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Introduction: The U.S. Army medics are often the first responders in the care of sick and injured soldiers on the battlefield, sick call in a Role 2 aid station and garrison clinics. Sick call medics are required to utilize the Algorithm Directed Troop Medical Care (ADTMC) to care for and then render a disposition for these soldiers. The current ADTMC manual is a thick, heavy paper manual. A desktop and smartphone application has been developed that contains the entire ADTMC manual algorithm-based content. Our goal is to enhance the medics' clinical learning and critical thinking skills while improving their evaluation, disposition, and documentation during patient encounters.Materials and Methods: The application was field-tested with the 173rd IBCT (A) while attending a field exercise at Grafenwoehr, Germany. At the unit's Role 2 tent setup, the use of the paper manual to the utilization of the same material via the ADTMC application was compared by observing the medics' workflows directly while they were caring for ill and injured soldiers.Results: Medics, while examining patients, would demonstrate 50% faster exam time using the application compared to medics using only the manual. Moreover, a 50% decrease in document processing time as a result of digitization of the paper documentation process was confirmed. The application ("app") enabled the medics to continue their screening assessments and patient disposition duties on a desktop computer or a smartphone without the need to refer to the paper manual.Conclusion: Medics, by adopting this tool, will become quicker, more efficient, and develop critical thinking skills. In other words, the ability to objectively evaluate patients in order to form a proper disposition of sick and injured soldiers during training, in the field, as well as in garrison. When utilized properly, the ADTMC application ensures that soldiers reporting to sick call are expeditiously routed to the appropriate level of care, and is a vehicle for further training for medics in the care of soldiers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of International Journal for Quality in Health Care is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The Surviving Sepsis Campaign recommends immediate antibiotics for all patients with suspected sepsis and septic shock, ideally within 1 hour of recognition. Immediate antibiotic treatment is lifesaving for some patients, but a substantial fraction of patients initially diagnosed with sepsis have noninfectious conditions. Aggressive time-to-antibiotic targets risk promoting antibiotic overuse and antibiotic-associated harms for this subset of the population. An accurate understanding of the precise relationship between time-to-antibiotics and mortality for patients with possible sepsis is therefore critical to finding the best balance between assuring immediate antibiotics for those patients who truly need them versus allowing clinicians some time for rapid investigation to minimize the risk of overtreatment and antibiotic-associated harms for patients who are not infected. More than 30 papers have been published assessing the relationship between time-to-antibiotics and outcomes, almost all of which are observational cohort studies. Most report significant associations but all have important limitations. Key limitations include focusing just on the sickest subset of patients (only patients requiring intensive care and/or patients with septic shock), blending together mortality estimates from patients with very long intervals until antibiotics with patients with shorter intervals and reporting a single blended (and thus inflated) estimate for the average increase in mortality associated with each hour until antibiotics, and failure to control for large potential confounders including patients' presenting signs and symptoms and granular measures of comorbidities and severity of illness. In this study, we elaborate on these potential sources of bias and try to distill a better understanding of what the true relationship between time-to-antibiotics and mortality may be for patients with suspected sepsis or septic shock. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Should health systems invest more in access to care by expanding insurance coverage or in health care services including improving the quality of care? Comparing these options experimentally would shed light on the impact and cost-effectiveness of these strategies.Methods: The Quality Improvement Demonstration Study (QIDS) was a randomized policy experiment conducted across 30 districts in the Philippines. The study had a control group and two policy intervention groups intended to improve the health of young children. The demand-side intervention in QIDS was universal health insurance coverage (UHC) for children aged 5 years or younger, and a supply-side intervention, a pay-for-performance (P4P) bonus for all providers who met pre-determined quality levels. In this paper, we compare the impacts of these policies from the QIDS experiment on childhood wasting by calculating DALYs averted per US$spent.Results: The direct per capita costs to implement UHC and P4P are US$4.08 and US$1.98 higher, respectively, compared to control. DALYs due to wasting were reduced by 334,862 in UHC and 1,073,185 in P4P. When adjustments are made for the efficiency of higher quality, the DALYS averted per US$ spent is similar in the two arms, 1.56 and 1.58 for UHC and P4P, respectively. Since the P4P quality improvements touches all patients seen by qualifying providers (32% in UHC versus 100% in P4P), there is a larger reduction in DALYs. With similar programmatic costs for either intervention, in this study, each US$spent under P4P yielded 1.52 DALYs averted compared to the standard program, while UHC yielded only a 0.50 DALY reduction.Conclusion: P4P had a greater impact and was more cost-effective compared to UHC as measured by DALYs averted. While expanded insurance benefit ceilings affected only those who are covered, P4P incentivizes practice quality improvement regardless of whether children are insured or uninsured. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Informal payments for health care are a well-known phenomenon in many health care systems around the world. While informal payments could be an important source of health care financing, they have an adverse impact on efficiency and access to care, and are a major impediment to ongoing health care reforms. This paper aims to study the scale and patterns of informal patient payments for out-patient and in-patient services in three former-socialist countries: Bulgaria, Hungary and Ukraine. The data are collected in 2010 and 2011 based on national representative samples and are analysed in pooled models to explain variations in payments. The results of the cross-country comparison suggest a relatively higher prevalence of informal patient payments in Ukraine and Hungary than in Bulgaria, where patients also have to pay formal user charges in the public sector. Nevertheless, informal payments for hospitalization in Bulgaria are quite extensive. We observe some differences in informal payments across the years. Variations in payment size are mainly explained by the nature, type and need for services, fee awareness and, on some occasions, by household income. Interpreted within the context of structural differences (e.g. reform paths, regulations, funding, user fees, anti-corruption policies), the findings of our study have implications on how to address informal payments for health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Health Policy & Planning is the property of Oxford University Press / USA and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Background: Health care complaints are an underutilized resource for quality and safety improvement. Most research on health care complaints is focused on secondary care. However, there is also a need to consider patient safety in general practice, and complaints could inform quality and safety improvement.Objective: This review aimed to synthesize the extant research on complaints in general practice.Methods: Five electronic databases were searched: Medline, Web of Science, CINAHL, PsycINFO and Academic Search Complete. Peer-reviewed studies describing the content, impact of and motivation for complaints were included and data extracted. Framework synthesis was conducted using the Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool (HCAT) as an organizing framework. Methodological quality was appraised using the Quality Assessment Tool for Studies with Diverse Designs (QATSDD).Results: The search identified 2960 records, with 21 studies meeting inclusion criteria. Methodological quality was found to be variable. The contents of complaints were classified using the HCAT, with 126 complaints (54%) classified in the Clinical domain, 55 (23%) classified as Management and 54 (23%) classified as Relationships. Motivations identified for making complaints included quality improvement for other patients and monetary compensation. Complaints had both positive and negative impacts on individuals and systems involved.Conclusion: This review highlighted the high proportion of clinical complaints in general practice compared to secondary care, patients' motivations for making complaints and the positive and negative impacts that complaints can have on health care systems. Future research focused on the reliable coding of complaints and their use to improve quality and safety in general practice is required. