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BackgroundIn the UK, most people with dementia die in the community and they often receive poorer end-of-life care than people with cancer.ObjectiveThe overall aim of this programme was to support professionals to deliver good-quality, community-based care towards, and at, the end of life for people living with dementia and their families.DesignThe Supporting Excellence in End-of-life care in Dementia (SEED) programme comprised six interlinked workstreams. Workstream 1 examined existing guidance and outcome measures using systematic reviews, identified good practice through a national e-survey and explored outcomes of end-of-life care valued by people with dementia and family carers (n = 57) using a Q-sort study. Workstream 2 explored good-quality end-of-life care in dementia from the perspectives of a range of stakeholders using qualitative methods (119 interviews, 12 focus groups and 256 observation hours). Using data from workstreams 1 and 2, workstream 3 used co-design methods with key stakeholders to develop the SEED intervention. Worksteam 4 was a pilot study of the SEED intervention with an embedded process evaluation. Using a cluster design, we assessed the feasibility and acceptability of recruitment and retention, outcome measures and our intervention. Four general practices were recruited in North East England: two were allocated to the intervention and two provided usual care. Patient recruitment was via general practitioner dementia registers. Outcome data were collected at baseline, 4, 8 and 12 months. Workstream 5 involved economic modelling studies that assessed the potential value of the SEED intervention using a contingent valuation survey of the general public (n = 1002). These data informed an economic decision model to explore how the SEED intervention might influence care. Results of the model were presented in terms of the costs and consequences (e.g. hospitalisations) and, using the contingent valuation data, a cost–benefit analysis. Workstream 6 examined commissioning of end-of-life care in dementia through a narrative review of policy and practice literature, combined with indepth interviews with a national sample of service commissioners (n = 20).SettingThe workstream 1 survey and workstream 2 included services throughout England. The workstream 1 Q-sort study and workstream 4 pilot trial took place in North East England. For workstream 4, four general practices were recruited; two received the intervention and two provided usual care.ResultsCurrently, dementia care and end-of-life care are commissioned separately, with commissioners receiving little formal guidance and training. Examples of good practice rely on non-recurrent funding and leadership from an interested clinician. Seven key components are required for good end-of-life care in dementia: timely planning discussions, recognising end of life and providing supportive care, co-ordinating care, effective working with primary care, managing hospitalisation, continuing care after death, and valuing staff and ongoing learning. Using co-design methods and the theory of change, the seven components were operationalised as a primary care-based, dementia nurse specialist intervention, with a care resource kit to help the dementia nurse specialist improve the knowledge of family and professional carers. The SEED intervention proved feasible and acceptable to all stakeholders, and being located in the general practice was considered beneficial. None of the outcome measures was suitable as the primary outcome for a future trial. The contingent valuation showed that the SEED intervention was valued, with a wider package of care valued more than selected features in isolation. The SEED intervention is unlikely to reduce costs, but this may be offset by the value placed on the SEED intervention by the general public.LimitationsThe biggest challenge to the successful delivery and completion of this research programme was translating the ‘theoretical’ complex intervention into practice in an ever-changing policy and service landscape at national and local levels. A major limitation for a future trial is the lack of a valid and relevant primary outcome measure to evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention that influences outcomes for both individuals and systems.ConclusionsAlthough the dementia nurse specialist intervention was acceptable, feasible and integrated well with existing care, it is unlikely to reduce costs of care; however, it was highly valued by all stakeholders (professionals, people with dementia and their families) and has the potential to influence outcomes at both an individual and a systems level.Future workThere is no plan to progress to a full randomised controlled trial of the SEED intervention in its current form. In view of new National Institute for Health and Care Excellence dementia guidance, which now recommends a care co-ordinator for all people with dementia, the feasibility of providing the SEED intervention throughout the illness trajectory should be explored. Appropriate outcome measures to evaluate the effectiveness of such a complex intervention are needed urgently.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN21390601.FundingThis project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Programme Grants for Applied Research programme and will be published in full inProgramme Grants for Applied Research, Vol. 8, No. 8. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.

Background - Primary hypothyroidism is a common endocrine disorder, more so in an increasing UK ageing population. There is no qualitative research examining the older patient perspective of symptoms, treatment and self‐management of hypothyroidism.\ud \ud Objective - In this study we explored the experience of hypothyroidism in older people and examined how this may influence their understanding and acceptance of diagnosis, treatment with Levothyroxine and the monitoring process.\ud \ud Design - We conducted semi‐structured interviews with 18 participants aged between 80 and 93 years. Interview transcripts were analysed using a thematic approach.\ud \ud Results - The themes involved older individuals’ knowledge about symptoms, confidence in diagnosis and understanding of clinical management regimen to understand hypothyroidism. Interpretation of the themes was informed by the Health Belief Model.\ud \ud Conclusion - Our findings can help to inform the development of interventions by treating clinicians and support staff to engage older patients in the long‐term management of this chronic condition.

BackgroundEstimates suggest that, in NHS hospitals, incidents causing harm to patients occur in 10% of admissions, with costs to the NHS of > £2B. About one-third of harmful events are believed to be preventable. Strategies to reduce patient safety incidents (PSIs) have mostly focused on changing systems of care and professional behaviour, with the role that patients can play in enhancing the safety of care being relatively unexplored. However, although the role and effectiveness of patient involvement in safety initiatives is unclear, previous work has identified a general willingness among patients to contribute to initiatives to improve health-care safety.AimOur aim in this programme was to design, develop and evaluate four innovative approaches to engage patients in preventing PSIs: assessing risk, reporting incidents, direct engagement in preventing harm and education and training.Methods and resultsWe developed tools to report PSIs [patient incident reporting tool (PIRT)] and provide feedback on factors that might contribute to PSIs in the future [Patient Measure of Safety (PMOS)]. These were combined into a single instrument and evaluated in the Patient Reporting and Action for a Safe Environment (PRASE) intervention using a randomised design. Although take-up of the intervention by, and retention of, participating hospital wards was 100% and patient participation was high at 86%, compliance with the intervention, particularly the implementation of action plans, was poor. We found no significant effect of the intervention on outcomes at 6 or 12 months. The ThinkSAFE project involved the development and evaluation of an intervention to support patients to directly engage with health-care staff to enhance their safety through strategies such as checking their care and speaking up to staff if they had any concerns. The piloting of ThinkSAFE showed that the approach is feasible and acceptable to users and may have the potential to improve patient safety. We also developed a patient safety training programme for junior doctors based on patients who had experienced PSIs recounting their own stories. This approach was compared with traditional methods of patient safety teaching in a randomised controlled trial. The study showed that delivering patient safety training based on patient narratives is feasible and had an effect on emotional engagement and learning about communication. However, there was no effect on changing general attitudes to safety compared with the control.ConclusionThis research programme has developed a number of novel interventions to engage patients in preventing PSIs and protecting them against unintended harm. In our evaluations of these interventions we have been unable to demonstrate any improvement in patient safety although this conclusion comes with a number of caveats, mainly about the difficulty of measuring patient safety outcomes. Reflecting this difficulty, one of our recommendations for future research is to develop reliable and valid measures to help efficiently evaluate safety improvement interventions. The programme found patients to be willing to codesign, coproduce and participate in initiatives to prevent PSIs and the approaches used were feasible and acceptable. These factors together with recent calls to strengthen the patient voice in health care could suggest that the tools and interventions from this programme would benefit from further development and evaluation.Trial registrationCurrent Controlled Trials ISRCTN07689702.FundingThe National Institute for Health Research Programme Grants for Applied Research programme.

