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Badejo O, Saleeb M, Hall A, Furlong B, Logan GS, Gao Z, Barrett B, Alcock L, Aubrey-Bassler K. Audit and feedback to change diagnostic image ordering practices: A systematic review and meta-analysis. PLoS One 2024; 19:e0300001. [PMID: 38837994 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0300001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 02/19/2024] [Indexed: 06/07/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Up to 30% of diagnostic imaging (DI) tests may be unnecessary, leading to increased healthcare costs and the possibility of patient harm. The primary objective of this systematic review was to assess the effect of audit and feedback (AF) interventions directed at healthcare providers on reducing image ordering. The secondary objective was to examine the effect of AF on the appropriateness of DI ordering. METHODS Studies were identified using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials and ClinicalTrials.gov registry on December 22nd, 2022. Studies were included if they were randomized control trials (RCTs), targeted healthcare professionals, and studied AF as the sole intervention or as the core component of a multi-faceted intervention. Risk of bias for each study was evaluated using the Cochrane risk of bias tool. Meta-analyses were completed using RevMan software and results were displayed in forest plots. RESULTS Eleven RCTs enrolling 4311 clinicians or practices were included. AF interventions resulted in 1.5 fewer image test orders per 1000 patients seen than control interventions (95% confidence interval (CI) for the difference -2.6 to -0.4, p-value = 0.009). The effect of AF on appropriateness was not statistically significant, with a 3.2% (95% CI -1.5 to 7.7%, p-value = 0.18) greater likelihood of test orders being considered appropriate with AF vs control interventions. The strength of evidence was rated as moderate for the primary objective but was very low for the appropriateness outcome because of risk of bias, inconsistency in findings, indirectness, and imprecision. CONCLUSION AF interventions are associated with a modest reduction in total DI ordering with moderate certainty, suggesting some benefit of AF. Individual studies document effects of AF on image order appropriateness ranging from a non-significant trend toward worsening to a highly significant improvement, but the weighted average effect size from the meta-analysis is not statistically significant with very low certainty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oluwatosin Badejo
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Maria Saleeb
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Amanda Hall
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Population Health and Applied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Bradley Furlong
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Gabrielle S Logan
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Zhiwei Gao
- Population Health and Applied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Brendan Barrett
- Population Health and Applied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Discipline of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Lindsay Alcock
- Health Sciences Library, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Kris Aubrey-Bassler
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Population Health and Applied Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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Plasencia Martínez JM, García Santos JM. Implementing strategies to reduce the number of urgent low-value cranial CT for non-trauma reasons-where do we start fighting the hydra? Eur Radiol 2024:10.1007/s00330-023-10556-9. [PMID: 38172443 DOI: 10.1007/s00330-023-10556-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/13/2023] [Revised: 11/13/2023] [Accepted: 12/04/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Juana María Plasencia Martínez
- Department of Radiology, Servicio de Radiología, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, 1ª Planta, Avenida Marqués de los Vélez, S/N 30008, Murcia, Spain.
| | - José María García Santos
- Department of Radiology, Servicio de Radiología, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, 1ª Planta, Avenida Marqués de los Vélez, S/N 30008, Murcia, Spain
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Tsega S, Krouss M, Alaiev D, Talledo J, Chandra K, Shin D, Garcia M, Zaurova M, Manchego PA, Cho HJ. Imaging Wisely Campaign: Initiative to Reduce Imaging for Low Back Pain Across a Large Safety Net System. J Am Coll Radiol 2024; 21:165-174. [PMID: 37517770 DOI: 10.1016/j.jacr.2023.07.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/24/2023] [Revised: 07/03/2023] [Accepted: 07/18/2023] [Indexed: 08/01/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Low back pain is a common clinical presentation that often results in expensive and unnecessary imaging that may lead to undue patient harm, including unnecessary procedures. We present an initiative in a safety net system to reduce imaging for low back pain. METHODS This quality improvement study was conducted across 70 ambulatory clinics and 11 teaching hospitals. Three electronic health record changes, using the concept of a nudge, were introduced into orders for lumbar radiography (x-ray), lumbar CT, and lumbar MRI. The primary outcome was the number of orders per 1,000 patient-days or encounters for each imaging test in the inpatient, ambulatory, and emergency department (ED) settings. Variation across facilities was assessed, along with selected indications. RESULTS Across all clinical environments, there were statistically significant decreases in level differences pre- and postintervention for lumbar x-ray (-52.9% for inpatient encounters, P < .001; -23.7% for ambulatory encounters, P < .001; and -17.3% for ED only encounters, P < .01). There was no decrease in ordering of lumbar CTs in the inpatient and ambulatory settings, although there was an increase in lumbar CTs in ED-only encounters. There was no difference in lumbar MRI ordering. Variation was seen across all hospitals and clinics. DISCUSSION Our intervention successfully decreased lumbar radiography across all clinical settings, with a reduction in lumbar CTs in the inpatient and ambulatory settings. There were no changes for lumbar MRI orders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Surafel Tsega
- Senior Director of Informatics, Office of Quality and Patient Safety, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York, New York.
| | - Mona Krouss
- Assistant Vice President of Quality and Patient Safety, Department of Medicine, NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, New York, New York; Department of Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Daniel Alaiev
- Office of Quality and Patient Safety, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York, New York
| | - Joseph Talledo
- Office of Quality and Patient Safety, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York, New York
| | - Komal Chandra
- Office of Quality and Patient Safety, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York, New York
| | - Dawi Shin
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York
| | - Mariely Garcia
- Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai Hospital, New York, New York
| | - Milana Zaurova
- Office of Quality and Patient Safety, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York, New York; Department of Emergency Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York
| | - Peter Alarcon Manchego
- Office of Quality and Patient Safety, NYC Health + Hospitals, New York, New York; Department of Pediatrics, NYC Health + Hospitals/Kings County, New York, New York
| | - Hyung J Cho
- Vice President of Quality, Department of Quality and Safety, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
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4
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Plasencia-Martínez JM, Sánchez-Canales M, Otón-González E, Casado-Alarcón NI, Molina-Lozano B, Cotillo-Ramos E, Ortiz-Mayoral H, García-Santos JM. Inappropriate requests for cranial CT scans in emergency departments increase overuse and reduce test performance. Emerg Radiol 2023; 30:733-741. [PMID: 37973624 DOI: 10.1007/s10140-023-02185-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2023] [Accepted: 11/01/2023] [Indexed: 11/19/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE The number of non-traumatic urgent cranial computed tomography (NT-UCCT) is exponentially increasing but limited research has been conducted on the quality of clinical justification. Accordingly, we aimed (1) to assess how clinical information in the electronic NT-UCCT request agreed with that provided in the patient's emergency department discharge summary and (2) to analyze the potential effect of those discrepancies on the NT-UCCT overload. MATERIAL AND METHODS Patients undergoing NT-UCCT in 2017-2021 were randomly selected for this retrospective research-board-approved study. Signs and symptoms (S/S) in electronic request and emergency department discharge summary, acute and relevant computed tomography (CT) findings (acute ischemia or hemorrhage, masses, brain edema, or previously undetected hydrocephalus), and final diagnosis at emergency department discharge summary were collected. Concordance between digital request and emergency department discharge summary and their association with both acute and relevant CT findings and final diagnosis were analyzed. RESULTS We recruited 156 patients: 80 men; mean age, 55. Acute, relevant CT findings were detected in 28 cases (17.9%). The final diagnosis was neurological disease, non-neurological disease, and no definitive diagnosis in 46 (29.5%), 58 (37.2%), and 51 (32.7%) cases, respectively. Full agreement between the electronic request and emergency department discharge summary occurred in only 36 patients (23.1%). Motor deficit was the most frequent false positive electronic request S/S (18; 11.54%), having low positive predictive value (30.30%; 95%CI 15.59-48.71%) and worst association with acute relevant CT findings than when true positive (OR 2.54; 95%CI 0.04-6.21 vs. OR 6.26, 95%CI 2.21-17.78). Nausea/vomiting was the third most common false negative electronic request S/S (13; 10.26%) and reduced the likelihood of acute and relevant CT findings (OR 0.126; 95%CI 0.016-0.971; p = 0.020). False S/S in electronic request predominated in non-neurological diseases (50-60.2% vs. 33-39.8%; p = 0.068). CONCLUSION Discrepancies between electronic request and emergency department discharge summary were observed in >75% of patients, leading to unnecessary NT-UCCT tests.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juana María Plasencia-Martínez
- Department of Radiology, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Avenida Marqués de los Vélez, s/n, 30008, Murcia, Spain.