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Infertility is a major reproductive health problem in Africa. This paper presents the findings of two studies which focus on the knowledge that infertile women have about fertility and the causes of infertility, their treatment-seeking behaviour and their expectations of an infertility clinic.Methods: A total of 150 infertile women from a culturally diverse, urban community in South Africa participated in the two studies. Both qualitative and quantitative research methods were applied using in-depth, semi-structured interviews and structured questionnaires.Results: The women who participated had little knowledge about human reproduction and modern treatment options for infertility. They were highly motivated to find treatment and accessed both traditional and modern health care. Treatment barriers within modern health care were identified.Conclusions: The importance of health education and counselling is recognized, and both need to be integrated into infertility management, particularly in the developing world. The introduction of clinical guidelines is recommended in order to overcome treatment barriers and improve the delivery of health services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Understanding the relationship between different aspects of disadvantage over time and domains of child development will facilitate the formulation of more precise policy responses. We examined the association between exposure to aspects of disadvantage over the childhood period (from 0-9 years) and child development at 10-11 years.Methods: We used data from the nationally representative birth cohort of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children (n = 4979). Generalized linear models with log-Poisson link were used to estimate the association between previously derived disadvantage trajectories (in each of four lenses of sociodemographic, geographic environments, health conditions and risk factors, and a composite of these) and risk of poor child developmental outcomes. Population-attributable fractions were calculated to quantify the potential benefit of providing all children with optimal conditions for each developmental outcome.Results: Trajectories of disadvantage were associated with developmental outcomes: children in the most disadvantaged composite trajectory had seven times higher risk of poor outcomes on two or more developmental domains, compared with those most advantaged. Trajectories of disadvantage in different lenses were varyingly associated with the child development domains of socio-emotional adjustment, physical functioning and learning competencies. Exposure to the most advantaged trajectory across all lenses could reduce poor developmental outcomes by as much as 70%.Conclusions: Exposure to disadvantage over time is associated with adverse child development outcomes. Developmental outcomes varied with the aspects of disadvantage experienced, highlighting potential targets for more precise policy responses. The findings provide evidence to stimulate advocacy and action to reduce child inequities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integrated chronic disease management (ICDM) model was introduced as a response to the dual burden of HIV/AIDS and non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in South Africa, one of the first of such efforts by an African Ministry of Health. The aim of the ICDM model is to leverage HIV programme innovations to improve the quality of chronic disease care. There is a dearth of literature on the perspectives of healthcare providers and users on the quality of care in the novel ICDM model. This paper describes the viewpoints of operational managers and patients regarding quality of care in the ICDM model. In 2013, we conducted a case study of the seven PHC facilities in the rural Agincourt sub-district in northeast South Africa. Focus group discussions (n = 8) were used to obtain data from 56 purposively selected patients ≥18 years. In-depth interviews were conducted with operational managers of each facility and the sub-district health manager. Donabedian’s structure, process and outcome theory for service quality evaluation underpinned the conceptual framework in this study. Qualitative data were analysed, with MAXQDA 2 software, to identify 17 a priori dimensions of care and unanticipated themes that emerged during the analysis. The manager and patient narratives showed the inadequacies in structure (malfunctioning blood pressure machines and staff shortage); process (irregular prepacking of drugs); and outcome (long waiting times). There was discordance between managers and patients regarding reasons for long patient waiting time which managers attributed to staff shortage and missed appointments, while patients ascribed it to late arrival of managers to the clinics. Patients reported anti-hypertension drug stock-outs (structure); sub-optimal defaulter-tracing (process); rigid clinic appointment system (process). Emerging themes showed that patients reported HIV stigmatisation in the community due to defaulter-tracing activities of home-based carers, while managers reported treatment of chronic diseases by traditional healers and reduced facility-related HIV stigma because HIV and NCD patients attended the same clinic. Leveraging elements of HIV programmes for NCDs, specifically hypertension management, is yet to be achieved in the study setting in part because of malfunctioning blood pressure machines and anti-hypertension drug stock-outs. This has implications for the nationwide scale up of the ICDM model in South Africa and planning of an integrated chronic disease care in other low- and middle-income countries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This systematic review (SR) reviews the evidence on use of theory in developing and evaluating behaviour change interventions (BCIs) to improve clinicians' antimicrobial prescribing (AP).Methods: The SR protocol was registered with PROSPERO. Eleven databases were searched from inception to October 2018 for peer-reviewed, English-language, primary literature in any healthcare setting and for any medical condition. This included research on changing behavioural intentions (e.g. in simulated scenarios) and research measuring actual AP. All study designs/methodologies were included. Excluded were: grey literature and/or those which did not state a theory. Two reviewers independently extracted and quality assessed the data. The Theory Coding Scheme (TCS) evaluated the extent of the use of theory.Results: Searches found 4227 potentially relevant papers after removal of duplicates. Screening of titles/abstracts led to dual assessment of 38 full-text papers. Ten (five quantitative, three qualitative and two mixed-methods) met the inclusion criteria. Studies were conducted in the UK (n = 8), Canada (n = 1) and Sweden (n = 1), most in primary care settings (n = 9), targeting respiratory tract infections (n = 8), and medical doctors (n = 10). The most common theories used were Theory of Planned Behaviour (n = 7), Social Cognitive Theory (n = 5) and Operant Learning Theory (n = 5). The use of theory to inform the design and choice of intervention varied, with no optimal use as recommended in the TCS.Conclusions: This SR is the first to investigate theoretically based BCIs around AP. Few studies were identified; most were suboptimal in theory use. There is a need to consider how theory is used and reported and the systematic use of the TCS could help. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Efficient handover of patient information is fundamental for patient care and service efficiency. An audit exploring surgeons' views on written handover within a Trust's surgical specialties concluded that clear deficiencies existed. Such concerns have been echoed in the General Medical Council's guidance on safe surgical handover. Aims: To design and implement bespoke software for surgical handover using the audit results of surgeons' perceptions of existing processes. To gain feedback from the surgical department on this new software and implement a long-term sustainability strategy. Methods: Following an initial review, a proposal was presented for a new patient management tool. The software was designed and developed in-house to reflect the needs of our surgeons. The bespoke programme used open-source coding and was maintained on a secure server. A review of surgical handover occurred 12 and 134 weeks post-implementation of the new software. Results: Integrated Patient Coordination System (IntPaCS) was successfully developed and delivered. The system is a centralised platform that enables the visualisation, handover and audit/research of surgical inpatient information in any part of the hospital. Feedback found that clinicians found it less stressful to create a post-take handover (60% vs 36%) than using a Word document. IntPaCS was found to be quicker to use too (15 min (SD 4) vs 24 min (SD 7.5)). Finally, the new system was considered safer with less reported missing/incorrect patient data (48% vs 9%). Conclusions: This study has shown that careful use of emerging technology and innovation over time has the potential to improve all aspects of clinical governance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Survivorship care plans seek to improve the transition to survivorship, but the required resources present implementation barriers. This randomized controlled trial aimed to identify the simplest, most effective approach for survivorship care planning.Methods: Stage 1-3 breast, colorectal, and prostate cancer patients aged 21 years or older completing treatment were recruited from an urban-academic and rural-community cancer center. Participants were randomly assigned, stratified by recruitment site and cancer type 1:1:1 to a mailed plan, plan delivered during a 1-time transition visit, or plan delivered during a transition visit plus 6-month follow-up visit. Health service use data were collected from participants and medical records for 18 months. The primary outcome, receipt of all plan-recommended care, was compared across intervention arms using logistic regression adjusting for cancer type and recruitment site, with P less than .05 considered statistically significant.Results: Of 378 participants randomly assigned, 159 (42.1%) were breast, 142 (37.6%) prostate, and 77 (20.4%) colorectal cancer survivors; 207 (54.8%) from the academic site and 171 (45.2%) from the community site; 316 were analyzable for the primary outcome. There was no difference across arms in the proportion of participants receiving all plan-recommended care: 45.2% mail, 50.5% 1-visit, 42.7% 2-visit (2-sided P = .60). Adherence by cancer type for mail, 1-visit, and 2-visit, respectively, was 52.2%, 53.3%, and 40.0% for breast cancer; 48.6%, 64.1%, and 57.1% for prostate cancer; and 23.8%, 19.0%, and 26.1% for colorectal cancer. There were no statistically significant interactions by recruitment site or cancer type.Conclusions: This study did not find differences in receipt of recommended follow-up care by plan delivery approach. Feasibility and other factors may determine the best approach for survivorship care planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient complaints about care in general practice are underutilized as a source of safety improvement data.Objective: This study aimed to adapt a secondary care complaints analysis tool for use in general practice contexts and assess the validity, reliability and usability of the adapted tool.Methods: The study was conducted in two phases. Phase A: The Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool (HCAT) designed for use in secondary care was adapted for use in general practice using an iterative six-stage process. Phase B: Participants from key stakeholder groups [General practitioners (n = 5), complaints managers (n = 9), health service researchers (n = 4)]. Participants completed an online survey and analysed 20 fictionalized patient complaints using the adapted tool. Inter-rater reliability and agreement with a referent standard were analysed using Gwet's AC1 statistic.Results: Phase A: The HCAT was adapted to the Healthcare Complaints Analysis Tool (General Practice) [HCAT(GP)]. The HCAT(GP) tool consists of three domains (clinical, management and relationship problems), and seven categories. The HCAT(GP) had both content and face validity. Phase B: Inter-rater reliability was substantial for the HCAT(GP) categories (Gwet's AC1 = 0.65). Within-group agreement on the seven HCAT(GP) categories was substantial to perfect (AC1 0.61-0.85). Participants had substantial to perfect agreement with the