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Poorly controlled cardiometabolic biometric health gap measures [e.g.,uncontrolled blood pressure (BP), HbA1c, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C)] are mediated by medication adherence and clinician-level therapeutic inertia (TI). The study of comparing relative contribution of these two factors to disease control is lacking. We conducted a retrospective cohort study using 7 years of longitudinal electronic health records (EHR) from primary care cardiometabolic patients who were 35 years or older. Cox-regression modeling was applied to estimate how baseline proportion of days covered (PDC) and TI were associated with cardiometabolic related health gap closure. 92,766 patients were included in the analysis, among which 89.9%, 85.8%, and 73.3% closed a BP, HbA1c, or LDL-C gap, respectively, with median days to gap closure ranging from 223 to 408 days. Patients who did not retrieve a medication were the least likely to achieve biometric control, particularly for LDL-C (HR = 0.58, 95% CI: 0.55–0.60). TI or uncertainty of TI was associated with a high risk of health gap persistence, particularly for LDL-C (HR ranges 0.46–0.48). Both poor medication adherence and TI are independently associated with persistent health gaps, and TI has a much higher impact on disease control compared to medication adherence, implying disease management strategies should prioritize reducing TI.

Background Patients with acute low back pain frequently request diagnostic imaging, and clinicians feel pressure to acquiesce to such requests to sustain patient trust and satisfaction. Spinal imaging in patients with acute low back pain poses risks from diagnostic evaluation of false-positive findings, patient labeling and anxiety, and unnecessary treatment (including spinal surgery). Watchful waiting advice has been an effective strategy to reduce some low-value treatments, and some evidence suggests a watchful waiting approach would be acceptable to many patients requesting diagnostic tests. Methods We will use key informant interviews of clinicians and focus groups with primary care patients to refine a theory-informed standardized patient-based intervention designed to teach clinicians how to advise watchful waiting when patients request low-value spinal imaging for low back pain. We will test the effectiveness of the intervention in a randomized clinical trial. We will recruit 8–10 primary care and urgent care clinics (~ 55 clinicians) in Sacramento, CA; clinicians will be randomized 1:1 to intervention and control groups. Over a 3- to 6-month period, clinicians in the intervention group will receive 3 visits with standardized patient instructors (SPIs) portraying patients with acute back pain; SPIs will instruct clinicians in a three-step model emphasizing establishing trust, empathic communication, and negotiation of a watchful waiting approach. Control physicians will receive no intervention. The primary outcome is the post-intervention rate of spinal imaging among actual patients with acute back pain seen by the clinicians adjusted for rate of imaging during a baseline period. Secondary outcomes are use of targeted communication techniques during a follow-up visit with an SP, clinician self-reported use of watchful waiting with actual low back pain patients, post-intervention rates of diagnostic imaging for other musculoskeletal pain syndromes (to test for generalization of intervention effects beyond back pain), and patient trust and satisfaction with physicians. Discussion This trial will determine whether standardized patient instructors can help clinicians develop skill in negotiating a watchful waiting approach with patients with acute low back pain, thereby reducing rates of low-value spinal imaging. The trial will also examine the possibility that intervention effects generalize to other diagnostic tests. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.govNCT 04255199. Registered on January 20, 2020

To evaluate whether planarSubjects from ADMIRE-HF were followed for approximately 5 years after imaging (964 subjects, median follow-up 62.7 months). Subjects were stratified according to the heart/mediastinum (H/M) ratio ( 1.60 vs ≥ 1.60) on planarDuring a median follow-up of 62.7 months, patients with H/M ≥ 1.60 were at significantly lower risk of death and arrhythmic events independently of LVEF values.