| | - Marta Sánchez-Canales
- Department of Radiology, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Avenida Marqués de los Vélez, s/n, 30008, Murcia, Spain
| | - Elena Otón-González
- Department of Radiology, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Avenida Marqués de los Vélez, s/n, 30008, Murcia, Spain
| | - Nuria Isabel Casado-Alarcón
- Department of Radiology, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Avenida Marqués de los Vélez, s/n, 30008, Murcia, Spain
| | | | - Estefanía Cotillo-Ramos
- Department of Radiology, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Avenida Marqués de los Vélez, s/n, 30008, Murcia, Spain
| | - Herminia Ortiz-Mayoral
- Department of Radiology, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Avenida Marqués de los Vélez, s/n, 30008, Murcia, Spain
| | - José María García-Santos
- Department of Radiology, Hospital General Universitario Morales Meseguer, Avenida Marqués de los Vélez, s/n, 30008, Murcia, Spain
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Foy R, Ivers NM, Grimshaw JM, Wilson PM. What is the role of randomised trials in implementation science? Trials 2023; 24:537. [PMID: 37587521 PMCID: PMC10428627 DOI: 10.1186/s13063-023-07578-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is a consistent demand for implementation science to inform global efforts to close the gap between evidence and practice. Key evaluation questions for any given implementation strategy concern the assessment and understanding of effects. Randomised trials are generally accepted as offering the most trustworthy design for establishing effectiveness but may be underused in implementation science. MAIN BODY There is a continuing debate about the primacy of the place of randomised trials in evaluating implementation strategies, especially given the evolution of more rigorous quasi-experimental designs. Further critiques of trials for implementation science highlight that they cannot provide 'real world' evidence, address urgent and important questions, explain complex interventions nor understand contextual influences. We respond to these critiques of trials and highlight opportunities to enhance their timeliness and relevance through innovative designs, embedding within large-scale improvement programmes and harnessing routine data. Our suggestions for optimising the conditions for randomised trials of implementation strategies include strengthening partnerships with policy-makers and clinical leaders to realise the long-term value of rigorous evaluation and accelerating ethical approvals and decluttering governance procedures for lower risk studies. CONCLUSION Policy-makers and researchers should avoid prematurely discarding trial designs when evaluating implementation strategies and work to enhance the conditions for their conduct.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robbie Foy
- Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK.
| | - Noah M Ivers
- Women's College Hospital, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Paul M Wilson
- Centre for Primary Care and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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Mills K, Bowden JL, Boland R, Pardey M, Descallar J, Naylor JM. Taking the first step: protocol for a cluster randomised implementation trial comparing strategies on access to exercise programmes for people with knee osteoarthritis. BMJ Open 2023; 13:e071045. [PMID: 37567743 PMCID: PMC10423770 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-071045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2023] [Indexed: 08/13/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION This cluster randomised implementation trial will assess the effect of two behavioural change interventions on the proportion of people with structural knee osteoarthritis (OA) referred and attending exercise-based professionals (physiotherapists and exercise physiologists). The interventions are designed to increase awareness of guidelines, benefits and access pathways for exercise therapy. We hypothesise either strategy will result in more people with knee OA being referred and attending physiotherapy/exercise physiology than current standard of care. METHODS AND ANALYSIS We will recruit 30 radiology clinics. 10 clinics will be randomly assigned to each trial arm with 1020 people with knee OA consecutively recruited (102 people per practice) into each arm. Intervention arm 1 is an educational reminder message targeted at primary care practitioners with a hyperlink to national guidelines regarding knee OA clinical management. It will be included in the reporting template of a plain knee X-ray. Intervention arm 2 is the reminder message and a patient-facing infographic explaining the benefits and access pathways for exercise. Both interventions will be delivered once, by the radiology clinics, when a person undergoes plain X-ray for non-traumatic knee pain/dysfunction. The primary outcome is referral to physiotherapist/exercise physiology. The secondary outcome is attendance to that appointment. Both outcomes are self-reported via an online survey administered 4 weeks after the X-ray. Additional survey questions explore facilitators and barriers to appointment attendance and acceptability of the interventions. A subsample of the intervention groups will be recruited for semistructured telephone-based interviews to further explore these latter outcomes. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION The study protocol was approved by Macquarie University Human Research Ethics Committee (#520221190343842) and prospectively registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry. The findings of the trial will be disseminated through peer-reviewed scientific journals and conferences. We will engage with Australian physician colleges and main-stream media to distribute findings. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ACTRN12622001414707p.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn Mills
- Department of Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Jocelyn L Bowden
- Institute of Bone and Joint Research, The University of Sydney, St Leonards, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Robert Boland
- Discipline of Physiotherapy, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Margery Pardey
- Department of Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Joseph Descallar
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Justine M Naylor
- South Western Sydney Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- Whitlam Orthopaedic Research Centre, Ingham Institute for Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, New South Wales, Australia
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7
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Belavy DL, Tagliaferri SD, Buntine P, Saueressig T, Ehrenbrusthoff K, Chen X, Diwan A, Miller CT, Owen PJ. Interventions for promoting evidence-based guideline-consistent surgery in low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials. EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EUROPEAN SPINE SOCIETY, THE EUROPEAN SPINAL DEFORMITY SOCIETY, AND THE EUROPEAN SECTION OF THE CERVICAL SPINE RESEARCH SOCIETY 2022; 31:2851-2865. [PMID: 36114891 DOI: 10.1007/s00586-022-07378-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Revised: 07/09/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Examine the effectiveness of interventions to approach guideline-adherent surgical referrals for low back pain assessed via systematic review and meta-analysis. METHODS Five databases (10 September 2021), Google Scholar, reference lists of relevant systematic reviews were searched and forward and backward citation tracking of included studies were implemented. Randomised controlled/clinical trials in adults with low back pain of interventions to optimise surgery rates or referrals to surgery or secondary referral were included. Bias was assessed using the Cochrane ROB2 tool and evidence certainty via Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE). A random effects meta-analysis with a Paule Mandel estimator plus Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman method was used to calculate the odds ratio and 95% confidence interval, respectively. RESULTS Of 886 records, 6 studies were included (N = 258,329) participants; cluster sizes ranged from 4 to 54. Five studies were rated as low risk of bias and one as having some concerns. Two studies reporting spine surgery referral or rates could only be pooled via combination of p values and gave evidence for a reduction (p = 0.021, Fisher's method, risk of bias: low). This did not persist with sensitivity analysis (p = 0.053). For secondary referral, meta-analysis revealed a non-significant odds ratio of 1.07 (95% CI [0.55, 2.06], I2 = 73.0%, n = 4 studies, Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation [GRADE] evidence certainty: very low). CONCLUSION Few RCTs exist for interventions to improve guideline-adherent spine surgery rates or referral. Clinician education in isolation may not be effective. Future RCTs should consider organisational and/or policy level interventions. PROSPERO REGISTRATION CRD42020215137.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Belavy
- Division of Physiotherapy, Department of Applied Health Sciences, Hochschule Für Gesundheit (University of Applied Sciences), Gesundheitscampus 6-8, 44801, Bochum, Germany.
