendencies were not more frequent in those 85 years of age or over than in those 65 to 84 years of age. These findings have implications for service and research needs and attitudes towards death.     

The influence of sociodemographic characteristics on health care utilisation in a Swedish municipality

During recent years there has been a debate on factors that might influence health care utilisation, and the possibilities to predict such utilisation in order to facilitate the allocation of health care resources in the community. Currently only the age distribution in the population is usually used for such predictions. In this study the influence of a number of other sociodemographic characteristics on health care utilisation, in addition to age and sex, was assess in a small Swedish community. A postal questionnaire, containing questions on health care utilisation and a number of sociodemographic factors, was sent to a random, stratified sample of the population of H?bo municipality, Sweden. Out of the sampled 1312 subjects, 827 (63%) responded to the questionnaire. Subjects aged 65 years and above had higher odds for having consulted a physician, having been hospitalised and having a cost limitation card compared to those below age 65. Men had significantly lower odds than women for having consulted a physician, having visited other health care providers and having a cost limitation card. Singles, as compared to married subjects, had lower odds for all health care measures except having consulted a physician. Subjects with sick leave or disability pension, as compared to working subjects, had higher odds for most health care utilisation measures. A number of sociodemographic factors were thus associated with health care utilisation and might be considered in the health care resources allocation process.     

Influenza vaccination

Cost-effectiveness analysis was used to evaluate influenza vaccination. From 1971-1972 through 1977-1978, vaccination of an elderly person 65 years of age or older saved net medical care costs while improving health. Vaccination of younger high-risk adults aged 15 through 64 years also improved health for a low net cost per year of healthy life gained. By covering influenza vaccination during those years, the Medicare program would have incurred a net cost for each vaccination of $13 per year of healthy life gained for medical costs connected with influenza and $791 per year gained including costs of treating other illnesses in later life. The analysis indicates the need for epidemiologic research on the extent of influenza and the mechanism of its spread. The results also raise the issue of public policy to promote influenza vaccination among high-risk persons as a low-cost, preventive technology.     

Health promotion and disease prevention in the care of older adults: preventive practice in primary care

Prevention is an important and appropriate component of the primary care of older adults. Office-based approaches to prevention include routinely scheduled examinations for health maintenance and case finding for early disease and disability during visits scheduled for other purposes. The primary care clinician is the optimal person for effective preventive intervention in patients 65 years and older. The spectrum of preventive activities ranges from screening by history taking, physical examination, and laboratory tests to intervention by counseling and therapeutic intervention. Unfortunately, substantial barriers exist to widespread incorporation of preventive practices into primary care, including the need for information and the low level of third-party reimbursement in this area.     

Influenza and pneumococcal pneumonia immunization. Protecting our high risk population

Pneumonia and influenza (P & I) constitute Florida's sixth leading cause of death. The P & I death rate in 1987, 10.5 per 100,000, was the highest since 1978. Major target groups for one or both vaccines used in prevention, as recommended by the Immunization Practices Advisory Committee (ACIP), include persons with chronic diseases of the heart or lungs, residents of nursing homes and other chronic care facilities, and persons aged 65 and older. Despite well-defined recommendations, vaccine coverage rates in Florida are as low as 30% in persons greater than or equal to 65 years of age. Knowledge and attitude surveys demonstrate that low coverage among various population groups may be due largely to insufficient awareness and/or negative attitudes regarding pneumococcal and influenza vaccines. Conversely, recommendations by physicians and other health care providers are strongly associated with receiving either vaccine. If the incidence of P & I is to decrease substantively in Florida, much wider use of the vaccines must occur. Because so many high-risk patients depend on private physicians for health care, their role is critical to the success of Florida public health strategies to reverse P & I trends.     

High-cost users of hospital beds in Western Australia: a population-based record linkage study

OBJECTIVE: To describe how high-cost users of inpatient care in Western Australia differ from other users in age, health problems and resource use. DESIGN AND DATA SOURCES: Secondary analysis of hospital data and linked mortality data from the WA Data Linkage System for 2002, with cost data from the National Hospital Cost Data Collection (2001-02 financial year). OUTCOME MEASURES: Comparison of high-cost users and other users of inpatient care in terms of age, health profile (major diagnostic category) and resource use (annualised costs, separations and bed days). RESULTS: Older high-cost users (> or = 65 years) were not more expensive to treat than younger high-cost users (at the patient level), but were costlier as a group overall because of their disproportionate representation (n = 8466; 55.9%). Chronic stable and unstable conditions were a key feature of high-cost users, and included end stage renal disease, angina, depression and secondary malignant neoplasms. High-cost users accounted for 38% of both inpatient costs and inpatient days, and 26% of inpatient separations. CONCLUSION: Ageing of the population is associated with an increase in the proportion of high-cost users of inpatient care. High costs appear to be needs-driven. Constraining high-cost inpatient use requires more focus on preventing the onset and progression of chronic disease, and reducing surgical complications and injuries in vulnerable groups.