In this article, we present findings from research conducted as part of a multi-center surgical trial. Bulbar urethral stricture, a narrowing of the middle urethra, is a common cause of urinary problems in men that can have a profound impact on their lives. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a sample of 19 men seeking treatment for urethral stricture. The findings reveal how men tend to develop routines and tactics to adapt to their symptoms and hide them from others rather than seek help. We argue that this concealment becomes an inseparable part of how the disease is managed and is an additional hidden practical and emotional burden for these men. In addition, we suggest that the patients only sought curative treatments once practices of social concealment are no longer viable.

Background - This paper proposes a novel perspective on the value of qualitative research for improving trial design and optimising recruitment. We report findings from a qualitative study set within the OPEN trial, a surgical randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing two interventions for recurrent bulbar urethral stricture, a common cause of urinary problems in men.\ud \ud Methods - Interviews were conducted with men meeting trial eligibility criteria (n = 19) to explore reasons for accepting or declining participation and with operating urologists (n = 15) to explore trial acceptability.\ud \ud Results - Patients expressed various preferences and understood these in the context of relative severity and tolerability of their symptoms. Accounts suggest a common trajectory of worsening symptoms with a particular window within which either treatment arm would be considered acceptable. Interviews with clinician recruiters found that uncertainty varied between general and specialist sites, which reflect clinicians’ relative exposure to different proportions of the patient population.\ud \ud Conclusion - Recruitment post referral, at specialist sites, was challenging due to patient (and clinician) expectations. Trial design, particularly where there are fixed points for recruitment along the care pathway, can enable or constrain the possibilities for effective accrual depending on how it aligns with the optimum point of patient equipoise. Qualitative recruitment investigations, often focussed on information provision and patient engagement, may also look to better understand the target patient population in order to optimise the point at which patients are approached.\ud \ud Trial registration - ISRCTN Registry, ISRCTN98009168. Registered on 29 November 2012.

Clinicians’ behaviours require deliberate decision-making in complex contexts and may involve both impulsive (automatic) and reflective (motivational and volitional) processes. The purpose of this study was to test a dual process model applied to clinician behaviours in their management of type 2 diabetes. The design used six nested prospective correlational studies. Questionnaires were sent to general practitioners and nurses in 99 UK primary care practices, measuring reflective (intention, action planning and coping planning) and impulsive (automaticity) predictors for six guideline-recommended behaviours: blood pressure prescribing (N = 335), prescribing for glycemic control (N = 288), providing diabetes-related education (N = 346), providing weight advice (N = 417), providing self-management advice (N = 332) and examining the feet (N = 218). Respondent retention was high. A dual process model was supported for prescribing behaviours, weight advice, and examining the feet. A sequential reflective process was supported for blood pressure prescribing, self-management and weight advice, and diabetes-related education. Reflective and impulsive processes predict behaviour. Quality improvement interventions should consider both reflective and impulsive approaches to behaviour change.

BackgroundThe ‘patient’s voice’ is increasingly emphasised in educational strategies. However, much of this has focused on patients who have been recruited to have a primary educational role. Students also benefit from interaction with ‘real-time’ patients who attend the clinical settings with diverse health problems. The involvement of these patients does not usually extend to having an active part in the learning encounter, where the patient completes a potential triadic relationship with the clinical teacher and student.AimTo identify ways to enhance the active participation of ‘real-time’ patients in medical students’ training.MethodFocus groups were conducted with patients, who were selected purposively from an earlier questionnaire survey. The discussions were audiorecorded, transcribed, and analysed using thematic analysis.ResultsA total of twenty-three participants attended four focus groups in general practices across the North East of England. Patient involvement in medical education may be described using Communities of Practice theory. Patients’ role within the educational Community of Practice is mainly peripheral. Factors affecting their active involvement may operate at the micro level (individual teaching consultation), organisational level, or within the NHS. Issues identified include patients’ awareness about medical education, ambiguity about their role, attitude of the doctor, and processes for consent and feedback.ConclusionThis research has provided insights into patients’ perspectives towards their involvement in medical education. The data may provide evidence for a practical framework to encourage and prepare patients to play an active role in educational processes.

Objectives Karasek's job demand-control model postulates that demand, control, and distress are environmental rather than individual features although these levels are often confounded. The objective was to investigate whether job demand, control, and demand × control predict environmental and individual distress in primary care clinicians, and the mediating role of distress in the relationships between demand and control with intention to leave and absenteeism. Design Predictive national survey. Methods We invited 2,079 staff from 99 general practices in the United Kingdom (843 GPs and nurses, 1,236 administrators) to complete postal questionnaires assessing distress, intention to leave, absenteeism, job demand, and control. Random intercept multilevel models and bootstrapped mediation models were run to test the study hypotheses. Results One thousand five hundred and ninety staff completed questionnaires (77% staff-level response rate; complete responses by ≥80% of all workers in 68 work environments). There was evidence of environmental variation between practices in intention to leave, absenteeism, job demand, and control, but not distress. Job demand and control both significantly predicted distress, and control moderated the relationship between demand and distress with the effects of demand being reduced at low levels by high control. A small indirect effect via distress was observed for the relationship between job demand and absenteeism, and between job control and intention to leave. No support was found for environmental effects of work settings on distress, but there was evidence of individual-level effects. Conclusions There is a need for considering environmental and individual levels and a danger of generalizing conclusions from one level to the other. Statement of contribution What is already known on this subject? Karasek's job demand-control model shows consistent prediction of distress in health professionals. Environmental and individual features of distress, demand, and control are often confounded. What does this study add? Nationally representative UK survey of doctors, nurses, and admin primary care staff. Test individual and environment effect of demand and control on distress, absenteeism, leaving intention. Indirect effect of demand on absenteeism via distress and of control on intention to leave via distress.