| | - Scott D Tagliaferri
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Paul Buntine
- Emergency Department, Box Hill Hospital, Eastern Health, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
- Eastern Health Clinical School, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | | | - Katja Ehrenbrusthoff
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Xiaolong Chen
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Spine Service, St. George Hospital, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ashish Diwan
- Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Spine Service, St. George Hospital, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Clint T Miller
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
| | - Patrick J Owen
- School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia
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Raudasoja AJ, Falkenbach P, Vernooij RWM, Mustonen JMJ, Agarwal A, Aoki Y, Blanker MH, Cartwright R, Garcia-Perdomo HA, Kilpeläinen TP, Lainiala O, Lamberg T, Nevalainen OPO, Raittio E, Richard PO, Violette PD, Komulainen J, Sipilä R, Tikkinen KAO. Randomized controlled trials in de-implementation research: a systematic scoping review. Implement Sci 2022; 17:65. [PMID: 36183140 PMCID: PMC9526943 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-022-01238-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2022] [Accepted: 09/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Healthcare costs are rising, and a substantial proportion of medical care is of little value. De-implementation of low-value practices is important for improving overall health outcomes and reducing costs. We aimed to identify and synthesize randomized controlled trials (RCTs) on de-implementation interventions and to provide guidance to improve future research. METHODS MEDLINE and Scopus up to May 24, 2021, for individual and cluster RCTs comparing de-implementation interventions to usual care, another intervention, or placebo. We applied independent duplicate assessment of eligibility, study characteristics, outcomes, intervention categories, implementation theories, and risk of bias. RESULTS Of the 227 eligible trials, 145 (64%) were cluster randomized trials (median 24 clusters; median follow-up time 305 days), and 82 (36%) were individually randomized trials (median follow-up time 274 days). Of the trials, 118 (52%) were published after 2010, 149 (66%) were conducted in a primary care setting, 163 (72%) aimed to reduce the use of drug treatment, 194 (85%) measured the total volume of care, and 64 (28%) low-value care use as outcomes. Of the trials, 48 (21%) described a theoretical basis for the intervention, and 40 (18%) had the study tailored by context-specific factors. Of the de-implementation interventions, 193 (85%) were targeted at physicians, 115 (51%) tested educational sessions, and 152 (67%) multicomponent interventions. Missing data led to high risk of bias in 137 (60%) trials, followed by baseline imbalances in 99 (44%), and deficiencies in allocation concealment in 56 (25%). CONCLUSIONS De-implementation trials were mainly conducted in primary care and typically aimed to reduce low-value drug treatments. Limitations of current de-implementation research may have led to unreliable effect estimates and decreased clinical applicability of studied de-implementation strategies. We identified potential research gaps, including de-implementation in secondary and tertiary care settings, and interventions targeted at other than physicians. Future trials could be improved by favoring simpler intervention designs, better control of potential confounders, larger number of clusters in cluster trials, considering context-specific factors when planning the intervention (tailoring), and using a theoretical basis in intervention design. REGISTRATION OSF Open Science Framework hk4b2.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksi J Raudasoja
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland. .,Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, Helsinki, Finland.
| | - Petra Falkenbach
- Finnish Coordinating Center for Health Technology Assessment, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland.,University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland
| | - Robin W M Vernooij
- Department of Nephrology and Hypertension, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands.,Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | | | - Arnav Agarwal
- Division of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine and Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
| | - Yoshitaka Aoki
- Department of Urology, University of Fukui Faculty of Medical Sciences, Fukui, Japan
| | - Marco H Blanker
- Department of General Practice and Elderly Care Medicine, University Medical Centre Groningen, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Rufus Cartwright
- Department of Gynaecology, Chelsea & Westminster NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK.,Department of Epidemiology & Biostatistics, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Herney A Garcia-Perdomo
- Division of Urology/Uro-oncology, Department of Surgery, School of Medicine, Universidad del Valle, Cali, Colombia
| | - Tuomas P Kilpeläinen
- Department of Urology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Olli Lainiala
- Department of Radiology, Tampere University Hospital and Faculty of Medicine and Health Technologies, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | | | - Olli P O Nevalainen
- Faculty of Medicine, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland.,Hatanpää Health Center, City of Tampere, Finland.,Unit of Health Sciences, Faculty of Social Sciences, Tampere University, Tampere, Finland
| | - Eero Raittio
- Oral Health Care, Tampere, Finland.,Institute of Dentistry, University of Eastern Finland, Kuopio, Finland.,Nordic Healthcare Group Ltd., Helsinki, Finland
| | - Patrick O Richard
- Division of Urology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, Canada
| | - Philippe D Violette
- Departments of Surgery and Health Research Methods Evidence and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada
| | | | - Raija Sipilä
- Finnish Medical Society Duodecim, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Kari A O Tikkinen
- Department of Urology, University of Helsinki and Helsinki University Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.,Department of Surgery, South Karelian Central Hospital, Lappeenranta, Finland
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9
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Korenstein D, Gillespie EF. Audit and Feedback-Optimizing a Strategy to Reduce Low-Value Care. JAMA 2022; 328:833-835. [PMID: 36066538 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2022.14173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Deborah Korenstein
- Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
- Department of Medicine, Weill Cornell Medicine, New York, New York
| | - Erin F Gillespie
- Department of Radiation Oncology, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York
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10
