S. Mitchell, Matthew Reichert, J. Howard, Katherine Krizman, Alexa Bragg, Molly Huffaker, Kimberly N Parker, Mary Cawley, Hannah Webb Roberts, Yena Sung, Jennifer Brown, L. Culpepper, H. Cabral, Brian W. Jack
{"title":"Reducing Readmission of Hospitalized Patients With Depressive Symptoms: A Randomized Trial","authors":"S. Mitchell, Matthew Reichert, J. Howard, Katherine Krizman, Alexa Bragg, Molly Huffaker, Kimberly N Parker, Mary Cawley, Hannah Webb Roberts, Yena Sung, Jennifer Brown, L. Culpepper, H. Cabral, Brian W. Jack","doi":"10.1370/afm.2801","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2801","url":null,"abstract":"PURPOSE To determine if hospitalized patients with depressive symptoms will benefit from post-discharge depression treatment with care transition support. METHODS This is a randomized controlled trial of hospitalized patients with patient health questionnaire-9 score of 10 or more. We delivered the Re-Engineered Discharge (RED) and randomized participants to groups receiving RED-only or RED for Depression (RED-D), a 12-week post-discharge telehealth intervention including cognitive behavioral therapy, self-management support, and patient navigation. Primary outcomes were hospital readmission and reutilization rates at 30 and 90 days post discharge. RESULTS We randomized 709 participants (353 RED-D, 356 RED-only). At 90 days, 265 (75%) intervention participants had received at least 1 RED-D session (median 4). At 30 days, the intention-to-treat analysis showed no differences between RED-D vs RED-only in hospital readmission (9% vs 10%, incidence rate ratio [IRR] 0.92 [95% CI, 0.56-1.52]) or reutilization (27% vs 24%, IRR 1.14 [95% CI, 0.85-1.54]). The intention-to-treat analysis also showed no differences at 90 days in readmission (28% vs 21%, IRR 1.30 [95% CI, 0.95-1.78]) or reutilization (70% vs 57%, IRR 1.22 [95% CI, 1.01-1.49]). In the as-treated analysis, each additional RED-D session was associated with a decrease in 30- and 90-day readmissions. At 30 days, among 104 participants receiving 3 or more sessions, there were fewer readmissions (3% vs 10%, IRR 0.30 [95% CI, 0.07-0.84]) compared with the control group. At 90 days, among 109 participants receiving 6 or more sessions, there were fewer readmissions (11% vs 21%, IRR 0.52 [95% CI, 0.27-0.92]). Intention-to-treat analysis showed no differences between study groups on secondary outcomes. CONCLUSIONS Care transition support and post-discharge depression treatment can reduce unplanned hospital use with sufficient uptake of the RED-D intervention.","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"78048265","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Elizabeth H. Golembiewski, Derek L. Gravholt, V. T. Torres Roldan, Eddy P Lincango Naranjo, S. Vallejo, Andrea Garcia Bautista, C. LaVecchia, C. Patten, S. Allen, Soumya Jaladi, K. Boehmer
{"title":"Rural Patient Experiences of Accessing Care for Chronic Conditions: A Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis of Qualitative Studies","authors":"Elizabeth H. Golembiewski, Derek L. Gravholt, V. T. Torres Roldan, Eddy P Lincango Naranjo, S. Vallejo, Andrea Garcia Bautista, C. LaVecchia, C. Patten, S. Allen, Soumya Jaladi, K. Boehmer","doi":"10.1370/afm.2798","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2798","url":null,"abstract":"PURPOSE Access to health care is a long-standing concern for rural patients; however, administrative measures fail to capture the subjective patient experience of accessing health care. The purpose of this review was to synthesize the qualitative literature on patient and caregiver experiences of accessing health care services for chronic disease management among US residents of rural areas. METHODS We searched Embase, MEDLINE, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and Scopus to identify qualitative studies published during 2010-2019. A thematic synthesis approach was used to analyze findings from included studies. RESULTS A total of 62 studies involving 1,354 unique participants were included. The largest share of studies (24.2%) was focused on the experience of patients with cancer, followed by behavioral health (16.1%), HIV and AIDS (14.5%), and diabetes (12.9%). We identified 4 primary analytic themes of barriers and facilitators associated with the experience of accessing health care services for chronic disease management in rural areas: (1) navigating the rural environment, (2) navigating the health care system, (3) financing chronic disease management, and (4) rural life (ie, common elements of a distinct “rural” way of thinking and behaving). CONCLUSIONS In this comprehensive review, we found that important cultural, structural, and individual factors influenced the rural patient’s experience of health care access and use, including barriers and facilitators posed by geographic and built environments, and distinct rural mores. Our findings can inform policies and programs that both facilitate structural aspects of access and include culturally appropriate interventions. VISUAL ABSTRACT","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90784938","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Camilla Aakjær Andersen, T. Guetterman, M. Fetters, J. Brodersen, A. Davidsen, O. Graumann, M. B. Jensen