Behavioral theory is often tested on one behavior in isolation from other behaviors and theories. We aimed to test the predictive validity of constructs from motivation and action theories of behavior across six diabetes-related clinician behaviors, within the same sample of primary care clinicians. Physicians and nurses (n = 427 from 99 practices in the United Kingdom) completed questionnaires at baseline and 12 months. Primary outcomes: six self-reported clinician behaviors related to advising, prescribing and examining measured at 12 months; secondary outcomes: baseline intention and patient-scenario-based simulated behavior. Across six behaviors, each theory accounted for a medium amount of variance for 12-month behavior (median R adj 2 = 0.15), large and medium amount of variance for two intention measures (median R adj 2 = 0.66; 0.34), and small amount of variance for simulated behavior (median R adj 2 = 0.05). Intention/proximal goals, self-efficacy, and habit predicted all behaviors. Constructs from social cognitive theory (self-efficacy), learning theory (habit) and action and coping planning consistently predicted multiple clinician behaviors and should be targeted by quality improvement interventions.

BACKGROUND Type 2 diabetes is an increasingly prevalent illness, and there is considerable variation in the quality of care provided to patients with diabetes in primary care. OBJECTIVES The aim of this study was to explore whether organizational justice and organizational citizenship behaviour are associated with the behaviours of clinical staff when providing care for patients with diabetes. METHODS The data were from an ongoing prospective multicenter study, the 'improving Quality of care in Diabetes' (iQuaD) study. Participants (N = 467) were clinical staff in 99 primary care practices in the UK. The outcome measures were six self-reported clinical behaviours: prescribing for glycaemic control, prescribing for blood pressure control, foot examination, giving advice about weight management, providing general education about diabetes and giving advice about self-management. Organizational justice perceptions were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. The associations between organizational justice and behavioural outcomes were tested using linear multilevel regression modelling. RESULTS Higher scores on the procedural component of organizational justice were associated with more frequent weight management advice, self-management advice and provision of general education for patients with diabetes. The associations between justice and clinical behaviours were not explained by individual or practice characteristics, but evidence was found for the partial mediating role of organizational citizenship behaviour. CONCLUSIONS Quality improvement efforts aimed at increasing advice and education provision in diabetes management in primary care could target also perceptions of procedural justice.

Context A learning portfolio was developed to support the development of trainee doctors piloting Foundation Programme prototypes across the Northern Deanery in 2004 and 2005. Trainee doctors and their educational supervisors were surveyed about their experiences of using the portfolio in the clinical workplace. Methods The evaluation consisted of semi-structured interviews with trainee doctors and supervisors, followed by postal questionnaire surveys in 2004 and 2005. Quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated to identify core findings. Results Questionnaires were returned from 182/305 (60%) trainee doctors and 104 out of 179 (58%) educational supervisors. The portfolio was felt to be a ‘good idea’ by 55% supervisors and 48% trainees. Trainees’ perceptions of the educational value of the portfolio remained consistently low over 2 surveys and they described a sense of ‘burden’, whereby they identified problems in workload and usability and in gaining feedback on performance. However, positive trainee attitudes towards the portfolio were significantly correlated with greater perceived educational benefits (r = 0.855, P

Aims: To establish the range of normal distance stereoacuity in young children using the Frisby Davis distance stereotest (FD2). Methods: Children passing preschool vision screening assessments underwent measurement of distance stereoacuity with the FD2 using a standard testing protocol. Results: 59 visually normal children aged between 36 months and 68 months were recruited to this study. All 59 were able to understand the test requirements and were examined with the FD2 stereotest. Four (6.8%) had no measurable stereoacuity; 13 (24%) had stereoacuity measurable only at a 3 metre testing distance (mean 92.3 seconds of arc; SD 52.6). These children were significantly younger than the remaining 42 (76%) who demonstrated a stereoacuity response at a 6 metre testing distance (mean 29.6 seconds of arc; SD 13.1, p = 0.008). Conclusion: The FD2 stereotest enables the measurement of distance stereoacuity in young children. There appears to be a maturational effect with distance stereoacuity improving between 36 months and 68 months. The data on age related normal values will provide a baseline from which to compare outcomes in clinical populations.

Purpose To investigate the emotional status of children undergoing active treatment for amblyopia. Design Postal survey, in the context of a prospective, multicenter, randomized controlled trial. Participants Parents of 177 children with a unilateral visual impairment referred from preschool vision screening. The children had been recruited to a randomized controlled trial of treatment for unilateral visual impairment and randomly assigned to receive either glasses with or without patches, glasses alone, or treatment deferred for 1 year. Methods A self-completion questionnaire, including a psychometric behavioral scale, was sent to the parents of all children recruited to the trial at age 4 years, to 66 whose deferred treatment began at age 5 years, and finally to 151 remaining in the trial at the end of follow-up. Main outcome measures Mean scores per treatment group on the Revised Rutter Parent Scale for Preschool Children. Comparison of parent responses to questions assessing the child's general well-being and difficulties associated with treatment. Results Completed questionnaires were returned for 144 of 177 (81%) children at a mean age (standard deviation) of 48 months (5.0), for 45 of 66 (68%) at a mean age of 61 months (5.8), and for 78 of 151 (52%) at a mean age of 67 months (5.0). Most parents reported having difficulty with patching their child regardless of age (77% at age 4 years and 73% at age 5 years), with fewer reporting difficulties with glasses alone (42% and 53%, respectively). Children were significantly more upset by patching than by glasses only (chi-square test, P = 0.03 for age 4 years and P = 0.01 for age 5 years), as were the parents of 4-year-olds (chi-square test, P = 0.01). Most parents thought their children were happy, cooperative, and good tempered, and behavioral scores did not differ between treatment groups. Conclusions Treatment for unilateral visual impairment is not easy to implement and is commonly associated with some degree of distress. Despite this, no impact on the child's global well-being or behavior was seen either during or after the treatment period.