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O’Connor DA, Glasziou P, Maher CG, McCaffery KJ, Schram D, Maguire B, Ma R, Billot L, Gorelik A, Traeger AC, Albarqouni L, Checketts J, Vyas P, Clark B, Buchbinder R. Effect of an Individualized Audit and Feedback Intervention on Rates of Musculoskeletal Diagnostic Imaging Requests by Australian General Practitioners: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA 2022; 328:850-860. [PMID: 36066518 PMCID: PMC9449798 DOI: 10.1001/jama.2022.14587] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Audit and feedback can improve professional practice, but few trials have evaluated its effectiveness in reducing potential overuse of musculoskeletal diagnostic imaging in general practice. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effectiveness of audit and feedback for reducing musculoskeletal imaging by high-requesting Australian general practitioners (GPs). DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS This factorial cluster-randomized clinical trial included 2271 general practices with at least 1 GP who was in the top 20% of referrers for 11 imaging tests (of the lumbosacral or cervical spine, shoulder, hip, knee, and ankle/hind foot) and for at least 4 individual tests between January and December 2018. Only high-requesting GPs within participating practices were included. The trial was conducted between November 2019 and May 2021, with final follow-up on May 8, 2021. INTERVENTIONS Eligible practices were randomized in a 1:1:1:1:1 ratio to 1 of 4 different individualized written audit and feedback interventions (n = 3055 GPs) that varied factorially by (1) frequency of feedback (once vs twice) and (2) visual display (standard vs enhanced display highlighting highly requested tests) or to a control condition of no intervention (n = 764 GPs). Participants were not masked. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES The primary outcome was the overall rate of requests for the 11 targeted imaging tests per 1000 patient consultations over 12 months, assessed using routinely collected administrative data. Primary analyses included all randomized GPs who had at least 1 patient consultation during the study period and were performed by statisticians masked to group allocation. RESULTS A total of 3819 high-requesting GPs from 2271 practices were randomized, and 3660 GPs (95.8%; n = 727 control, n = 2933 intervention) were included in the primary analysis. Audit and feedback led to a statistically significant reduction in the overall rate of imaging requests per 1000 consultations compared with control over 12 months (adjusted mean, 27.7 [95% CI, 27.5-28.0] vs 30.4 [95% CI, 29.8-30.9], respectively; adjusted mean difference, -2.66 [95% CI, -3.24 to -2.07]; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Among Australian general practitioners known to frequently request musculoskeletal diagnostic imaging, an individualized audit and feedback intervention, compared with no intervention, significantly decreased the rate of targeted musculoskeletal imaging tests ordered over 12 months. TRIAL REGISTRATION ANZCTR Identifier: ACTRN12619001503112.
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Affiliation(s)
- Denise A. O’Connor
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Monash-Cabrini Department of Musculoskeletal Health and Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
| | - Paul Glasziou
- Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Robina, Queensland, Australia
| | - Christopher G. Maher
- Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District and The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kirsten J. McCaffery
- Sydney Health Literacy Lab, Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Dina Schram
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Brigit Maguire
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Robert Ma
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Laurent Billot
- The George Institute for Global Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of New South Wales, Newtown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Alexandra Gorelik
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Monash-Cabrini Department of Musculoskeletal Health and Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
| | - Adrian C. Traeger
- Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney Local Health District and The University of Sydney, Camperdown, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Loai Albarqouni
- Institute for Evidence-Based Healthcare, Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine, Bond University, Robina, Queensland, Australia
| | - Juliet Checketts
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Parima Vyas
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Brett Clark
- Australian Government Department of Health and Aged Care, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
| | - Rachelle Buchbinder
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Monash-Cabrini Department of Musculoskeletal Health and Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
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Abstract
OBJECTIVE To examine the effectiveness of implementing interventions to improve guideline-recommended imaging referrals in low back pain. DESIGN Systematic review with meta-analysis. LITERATURE SEARCH We searched MEDLINE, EMBASE, the Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, Web of Science Core Collection, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials from inception to June 14, 2021, as well as Google Scholar and reference lists of relevant systematic reviews published in the last 10 years. We conducted forward and backward citation tracking. STUDY SELECTION CRITERIA Randomized controlled or clinical trials in adults with low back pain to improve imaging referrals. DATA SYNTHESIS Bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool. Data were synthesized using narrative synthesis and random-effects meta-analysis (Hartung-Knapp-Sidik-Jonkman method). We assessed the certainty of evidence using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation approach. RESULTS Of the 2719 identified records, 8 trials were included, with 6 studies eligible for meta-analysis (participants: N = 170 460). All trials incorporated clinician education; 4 included audit and/or feedback components. Comparators were no-intervention control and passive dissemination of guidelines. Five trials were rated as low risk of bias, and 2 trials were rated as having some concerns. There was low-certainty evidence that implementing interventions to improve guideline-recommended imaging referrals had no effect (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 0.87 [0.72, 1.05]; I2 = 0%; studies: n = 6). The main finding was robust to sensitivity analyses. CONCLUSION We found low-certainty evidence that interventions to reduce imaging referrals or use in low back pain had no effect. Education interventions are unlikely to be effective. Organizational- and policy-level interventions are more likely to be effective. J Orthop Sports Phys Ther 2022;52(4):175-191. Epub 05 Feb 2022. doi:10.2519/jospt.2022.10731.
