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The article evaluates the warfarin prescription and interacting medications in relation to the risk of serious patient consequences in the U.S. It examines the usefulness of academic detailing to enhance effectiveness of medication interaction in the outpatient setting. It also utilizes the interrupted time series design and evaluates the effectiveness of electronic medical record alerts and group academic detailing in a health maintenance organization.

The burden of osteoporotic fractures in older men is significant. The objectives of our study were to: (1) characterize older men with fractures associated with osteoporosis, (2) determine if medication treatment rates for osteoporosis are improving and (3) identify patient, healthcare benefit and utilization, and clinician characteristics that are significantly associated with treatment. This retrospective cohort study assessed 1,171 men aged 65 or older with any new fracture associated with osteoporosis between 1 January 1998 and 30 June 2001 in a non-profit health maintenance organization in the United States. Multiple logistic regression was used to evaluate pre-fracture factors for their association with osteoporosis treatment in the 6-month post-fracture period. The main outcome measure was pharmacologic treatment for osteoporosis in the 6 months after the index fracture. Subjects’ average age was 76.7 years; 3.3% had a diagnosis of osteoporosis and 15.2% a diagnosis or medication associated with secondary osteoporosis. Only 7.1% of the study population and 16.0% of those with a hip or vertebral fracture received a medication for osteoporosis following the index fracture, and treatment rates did not improve over time. In the multivariate model, factors significantly associated with drug treatment were a higher value on the Charlson Comorbidity Index (odds ratio 1.26, 95% confidence interval 1.05–1.51), having an osteoporosis diagnosis (odds ratio 8.11, 95% confidence interval 3.08–21.3), chronic glucocorticoid use (odds ratio 5.37, 95% confidence interval 2.37–12.2) and a vertebral fracture (odds ratio 16.6, 95% confidence interval 7.8–31.4). Bone mineral density measurement was rare ( n =13, 1.1%). Our findings suggest that there is under-ascertainment and under-treatment of osteoporosis and modifiable secondary causes in older men with fractures. Information systems merging diagnostic and treatment information can help delineate gaps in patient management. Interventions showing promise in other conditions should be evaluated to improve care for osteoporosis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To determine rates of potentially inappropriate medication use in elderly persons in managed care plans in the United States in 2000–2001.Cross-sectional study using automated medication-dispensing data.Ten geographically distributed health maintenance organizations (HMOs).One hundred fifty-seven thousand five hundred seventeen members aged 65 years and older enrolled in one of the HMOs.Prevalence of use of 33 potentially inappropriate medications from January 1, 2000 through June 30, 2001.In 2000–2001, 28.8% (95% confidence interval=28.6–29.1) of elderly individuals received at least one of 33 potentially inappropriate medications. This rate ranged from 23.0% to 36.5% across the 10 HMOs. Approximately 5% of elderly patients received at least one of the 11 medications classified by an expert panel as“always avoid,” 13% received at least one of the eight medications that would rarely be considered appropriate, and 17% received at least one of the 14 medications that have some indications but are often misused. Overall, rates of use of these medications were greater in women (32.4%) than in men (24.2%). At least 1% of elderly members received belladonna alkaloids (2.3%), dicyclomine (1.1%), or hyoscyamine (1.2%), each of which multiple expert panels have classified as always inappropriate in patients aged 65 years and older. Seven percent of elderly members received propoxyphene, an analgesic medication considered rarely appropriate in the elderly and a drug that has a long history of limited efficacy and potential for toxicity.Recent rates of potentially inappropriate medication use by elderly HMO members were at least as great as in a 1996 national sample. This study highlights the need to understand more fully the rationale behind the continued use of these medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: To compare completion rates of colorectal cancer screening tests within a health maintenance organization before and after widespread adoption of the fecal immunochemical test (FIT)., Study Design: Retrospective cohort study., Methods: Using electronic medical records of 113,901 patients eligible for colorectal cancer screening, we examined test completion during 2 successive time periods among those who received an automated screening outreach call. The time periods were: 1) the "guaiac fecal occult blood test (gFOBT) era," a 15-month period during which only gFOBT was routinely offered, and 2) a 9-month "FIT era," when only a new FIT was routinely offered. In addition to analyzing completion rates, we analyzed the impact of practice-level variables and patient-level variables on overall screening completion during the 2 different observation periods., Results: The change from gFOBT to FIT in an integrated care delivery system increased the likelihood of screening completion by 7.7% overall, and the likelihood of screening with a fecal test by 8.9%. The greatest gains in screening completion using FIT were among women and elderly patients. Completion of FIT was not as strongly associated with medical office visits or with having a primary care provider as was screening with gFOBT., Conclusions: Adoption of FIT within an integrated care system increased completion of colon cancer screening tests within a 9-month assessment period, compared with a previous 15-month gFOBT era. Higher completion rates of the FIT may allow for more effective dissemination of programs to increase colorectal cancer screening through centralized outreach programs.