Dementia in community settings is often diagnosed by computerized algorithms. This study examines the extent to which independent diagnosticians agreed among themselves in diagnosing dementia, severity and type when presented with data obtained during a population-based incidence study of cognitive decline and dementia. Secondly, it examines how judgements, based initially on respondents' self-reports and cognitive performance, were affected first by informants' reports and then by short case-vignettes written by trained lay interviewers. Thirdly, it compares diagnosticians' diagnosis of dementia with the algorithmic diagnosis (AGECAT). The items presented were selected from two screening interviews at wave 1 and wave 2 separated by an interval of 2 years and from wave 2 assessment and informant interviews, and included medical, psychiatric and ADL items and interviewers' own observations. The sample (N=42) was derived from the first year of the wave 2 assessments, potential dementia cases entering consecutively while presumed normals were selected randomly. Informants were available in 30. Agreement on diagnosis and type of dementia improved with increasing information, particularly from informants, but remained poor regarding severity. The number of cases of dementia, defined operationally, increased from 10 to 12 and uncertain cases fell from eight to six, but no respondent initially diagnosed as a dementia case was rediagnosed as a non-case, or vice versa. Dementia type changed from agreement about Alzheimer's disease to agreement about vascular dementia in one case. Operational and algorithmic diagnoses showed good agreement. Causes of disagreement, the role of vignettes and the relevance of the results for population surveys are discussed. Copyright © 1998 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

Unilateral visual impairment (UVI) as a result of amblyopia or refractive error is common in childhood, but its functional significance remains largely unexplored.To investigate the influence of visual acuity and stereoacuity on the performance of preschool children on tasks requiring visuomotor skills and visuospatial ability.Children with normal (6/6) visual acuity (VA) in both eyes and children with UVI ranging from 6/9 to 6/60, with no strabismus and normal vision in the fellow eye, were assessed on a neurodevelopmental test battery of visually guided tasks.50 children (mean age (SD): 52.4 (5.7) months; median (range) VA: 6/9 (6/6 to 6/60); median (range) stereoacuity: 70 seconds arc (40-absent)) completed the test battery. UVI and stereoacuity correlated moderately (Pearson's r = 0.537, p0.001) but seven of 28 children with impaired VA had normal stereoacuity (70 seconds arc) while five of 22 with normal VA had abnormal stereoacuity. Stereoacuity correlated with performance on a task requiring fine hand-eye coordination and a task measuring visuomotor integration. UVI did not correlate with performance on any test battery items.UVI itself does not appear to relate to visuomotor actions, except when associated with reduced stereoacuity. Stereoacuity appears to have an influential role in fine visuomotor actions and spatial representation in preschool children.

Objective Encouraging patients to be more vigilant about their care challenges the traditional dynamics of patient-healthcare professional interactions. This study aimed to explore, from the perspectives of both patients and frontline healthcare staff, the potential consequences of patient-mediated intervention as a way of pushing safety improvement through the involvement of patients. Design Qualitative study, using purposive sampling and semi-structured interviews with patients, their relatives and healthcare professionals. Emergent themes were identified using grounded theory, with data coded using NVIVO 8. Participants 16 patients, 4 relatives, (mean age (sd) 60 years (15); 12 female, 8 male) and 39 healthcare professionals, (9 pharmacists, 11 doctors, 12 nurses, 7 health care assistants). Setting Participants were sampled from general medical and surgical wards, taking acute and elective admissions, in two hospitals in north east England. Results Positive consequences were identified but some actions encouraged by current patient-mediated approaches elicited feelings of suspicion and mistrust. For example, patients felt speaking up might appear rude or disrespectful, were concerned about upsetting staff and worried that their care might be compromised. Staff, whilst apparently welcoming patient questions, appeared uncertain about patients’ motives for questioning and believed that patients who asked many questions and/or who wrote things down were preparing to complain. Behavioural implications were identified that could serve to exacerbate patient safety problems (e.g. staff avoiding contact with inquisitive patients or relatives; patients avoiding contact with unreceptive staff). Conclusions Approaches that aim to push improvement in patient safety through the involvement of patients could engender mistrust and create negative tensions in the patient-provider relationship. A more collaborative approach, that encourages patients and healthcare staff to work together, is needed. Future initiatives should aim to shift the current focus away from “checking up” on individual healthcare professionals to one that engages both parties in the common goal of enhancing safety.

To describe the development and application of a novel scoring system for grading the severity of intermittent distance exotropia (IDEX) and its potential application as an intervention criterion for surgical intervention.The Newcastle Control Score (NCS) for IDEX was developed by incorporating both subjective (home control) and objective (clinic control) criteria into a scale to grade severity. The score structure described was evaluated for interobserver and test-retest reliability. To determine an optimal score threshold for surgical intervention, 170 cases of IDEX were scored retrospectively. Cure rates for surgical and non-surgical cases were then compared according to preoperative or presenting scores.Interobserver and test-test reliability were good (r = 0.82 and r = 0.89 respectively). Total cure rate with surgery was 54% and without surgery 18% (chi(2) = 23.093, df = 1, p0.001). Significantly fewer patients with NCS/=3 achieved cure without surgery than those with NCS 2 (chi(2) = 3.362, df = 1, p0.047).The NCS is a reliable method for grading the severity of IDEX and aids decisions regarding intervention. Patients with a score of 3 or more are unlikely to attain a cure without surgery.