{"title":"General Practitioners’ Perspectives on Appropriate Use of Ultrasonography in Primary Care in Denmark: A Multistage Mixed Methods Study","authors":"Camilla Aakjær Andersen, T. Guetterman, M. Fetters, J. Brodersen, A. Davidsen, O. Graumann, M. B. Jensen","doi":"10.1370/afm.2795","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2795","url":null,"abstract":"PURPOSE Researchers aimed to describe general practitioners’ understanding of appropriate ultrasound use, to record actual scanning practices of early adopters in general practice, and to identify differences between attitudes and actual practice via a mixed methods analysis. METHODS This study was part of a larger multistage mixed methods research framework exploring the use of ultrasound in general practice in Denmark. We used an exploratory sequential approach in the data collection with initial qualitative findings from an interview study applied to building a quantitative questionnaire utilized in a cohort study. In addition, we merged the qualitative and quantitative data using joint display analysis to compare and contrast the results from the 2 stages of the study. RESULTS In the interviews, general practitioners described appropriate ultrasound use as point-of-care examinations with a clear purpose and limited to predefined specific conditions within delimited anatomic areas. They stated that general practitioners should receive formalized ultrasound training and be skilled in the examinations they perform. In the cohort study, general practitioners performed ultrasound examinations of anatomic areas with or without a defined clinical suspicion. Some performed ultrasound examinations for which they had no previous training or skills. CONCLUSIONS We found a difference between the ideas about the appropriate uses for ultrasound in general practice and the actual use by early adopters in clinical practice. Our findings suggest a need for evidence-based guidelines to support general practitioners in choosing which examinations to perform and strategies for developing and maintaining scanning competency.","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"87024067","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"FAMILY MEDICINE WELCOMES LARGEST CLASS OF RESIDENTS EVER","authors":"David Mitchell","doi":"10.1370/afm.2833","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2833","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85327171","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Orrego, L. Perestelo-Pérez, A. González-González, Marta Ballester-Santiago, D. Koatz, V. Pacheco-Huergo, A. Rivero-Santana, Vanesa Ramos-García, Nuria Mora Fernández, Alezandra Torres-Castaño, C. Bermejo-Caja
{"title":"A Virtual Community of Practice to Improve Primary Health Care Professionals’ Attitudes Toward Patient Empowerment (e-MPODERA): A Cluster Randomized Trial","authors":"C. Orrego, L. Perestelo-Pérez, A. González-González, Marta Ballester-Santiago, D. Koatz, V. Pacheco-Huergo, A. Rivero-Santana, Vanesa Ramos-García, Nuria Mora Fernández, Alezandra Torres-Castaño, C. Bermejo-Caja","doi":"10.1370/afm.2799","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2799","url":null,"abstract":"PURPOSE We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual community of practice (vCoP) in improving primary health care professionals’ (HCPs’) attitudes toward empowering patients with chronic disease. METHODS We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial. Practices were units of randomization, and primary HCPs and patients were units of analysis. Sixty-three practices in Madrid, Catalonia, and the Canary Islands were randomly allocated to the intervention or control groups. Randominzation of practices was performed after HCP and patient recruitment. The patients and statistician were anonymized to group allocation; it was not possible to anonymize HCPs. The intervention was a 12-month multicomponent tailored vCoP built on the Web 2.0 concept and focused on skills toward patient empowerment. The primary outcome was Patient-Provider Orientation Scale (PPOS) score at baseline and at 12 months. The secondary outcome was the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) score. RESULTS A total of 321 HCPs and 1,921 patients were assessed. The intervention had a positive effect on PPOS total score (0.14 points higher in the vCoP arm; 95% CI, 0.03-0.25; P = .011) and the PPOS Sharing subscale (0.3 points higher in the vCoP arm; 95% CI, 0.15-0.44; P < .001). No effect was found for the PPOS Caring subscale, and no significant differences were found for PAM scores. CONCLUSIONS A vCoP led to a minor increase in the PPOS Sharing component and the total score but not in the Caring component. However, considerable uncertainty remains, given the observed attrition and other limitations of the study. Further research is needed on the effectiveness of the vCoP model and on how to improve HCP engagement. VISUAL ABSTRACT","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74382707","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"A DESCRIPTION OF THE 2021 AFMRD SALARY SURVEY AND NEXT STEPS","authors":"Kelsie L. Kelly, W. Barr","doi":"10.1370/afm.2835","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2835","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"77560189","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