referent standard across the survey with a mean AC1 of 0.899 (Range 0.76-0.97).Conclusions: This study reports the adaptation of the HCAT(GP) and has established that the tool has sufficient validity, reliability and usability. This adapted tool can be applied to general practice complaints to identify areas for improvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Many studies have reported an inferred causal association of income poverty with physical health among children; but making causal inference is challenging due to multiple potential sources of systematic error. We quantified the short-run effect of changes in household poverty status on children's health (asthma and ear infections) and service use (visits to the doctor and parent-reported hospital admissions), using a national longitudinal study of Australian children, with particular attention to potential residual confounding and selection bias due to study attrition.Methods: We use four modelling approaches differing in their capacity to reduce residual confounding (generalized linear, random effects (RE), hybrid and fixed effects (FE) regression modelling) to model the effect of income poverty (<60% of median income) on health for 10 090 children surveyed every 2nd year since 2004. For each method, we simulate the potential impact of selection bias arising due to attrition related to children's health status.Results: Of the 10 090 children included, 20% were in families in poverty at survey baseline (2004). Across subsequent years, ∼25% experienced intermittent and <2% persistent poverty. No substantial associations between poverty and child physical health and service use were observed in the FE models least prone to residual confounding [odds ratio (OR) 0.94, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.81-1.10 for wheeze], in contrast to RE models that were positive (consistent with previous studies). Selection bias causing null findings was unlikely.Conclusions: While poverty has deleterious causal effects on children's socio-behavioural and educational outcomes, we find little evidence of a short-run causal effect of poverty on asthma, ear infections and health service use in Australia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Study Question: Is cord blood DNA methylation associated with having been conceived by medically assisted reproduction?Summary Answer: This study does not provide strong evidence of an association of conception by medically assisted reproduction with variation in infant blood cell DNA methylation.What Is Known Already: Medically assisted reproduction consists of procedures used to help infertile/subfertile couples conceive, including ART. Due to its importance in gene regulation during early development programming, DNA methylation and its perturbations associated with medically assisted reproduction could reveal new insights into the biological effects of assisted reproductive technologies and potential adverse offspring outcomes.Study Design, Size, Duration: We investigated the association of DNA methylation and medically assisted reproduction using a case-control study design (N = 205 medically assisted reproduction cases and N = 2439 naturally conceived controls in discovery cohorts; N = 149 ART cases and N = 58 non-ART controls in replication cohort).Participants/materials, Settings, Methods: We assessed the association between medically assisted reproduction and DNA methylation at birth in cord blood (205 medically assisted conceptions and 2439 naturally conceived controls) at >450 000 CpG sites across the genome in two sub-samples of the UK Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC) and two sub-samples of the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) by meta-analysis. We explored replication of findings in the Australian Clinical review of the Health of adults conceived following Assisted Reproductive Technologies (CHART) study (N = 149 ART conceptions and N = 58 controls).Main Results and the Role Of Chance: The ALSPAC and MoBa meta-analysis revealed evidence of association between conception by medically assisted reproduction and DNA methylation (false-discovery-rate-corrected P-value < 0.05) at five CpG sites which are annotated to two genes (percentage difference in methylation per CpG, cg24051276: Beta = 0.23 (95% CI 0.15,0.31); cg00012522: Beta = 0.47 (95% CI 0.31, 0.63); cg17855264: Beta = 0.31 (95% CI 0.20, 0.43); cg17132421: Beta = 0.30 (95% CI 0.18, 0.42); cg18529845: Beta = 0.41 (95% CI 0.25, 0.57)). Methylation at three of these sites has been previously linked to cancer, aging, HIV infection and neurological diseases. None of these associations replicated in the CHART cohort. There was evidence of a functional role of medically assisted reproduction-induced hypermethylation at CpG sites located within regulatory regions as shown by putative transcription factor binding and chromatin remodelling.Limitations, Reasons For Cautions: While insufficient power is likely, heterogeneity in types of medically assisted reproduction procedures and between populations may also contribute. Larger studies might identify replicable variation in DNA methylation at birth due to medically assisted reproduction.Wider Implications Of the Findings: Newborns conceived with medically assisted procedures present with divergent DNA methylation in cord blood white cells. If these associations are true and causal, they might have long-term consequences for offspring health.Study Funding/competing Interests(s): This study has been supported by the US National Institute of Health (R01 DK10324), the European Research Council under the European Union's Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/2007-2013)/ERC Grant agreement no. 669545, European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under Grant agreement no. 733206 (LifeCycle) and the NIHR Biomedical Centre at the University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Bristol. The UK Medical Research Council and Wellcome (Grant ref: 102215/2/13/2) and the University of Bristol provide core support for ALSPAC. Methylation data in the ALSPAC cohort were generated as part of the UK BBSRC funded (BB/I025751/1 and BB/I025263/1) Accessible Resource for Integrated Epigenomic Studies (ARIES, http://www.ariesepigenomics.org.uk). D.C., J.J., C.L.R. D.A.L and H.R.E. work in a Unit that is supported by the University of Bristol and the UK Medical Research Council (Grant nos. MC_UU_00011/1, MC_UU_00011/5 and MC_UU_00011/6). B.N. is supported by an NHMRC (Australia) Investigator Grant (1173314). ALSPAC GWAS data were generated by Sample Logistics and Genotyping Facilities at Wellcome Sanger Institute and LabCorp (Laboratory Corporation of America) using support from 23andMe. The Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study is supported by the Norwegian Ministry of Health and Care Services and the Ministry of Education and Research, NIH/NIEHS (Contract no. N01-ES-75558), NIH/NINDS (Grant nos. (i) UO1 NS 047537-01 and (ii) UO1 NS 047537-06A1). For this work, MoBa 1 and 2 were supported by the Intramural Research Program of the NIH, National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (Z01-ES-49019) and the Norwegian Research Council/BIOBANK (Grant no. 221097). This work was partly supported by the Research Council of Norway through its Centres of Excellence funding scheme, Project no. 262700.D.A.L. has received support from national and international government and charity funders, as well as from Roche Diagnostics and Medtronic for research unrelated to this study. The other authors declare no conflicts of interest.Trial Registration Number: N/A. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Primary care physicians (PCPs) are in a critical position for identifying, preventing and treating childhood obesity. However, a one-size-fits-all approach does not exist for having conversations about weight with families. A better understanding of how PCPs can address paediatric patients' weight concerns is needed in order to develop effective guidelines and trainings.Objective: To describe PCPs preferences and behaviours regarding weight-related conversations with paediatric patients' and their families.Methods: Twenty PCPs affiliated with the University of Minnesota, USA, were recruited to participate in semi-structured interviews. Transcripts were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.Results: PCP's identified well-child visits as the most appropriate time for weight-related discussions with families. Physicians described what approaches/elements they perceived to work best during conversations: collaboration, empathy, health-focused and objective measures.Conclusions: Overall, PCPs were more comfortable with weight-related discussions during annual well-child visits and rarely initiated them during an acute visit or the first encounter with a patient. Objective measures, such as growth charts, were often utilized to start discussions. Considering a large proportion of well-child visits are missed, alternative opportunities to have discussions about healthy lifestyle behaviours should be explored. The integral role PCPs play in paediatric obesity warrants further research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (RYGB) and sleeve gastrectomy (SG) are the bariatric procedures most commonly used for the management of obesity. Whether one or the other is associated with a higher chance of remission of type 2 diabetes (T2D) is unclear.Objective: This work aims to compare the efficacy of RYGB and SG for T2D remission at 1, 3, and 5 years after surgery.Data Sources: Four databases were searched until January 2020.Study Selection: Randomized controlled studies with at least 12 months of follow-up of patients with T2D allocated to RYGB or SG were selected.Data Extraction: To ensure uniformity, broad and narrow criteria for T2D remission were defined. The number of patients achieving remission of T2D at each assessment was extracted. Data were pooled using a random-effects model.Data Synthesis: Ten studies were included, evaluating 778 patients. The overall prevalence of achievement of broad and narrow criteria for T2D remission was 73% and 53% at the 1-year, 60% and 48% at the 3-year, and 51% and 43% at the 5-year assessment. Compared to SG, RYGB was associated with a higher chance of achieving broad and narrow criteria for remission at 1 year after surgery (risk ratio [RR] = 1.34 vs RR = 1.22) and broad criteria for remission at 5 years (RR = 1.18). No other differences were found.Conclusions: The present meta-analysis suggests a more favorable effect of RYGB than SG on achieving T2D remission in the short-term only, although the evidence currently available does not clarify whether differences in this outcome are confirmed long term or fade thereafter. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Patient satisfaction is an essential indicator in medical practise and research. To monitor the health and well-being of adult populations and the ageing process, the World Health Organization (WHO) has initiated the Study on Global AGEing and Adult Health (SAGE), compiling longitudinal information in six countries including China as one major data source.Objective: The objective of this study was to identify potential predictors for patient satisfaction based on the 2007-10 WHO SAGE China survey.Methods: Data were analysed using random forests (RFs) and ordinal logistic regression models based on 5774 responses to predict overall patient satisfaction on their most recent outpatient health services visit over the last 12 months. Potential predictor variables included access to care, costs of care, quality of care, socio-demographic and health care characteristics and health service features. Increase of the mean-squared error (incMSE) due to variable removal was used to assess relative importance of the model variables for accurately predicting patient satisfaction.Results: The survey data suggest low frequency of dissatisfaction with outpatient services in China (1.8%). Self-reported treatment outcome of the respective visit of a care facility demonstrated to be the strongest predictor for patient satisfaction (incMSE +15%), followed by patient-rated communication (incMSE +2.0%), and then income, waiting time, residency and patient age. Individual patient satisfaction in the survey population was predicted with 74% accuracy using either logistic regression or RF.Conclusions: Patients' perceived outcomes of health care visits and patient communication with health care professionals are the most important variables associated with patient satisfaction in outpatient health services settings in China. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To assess the effectiveness of clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) at reducing unnecessary and suboptimal antibiotic prescribing within different healthcare settings.Methods: A systematic review of published studies was undertaken with seven databases from database inception to November 2018. A protocol was developed using the PRISMA-P checklist and study selection criteria were determined prior to performing the search. Critical appraisal of studies was undertaken using relevant tools. Meta-analyses were performed using a random-effects model to determine whether CDSS use affected optimal antibiotic management.Results: Fifty-seven studies were identified that reported on CDSS effectiveness. Most were non-randomized studies with low methodological quality. However, randomized controlled trials of moderate methodological quality were available and assessed separately. The meta-analyses indicated that appropriate antibiotic therapy was twice as likely to occur following the implementation of CDSSs (OR 2.28, 95% CI 1.82-2.86, k = 20). The use of CDSSs was also associated with a relative decrease (18%) in mortality (OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.73-0.91, k = 18). CDSS implementation also decreased the overall volume of antibiotic use, length of hospital stay, duration and cost of therapy. The magnitude of the effect did vary by study design, but the direction of the effect was consistent in favouring CDSSs.Conclusions: Decision support tools can be effective to improve antibiotic prescribing, although there is limited evidence available on use in primary care. Our findings suggest that a focus on system requirements and implementation processes would improve CDSS uptake and provide more definitive benefits for antibiotic stewardship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In resource-limited settings, the ratio of trained health care professionals to admitted neonates is low. Parents therefore, frequently need to provide primary neonatal care. In order to do so safely, they require effective education and confidence. The evolution and availability of technology mean that video education is becoming more readily available in this setting.Aim: This study aimed to investigate whether showing a short video on a specific neonatal topic could change the knowledge and confidence of mothers of admitted neonates.Methods: A prospective interventional study was conducted in two hospitals in Kigali, Rwanda. Mothers of admitted neonates at a teaching hospital and a district hospital were invited to participate. Fifty-nine mothers met the inclusion criteria. Participants were shown 'Increasing Your Milk Supply, for mothers' a seven-minute Global Health Media Project video in the local language (Kinyarwanda). Before and after watching the video, mothers completed a Likert-based questionnaire which assessed confidence and knowledge on the subject.Results: Composite Likert scores showed a statistically significant increase in knowledge (pre = 27.2, post = 33.2, p < 0.001) and confidence (pre = 5.9, post = 14.2, p < 0.001). Satisfaction levels were high regarding the video content, language and quality. However, only 10% of mothers owned a smartphone.Discussion: We have shown that maternal confidence and knowledge on a specific neonatal topic can be increased through the use of a short video and these videos have the potential to improve the quality of care provided to admitted neonates by their parents in low-resource settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Candidaemia is a leading cause of bloodstream infections in hospitalized patients all over the world. It remains associated with high mortality.Objectives: To assess the impact of implementing an evidence-based package of measures (bundle) on the quality of care and outcomes of candidaemia.Methods: A systematic review of the literature was performed to identify measures related to better outcomes in candidaemia. Eight quality-of-care indicators (QCIs) were identified and a set of written recommendations (early treatment, echinocandins in septic shock, source control, follow-up blood culture, ophthalmoscopy, echocardiography, de-escalation, length of treatment) was prospectively implemented. The study was performed in 11 tertiary hospitals in Spain. A quasi-experimental design before and during bundle implementation (September 2016 to February 2018) was used. For the pre-intervention period, data from the prospective national surveillance were used (May 2010 to April 2011).Results: A total of 385 and 263 episodes were included in the pre-intervention and intervention groups, respectively. Adherence to all QCIs improved in the intervention group. The intervention group had a decrease in early (OR 0.46; 95% CI 0.23-0.89; P = 0.022) and overall (OR 0.61; 95% CI 0.4-0.94; P = 0.023) mortality after controlling for potential confounders.Conclusions: Implementing a structured, evidence-based intervention bundle significantly improved patient care and early and overall mortality in patients with candidaemia. Institutions should embrace this objective strategy and use the bundle as a means to measure high-quality medical care of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: An integrated chronic care programme in terms of a specialized outpatient clinic for patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), has demonstrated improved clinical outcomes. The aim of this study is to assess all-cause mortality in patients in whom AF management was delivered through a specialized outpatient clinic offering an integrated chronic care programme.Methods and Results: Post hoc analysis of a Prospective Randomized Open Blinded Endpoint Clinical trial to assess all-cause mortality in AF patients. The study included 712 patients with newly diagnosed AF, who were referred for AF management to the outpatient service of a University hospital. In the specialized outpatient clinic (AF-Clinic), comprehensive, multidisciplinary, and patient-centred AF care was provided, i.e. nurse-driven, physician supervised AF treatment guided by software based on the latest guidelines. The control group received usual care by a cardiologist in the regular outpatient setting.After a mean follow-up of 22 months, all-cause mortality amounted 3.7% (13 patients) in the AF-Clinic arm and 8.1% (29 patients) in usual care [hazard ratio (HR) 0.44, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.23-0.85; P = 0.014]. This included cardiovascular mortality in 4 AF-Clinic patients (1.1%) and 14 patients (3.9%) in usual care (HR 0.28; 95% CI 0.09-0.85; P = 0.025). Further, 9 patients (2.5%) died in the AF-Clinic arm due to a non-cardiovascular reason and 15 patients (4.2%) in the usual care arm (HR 0.59; 95% CI 0.26-1.34; P = 0.206).Conclusion: An integrated specialized AF-Clinic reduces all-cause mortality compared with usual care. These findings provide compelling evidence that an integrated approach should be widely implemented in AF management. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Smokers with coronary heart disease (CHD) benefit from in-hospital cessation treatment, but relapse is common without ongoing support postdischarge. The purpose of this study was to determine if smoking abstinence would be higher after hospital discharge in smokers who received automated telephone follow-up (ATF) and nurse-counseling, compared with a standard care (SC) control group.Methods: A total of 440 smokers hospitalized with CHD were randomly assigned to the ATF group (n = 216) or to the SC group (n = 224). Participants in the ATF group received automated phone calls 3, 14, 30, 60, 90, 120, 150, and 180 days after hospital discharge. The ATF system posed questions concerning smoking status, confidence in staying smoke-free, and need for assistance. If flagged by the ATF system, a nurse-counselor provided additional counseling by phone. Self-reported continuous smoking abstinence was assessed 26 and 52 weeks postdischarge using intention-to-treat analysis. The main outcome measure was continuous abstinence for weeks 1-26 postdischarge.Results: Participants in the ATF group achieved higher abstinence rates for weeks 1-26 than those in the SC group (odds ratio [OR] = 1.53, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.01 to 2.33). There was no significant difference between groups in abstinence rates for weeks 27-52 (OR = 1.37; 95% CI = 0.89 to 2.09).Conclusions: ATF-mediated follow-up helped smokers with CHD achieve abstinence during the intervention period. There was a trend toward clinically important improvements for weeks 27-52; but between-group differences for this time point did not achieve statistical significance.Clinical Trial Number: NCT00449852.Implications: Automated telephone follow-up exerts its effect by reinforcing participants' efforts to be smoke-free and by proactively linking people requiring assistance to individualized support (eg, telephone counseling). This study shows that automated telephone follow-up can assist smokers with CHD in remaining smoke-free; however, the success of automated telephone follow-up is limited to the treatment period and abstinence rates after the treatment period were not statistically different from among those receiving standard care. Extended treatment via automated telephone follow-up may provide a solution to extend cessation assistance beyond hospital discharge. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: The detection of harmful alcohol use and the delivery of brief advice in primary care are less than optimal. Given limited health care resources, deciding where best to allocate funding to optimize health outcomes is imperative. A simple data-based tool could be useful when access to specialist health economic advice is unavailable. This study aimed to examine the utility of a simple data-based calculator to facilitate priority setting in general practice for reducing alcohol-related harm.Methods: A simple algorithm was developed within Microsoft Excel to allow comparison of hypothetical intervention scenarios that aimed to increase detection and brief advice for harmful alcohol use in general practice. The calculator accommodated varying implementation costs, size of effect and reach for each scenario created. The incremental costs of the intervention scenarios, the incremental number of successes (i.e. abstinence or drinking at safe levels) and the incremental costs-effectiveness ratio (ICER) were calculated for each hypothetical scenario and compared with a usual care scenario.Results: In the hypothetical scenarios modelled, increasing both the detection of harmful alcohol consumption and the provision of brief advice produced the greatest number of incremental successes above baseline. Increasing detection alone produced fewer incremental successes but was the most cost-effective approach, as indicated by the lowest ICER.Discussion: The data-based calculator provides a simple method of exploring reach and cost-effectiveness outcomes without the need for any specific skills. Although this approach has limitations, the calculator can be used by decision makers to guide intervention planning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Reducing antibiotic overuse is a key NHS priority. The majority of antibiotics are prescribed in primary care.Objectives: To describe antibiotic prescribing trends in NHS England primary care for the years 1998-2017 using various measures. We investigated trends and variation between practices and geographical areas, out-of-hours prescribing, and seasonality.Methods: We used publicly available prescribing datasets and calculated antibiotic prescribing rates per 1000 age-sex-adjusted population units, percentage prescribed as broad-spectrum, and course length. We report national time trends for 1998-2016, geographical variation across 2017 and variation trends for 2010-17. We calculated percentiles and ranges, and plotted maps.Results: The overall rate of antibiotic prescribing has reduced by 18% since 2010, with the steepest decline since 2013. The percentage prescribed as broad-spectrum declined since 2006, from 18.0 to 8.4. Between the best and worst Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) there was 2-fold variation for total antibiotic prescribing, but 7-fold variation for cephalosporins. Variation across general practices has declined. The CCG to which a practice belongs accounted for 12.6% of current variation (P < 0.0001). Higher antibiotic prescribing was associated with greater practice size, proportion of patients >65 years or <18 years, ruralness and deprivation. Seasonal increases have been declining for most antibiotics. If every practice prescribed antibiotics at the lowest decile rate in 2017, 10.8 million fewer prescriptions could have been issued (34%). Compared with standard practices, out-of-hours practices prescribed a greater proportion of broad-spectrum antibiotics.Conclusions: Despite a general trend towards more optimal antibiotic prescribing, considerable geographical variation persists across England's practices and CCGs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: We evaluated whether dried blood spots (DBS) are suitable to monitor combined ART when samples are collected in rural Tanzania and transported over a long distance to a specialized bioanalytical laboratory.Methods: Plasma and DBS samples were collected in Tanzania from study patients treated with nevirapine, efavirenz or lopinavir. In addition, plasma, whole blood and DBS samples were obtained from a cohort of HIV patients at the site of the bioanalytical laboratory in Switzerland. DBS samples were analysed using a fully automated LC-MS/MS method.Results: Comparison of DBS versus plasma concentrations of samples obtained from the bridging study in Switzerland indicated an acceptable bias only for nevirapine (18.4%), whereas for efavirenz and lopinavir a pronounced difference of -47.4% and -48.1% was found, respectively. Adjusting the DBS concentrations by the haematocrit and the fraction of drug bound to plasma proteins removed this bias [efavirenz +9.4% (-6.9% to +25.7%), lopinavir +2.2% (-20.0% to +24.2%)]. Storage and transportation of samples from Tanzania to Switzerland did not affect the good agreement between plasma and DBS for nevirapine [-2.9% (-34.7% to +29.0%)] and efavirenz [-9.6% (-42.9% to +23.8%)]. For lopinavir, however, adjusted DBS concentrations remained considerably below [-32.8% (-70.4% to +4.8%)] corresponding plasma concentrations due to decay of lopinavir in DBS obtained under field conditions.Conclusions: Our field study shows that the DBS technique is a suitable tool for therapeutic drug monitoring in resource-poor regions; however, sample stability remains an issue for certain analytes and therefore needs special consideration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Use of the Xpert MTB/RIF assay has increased the number of people diagnosed with rifampicin-resistant tuberculosis (RR-TB), especially in South Africa where Xpert is now the initial diagnostic for individuals with TB symptoms. We hypothesized that a proportion of RR-TB patients determined by Xpert can be treated with a rifabutin-containing regimen.Methods: Rifabutin susceptibility by rpoB mutation was assessed in 349 individuals from South Africa and 172 from Belgium. rpoB polymorphisms were identified by Sanger sequencing. Rifampicin and rifabutin susceptibility was assessed phenotypically. A systematic review was performed to comprehensively collate information on rifabutin susceptibility by rpoB polymorphism. Rifabutin susceptibility was assigned to rpoB polymorphisms based on their positive likelihood ratios and ORs.Results: One hundred and twelve rpoB polymorphisms (67.9% from literature) were identified from all 2045 RR-TB patients, of which 17 polymorphisms could be classified as susceptible/resistant to rifabutin. Eleven polymorphisms were associated with rifabutin susceptibility. The 516GTC mutation was the most common, representing 70% (South Africa) and 76% (Belgium) of all rifabutin-susceptible isolates. At a population level, the 11 polymorphisms associated with rifabutin susceptibility occurred in 33.2% and 16.6% of all South African and Belgian patients diagnosed with RR-TB, respectively.Conclusions: Identification of the exact rpoB polymorphism leading to the diagnosis of RR-TB has the potential to allow inclusion of rifabutin in the treatment regimen of a substantial proportion of RR-TB patients. A randomized controlled trial evaluating the efficacy of a rifabutin-containing TB treatment regimen in these selected patients is needed to provide the evidence required for a change in policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Brain tumours often present with varied, non-specific features with other diagnoses usually being more likely.Objective: To examine how different symptoms and patient demographics predict variations in time to brain tumour diagnosis.Methods: We conducted a secondary analysis of brain tumour cases from National Audit of Cancer Diagnosis in Primary Care. We grouped neurological symptoms into six domains (headache, behavioural/cognitive change, focal neurology, 'fits, faints or falls', non-specific neurological, and other/non-specific) and calculated times for patient presentation, GP referral, specialist consultation and total pathway interval. We calculated odds ratios (ORs) for symptom domains comparing the slowest to other quartiles.Results: Data were available for 226 cases. Median (interquartile range) time for the total pathway interval was 24 days (7-65 days). The most common presentation was focal neurology (33.2%) followed by 'fits, faints or falls' and headache (both 20.8%). Headache only (OR = 4.11, 95% CI = 1.10, 15.5) and memory complaints (OR = 4.82, 95% CI = 1.15, 20.1) were associated with slower total pathway compared to 'fits, faints or falls'. GPs were more likely to consider that there had been avoidable delays in referring patients with headache only (OR = 4.17, 95% CI = 1.14, 15.3).Conclusion: Patients presenting to primary care with headache only or with memory complaints remain problematic with potentially avoidable delays in referral leading to a longer patient pathway. This may or may not impact on the efficacy and morbidity of therapies. Additional aids are required to help doctors differentiate when to refer headaches and memory complaints urgently for a specialist opinion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Concerns have been voiced over the capacity of deintensification strategies to preserve neurocognitive function and prevent neurocognitive impairment.Methods: We present the 96 week results of a neurocognitive substudy nested within the SALT clinical trial: a randomized, open-label, non-inferiority trial that compares whether atazanavir/ritonavir + lamivudine is non-inferior to atazanavir/ritonavir + two NRTIs in HIV-suppressed patients on stable triple therapy. A global deficit score (GDS) for five neurocognitive tasks was used to assess neurocognitive function. Changes in neurocognitive function (GDS value) were determined at weeks 48 and 96. The effect of atazanavir/ritonavir + lamivudine, adjusted for significant confounders, on the change in neurocognitive function was determined using analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) at week 96.Results: The per-protocol analysis included 92 participants (47 atazanavir/ritonavir + lamivudine and 45 atazanavir/ritonavir + two NRTIs). All baseline characteristics were comparable in both groups. At weeks 48 and 96, changes in GDS [week 48, atazanavir/ritonavir + lamivudine -0.3 (95% CI -0.5 to -0.1) versus atazanavir/ritonavir + two NRTIs -0.2 (95% CI -0.4 to 0.0), P = 0.39; week 96, atazanavir/ritonavir + lamivudine -0.3 (95% CI -0.5 to -0.1) versus atazanavir/ritonavir + two NRTIs -0.2 (95% CI -0.4 to -0.1); P = 0.471] were similar. This absence of differences was also observed in all cognitive tasks. Atazanavir/ritonavir + lamivudine did not impact the change in neurocognitive function at week 96; the adjusted effect of atazanavir/ritonavir + lamivudine on GDS change, considering atazanavir/ritonavir + two NRTIs as a reference, was 0.01 (95% CI -0.18 to 0.21) (P = 0.90).Conclusions: Neurocognitive function remained stable after 96 weeks, both in the atazanavir/ritonavir + lamivudine and in the atazanavir/ritonavir + two NRTIs arms, provided HIV remained suppressed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Female refugees are at high risk of reproductive health problems including unmet contraceptive needs. In the Netherlands, the general practitioner (GP) is the main entrance to the healthcare system