Primary care providers (PCPs) have few tools for enhancing patient self-efficacy, a key mediator of myriad health-influencing behaviors.To examine whether brief standardized patient instructor (SPI)-delivered training increases PCPs' use of self-efficacy-enhancing interviewing techniques (SEE IT).Randomized controlled trial.Fifty-two family physicians and general internists from 12 primary care offices drawn from two health systems in Northern California.Experimental arm PCPs received training in the use of SEE IT training during three outpatient SPI visits scheduled over a 1-month period. Control arm PCPs received a single SPI visit, during which they viewed a diabetes treatment video. All intervention visits (experimental and control) were timed to last 20 min. SPIs portrayed patients struggling with self-care of depression and diabetes in the first 7 min, then delivered the appropriate intervention content during the remaining 13 min.The primary outcome was provider use of SEE IT (a count of ten behaviors), coded from three audio-recorded standardized patient visits at 1-3 months, again involving depression and diabetes self-care. Two five-point scales measured physician responses to training: Value (7 items: quality, helpfulness, understandability, relevance, feasibility, planned use, care impact), and Hassle (2 items: personal hassle, flow disruption).Pre-intervention, study PCPs used a mean of 0.7 behaviors/visit, with no significant between-arm difference (P = 0.23). Post-intervention, experimental arm PCPs used more of the behaviors than controls (mean 2.7 vs. 1.0 per visit; adjusted difference 1.7, 95 % CI 1.1-2.2; P 0.001). Experimental arm PCPs had higher training Value scores than controls (mean difference 1.05, 95 % CI 0.68-1.42; P 0.001), and similarly low Hassle scores.Primary care physicians receiving brief SPI-delivered training increased their use of SEE IT and found the training to be of value. Whether patients visiting SEE IT-trained physicians experience improved health behaviors and outcomes warrants study. CLINICALTRIALS.NCT01618552.

PURPOSE Interventions tailored to sociopsychological factors associated with health behaviors have promise for reducing colorectal cancer screening dispari- ties, but limited research has assessed their impact in multiethnic populations. We examined whether an interactive multimedia computer program (IMCP) tai- lored to expanded health belief model sociopsychological factors could promote colorectal cancer screening in a multiethnic sample. METHODS We undertook a randomized controlled trial, comparing an IMCP tailored to colorectal cancer screening self-efficacy, knowledge, barriers, readi - ness, test preference, and experiences with a nontailored informational program, both delivered before office visits. The primary outcome was record-documented colorectal cancer screening during a 12-month follow-up period. Secondary outcomes included postvisit sociopsychological factor status and discussion, as well as clinician recommendation of screening during office visits. We enrolled 1,164 patients stratified by ethnicity and language (49.3% non-Hispanic, 27.2% Hispanic/English, 23.4% Hispanic/Spanish) from 26 offices around 5 centers (Sac - ramento, California; Rochester and the Bronx, New York; Denver, Colorado; and San Antonio, Texas). RESULTS Adjusting for ethnicity/language, study center, and the previsit value of the dependent variable, compared with control patients, the IMCP led to sig- nificantly greater colorectal cancer screening knowledge, self-efficacy, readiness, test preference specificity, discussion, and recommendation. During the follow- up period, 132 (23%) IMCP and 123 (22%) control patients received screening (adjusted difference = 0.5 percentage points, 95% CI -4.3 to 5.3). IMCP effects did not differ significantly by ethnicity/language. CONCLUSIONS Sociopsychological factor tailoring was no more effective than nontailored information in encouraging colorectal cancer screening in a multi- ethnic sample, despite enhancing sociopsychological factors and visit behaviors associated with screening. The utility of sociopsychological tailoring in address- ing screening disparities remains uncertain.

Objective To explore how physician training in self-efficacy enhancing interviewing techniques (SEE IT) affects patient psychological health behavior change mediators (HBCMs). Methods We analyzed data from 131 patients visiting primary care physicians ≥4 months after the physicians participated in a randomized controlled trial. Experimental arm physicians (N = 27) received SEE IT training during three ≤20 min standardized patient instructor (SPI) visits. Control physicians (N = 23) viewed a diabetes medications video during one SPI visit. Physicians were blinded to patient participation. Outcomes were self-care self-efficacy, readiness, and health locus of control (Internal, Chance, Powerful Others), examined as a summary HBCM score (average of standardized means) and individually. Analyses adjusted for pre-visit values of the dependent variables. Results Patients visiting SEE IT-trained physicians had higher summary HBCM scores (+0.42, 95% CI 0.07–0.77; p = 0.021). They also had greater self-care readiness (AOR 3.04, 95% CI 1.02–9.03, p = 0.046) and less Chance health locus of control (−0.27 points, 95% CI −0.50–0.04, p = 0.023), with no significant differences in other HBCMs versus controls. Conclusion Improvement in psychological HBCMs occurred among patients visiting SEE IT-trained physicians, Practice implications If further research shows the observed HBCM effects improve health behaviors and outcomes, SEE IT training might be offered widely to physicians.