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Farmer C, Bourne A, Haas R, Wallis J, O'Connor D, Buchbinder R. Can modifications to how medical imaging findings are reported improve quality of care? A systematic review. Clin Radiol 2022; 77:428-435. [DOI: 10.1016/j.crad.2022.02.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2021] [Accepted: 02/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
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Belavy DL, Tagliaferri SD, Buntine P, Saueressig T, Sadler K, Ko C, Miller CT, Owen PJ. Clinician education unlikely effective for guideline-adherent medication prescription in low back pain: systematic review and meta-analysis of RCTs. EClinicalMedicine 2022; 43:101193. [PMID: 35028542 PMCID: PMC8741480 DOI: 10.1016/j.eclinm.2021.101193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2021] [Accepted: 10/22/2021] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Effectiveness of implementing interventions to optimise guideline-recommended medical prescription in low back pain is not well established. METHODS A systematic review and random-effects meta-analyses for dichotomous outcomes with a Paule-Mandel estimator. Five databases and reference lists were searched from inception to 4th August 2021. Randomised controlled/clinical trials in adults with low back pain to optimise medication prescription were included. Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 tool and GRADE were implemented. The review was registered prospectively with PROSPERO (CRD42020219767). FINDINGS Of 3352 unique records identified in the search, seven studies were included and five were eligible for meta-analysis (N=11339 participants). Six of seven studies incorporated clinician education, three studies included audit/feedback components and one study implemented changes in medical records systems. Via meta-analysis, we estimated a non-significant odds-ratio of 0·94 (95% CI (0·77; 1.16), I² = 0%; n=5 studies, GRADE: low) in favour of the intervention group. The main finding was robust to sensitivity analyses. INTERPRETATION There is low quality evidence that existing interventions to optimise medication prescription or usage in back pain had no impact. Peer-to-peer education alone does not appear to lead to behaviour change. Organisational and policy interventions may be more effective. FUNDING This work was supported by internal institutional funding only.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel L Belavy
- Hochschule für Gesundheit (University of Applied Sciences), Department of Applied Health Sciences, Division of Physiotherapy, Gesundheitscampus 6-8, 44801, Bochum, Germany
- Corresponding author. Prof. Daniel L Belavy, Hochschule für Gesundheit (University of Applied Sciences), Department of Applied Health Sciences, Division of Physiotherapy, Gesundheitscampus 6-8, 44801, Bochum, Germany. Tel: +49 234 77727 632
| | - Scott D Tagliaferri
- Deakin University, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
| | - Paul Buntine
- Eastern Health, Box Hill Hospital, Emergency Department, 5 Arnold St, Box Hill, Victoria 3128, Australia
- Monash University, Eastern Health Clinical School, Level 2, 5 Arnold Street, Box Hill, Victoria 3128, Australia
| | | | - Kate Sadler
- Deakin University, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
| | - Christy Ko
- Eastern Health, Box Hill Hospital, Emergency Department, 5 Arnold St, Box Hill, Victoria 3128, Australia
| | - Clint T Miller
- Deakin University, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
| | - Patrick J Owen
- Deakin University, Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, 221 Burwood Highway, Burwood, Victoria 3125, Australia
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Development and Evaluation of an Audit and Feedback Process for Prevention of Acute Kidney Injury During Coronary Angiography and Intervention. CJC Open 2021; 4:271-281. [PMID: 35386131 PMCID: PMC8978052 DOI: 10.1016/j.cjco.2021.10.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Contrast-associated acute kidney injury (CA-AKI) is a potentially preventable complication of coronary angiography and intervention. Relatively little research has been done to determine how knowledge on CA-AKI prevention can be translated into clinical practice. Methods We developed, implemented, and surveyed end-users about the usability, acceptability, and utility of an audit and feedback process for CA-AKI prevention in Alberta, Canada. The audit and feedback reported on amount of radiocontrast dye used, hemodynamic optimization of intravenous fluids, and CA-AKI incidence for each cardiologist practicing coronary angiography or percutaneous coronary intervention, compared with peers at their site and across the province. Reports were developed through an iterative process involving interventional cardiologists throughout the design process and usability testing. Results Cardiologists participating in usability testing indicated a preference for the visual displays of data and summarizing indicators on the front page, and endorsed the value of peer-to-peer comparisons of performance measures. Of 31 eligible cardiologists from across Alberta, 17 responded to a survey evaluating the audit and feedback process. Fifteen respondents (88.2%) agreed that the data presented in the audit and feedback report were understandable; 17 respondents (100%) agreed or strongly agreed that the presentation of the report helped them better understand their performance compared with that of their peers; and 14 (82.4%) agreed that the audit and feedback process helped them identify ways to reduce the risk of AKI for their patients. Conclusions Conducting an audit and providing feedback was an understandable and acceptable intervention to help cardiologists identify ways to improve prevention of CA-AKI during coronary angiography or intervention.
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Farmer C, O'Connor DA, Lee H, McCaffery K, Maher C, Newell D, Cashin A, Byfield D, Jarvik J, Buchbinder R. Consumer understanding of terms used in imaging reports requested for low back pain: a cross-sectional survey. BMJ Open 2021; 11:e049938. [PMID: 34518265 PMCID: PMC8438839 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2021-049938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To investigate (1) self-reported societal comprehension of common and usually non-serious terms found in lumbar spine imaging reports and (2) its relationship to perceived seriousness, likely persistence of low back pain (LBP), fear of movement, back beliefs and history and intensity of LBP. DESIGN Cross-sectional online survey of the general public. SETTING Five English-speaking countries: UK, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. PARTICIPANTS Adults (age >18 years) with or without a history of LBP recruited in April 2019 with quotas for country, age and gender. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES Self-reported understanding of 14 terms (annular fissure, disc bulge, disc degeneration, disc extrusion, disc height loss, disc protrusion, disc signal loss, facet joint degeneration, high intensity zone, mild canal stenosis, Modic changes, nerve root contact, spondylolisthesis and spondylosis) commonly found in lumbar spine imaging reports. For each term, we also elicited worry about its seriousness, and whether its presence would indicate pain persistence and prompt fear of movement. RESULTS From 774 responses, we included 677 (87.5%) with complete and valid responses. 577 (85%) participants had a current or past history of LBP of whom 251 (44%) had received lumbar spine imaging. Self-reported understanding of all terms was poor. At best, 235 (35%) reported understanding the term 'disc degeneration', while only 71 (10.5%) reported understanding the term 'Modic changes'. For all terms, a moderate to large proportion of participants (range 59%-71%), considered they indicated a serious back problem, that pain might persist (range 52%-71%) and they would be fearful of movement (range 42%-57%). CONCLUSION Common and usually non-serious terms in lumbar spine imaging reports are poorly understood by the general population and may contribute to the burden of LBP. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER ACTRN12619000545167.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin Farmer
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Monash-Cabrini Department of Musculoskeletal Health and Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
| | - Denise A O'Connor
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Monash-Cabrini Department of Musculoskeletal Health and Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
| | - Hopin Lee
- Centre for Statistics in Medicine, Rehabilitation Research in Oxford, Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), University of Oxford, Oxford, Oxfordshire, UK
- School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Kirsten McCaffery
- Sydney Health Literacy Lab, School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Christopher Maher
- School of Public Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
- The University of Sydney Institute for Musculoskeletal Health, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | | | - Aidan Cashin
- Centre for Pain IMPACT, Neuroscience Research Australia, Randwick, New South Wales, Australia
- Prince of Wales Clinical School, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - David Byfield
- University of South Wales Faculty of Life Sciences and Education, Treforest, UK
| | - Jeffrey Jarvik
- Departments of Radiology, Neurological Surgery and Health Services, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
- UW Clinical Learning, Evidence And Research (CLEAR) Center for Musculoskeletal Disorders, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Rachelle Buchbinder
- Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia
- Monash-Cabrini Department of Musculoskeletal Health and Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Health, Malvern, Victoria, Australia
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16
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Lee KS, Yordanov S, Stubbs D, Edlmann E, Joannides A, Davies B. Integrated care pathways in neurosurgery: A systematic review. PLoS One 2021; 16:e0255628. [PMID: 34339465 PMCID: PMC8328336 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0255628] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Introduction Integrated care pathways (ICPs) are a pre-defined framework of evidence based, multidisciplinary practice for specific patients. They have the potential to enhance continuity of care, patient safety, patient satisfaction, efficiency gains, teamwork and staff education. In order to inform the development of neurosurgical ICPs in the future, we performed a systematic review to aggregate examples of neurosurgical ICP, to consider their impact and design features that may be associated with their success. Methods Electronic databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CENTRAL were searched for relevant literature published from date of inception to July 2020. Primary studies reporting details of neurosurgical ICPs, across all pathologies and age groups were eligible for inclusion. Patient outcomes in each case were also recorded. Results Twenty-four studies were included in our final dataset, from the United States, United Kingdom, Italy, China, Korea, France, Netherlands and Switzerland, and a number of sub-specialties. 3 for cerebrospinal fluid diversion, 1 functional, 2 neurovascular, 1 neuro-oncology, 2 paediatric, 2 skull base, 10 spine, 1 for trauma, 2 miscellaneous (other craniotomies). All were single centre studies with no regional or national examples. Thirteen were cohort studies while 11 were case series which lacked a control group. Effectiveness was typically evaluated using hospital or professional performance metrics, such as length of stay (n = 11, 45.8%) or adverse events (n = 17, 70.8%) including readmission, surgical complications and mortality. Patient reported outcomes, including satisfaction, were evaluated infrequently (n = 3, 12.5%). All studies reported a positive impact. No study reported how the design of the ICP was informed by published literature or other methods Conclusions ICPs have been successfully developed across numerous neurosurgical sub-specialities. However, there is often a lack of clarity over their design and weaknesses in their evaluation, including an underrepresentation of the patient’s perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keng Siang Lee