and plays a vital role in the prescription of contraceptives. Little is known about contraceptive care in female refugees in primary care.Objective: To get insight into GP care related to contraception in refugees and other migrants compared with native Dutch women.Methods: A retrospective descriptive study of patient records of refugees, other migrants and native Dutch women was carried out in five general practices in the Netherlands. The prevalence of discussions about contraception and prescriptions of contraceptives over the past 6 years was compared in women of reproductive age (15-49 years).Results: In total, 104 refugees, 58 other migrants and 162 native Dutch women were included. GPs in our study (2 male, 3 female) discussed contraceptives significantly less often with refugees (51%) and other migrants (66%) than with native Dutch women (84%; P < 0.001 and P = 0.004, respectively). Contraceptives were less often prescribed to refugees (34%) and other migrants (55%) than to native Dutch women (79%; P < 0.001 and P = 0.001). Among refugees from Sub-Saharan Africa, contraception was significantly less often discussed (28.9%) compared with refugees from other regions (67.8%; P < 0.001). More refugees and other migrants had experienced unwanted pregnancies (14% respectively 9%) and induced abortions (12% respectively 7%) than native Dutch women (4% respectively 4%).Conclusion: Contraceptives were significantly less often discussed with and prescribed to refugees and other migrant women compared with native Dutch women. More research is needed to elicit the reproductive health needs and preferences of migrant women regarding GP's care and experiences in discussing these issues. Such insights are vital in order to provide equitable reproductive healthcare to every woman regardless of her background. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are commonly used to treat pain, but have potential side effects in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD).Objectives: To determine trends in NSAIDs prescribing between 2002 and 2010 in patients with CVD, and ascertain whether prescribing patterns changed following publication of major national (the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE)) guidance to GPs.Methods: This was an observational database study of adult patients in 11 practices (Staffordshire, England). NSAIDs were categorised into basic, COX-2 and topical. Study duration was divided on a quarterly basis from 2002-quarter-1 to 2010q4. CVD patients were identified using pre-defined Read Codes recorded in the two years prior to each quarter. Quarterly prevalence was determined. Times of significant changes in prescribing trends were determined using Joinpoint Regression, and compared to dates of the five major guidelines (in 2004q4, 2005q1, 2005q3, 2006q4, 2008q1).Results: In CVD patients, the prescription of basic NSAIDs showed a decreasing trend throughout the study period, from 774 (95% CI, 691-863) per 10000 patients in 2002q1 to 245 (204-291) in 2010q4. COX-2 prescribing increased from 232/10000 (187-286) in 2002q1 to 403/10000 (348-464) in 2004q3. Prescribing then fell sharply to 102/10000 (76-134) in 2005q2 before stabilising around 55/10000. Topical NSAIDs prescribing showed a steady increase, starting at 115/10000 (108-123) in 2002q1 and ending at 270/10000 (258-281) in 2010q4. Similar trends were observed in patients without CVD, particularly a sharp drop in COX-2 prescribing also occurred from 2004q4 when initial MHRA guidance was issued.Conclusion: Despite guidelines and a trend toward decreased prescribing, the use of potentially harmful NSAIDs continued in CVD patients. The MHRA directives potentially might have affected patients without CVD who may have inappropriately restricted their use of COX-2. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Key recommendations for the management of patients with polypharmacy are structured medication counselling (SMC), medication lists and systematic medication reviews.Objective: The aim of this study was to identify determinants (hindering and facilitating factors) for the implementation of the recommendations in general practice.Methods: This study was linked to a tailored intervention aimed at improving the implementation of the recommendations in German general practice. Interviews and focus groups with different healthcare professionals were carried out in the design phase and after delivery of the intervention. The material from both data collections was analysed separately in a content analytical approach resulting in two sets of categories. For this study, the subcategories of both sets were assigned to the Tailoring Interventions for Chronic Diseases (TICD) checklist, a comprehensive framework of determinants of practice.Results: Interviews with 24 general practitioners (GPs), 4 other medical specialists, 1 pharmacist, 3 nurses and 6 medical assistants as well as 2 mixed focus groups with 17 professionals were conducted. We identified 93 determinants: 29 referred to medication counselling, 21 to the use of medication lists, 20 to medications reviews and 23 to all recommendations. The determinants were related to all 7 main domains and to 25 of the 57 subdomains on the TICD checklist including guideline factors, patient factors, individual healthcare professional factors, social, political and legal factors, incentives and resources, and capacity for organizational change.Conclusion: While many interventions to improve polypharmacy focus on the provision of pharmacological knowledge, a much wider range of domains need to be addressed, such as communication skills, patient involvement and practice organization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research about advance care planning (ACP) has often targeted those with serious illness and limited prognosis, thereby not addressing the preferences of healthy adults or adults with a stable condition.Aims: (i) To describe to what extent patients aged 50 and older who are relatively stable or in good health are thinking about the end of life (EOL) and willing to discuss this with their family physician (FP) and (ii) to explore whether patients and FPs indicate the same topics as triggers for ACP discussions in family practice.Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted in a diverse sample of 289 patients aged ≥50 years in family practice in Flanders, Belgium. Subsequently, semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients (n = 5) and FPs (n = 5) to explore their preferences and views on ACP in family practice.Results: The majority (69.8%) of patients had thought about the EOL and would appreciate it if their FP would initiate a conversation about this (75.9%). The qualitative interviews revealed that when thinking about the EOL, a number of themes captured the thoughts of people according to both patients and FPs: (i) becoming care dependent, (ii) physical and mental deterioration, (iii) dying alone and (iv) having paperwork in order. However, on the basis of patients' ideas and FPs' experiences in practice, a difference was noticed between them when it comes to identifying the themes as triggers for initiating ACP discussions.Conclusion: Although patients are willing to discuss the EOL with their FPs, patients and FPs identified different themes as triggers to initiate discussions about the EOL. The variation in triggers could lead to missed opportunities to engage in ACP in a timely manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Investigate whether gastroenterologists rate the quality of referral letters higher if electronic dynamic checklist items are added to a standard free-text referral letter. Assess how this affects the gastroenterologists' assessment of the patient's need for healthcare and the agreement between their assessments.Design: Randomized vignette study.Setting: Norwegian primary gastroenterology services.Participants: Thirty-two Norwegian gastroenterologists.Intervention: Between June 2015 and January 2016, participants were recruited through an open invitation to all members of the Norwegian Society of Gastroenterology. They were asked to rate 16 referral letters (vignettes) in a web interface: eight letters in free text following a general template and eight letters based on a general referral template combined with diagnosis-specific checklist items. The study was completed in two subsequent rounds ≥3 months apart.Main Outcome Measures: Quality of referral letters assessed on a rating scale from 0 to 10. Agreement in the referral assessment and accuracy of the selection of correct preliminary diagnosis and appropriate work-up.Results: The mean quality assesses on the rating scale was 7.0 (95% confidence interval [CI] 6.8-7.2) for all letters combined (n = 511), 6.5(CI 6.2-6.8) for the free-text referrals (n = 256) and 7.5(CI 7.3-7.7) for the checklist referrals (n = 255) (P < 0.001, paired t-test). No difference was observed in the triage of the patients, but fewer gastroenterologists felt the need to collect additional information about the patients in the checklist group.Conclusion: Checklist items may ease the assessment of the referrals for gastroenterologists. We were not able to show that checklists significantly influence the management of patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The international Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) project DRIVE-AB (Driving Reinvestment in Research and Development and Responsible Antibiotic Use) aims to develop a global definition of 'responsible' antibiotic use.Objectives: To identify consensually validated quantity metrics for antibiotic use in the outpatient setting.Methods: First, outpatient quantity metrics (OQMs) were identified by a systematic search of literature and web sites published until 12 December 2014. Identified OQMs were evaluated by a multidisciplinary, international stakeholder panel using a RAND-modified Delphi procedure. Two online questionnaires and a face-to-face meeting between them were conducted to assess OQM relevance for measuring the quantity of antibiotic use on a nine-point Likert scale, to add comments or to propose new metrics.Results: A total of 597 articles were screened, 177 studies met criteria for full-text screening and 138 were finally included. Twenty different OQMs were identified and appraised by 23 stakeholders. During the first survey, 14 OQMs were excluded and 6 qualified for discussion. During the face-to-face meeting, 10 stakeholders retained five OQMs and suggestions were made considering context and combination of metrics. The final set of metrics included defined daily doses, treatments/courses and prescriptions per defined population, treatments/courses and prescriptions per defined number of physician contacts and seasonal variation of total antibiotic use.Conclusions: A small set of consensually validated metrics to assess the quantity of antibiotic use in the outpatient setting was obtained, enabling (inter)national comparisons. The OQMs will help build a global conceptual framework for responsible antibiotic use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Diabetes