Please note that cited reference [10] is a duplicate of cited reference [9]. Both cite the same study by Calvert et al. (BMJ 2009;338:b1870)

Background Regular laboratory test monitoring of patient parameters offers a route for improving the quality of chronic disease care. We evaluated the effects of brief educational messages attached to laboratory test reports on diabetes care. Methods A programme of cluster randomised controlled trials was set in primary care practices in one primary care trust in England. Participants were the primary care practices' constituent healthcare professionals and patients with diabetes. Interventions comprised brief educational messages added to paper and electronic primary care practice laboratory test reports and introduced over two phases. Phase one messages, attached to Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reports, targeted glycaemic and cholesterol control. Phase two messages, attached to albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) reports, targeted blood pressure (BP) control, and foot inspection. Main outcome measures comprised practice mean HbA1c and cholesterol levels, diastolic and systolic BP, and proportions of patients having undergone foot inspections. Results Initially, 35 out of 37 eligible practices participated. Outcome data were available for a total of 8,690 patients with diabetes from 32 practices. The BP message produced a statistically significant reduction in diastolic BP (-0.62 mmHg; 95% confidence interval -0.82 to -0.42 mmHg) but not systolic BP (-0.06 mmHg, -0.42 to 0.30 mmHg) and increased the odds of achieving target BP control (odds ratio 1.05; 1.00, 1.10). The foot inspection message increased the likelihood of a recorded foot inspection (incidence rate ratio 1.26; 1.18 to 1.36). The glycaemic control message had no effect on mean HbA1c (increase 0.01%; -0.03 to 0.04) despite increasing the odds of a change in likelihood of HbA1c tests being ordered (OR 1.06; 1.01, 1.11). The cholesterol message had no effect (decrease 0.01 mmol/l, -0.04 to 0.05). Conclusions Three out of four interventions improved intermediate outcomes or process of diabetes care. The diastolic BP reduction approximates to relative reductions in mortality of 3% to 5% in stroke and 3% to 4% in ischaemic heart disease over 10 years. The lack of effect for other outcomes may, in part, be explained by difficulties in bringing about further improvements beyond certain thresholds of clinical performance. Trial Registration Current Controlled Trials, ISRCTN2186314.

Background Type 2 diabetes is an increasingly prevalent chronic illness and an important cause of avoidable mortality. Patients are managed by the integrated activities of clinical and non-clinical members of primary care teams. This study aimed to: investigate theoretically-based organisational, team, and individual factors determining the multiple behaviours needed to manage diabetes; and identify multilevel determinants of different diabetes management behaviours and potential interventions to improve them. This paper describes the instrument development, study recruitment, characteristics of the study participating practices and their constituent healthcare professionals and administrative staff and reports descriptive analyses of the data collected. Methods The study was a predictive study over a 12-month period. Practices (N = 99) were recruited from within the UK Medical Research Council General Practice Research Framework. We identified six behaviours chosen to cover a range of clinical activities (prescribing, non-prescribing), reflect decisions that were not necessarily straightforward (controlling blood pressure that was above target despite other drug treatment), and reflect recommended best practice as described by national guidelines. Practice attributes and a wide range of individually reported measures were assessed at baseline; measures of clinical outcome were collected over the ensuing 12 months, and a number of proxy measures of behaviour were collected at baseline and at 12 months. Data were collected by telephone interview, postal questionnaire (organisational and clinical) to practice staff, postal questionnaire to patients, and by computer data extraction query. Results All 99 practices completed a telephone interview and responded to baseline questionnaires. The organisational questionnaire was completed by 931/1236 (75.3%) administrative staff, 423/529 (80.0%) primary care doctors, and 255/314 (81.2%) nurses. Clinical questionnaires were completed by 326/361 (90.3%) primary care doctors and 163/186 (87.6%) nurses. At a practice level, we achieved response rates of 100% from clinicians in 40 practices and > 80% from clinicians in 67 practices. All measures had satisfactory internal consistency (alpha coefficient range from 0.61 to 0.97; Pearson correlation coefficient (two item measures) 0.32 to 0.81); scores were generally consistent with good practice. Measures of behaviour showed relatively high rates of performance of the six behaviours, but with considerable variability within and across the behaviours and measures. Discussion We have assembled an unparalleled data set from clinicians reporting on their cognitions in relation to the performance of six clinical behaviours involved in the management of people with one chronic disease (diabetes mellitus), using a range of organisational and individual level measures as well as information on the structure of the practice teams and across a large number of UK primary care practices. We would welcome approaches from other researchers to collaborate on the analysis of this data.

Background Studies included in a related systematic review used a variety of statistical methods to summarise clinical behaviour and to compare proxy (or indirect) and direct (observed) methods of measuring it. The objective of the present review was to assess the validity of these statistical methods and make appropriate recommendations. Methods Electronic bibliographic databases were searched to identify studies meeting specified inclusion criteria. Potentially relevant studies were screened for inclusion independently by two reviewers. This was followed by systematic abstraction and categorization of statistical methods, as well as critical assessment of these methods. Results Fifteen reports (of 11 studies) met the inclusion criteria. Thirteen analysed individual clinical actions separately and presented a variety of summary statistics: sensitivity was available in eight reports and specificity in six, but four reports treated different actions interchangeably. Seven reports combined several actions into summary measures of behaviour: five reports compared means on direct and proxy measures using analysis of variance or t-tests; four reported the Pearson correlation; none compared direct and proxy measures over the range of their values. Four reports comparing individual items used appropriate statistical methods, but reports that compared summary scores did not. Conclusions We recommend sensitivity and positive predictive value as statistics to assess agreement of direct and proxy measures of individual clinical actions. Summary measures should be reliable, repeatable, capture a single underlying aspect of behaviour, and map that construct onto a valid measurement scale. The relationship between the direct and proxy measures should be evaluated over the entire range of the direct measure and describe not only the mean of the proxy measure for any specific value of the direct measure, but also the range of variability of the proxy measure. The evidence about the relationship between direct and proxy methods of assessing clinical behaviour is weak.

Background Type 2 diabetes is an increasingly prevalent chronic illness and is an important cause of avoidable mortality. Patients are managed by the integrated activities of clinical and non-clinical members of the primary care team. Studies of the quality of care for patients with diabetes suggest less than optimum care in a number of areas. Aim The aim of this study is to improve the quality of care for patients with diabetes cared for in primary care in the UK by identifying individual, team, and organisational factors that predict the implementation of best practice. Design Participants will be clinical and non-clinical staff within 100 general practices sampled from practices who are members of the MRC General Practice Research Framework. Self-completion questionnaires will be developed to measure the attributes of individual health care professionals, primary care teams (including both clinical and non-clinical staff), and their organisation in primary care. Questionnaires will be administered using postal survey methods. A range of validated theories will be used as a framework for the questionnaire instruments. Data relating to a range of dimensions of the organisational structure of primary care will be collected via a telephone interview at each practice using a structured interview schedule. We will also collect data relating to the processes of care, markers of biochemical control, and relevant indicator scores from the quality and outcomes framework (QOF). Process data (as a proxy indicator of clinical behaviours) will be collected from practice databases and via a postal questionnaire survey of a random selection of patients from each practice. Levels of biochemical control will be extracted from practice databases. A series of analyses will be conducted to relate the individual, team, and organisational data to the process, control, and QOF data to identify configurations associated with high quality care. Study registration UKCRN ref:DRN120 (ICPD)