{"title":"When Words Fail: Love’s Rightful Place in Medicine","authors":"Marvin So","doi":"10.1370/afm.2814","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2814","url":null,"abstract":"Early in my medical training, I shared an intimate connection with a patient that took me by surprise. How was it that I could come to feel so strongly about someone I had only just met? The experience prompted me to contemplate the transcendent, curious relationship entwining patients and clinicians, and reflect on how such a relationship squared with my own conceptions of love and caregiving. Though it is sometimes argued that transferring our emotions onto patients beyond direct clinical concerns can bias or tarnish the medicine we provide, I contend these emotions can be cherished and prudently explored rather than swept away.","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"76883936","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
C. Liddy, Rhea Mitchell, S. Guglani, Ariana Mihan, Claire Sethuram, Andrea Miville, E. Keely
{"title":"The Provincial Spread and Scale of the Ontario eConsult Service: Evaluation of the First 2 Years","authors":"C. Liddy, Rhea Mitchell, S. Guglani, Ariana Mihan, Claire Sethuram, Andrea Miville, E. Keely","doi":"10.1370/afm.2812","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2812","url":null,"abstract":"This paper reports on a multimethod cross-sectional study of the Ontario electronic consultation (eConsult) service. Utilization and closeout survey data from July 2018 through June 2020 were analyzed using the Reach Effectiveness Adoption Implementation Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Requesting clinicians submitted 60,474 eConsults, and monthly cases increased from 1,487 in July 2018 to 4,179 in June 2020. The median specialist response time was 1 day. An originally contemplated referral was avoided in 51% of cases. Ontario eConsult showed successful uptake across Ontario, demonstrating continued spread and scale, and offering a template for trailblazers looking to implement digital health innovations in their own jurisdictions.","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"85247090","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Tiffany Owens, Daniel Ewing, Melissa Devera, S. Shrestha, Peter Capone-Newton, Kristin Kopelson, Lisa Altman, L. Gelberg
{"title":"Housing For Health in the Veterans Affairs Greater Los Angeles Tent Community","authors":"Tiffany Owens, Daniel Ewing, Melissa Devera, S. Shrestha, Peter Capone-Newton, Kristin Kopelson, Lisa Altman, L. Gelberg","doi":"10.1370/afm.2815","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1370/afm.2815","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"74215749","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}
Jatinderpreet Singh, Gary E Garber, Erin Keely, Sheena Guglani, Clare Liddy
{"title":"Evaluation of an Electronic Consultation Service for COVID-19 Care.","authors":"Jatinderpreet Singh, Gary E Garber, Erin Keely, Sheena Guglani, Clare Liddy","doi":"10.1370/afm.2807","DOIUrl":"10.1370/afm.2807","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Purpose: </strong>COVID-19 has increased the need for innovative virtual care solutions. Electronic consultation (eConsult) services allow primary care practitioners to pose clinical questions to specialists using a secure remote application. We examined eConsult cases submitted to a COVID-19 specialist group in order to assess usage patterns, impact on response times and referrals, and the content of clinical questions being asked.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>This was a mixed-methods analysis of eConsult cases submitted between March and September 2020 in Ontario, Canada to 2 services. We performed a descriptive analysis of the average response time and the total time spent by the specialist for eConsults. Primary care practitioners completed a post-eConsult questionnaire that asked about the outcome of the eConsult. We performed an inductive and deductive content analysis of a subset of cases to identify common themes among the clinical questions asked.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>A total of 208 primary care practitioners submitted 289 eConsult cases. The median specialist response time was 0.6 days (range = 3 minutes to 15 days); the average time spent by specialists per case was 16 minutes (range = 5 to 59 minutes). In 69 cases (24%), the eConsult enabled avoidance of a face-to-face referral. Content analysis of 51 cases identified 5 major themes: precautions for high-risk and special populations, diagnostic clarification and/or need for COVID-19 testing, guidance on self-isolation and return to work, guidance on personal protective equipment, and management of chronic symptoms.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>This study demonstrates the considerable potential of eConsults during a pandemic as our service was quickly implemented across Ontario and resulted in primary care practitioners' rapid and low-barrier access to specialist input.</p>","PeriodicalId":22305,"journal":{"name":"The Annals of Family Medicine","volume":null,"pages":null},"PeriodicalIF":0.0,"publicationDate":"2022-05-01","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9199057/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"90688766","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}