adversely impacts cognition. Lifestyle change can improve diabetes control and potentially improve cognition. We examined whether weight loss through reduced caloric intake and increased physical activity was associated with slower cognitive aging in older adults with type 2 diabetes mellitus.Methods: The Look AHEAD randomized controlled clinical trial delivered 10 years of intensive lifestyle intervention (ILI) that yielded long-term weight losses. During 5 years spanning the end of intervention and postintervention follow-up, repeated cognitive assessments were obtained in 1,091 individuals who had been assigned to ILI or a control condition of diabetes support and education (DSE). We compared the means and slopes of scores on cognitive testing over these repeated assessments.Results: Compared with DSE, assignment to ILI was associated with a -0.082 SD deficit in mean global cognitive function across repeated assessments (p = .010). However, overweight (body mass index [BMI] < 30 kg/m2) ILI participants had 0.099 (95% confidence interval [CI]: -0.006, 0.259) better mean global cognitive function compared with overweight DSE participants, while obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) ILI participants had -0.117 (-0.185, -0.049) SD worse mean composite cognitive function scores (interaction p = .014) compared to obese DSE participants. For both overweight and obese participants, cognitive decline was marginally (-0.014 SD/y overall) steeper for ILI participants (p = .068), with 95% CI for differences in slopes excluding 0 for measures of attention and memory.Conclusions: The behavioral weight loss intervention was associated with small relative deficits in cognitive function among individuals who were obese and marginally greater cognitive decline overall compared to control. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00017953. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Interventions are needed to reduce unnecessary antibiotic prescribing for respiratory tract infections (RTIs). Although community antibiotic prescribing appears to be decreasing in the UK, figures for out-of-hours (OOH) prescribing have substantially increased. Understanding the factors influencing prescribing in OOH and any perceived differences between general practitioner (GP) and nurse prescriber (NP) prescribing habits may enable the development of tailored interventions promoting optimal prescribing in this setting.Objectives: To explore UK GP and NP views on and experiences of prescribing antibiotics for RTIs in primary care OOH services.Methods: Thirty semi-structured interviews were conducted with GPs and NPs working in primary care OOH services. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyse data.Results: The research shows that factors particular to OOH influence antibiotic prescribing, including a lack of patient follow-up, access to patient GP records, consultation time, working contracts and implementation of feedback, audit and supervision. NPs reported perceptions of greater accountability for their prescribing compared with GPs and reported they had longer consultations during which they were able to discuss decisions with patients. Participants agreed that more complex cases should be seen by GPs and highlighted the importance of consistency of decision making, illness explanations to patients as well as a perception that differences in clinical training influence communication with patients and antibiotic prescribing decisions.Conclusions: Environmental and social factors in OOH services and a mixed healthcare workforce provide unique influences on antibiotic prescribing for RTIs, which would need to be considered in tailoring interventions that promote prudent antibiotic prescribing in OOH services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Multidrug-resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB) is a particular threat to the populations of resource-limited countries. Although inadequate treatment of TB has been identified as a major underlying cause of drug resistance, essential information to inform changes in health service delivery and policy is missing. We investigate factors that may be driving the emergence of MDR-TB in Myanmar, a country where investment and health system reforms are ongoing to address the unexplained, high occurrence of MDR-TB. We conducted a multi-centre, retrospective case-control study in 10 townships across Yangon. Cases were 202 GeneXpert-confirmed MDR-TB patients with a history of prior first-line treatment for TB. Controls were 404 previously untreated smear-microscopy confirmed TB patients who had no evidence of resistance to anti-TB drugs. Information on patient and health service factors was collected through face-to-face patient interviews and hospital record reviews. Multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that the following TB patient groups are at higher risk of developing MDR-TB after initial TB treatment: those who have diabetes (aOR 2.10; 95% CI 1.17-3.76), those who missed taking drugs during the initial treatment more than once weekly (aOR 2.35; 95% CI 1.18-4.65) and those with a higher socioeconomic (aOR 1.99; 95% CI 1.09-3.63) or educational status (aOR 1.78; 95% CI1.01-3.13). Coinciding with a surge in funding to improve health in Myanmar, this study identifies practices of patients and healthcare organizations that can be addressed, and high-risk TB patient groups that can be prioritized for treatment support. Specifically, the study shows that TB patients who experience frequent, short interruptions in treatment and those with diabetes may require enhanced treatment support and monitoring by health services in order to prevent further generation of drug resistance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) experience challenges achieving independence. Few studies assess both adolescents and caregivers' needs as adolescents transition to adult health care.Objective/methods: This study explored and compared the health-related independence experiences of 27 adolescents with ASD and their caregivers. Caregivers participated in focus groups and adolescents participated in semi-structured interviews.Results: Thematic analysis of dyads' responses highlighted three common themes: (a) efforts toward independence, (b) low self-efficacy for adolescents' independence, and (c) desire for independence. Nuances in responses indicated that although members of dyads shared many experiences, they were not communicating these experiences with each other.Conclusions: Results suggest both groups understand the importance of health-related independence and are motivated to achieve independence but lack skills and supports. Improved communication about experiences and goals between caregivers, adolescents, and the care team are needed. These findings can inform future interventions to better support adolescents' transition to adult health care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Heel prick is a frequent painful procedure in newborns. A lancet or a 26-gauge needle is used for a heel prick in India.Objective: To compare the pain caused by heel prick with a lancet or a 26-gauge needle in newborns admitted in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) using the preterm infant pain profile (PIPP).Methods: This randomized controlled trial was conducted over 2 months in a Level III NICU with a sample size of 40 subjects (20 in each group), which was required for the study to have a power of 80% with an alpha error of 0.05. Hemodynamically stable newborns on at least those on partial oral feeds undergoing heel prick for routine glucose monitoring were randomized into two groups within 48 h of NICU admission after informed parental consent: heel prick with a lancet or with a 26-gauge needle using computer-generated random numbers. Two milliliters of expressed breast milk was given 2 min before the heel prick. Pain before, during and after (1 and 5 min) was assessed using the PIPP score. The primary outcome measure was the PIPP score. The secondary outcome measures were the duration of audible cry and the number of pricks needed for an adequate sample. Statistical analysis was done using the Mann Whitney U test and Friedman's test on SPSS v.21. A p value of < 0.05 was significant.Results: There were 40 neonates, 24 males and 16 females included in the study with a median age of 7 days. The mean birth weight was 2441 g (SD: 699) at a mean gestation of 34.4 weeks (SD: 3.2). The median PIPP scores at 0-30 s after heel prick were 7.05 ± 3.57 with a lancet vs. 9.35 ± 3.68 a needle (p = 0.052). There was a significantly lower duration of audible cry with use of lancet (10.5 ± 18.5 s vs. 75.2 ± 12.0 s with needle; p = 0.03). All heel pricks resulted in adequate sampling.Conclusion: Heel prick with a lancet causes less crying than a 26-gauge needle, though the PIPP scores are not significantly different. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: To compare healthcare in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) treatment between contrasting health systems using comparable representative data from Europe and USA.Design: Repeated cross-sectional retrospective cohort study.Setting: Acute care hospitals in Portugal and USA during 2000-2010.Participants: Adults discharged with AMI.Interventions: Coronary revascularizations procedures (percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI), coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery).Main Outcome Measures: In-hospital mortality and length of stay.Results: We identified 1 566 601 AMI hospitalizations. Relative to the USA, more hospitalizations in Portugal presented with elevated ST-segment, and fewer had documented comorbidities. Age-sex-adjusted AMI hospitalization rates decreased in USA but increased in Portugal. Crude procedure rates were generally lower in Portugal (PCI: 44% vs. 47%; CABG: 2% vs. 9%, 2010) but only CABG rates differed significantly after standardization. PCI use increased annually in both countries but CABG decreased only in the USA (USA: 0.95 [0.94, 0.95], Portugal: 1.04 [1.02, 1.07], odds ratios). Both countries observed annual decreases in risk-adjusted mortality (USA: 0.97 [0.965, 0.969]; Portugal: 0.99 [0.979, 0.991], hazard ratios). While between-hospital variability in procedure use was larger in USA, the risk of dying in a high relative to a low mortality hospital (hospitals in percentiles 95 and 5) was 2.65 in Portugal when in USA was only 1.03.Conclusions: Although in-hospital mortality due to an AMI improved in both countries, patient management in USA seems more effective and alarming disparities in quality of care across hospitals are more likely to exist in Portugal. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine the indicators of severe bleeding in children with severe dengue viral infection (DVI), the medical records of patients aged <15 years admitted to Songklanagarind Hospital in southern Thailand during 1989-2011 were reviewed. Severe-bleeding DVI was defined as needing blood products transfusion owing to DVI-caused bleeding. Of the 238 children with severe DVI according to the World Health Organization 2009 criteria, 44 (18.5%) had severe bleeding, of whom 28 (63.6%) died. The international normalized ratio (INR) had high correlations with both transaminase enzymes (Spearman correlation, rs = 0.67-0.69, p <0.01). Multivariate analysis found that patients who had dengue haemorrhagic fever (DHF) grade IV, platelets <20 000/mm3 and INR ≥ 1.5 had increased risk of severe bleeding with odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) of 3.4 (1.4, 8.6), 2.6 (1.1, 6.2) and 10.6 (4.0, 28.4), respectively. Blood products should be at hand in severe DHF children with high risk of severe bleeding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Consensus molecular subtype 4 (CMS4) is a recently identified aggressive colon cancer subtype for which platelet-derived growth factor receptors (PDGFRs) and KIT are potential therapeutic targets. We aimed to develop a clinically applicable CMS4 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) test to select patients for PDGFR/KIT-targeted therapy.Methods: We used logistic regression to develop a CMS4 prediction rule based on microarray expression values of PDGFRA , PDGFRB , PDGFC , and KIT (566 training and 1259 test samples, using the 273-gene random forest classifier as CMS4 reference standard). We next translated the prediction rule into a single-sample RT-qPCR test, which we independently validated in 29 fresh tumor samples. To study intratumor CMS4 heterogeneity, we used the RT-qPCR test to analyze five random regions of 20 colon tumors.Results: The microarray-based prediction rule diagnosed CMS4-type tumors extremely well in both training and independent test samples (training: area under the curve [AUC] = 0.95, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.94 to 0.97; test: AUC = 0.95, 95% CI = 0.94 to 0.96), with excellent calibration and approximately 80% overall net benefit over a large threshold range. Translation into an RT-qPCR test did not affect discrimination (AUC = 0.97, 95% CI = 0.93 to 1.00, independent validation). RT-qPCR analysis of five random tumor regions revealed extensive intratumor CMS4 heterogeneity in nine out of 20 tumors. At least two regions likely have to be analyzed to identify patients that are predominantly CMS4 positive (>50% average CMS4 chance).Conclusion: The CMS4 RT-qPCR test is a promising clinical tool for selecting individual patients for CMS4-subtype-targeted therapy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1990 severely impacted the health sector in Mongolia. Limited public funding for the post-Soviet model public system and a rapid growth of poorly regulated private providers have been pressing issues for a government seeking to re-establish universal health coverage. However, the evidence available on the role of private providers that would inform sector management is very limited. This study analyses the current contribution of private hospitals in Mongolia for the improvement of accessibility of health care and efficiency.Methods: We used mixed research methods. A descriptive analysis of nationally representative hospital admission records from 2013 was followed by semi-structured interviews that were carried out with purposively selected key informants (N = 45), representing the main actors in Mongolia's mixed health system.Results: Private-for-profit hospitals are concentrated in urban areas, where their financial model is most viable. The result is the duplication of private and public inpatient services, both in terms of their geographical location and the range of services delivered. The combination of persistent inpatient-oriented care and perverse financial incentives that privilege admission over outpatient management, have created unnecessary health costs. The engagement of the private sector to improve population health outcomes is constrained by a series of issues of governance, regulation and financing and the failure of the state to manage the private sector as an integral part of its health system planning.Discussions/conclusion: For a mixed system like in Mongolia, a comprehensive policy and plan which defines the complementary role of private providers to optimize private public service mix is critical in the early stages of the private sector development. It further supports the importance of a system perspective that combines regulation and incentives in consistent policy, rather than an isolated approach to provide regulation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: International guidelines recommend health care professionals to use supportive tools like questionnaires when assessing cancer patients' needs. Little is known about GPs' perspectives and experience in this regard.Objective: To examine how GPs experience to involve a short questionnaire, completed by patients' prior to a consultation, when addressing the patients' problems and needs. The aim is to contribute to the knowledge concerning the use of questionnaires as part of clinical cancer care in general practice.Methods: Semi-structured individual interviews with 11 GPs in the Region of Southern Denmark purposefully sampled with regard to gender, years working in general practice and practice form. Interviews were analyzed using systematic text condensation.Results: Most GPs found that using the questionnaire provided a supportive structure to the consultation. The questionnaire helped to bring forward issues of importance to the patients, which might otherwise not have been mentioned and enhanced a patient-centered approach. A few GPs found the use of the questionnaire to be restraining, detracting focus from the patient and impede usual practice.Conclusions: This study shows that using questionnaires may have the potential to improve clinical cancer care in general practice in relation to needs assessment of cancer patients and the results support current recommendations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Long-term care for the elderly is largely shouldered by their family, representing a serious burden in a hyper-aging society. However, although family dynamics are known to play an important role in such care, the influence of caring for the elderly on burden among caregiving family members is poorly understood.Objective: To examine the influence of family dynamics on burden experienced by family caregivers.Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional study at six primary care clinics, involving 199 caregivers of adult care receivers who need long-term care. Participants were divided into three groups based on tertile of Index of Family Dynamics for Long-term Care (IF-Long score), where higher scores imply poorer relationships between care receivers and caregiving family: best, <2; intermediate, 2 to <5; worst, ≥5. The mean differences in burden index of caregivers (BIC-11) between the three groups were estimated by linear regression model with adjustment for care receiver's activity of daily living and cognitive function.Results: Mean age of caregivers was 63.2 years (with 40.7% aged ≥ 65 years). BIC-11 scores were higher in the worst IF-Long group (adjusted mean difference: 4.4, 95% confidence interval: 1.2 to 7.5) than in the best IF-Long group. We also detected a positive trend between IF-Long score and BIC-11 score (P-value for trend <0.01).Conclusion: Our findings indicate that family dynamics strongly influences burden experienced by caregiving family members, regardless of the care receiver's degree of cognitive impairment. These results underscore the importance of evaluating relationships between care receivers and their caregivers when discussing a care regimen for care receivers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Introduction: In line with Article 14 guidelines for the WHO Framework Convention on Tobacco Control, we aimed to assess the progress in training individuals to deliver tobacco cessation treatment.Methods: Cross-sectional web-based survey in May-September 2013 among 122 experts in tobacco control and training from 84 countries (73% response rate among 115 countries surveyed). We measured training program prevalence, participants, and challenges faced.Results: Overall, 21% (n = 18/84) of countries, mostly low and middle-income countries (LMICs; P = .002), reported no training program. Among 66 countries reporting at least one training program, most (84%) trained healthcare professionals but 54% also trained other individuals including community health workers, teachers, and religious leaders. Most programs (54%) cited funding challenges, although stability of funding varied by income level. Government funding was more commonly reported in higher income countries (high 56%, upper middle 50%, lower middle 27%, low 25%; P = .03) while programs in LMICs relied more on nongovernmental organizations (high 11%, upper middle 37%, lower middle 27%, low 38%; P = .02).Conclusions: One in five countries reported having no tobacco treatment training program representing little progress in terms of training individuals to deliver tobacco treatment in LMICs. Without more trained tobacco treatment providers, one of the tenets of Article 14 is not yet being met and health inequalities are likely to widen. More effort and resources are needed to ensure that healthcare worker educational programs include training to assess tobacco use and deliver brief advice and that training is available for individuals outside the healthcare system in areas with limited healthcare access. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: While smoking in Norway has become less prevalent, snus use has increased, including among women. The aims of this study were to describe female snus use and its correlates, and to contrast patterns of snus use and smoking.Methods: In 2011-2012, data on tobacco use, age, education, alcohol consumption, sexual behaviors, and physical activity were collected from a population based sample of 13 756 Norwegian women aged 18-45 years, using a self-administered questionnaire.Results: Ever-use prevalence of snus ranged from 29.6% to 4.5% among those aged 18-19 years and 40-45 years, respectively. In contrast, the corresponding figures for smoking were 24.1% and 44.1%. Among snus users, 54.1% and 22.8% of 18-19 and 40 to 45-year-olds had never smoked, respectively. Debut age for snus use increased markedly with age, and was higher than debut age for smoking. Female snus use was positively associated with intermediate education, alcohol consumption, number of sexual partners, and hard physical activity. Smoking was also positively associated with alcohol consumption and number of sexual partners, but negatively associated with physical activity and education.Conclusion: While most snus users among older women were former or current smokers, this was not the case among younger women. Low snus debut age and extensive snus use among younger women suggest that measures to reduce snus use should be targeted at young adolescents. The correlates of female snus use and smoking were not identical, and were similar to those previously documented for men. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]