Background Within implementation research, using theory-based approaches to understanding the behaviours of healthcare professionals and the quality of care that they reflect and designing interventions to change them is being promoted. However, such approaches lead to a new range of methodological and theoretical challenges pre-eminent among which are how to appropriately relate predictors of individual's behaviour to measures of the behaviour of healthcare professionals. The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between the theory of planned behaviour proximal predictors of behaviour (intention and perceived behavioural control, or PBC) and practice level behaviour. This was done in the context of two clinical behaviours – statin prescription and foot examination – in the management of patients with diabetes mellitus in primary care. Scores for the predictor variables were aggregated over healthcare professionals using four methods: simple mean of all primary care team members' intention scores; highest intention score combined with PBC of the highest intender in the team; highest intention score combined with the highest PBC score in the team; the scores (on both constructs) of the team member identified as having primary responsibility for the clinical behaviour. Methods Scores on theory-based cognitive variables were collected by postal questionnaire survey from a sample of primary care doctors and nurses from northeast England and the Netherlands. Data on two clinical behaviours were patient reported, and collected by postal questionnaire survey. Planned analyses explored the predictive value of various aggregations of intention and PBC in explaining variance in the behavioural data. Results Across the two countries and two behaviours, responses were received from 37 to 78% of healthcare professionals in 57 to 93% practices; 51% (UK) and 69% (Netherlands) of patients surveyed responded. None of the aggregations of cognitions predicted statin prescription. The highest intention in the team (irrespective of PBC) was a significant predictor of foot examination. Conclusion These approaches to aggregating individually-administered measures may be a methodological advance of theoretical importance. Using simple means of individual-level measures to explain team-level behaviours is neither theoretically plausible nor empirically supported; the highest intention was both predictive and plausible. In studies aiming to understand the behaviours of teams of healthcare professionals in managing chronic diseases, some sort of aggregation of measures from individuals is necessary. This is not simply a methodological point, but a necessary step in advancing the theoretical and practical understanding of the processes that lead to implementation of clinical behaviours within healthcare teams.

Contains fulltext : 80988.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access) BACKGROUND: Long term management of patients with Type 2 diabetes is well established within Primary Care. However, despite extensive efforts to implement high quality care both service provision and patient health outcomes remain sub-optimal. Several recent studies suggest that psychological theories about individuals' behaviour can provide a valuable framework for understanding generalisable factors underlying health professionals' clinical behaviour. In the context of the team management of chronic disease such as diabetes, however, the application of such models is less well established. The aim of this study was to identify motivational factors underlying health professional teams' clinical management of diabetes using a psychological model of human behaviour. METHODS: A predictive questionnaire based on the Theory of Planned Behaviour (TPB) investigated health professionals' (HPs') cognitions (e.g., beliefs, attitudes and intentions) about the provision of two aspects of care for patients with diabetes: prescribing statins and inspecting feet.General practitioners and practice nurses in England and the Netherlands completed parallel questionnaires, cross-validated for equivalence in English and Dutch. Behavioural data were practice-level patient-reported rates of foot examination and use of statin medication. Relationships between the cognitive antecedents of behaviour proposed by the TPB and healthcare teams' clinical behaviour were explored using multiple regression. RESULTS: In both countries, attitude and subjective norm were important predictors of health professionals' intention to inspect feet (Attitude: beta = .40; Subjective Norm: beta = .28; Adjusted R2 = .34, p < 0.01), and their intention to prescribe statins (Attitude: beta = .44; Adjusted R2 = .40, p < 0.01). Individuals' self-reported intention did not predict practice-level performance of either clinical behaviour. CONCLUSION: Using the TPB, we identified modifiable factors underlying health professionals' intentions to perform two clinical behaviours, providing a rationale for the development of targeted interventions. However, we did not observe a relationship between health professionals' intentions and our proxy measure of team behaviour. Significant methodological issues were highlighted concerning the use of models of individual behaviour to explain behaviours performed by teams. In order to investigate clinical behaviours performed by teams it may be necessary to develop measures that reflect the collective cognitions of the members of the team to facilitate the application of these theoretical models to team behaviours.

Background Psychological theories of behaviour may provide a framework to guide the design of interventions to change professional behaviour. Behaviour change interventions, designed using psychological theory and targeting important motivational beliefs, were experimentally evaluated for effects on the behavioural intention and simulated behaviour of GPs in the management of uncomplicated upper respiratory tract infection (URTI). Methods The design was a 2 × 2 factorial randomised controlled trial. A postal questionnaire was developed based on three theories of human behaviour: Theory of Planned Behaviour; Social Cognitive Theory and Operant Learning Theory. The beliefs and attitudes of GPs regarding the management of URTI without antibiotics and rates of prescribing on eight patient scenarios were measured at baseline and post-intervention. Two theory-based interventions, a "graded task" with "action planning" and a "persuasive communication", were incorporated into the post-intervention questionnaire. Trial groups were compared using co-variate analyses. Results Post-intervention questionnaires were returned for 340/397 (86%) GPs who responded to the baseline survey. Each intervention had a significant effect on its targeted behavioural belief: compared to those not receiving the intervention GPs completing Intervention 1 reported stronger self-efficacy scores (Beta = 1.41, 95% CI: 0.64 to 2.25) and GPs completing Intervention 2 had more positive anticipated consequences scores (Beta = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.46 to 1.98). Intervention 2 had a significant effect on intention (Beta = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.41 to 1.38) and simulated behaviour (Beta = 0.47, 95% CI = 0.19 to 0.74). Conclusion GPs' intended management of URTI was significantly influenced by their confidence in their ability to manage URTI without antibiotics and the consequences they anticipated as a result of doing so. Two targeted behaviour change interventions differentially affected these beliefs. One intervention also significantly enhanced GPs' intentions not to prescribe antibiotics for URTI and resulted in lower rates of prescribing on patient scenarios compared to a control group. The theoretical frameworks utilised provide a scientific rationale for understanding how and why the interventions had these effects, improving the reproducibility and generalisability of these findings and offering a sound basis for an intervention in a "real world" trial. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00376142