Importance Encouraging primary care patients to address depression symptoms and care with clinicians could improve outcomes but may also result in unnecessary treatment. Objective To determine whether a depression engagement video (DEV) or a tailored interactive multimedia computer program (IMCP) improves initial depression care compared with a control without increasing unnecessary antidepressant prescribing. Design, Setting, and Participants Randomized clinical trial comparing DEV, IMCP, and control among 925 adult patients treated by 135 primary care clinicians (603 patients with depression and 322 patients without depression, defined by Patient Health Questionnaire–9 [PHQ-9] score) conducted from June 2010 through March 2012 at 7 primary care clinical sites in California. Interventions DEV targeted to sex and income, an IMCP tailored to individual patient characteristics, and a sleep hygiene video (control). Main Outcomes and Measures Among depressed patients, superiority assessment of the composite measure of patient-reported antidepressant drug recommendation, mental health referral, or both (primary outcome); depression at 12-week follow-up, measured by the PHQ-8 (secondary outcome). Among nondepressed patients, noninferiority assessment of clinician- and patient-reported antidepressant drug recommendation (primary outcomes) with a noninferiority margin of 3.5%. Analyses were cluster adjusted. Results Of the 925 eligible patients, 867 were included in the primary analysis (depressed, 559; nondepressed, 308). Among depressed patients, rates of achieving the primary outcome were 17.5% for DEV, 26% for IMCP, and 16.3% for control (DEV vs control, 1.1 [95% CI, −6.7 to 8.9], P = .79; IMCP vs control, 9.9 [95% CI, 1.6 to 18.2], P = .02). There were no effects on PHQ-8 measured depression score at the 12-week follow-up: DEV vs control, −0.2 (95% CI, −1.2 to 0.8); IMCP vs control, 0.9 (95% CI, −0.1 to 1.9). Among nondepressed patients, clinician-reported antidepressant prescribing in the DEV and IMCP groups was noninferior to control (mean percentage point difference [PPD]: DEV vs control, −2.2 [90% CI, −8.0 to 3.49], P = .0499 for noninferiority; IMCP vs control, −3.3 [90% CI, −9.1 to 2.4], P = .02 for noninferiority); patient-reported antidepressant recommendation did not achieve noninferiority (mean PPD: DEV vs control, 0.9 [90% CI, −4.9 to 6.7], P = .23 for noninferiority; IMCP vs control, 0.3 [90% CI, −5.1 to 5.7], P = .16 for noninferiority). Conclusions and Relevance A tailored IMCP increased clinician recommendations for antidepressant drugs, a mental health referral, or both among depressed patients but had no effect on mental health at the 12-week follow-up. The possibility that the IMCP and DEV increased patient-reported clinician recommendations for an antidepressant drug among nondepressed patients could not be excluded. Trial Registration clinicaltrials.gov Identifier:NCT01144104

Background Depression in primary care is common, yet this costly and disabling condition remains underdiagnosed and undertreated. Persisting gaps in the primary care of depression are due in part to patients’ reluctance to bring depressive symptoms to the attention of their primary care clinician and, when depression is diagnosed, to accept initial treatment for the condition. Both targeted and tailored communication strategies offer promise for fomenting discussion and reducing barriers to appropriate initial treatment of depression. Methods/design The Activating Messages to Enhance Primary Care Practice (AMEP2) Study is a stratified randomized controlled trial comparing two computerized multimedia patient interventions --- one targeted (to patient gender and income level) and one tailored (to level of depressive symptoms, visit agenda, treatment preferences, depression causal attributions, communication self-efficacy and stigma)--- and an attention control. AMEP2 consists of two linked sub-studies, one focusing on patients with significant depressive symptoms (Patient Health Questionnaire-9 [PHQ-9] scores ≥ 5), the other on patients with few or no depressive symptoms (PHQ-9

Objective. Anticoagulation quality and record documentation were retrospectively assessed in patients with chronic nonvalvular atrial fibrillation (CNVAF) managed in a routine care setting. Methods. Medical record data extraction from physician practices in 4 regions of the United States. Results. Of 686 patients, 59% had an electrocardiogram confirming CNVAF, 84% listed at least 1 stroke risk factor, and 60% indicated the goal target international normalized ratio (INR). Two thirds of INRs >3.0 or 5.0. Vitamin K was given (3%) or anticoagulation was temporarily discontinued (9%) for INRs >5.0. The median interval of INR testing was 21 days, which decreased to 7 days for INRs > 4.60. Patients spent 58% of the time in therapeutic range. Conclusion. Serious deficiencies in quality and documentation of routine medical care of anticoagulation for patients with CNVAF continue to exist. (Am J Med Qual 2007;22:327-333)