- Bristol Medical School, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (KSL); (BD)
| | - Stefan Yordanov
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Daniel Stubbs
- Division of Anaesthesia, Department of Medicine, Addenbrooke’s Hospital, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ellie Edlmann
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Alexis Joannides
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Benjamin Davies
- Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
- * E-mail: (KSL); (BD)
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Hall A, Richmond H, Pike A, Lawrence R, Etchegary H, Swab M, Thompson JY, Albury C, Hayden J, Patey AM, Matthews J. What behaviour change techniques have been used to improve adherence to evidence-based low back pain imaging? Implement Sci 2021; 16:68. [PMID: 34215284 PMCID: PMC8254222 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-021-01136-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/09/2021] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Despite international guideline recommendations, low back pain (LBP) imaging rates have been increasing over the last 20 years. Previous systematic reviews report limited effectiveness of implementation interventions aimed at reducing unnecessary LBP imaging. No previous reviews have analysed these implementation interventions to ascertain what behaviour change techniques (BCTs) have been used in this field. Understanding what techniques have been implemented in this field is an essential first step before exploring intervention effectiveness. Methods We searched EMBASE, Ovid (Medline), CINAHL and Cochrane CENTRAL from inception to February 1, 2021, as well as and hand-searched 6 relevant systematic reviews and conducted citation tracking of included studies. Two authors independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts for eligibility and extracted data on study and intervention characteristics. Study interventions were qualitatively analysed by three coders to identify BCTs, which were mapped to mechanisms of action from the theoretical domains framework (TDF) using the Theory and Techniques Tool. Results We identified 36 eligible studies from 1984 citations in our electronic search and a further 2 studies from hand-searching resulting in 38 studies that targeted physician behaviour to reduce unnecessary LBP imaging. The studies were conducted in 6 countries in primary (n = 31) or emergency care (n = 7) settings. Thirty-four studies were included in our BCT synthesis which found the most frequently used BCTs were ‘4.1 instruction on how to perform the behaviour’ (e.g. Active/passive guideline dissemination and/or educational seminars/workshops), followed by ‘9.1 credible source’, ‘2.2 feedback on behaviour’ (e.g. electronic feedback reports on physicians’ image ordering) and 7.1 prompts and cues (electronic decision support or hard-copy posters/booklets for the office). This review highlighted that the majority of studies used education and/or feedback on behaviour to target the domains of knowledge and in some cases also skills and beliefs about capabilities to bring about a change in LBP imaging behaviour. Additionally, we found there to be a growing use of electronic or hard copy reminders to target the domains of memory and environmental context and resources. Conclusions This is the first study to identify what BCTs have been used to target a reduction in physician image ordering behaviour. The majority of included studies lacked the use of theory to inform their intervention design and failed to target known physician-reported barriers to following LBP imaging guidelines. Protocol Registation PROSPERO CRD42017072518 Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13012-021-01136-w.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Hall
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, 300 Prince Phillip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, Canada.
| | - Helen Richmond
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, 300 Prince Phillip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Andrea Pike
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, 300 Prince Phillip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Rebecca Lawrence
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, 300 Prince Phillip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Holly Etchegary
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, 300 Prince Phillip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Michelle Swab
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, 300 Prince Phillip Drive, St. John's, Newfoundland, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Jacqueline Y Thompson
- Public Health, Institute of Applied Health Research, College of Medicine and Dentistry, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, B15 2TT, UK
| | - Charlotte Albury
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, England
| | - Jill Hayden
- Department of Community Health and Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Andrea M Patey
- Centre for Implementation Research, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada
| | - James Matthews
- School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Sports Science, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland
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Gransjøen AM, Thorsen K, Lysdahl KB, Wiig S, Hofmann BM. Impact on radiological practice of active guideline implementation of musculoskeletal guideline, as measured over a 12-month period. Acta Radiol Open 2021; 10:2058460120988171. [PMID: 33796335 PMCID: PMC7975584 DOI: 10.1177/2058460120988171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/27/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background An ever-increasing technological development in the field of radiology urges
a need for guidelines to provide predictable and just health services. A
musculoskeletal guideline was developed in Norway in 2014, without active
implementation. Purpose To investigate the impact of active guideline implementation on the use of
musculoskeletal diagnostic imaging most frequently encountered in general
practice (pain in the neck, shoulders, lower back, and knees). Material and Methods The total number of outpatient radiological examinations across modalities
registered at the Norwegian Health Economics Administration between January
2013 and February 2019 was assessed using an interrupted time series
design. Results A 12% reduction in the total examination of Magnetic Resonance Imaging
shoulder and knee, and x-ray lower back and shoulder was found at a
significant level (p = 0.05). Stratified analysis (Magnetic
Resonance Imaging examination as one group and x-ray examinations as the
other) showed that this reduction mainly was due to the reduction in the use
of Magnetic Resonance Imaging examinations (shoulder and knee) which was
reduced by 24% at a significant level (p = 0.002), while
x-ray examinations had no significant level change
(p = 0.71). No other statistically significant changes were
found. Conclusion The impact of the implementation on the use of imaging of the neck, shoulder,
lower back, and knee is uncertain. Significant reductions were demonstrated
in the use of some examinations in the intervention county, but similar
effects were not seen when including a control group in the analysis. This
indicates a diffusion of the implementation, or other interventions or
events that affected both counties and occurred in the intervention
period.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann M Gransjøen
- Department of Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Gjøvik, Norway
| | | | - Kristin B Lysdahl
- Department of Optometry, Radiography and Lighting Design, University of South-Eastern Norway, Kongsberg, Norway
| | - Siri Wiig
- SHARE-Centre for Resilience in Healthcare, University of Stavanger, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Bjørn M Hofmann
- Department of Health Sciences, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Gjøvik, Norway.,Center for Medical Ethics, University of Oslo, Blindern, Oslo
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Levin ES, Mandell JC, Smith SE. Do non-weight-bearing knee radiographs for chronic knee pain result in increased follow-up imaging? Skeletal Radiol 2021; 50:515-519. [PMID: 32820346 DOI: 10.1007/s00256-020-03585-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/28/2020] [Revised: 08/12/2020] [Accepted: 08/12/2020] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVE While weight-bearing radiographs are considered the optimal method for evaluation of joint spaces in osteoarthritis, non-weight-bearing radiographs are often performed. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the rate of follow-up radiographs in patients receiving non-weight-bearing radiographs for chronic knee pain in the outpatient setting, compared with patients receiving weight-bearing radiographs. MATERIALS AND METHODS Consecutive patients who received non-weight-bearing knee radiographs for chronic knee pain between January 1, 2018, and June 15, 2019, were included. Exclusion criteria included trauma, concern for infection or tumor, and post-surgical radiographs. An age- and sex-matched control group of 100 patients who received weight-bearing knee radiographs was compiled. The proportion of follow-up radiographs within 1 year was compared between the study and control groups with chi-squared tests. RESULTS Four hundred non-weight-bearing knee radiographic examinations were included. There were 74/400 (18.5%) follow-up radiographs within 12 months. All follow-up radiographs were weight-bearing. In the control group, 4/100 (4%) had follow-up weight-bearing radiographs within 1 year (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION Outpatients who underwent non-weight-bearing knee radiographs for chronic pain had a higher frequency of repeat imaging than those who initially underwent weight-bearing knee radiographs. These results suggest that non-weight-bearing knee radiographs are of lower clinical utility compared with weight-bearing radiographs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth S Levin
- Department of Radiology, Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.