Background Evidence shows that antibiotics have limited effectiveness in the management of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) yet GPs continue to prescribe antibiotics. Implementation research does not currently provide a strong evidence base to guide the choice of interventions to promote the uptake of such evidence-based practice by health professionals. While systematic reviews demonstrate that interventions to change clinical practice can be effective, heterogeneity between studies hinders generalisation to routine practice. Psychological models of behaviour change that have been used successfully to predict variation in behaviour in the general population can also predict the clinical behaviour of healthcare professionals. The purpose of this study was to design two theoretically-based interventions to promote the management of upper respiratory tract infection (URTI) without prescribing antibiotics. Method Interventions were developed using a systematic, empirically informed approach in which we: selected theoretical frameworks; identified modifiable behavioural antecedents that predicted GPs intended and actual management of URTI; mapped these target antecedents on to evidence-based behaviour change techniques; and operationalised intervention components in a format suitable for delivery by postal questionnaire. Results We identified two psychological constructs that predicted GP management of URTI: "Self-efficacy," representing belief in one's capabilities, and "Anticipated consequences," representing beliefs about the consequences of one's actions. Behavioural techniques known to be effective in changing these beliefs were used in the design of two paper-based, interactive interventions. Intervention 1 targeted self-efficacy and required GPs to consider progressively more difficult situations in a "graded task" and to develop an "action plan" of what to do when next presented with one of these situations. Intervention 2 targeted anticipated consequences and required GPs to respond to a "persuasive communication" containing a series of pictures representing the consequences of managing URTI with and without antibiotics. Conclusion It is feasible to systematically develop theoretically-based interventions to change professional practice. Two interventions were designed that differentially target generalisable constructs predictive of GP management of URTI. Our detailed and scientific rationale for the choice and design of our interventions will provide a basis for understanding any effects identified in their evaluation. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov NCT00376142

Background Laboratory services have a central role in supporting screening, diagnosis, and management of patients. The increase in chronic disease management in primary care for conditions such as diabetes mellitus requires regular monitoring of patients' biochemical parameters. This process offers a route for improving the quality of care that patients receive by using test results as a vehicle for delivering educational messages as well as the test result itself. Aim To develop and evaluate the effectiveness of a quality improvement initiative to improve the care of patients with diabetes using test report reminders. Design A programme of four cluster randomised controlled trials within one population of general practices. Participants General practices in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, UK. Intervention Brief educational messages added to paper and electronic general practice laboratory test reports introduced over two phases. Phase One messages, attached to Haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) reports, targeted glycaemic and cholesterol control. Phase Two messages, attached to albumin:creatinine ratio (ACR) reports, targeted blood pressure (BP) control and foot inspection. Outcomes General practice mean levels of HbA1c and cholesterol (Phase One) and diastolic and systolic BP and proportions of patients having undergone foot inspections (Phase Two); number of tests requested. Trial registration Current Controlled Trial ISRCTN2186314.

To evaluate the use of the Newcastle Control Score (NCS) in the management of intermittent exotropia (X(T)).Children aged11 years with X(T) had an assessment of NCS as part of routine management. Other data collected included visual acuity, near and distance alignment with alternating prism cover test and near (Frisby test) and distance stereoacuity (Frisby Davis Distance Stereotest (FD2TM)). Analysis involved correlation between baseline NCS, angle and stereoacuity, examination of change over time and logistic regression to determine predictors of surgery.Baseline data were obtained on 272 children and follow-up data on 157. Mean (SD) age was 4 (1.9) years. Complete NCSs were obtained for all except one child at baseline, and all children at follow-up. At baseline, total NCS and the home control component were correlated with near stereo (r = -0.22, p0.01 and r = -0.19, p0.02, respectively), near alignment (r = 0.34, p0.001 and r = 0.19, p0.02) and distance alignment (r = 0.30, p0.001 and r = 0.26, p0.001). The clinic near control component was correlated with near alignment (r = 0.39, p0.001), but not near stereoacuity, and the clinic distance control with near alignment (r = 0.16, p0.02), distance alignment (r = 0.27, p0.001) and distance stereoacuity (r = -0.25, p0.03). A high (poor) NCS (or =4) at the latest follow-up predicted surgery (p0.001, OR 29.3, 95% CI 6.2 to 138.7).The NCS is a useful measure of the clinical severity of X(T), can be used to serially assess improvement or deterioration and is a useful tool for the management of these patients.

Background Implementation research is the scientific study of methods to promote the systematic uptake of clinical research findings into routine clinical practice. Several interventions have been shown to be effective in changing health care professionals' behaviour, but heterogeneity within interventions, targeted behaviours, and study settings make generalisation difficult. Therefore, it is necessary to identify the 'active ingredients' in professional behaviour change strategies. Theories of human behaviour that feature an individual's "intention" to do something as the most immediate predictor of their behaviour have proved to be useful in non-clinical populations. As clinical practice is a form of human behaviour such theories may offer a basis for developing a scientific rationale for the choice of intervention to use in the implementation of new practice. The aim of this review was to explore the relationship between intention and behaviour in clinicians and how this compares to the intention-behaviour relationship in studies of non-clinicians. Methods We searched: PsycINFO, MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, Science/Social science citation index, Current contents (social & behavioural med/clinical med), ISI conference proceedings, and Index to Theses. The reference lists of all included papers were checked manually. Studies were eligible for inclusion if they had: examined a clinical behaviour within a clinical context, included measures of both intention and behaviour, measured behaviour after intention, and explored this relationship quantitatively. All titles and abstracts retrieved by electronic searching were screened independently by two reviewers, with disagreements resolved by discussion. Discussion Ten studies were found that examined the relationship between intention and clinical behaviours in 1623 health professionals. The proportion of variance in behaviour explained by intention was of a similar magnitude to that found in the literature relating to non-health professionals. This was more consistently the case for studies in which intention-behaviour correspondence was good and behaviour was self-reported. Though firm conclusions are limited by a smaller literature, our findings are consistent with that of the non-health professional literature. This review, viewed in the context of the larger populations of studies, provides encouragement for the contention that there is a predictable relationship between the intentions of a health professional and their subsequent behaviour. However, there remain significant methodological challenges.