The case definition, community incidence, and characteristics of atypical femoral shaft fractures (FSFs) are poorly understood. This retrospective study utilized electronic medical records and radiograph review among women ≥50 years of age and men ≥65 years of age from January 1996 to June 2009 at Kaiser Permanente Northwest to describe the incidence rates and characteristics of subgroups of femur fractures. Fractures were categorized based on the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR) as atypical fracture major features (AFMs) (low force, shaft location, transverse or short oblique, noncomminuted) and AFMs with additional minor radiograph features (AFMms) (beaking, cortical thickening, or stress fracture). There were 5034 fractures in the study. The incidence rates of FSFs (without atypical features) and AFMs appeared flat (cumulative incidence: 18.2 per 100,000 person-years, 95% CI = 16.0-20.7; 5.9 per 100,000 person-years, 95% CI = 4.6-7.4; respectively) with 1,271,575 person-years observed. The proportion of AFMs that were AFMms increased over time. Thirty percent of AFMs had any dispensing of a bisphosphonate prior to the fracture, compared to 15.8% of the non-atypical FSFs. Years of oral glucocorticosteroid dispensing appeared highest in AFM and AFMm fractures. Those with AFMs only were older and had a lower frequency of bisphosphonate dispensing compared to those with AFMms. We conclude that rates of FSFs, with and without atypia, were low and stable over 13.5 years. Patients with only AFMs appear to be different from those with AFMms; it may be that only the latter group is atypical. There appear to be multiple associated risk factors for AFMm fractures., (Copyright © 2012 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.)

Background: Although numerous studies address the efficacy and effectiveness of health interventions, less research addresses successfully implementing and sustaining interventions. As long as efficacy and effectiveness trials are considered complete without considering implementation in nonresearch settings, the public health potential of the original investments will not be realized. A barrier to progress is the absence of a practical, robust model to help identify the factors that need to be considered and addressed and how to measure success. A conceptual framework for improving practice is needed to integrate the key features for successful program design, predictors of implementation and diffusion, and appropriate outcome measures., Developing Prism: A comprehensive model for translating research into practice was developed using concepts from the areas of quality improvement, chronic care, the diffusion of innovations, and measures of the population-based effectiveness of translation. PRISM--the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model--evaluates how the health care program or intervention interacts with the recipients to influence program adoption, implementation, maintenance, reach, and effectiveness., Discussion: The PRISM model provides a new tool for researchers and health care decision makers that integrates existing concepts relevant to translating research into practice.

Patients suffering from chronic inflammatory conditions often take glucocorticoid medications over long periods of time. More than a million patients in the United States receive these agents each year. One of the most serious side effects of this treatment is glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP). This study characterized glucocorticoid use and osteoporosis screening and treatment patterns within a large U.S. health maintenance organization (HMO). This retrospective cohort study (n=3,031) used the HMO's electronic medical record and databases to identify patients who were dispensed the equivalent of >5 mg of prednisone per day for at least 90 days from January 2000 through December 2001. It assessed the primary outcomes, the percent who received a bone mineral density (BMD) measurement from January 1996 through 6 months after the index glucocorticoid prescription and the percent dispensed an osteoporosis medication within 6 months before or after the index glucocorticoid prescription. The participants' mean age was 61.4 years, 60% were women, and the mean daily dose of corticosteroids was 20.0 mg of prednisone equivalents. The most frequent diagnoses associated with glucocorticoid use were chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, 25.8%; asthma, 21.4%; rheumatoid arthritis, 17.2%. Overall, only 9.8% of the population received a BMD measurement--13% of women and 4.9% of men; 38% were dispensed osteoporosis medications--57.1% of women and 8.9% of men; only 14.5% received treatment with antiresorptive medications other than hormone replacement therapy--18.3% of women and 8.9% of men. Our study found that a substantial proportion of patients receiving long-term glucocorticoid therapy did not receive BMD measurement or preventive therapy for osteoporosis, as recommended in GIOP practice guidelines. Future research should focus on understanding barriers to GIOP identification and facilitating osteoporosis management.