| | - Jacob C Mandell
- Department of Radiology, Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA
| | - Stacy E Smith
- Department of Radiology, Division of Musculoskeletal Imaging and Intervention, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis St, Boston, MA, 02115, USA.,The Neil and Elise Wallace STRATUS Center for Medical Simulation, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, MA, USA
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Wolfenden L, Foy R, Presseau J, Grimshaw JM, Ivers NM, Powell BJ, Taljaard M, Wiggers J, Sutherland R, Nathan N, Williams CM, Kingsland M, Milat A, Hodder RK, Yoong SL. Designing and undertaking randomised implementation trials: guide for researchers. BMJ 2021; 372:m3721. [PMID: 33461967 PMCID: PMC7812444 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m3721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 29.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Implementation science is the study of methods to promote the systematic uptake of evidence based interventions into practice and policy to improve health. Despite the need for high quality evidence from implementation research, randomised trials of implementation strategies often have serious limitations. These limitations include high risks of bias, limited use of theory, a lack of standard terminology to describe implementation strategies, narrowly focused implementation outcomes, and poor reporting. This paper aims to improve the evidence base in implementation science by providing guidance on the development, conduct, and reporting of randomised trials of implementation strategies. Established randomised trial methods from seminal texts and recent developments in implementation science were consolidated by an international group of researchers, health policy makers, and practitioners. This article provides guidance on the key components of randomised trials of implementation strategies, including articulation of trial aims, trial recruitment and retention strategies, randomised design selection, use of implementation science theory and frameworks, measures, sample size calculations, ethical review, and trial reporting. It also focuses on topics requiring special consideration or adaptation for implementation trials. We propose this guide as a resource for researchers, healthcare and public health policy makers or practitioners, research funders, and journal editors with the goal of advancing rigorous conduct and reporting of randomised trials of implementation strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Luke Wolfenden
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter New England Population Health, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia
| | - Robbie Foy
- Leeds Institute of Health Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Justin Presseau
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Jeremy M Grimshaw
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- Department of Medicine, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - Noah M Ivers
- Women's College Research Institute, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute for Health Systems Solutions and Virtual Care, Women's College Hospital, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Department of Family Medicine and Community Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
- Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, University of Toronto, Toronto, ON, Canada
| | - Byron J Powell
- Brown School and School of Medicine, Washington University in St Louis, St Louis, MI, USA
| | - Monica Taljaard
- Clinical Epidemiology Program, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, ON, Canada
- School of Epidemiology and Public Health, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada
| | - John Wiggers
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter New England Population Health, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia
| | - Rachel Sutherland
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter New England Population Health, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia
| | - Nicole Nathan
- Hunter New England Population Health, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia
| | - Christopher M Williams
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter New England Population Health, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Melanie Kingsland
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter New England Population Health, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia
| | - Andrew Milat
- School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Rebecca K Hodder
- School of Medicine and Public Health, Faculty of Health and Medicine, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, NSW, Australia
- Hunter New England Population Health, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, NSW 2287, Australia
| | - Sze Lin Yoong
- Swinburne University of Technology, School of Health Sciences, Faculty Health, Arts and Design, Hawthorn, VIC, Australia
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Strategies to reduce the use of low-value medical tests in primary care: a systematic review. Br J Gen Pract 2020; 70:e858-e865. [PMID: 33199293 DOI: 10.3399/bjgp20x713693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/19/2020] [Accepted: 06/03/2020] [Indexed: 10/31/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND It is recognised that medical tests are overused in primary care; however, it is unclear how best to reduce their use. AIM To identify which strategies are effective in reducing the use of low-value medical tests in primary care settings. DESIGN AND SETTING Systematic review. METHOD The databases MEDLINE, EMBASE, and Rx for Change were searched (January 1990 to November 2019) for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated strategies to reduce the use of low-value medical tests in primary care settings. Two reviewers selected eligible RCTs, extracted data, and assessed their risk of bias. RESULTS Of the 16 RCTs included in the review, 11 reported a statistically significant reduction in the use of low-value medical tests. The median of the differences between the relative reductions in the intervention and control arms was 17% (interquartile range 12% to 24%). Strategies using reminders or audit/feedback showed larger reduction than those without these components (22% versus 14%, and 22% versus 13%, respectively) and patient-targeted strategies showed larger reductions than those not targeted at patients (51% versus 17%). Very few studies investigated the sustainability of the effect, adverse events, cost-effectiveness, or patient-reported outcomes related to reducing the use of low-value tests. CONCLUSION This review indicates that it is possible to reduce the use of low-value medical tests in primary care, especially by using multiple components including reminders, audit/feedback, and patient-targeted interventions. To implement these strategies widely in primary care settings, more research is needed not only to investigate their effectiveness, but also to examine adverse events, cost-effectiveness, and patient-reported outcomes.