To test the efficacy of treatment for unilateral visual loss detected by preschool vision screening and the extent to which effectiveness varies with initial severity.Randomised controlled trial of full treatment with glasses and patching, if required, compared with glasses only or no treatment. Masked assessment of best corrected acuity after one year of follow up.Eight UK eye departments.177 children aged 3-5 years with mild to moderate unilateral impairment of acuity (6/9 to 6/36) detected by screening.Children in the full and glasses treatment groups had incrementally better visual acuity at follow up than children who received no treatment, but the mean treatment effect between full and no treatment was equivalent to only one line on a Snellen chart (0.11 log units; 95% confidence interval 0.050 to 0.171; P0.0001). The effects of treatment depended on initial acuity: full treatment showed a substantial effect in the moderate acuity group (6/36 to 6/18 at recruitment) and no significant effect in the mild acuity group (6/9 to 6/12 at recruitment) (P = 0.006 for linear regression interaction term). For 64 children with moderate acuity loss the treatment effect was 0.20 log units, equivalent to one to two lines on a Snellen chart. When all children had received treatment, six months after the end of the trial, there was no significant difference in acuity between the groups.Treatment is worth while in children with the poorest acuity, but in children with mild (6/9 to 6/12) unilateral acuity loss there was little benefit. Delay in treatment until the age of 5 did not seem to influence effectiveness.

BackgroundAlthough most people with Type 2 diabetes receive their diabetes care in primary care, only a limited amount is known about the quality of diabetes care in this setting. We investigated the provision and receipt of diabetes care delivered in UK primary care.MethodsPostal surveys with all healthcare professionals and a random sample of 100 patients with Type 2 diabetes from 99 UK primary care practices.Results326/361 (90.3%) doctors, 163/186 (87.6%) nurses and 3591 patients (41.8%) returned a questionnaire. Clinicians reported giving advice about lifestyle behaviours (e.g. 88% would routinely advise about calorie restriction; 99.6% about increasing exercise) more often than patients reported having received it (43% and 42%) and correlations between clinician and patient report were low. Patients' reported levels of confidence about managing their diabetes were moderately high; a median (range) of 21% (3% to 39%) of patients reporting being not confident about various areas of diabetes self-management.ConclusionsPrimary care practices have organisational structures in place and are, as judged by routine quality indicators, delivering high quality care. There remain evidence-practice gaps in the care provided and in the self confidence that patients have for key aspects of self management and further research is needed to address these issues. Future research should use robust designs and appropriately designed studies to investigate how best to improve this situation.

Background Accurate measures of health professionals' clinical practice are critically important to guide health policy decisions, as well as for professional self-evaluation and for research-based investigation of clinical practice and process of care. It is often not feasible or ethical to measure behaviour through direct observation, and rigorous behavioural measures are difficult and costly to use. The aim of this review was to identify the current evidence relating to the relationships between proxy measures and direct measures of clinical behaviour. In particular, the accuracy of medical record review, clinician self-reported and patient-reported behaviour was assessed relative to directly observed behaviour. Methods We searched: PsycINFO; MEDLINE; EMBASE; CINAHL; Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials; science/social science citation index; Current contents (social & behavioural med/clinical med); ISI conference proceedings; and Index to Theses. Inclusion criteria: empirical, quantitative studies; and examining clinical behaviours. An independent, direct measure of behaviour (by standardised patient, other trained observer or by video/audio recording) was considered the 'gold standard' for comparison. Proxy measures of behaviour included: retrospective self-report; patient-report; or chart-review. All titles, abstracts, and full text articles retrieved by electronic searching were screened for inclusion and abstracted independently by two reviewers. Disagreements were resolved by discussion with a third reviewer where necessary. Results Fifteen reports originating from 11 studies met the inclusion criteria. The method of direct measurement was by standardised patient in six reports, trained observer in three reports, and audio/video recording in six reports. Multiple proxy measures of behaviour were compared in five of 15 reports. Only four of 15 reports used appropriate statistical methods to compare measures. Some direct measures failed to meet our validity criteria. The accuracy of patient report and chart review as proxy measures varied considerably across a wide range of clinical actions. The evidence for clinician self-report was inconclusive. Conclusion Valid measures of clinical behaviour are of fundamental importance to accurately identify gaps in care delivery, improve quality of care, and ultimately to improve patient care. However, the evidence base for three commonly used proxy measures of clinicians' behaviour is very limited. Further research is needed to better establish the methods of development, application, and analysis for a range of both direct and proxy measures of behaviour.

The Newcastle Control Score (NCS) has been shown to be a reliable, clinically sensitive method for grading the severity of childhood intermittent exotropia (X(T)).1 It incorporates subjective (home control) and objective (clinic control at near and in the distance) criteria, and uses modified descriptions of control as outlined by Rosenbaum and Santiago.2 The home control section asks the parent/guardian …

PURPOSE. Reduced stereoacuity is commonly found in association with reduced visual acuity or strabismus and may significantly affect neuro-developmental performance. Treatment for reduced visual acuity due to refractive error or amblyopia is believed to result in improved stereoacuity. This study was undertaken to investigate the effect on stereoacuity of treatment for unilateral visual impairment detected at preschool vision screenings, in the setting of a randomized controlled trial. METHODS. Children identified through preschool vision screening were recruited and randomized to one of three groups (no treatment, glasses only, or full treatment with glasses and occlusion) for a period of 12 months, after which full treatment was given when indicated. Logarithm of the minimum angle of resolution (LogMAR) visual acuity and random-dot (Randot; Stereo Optical, Chicago, IL) stereoacuity were assessed at recruitment and at 12- and 18-month follow-ups by an orthoptist masked to group allocation. RESULTS. One hundred seventy-seven children were recruited and randomized, 59 to each group. Comparison of stereoacuities showed an immediate median improvement of 30 seconds of arc in each group from refractive correction. Age significantly affected stereoacuity performance at recruitment (mean age, 4 years) but not at follow-up (mean age, 5 years). Deferring treatment did not affect final stereoacuity. CONCLUSIONS. In this group, stereoacuity improved to a normal level as a result of refractive correction. Children in whom treatment was deferred for 12 months did not demonstrate significantly poorer stereoacuity than those in treatment. (Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005;46:150‐154) DOI:10.1167/ iovs.04-0672