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Andrade AQ, LeBlanc VT, Kalisch-Ellett LM, Pratt NL, Moffat A, Blacker N, Westaway K, Barratt JD, Roughead EE. Determinants of usefulness in professional behaviour change interventions: observational study of a 15-year national program. BMJ Open 2020; 10:e038016. [PMID: 33055116 PMCID: PMC7559049 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2020-038016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Educational, and audit and feedback interventions are effective in promoting health professional behaviour change and evidence adoption. However, we lack evidence to pinpoint which particular features make them most effective. Our objective is to identify determinants of quality in professional behaviour change interventions, as perceived by participants. DESIGN We performed a comparative observational study using data from the Veterans' Medicines Advice and Therapeutics Education Services program, a nation-wide Australian Government Department of Veterans' Affairs funded program that provides medicines advice and promotes physician adoption of best practices by use of a multifaceted intervention (educational material and a feedback document containing individual patient information). SETTING Primary care practices providing care to Australian veterans. PARTICIPANTS General practitioners (GPs) targeted by 51 distinct behaviour change interventions, implemented between November 2004 and June 2018. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES We extracted features related to presentation (number of images, tables and characters), content (polarity and subjectivity using sentiment analysis, number of external links and medicine mentions) and the use of five behaviour change techniques (prompt/cues, goal setting, discrepancy between current behaviour and goal, information about health consequences, feedback on behaviour). The main outcome was perceived usefulness, extracted from postintervention survey. RESULTS On average, each intervention was delivered to 9667 GPs. Prompt and goal setting strategies in the audit and feedback were independently correlated to perceived usefulness (p=0.030 and p=0.005, respectively). The number of distinct behaviour change techniques in the audit and feedback was correlated with improved usefulness (Pearson's coefficient 0.45 (0.19, 0.65), p=0.001). No presentation or content features in the educational material were correlated with perceived usefulness. CONCLUSIONS The finding provides additional evidence encouraging the use of behaviour change techniques, in particular prompt and goal setting, in audit and feedback interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andre Q Andrade
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Vanessa T LeBlanc
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Lisa M Kalisch-Ellett
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Nicole L Pratt
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Anna Moffat
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Natalie Blacker
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Kerrie Westaway
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - John D Barratt
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
| | - Elizabeth E Roughead
- Quality Use of Medicines and Pharmacy Research Centre, University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia
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Cotterill S, Tang MY, Powell R, Howarth E, McGowan L, Roberts J, Brown B, Rhodes S. Social norms interventions to change clinical behaviour in health workers: a systematic review and meta-analysis. HEALTH SERVICES AND DELIVERY RESEARCH 2020. [DOI: 10.3310/hsdr08410] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Background
A social norms intervention seeks to change the clinical behaviour of a target health worker by exposing them to the values, beliefs, attitudes or behaviours of a reference group or person. These low-cost interventions can be used to encourage health workers to follow recommended professional practice.
Objective
To summarise evidence on whether or not social norms interventions are effective in encouraging health worker behaviour change, and to identify the most effective social norms interventions.
Design
A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.
Data sources
The following databases were searched on 24 July 2018: Ovid MEDLINE (1946 to week 2 July 2018), EMBASE (1974 to 3 July 2018), Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature (1937 to July 2018), British Nursing Index (2008 to July 2018), ISI Web of Science (1900 to present), PsycINFO (1806 to week 3 July 2018) and Cochrane trials (up to July 2018).
Participants
Health workers took part in the study.
Interventions
Behaviour change interventions based on social norms.
Outcome measures
Health worker clinical behaviour, for example prescribing (primary outcome), and patient health outcomes, for example blood test results (secondary), converted into a standardised mean difference.
Methods
Titles and abstracts were reviewed against the inclusion criteria to exclude any that were clearly ineligible. Two reviewers independently screened the remaining full texts to identify relevant papers. Two reviewers extracted data independently, coded for behaviour change techniques and assessed quality using the Cochrane risk-of-bias tool. We performed a meta-analysis and presented forest plots, stratified by behaviour change technique. Sources of variation were explored using metaregression and network meta-analysis.
Results
A total of 4428 abstracts were screened, 477 full texts were screened and findings were based on 106 studies. Most studies were in primary care or hospitals, targeting prescribing, ordering of tests and communication with patients. The interventions included social comparison (in which information is given on how peers behave) and credible source (which refers to communication from a well-respected person in support of the behaviour). Combined data suggested that interventions that included social norms components were associated with an improvement in health worker behaviour of 0.08 standardised mean differences (95% confidence interval 0.07 to 0.10 standardised mean differences) (n = 100 comparisons), and an improvement in patient outcomes of 0.17 standardised mean differences (95% confidence interval 0.14 to 0.20) (n = 14), on average. Heterogeneity was high, with an overall I
2 of 85.4% (primary) and 91.5% (secondary). Network meta-analysis suggested that three types of social norms intervention were most effective, on average, compared with control: credible source (0.30 standardised mean differences, 95% confidence interval 0.13 to 0.47); social comparison combined with social reward (0.39 standardised mean differences, 95% confidence interval 0.15 to 0.64); and social comparison combined with prompts and cues (0.33 standardised mean differences, 95% confidence interval 0.22 to 0.44).
Limitations
The large number of studies prevented us from requesting additional information from authors. The trials varied in design, context and setting, and we combined different types of outcome to provide an overall summary of evidence, resulting in a very heterogeneous review.
Conclusions
Social norms interventions are an effective method of changing clinical behaviour in a variety of health service contexts. Although the overall result was modest and very variable, there is the potential for social norms interventions to be scaled up to target the behaviour of a large population of health workers and resulting patient outcomes.
Future work
Development of optimised credible source and social comparison behaviour change interventions, including qualitative research on acceptability and feasibility.
Study registration
This study is registered as PROSPERO CRD42016045718.
Funding
This project was funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research programme and will be published in full in Health Services and Delivery Research; Vol. 8, No. 41. See the NIHR Journals Library website for further project information.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Cotterill
- Centre for Biostatistics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Mei Yee Tang
- Centre for Biostatistics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Rachael Powell
- Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Elizabeth Howarth
- Centre for Biostatistics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Laura McGowan
- Manchester Centre for Health Psychology, Division of Psychology and Mental Health, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Jane Roberts
- Outreach and Evidence Search Service, Library and E-learning Service, Northern Care Alliance, NHS Group, Royal Oldham Hospital, Oldham, UK
| | - Benjamin Brown
- Health e-Research Centre, Farr Institute for Health Informatics Research, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
- Centre for Primary Care, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
| | - Sarah Rhodes
- Centre for Biostatistics, School of Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology Medicine and Health, The University of Manchester, Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, Manchester, UK
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Åkesson KE, Buchbinder R, Nordin M, Hurley MV, Overgaard S, Chang LY, Yang RS, Chan DC, Dahlberg L, Nero H, Woolf A. Advances in delivery of health care for MSK conditions. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol 2020; 34:101597. [DOI: 10.1016/j.berh.2020.101597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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Cheo R, Ge G, Godager G, Liu R, Wang J, Wang Q. The effect of a mystery shopper scheme on prescribing behavior in primary care: Results from a field experiment. HEALTH ECONOMICS REVIEW 2020; 10:33. [PMID: 32974815 PMCID: PMC7517825 DOI: 10.1186/s13561-020-00290-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2020] [Accepted: 09/10/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health care systems in many countries are characterized by limited availability of provider performance data that can be used to design and implement welfare improving reforms in the health sector. We question whether a simple mystery shopper scheme can be an effective measure to improve primary care quality in such settings. METHODS Using a randomized treatment-control design, we conducted a field experiment in primary care clinics in a Chinese city. We investigate whether informing physicians of a forthcoming mystery shopper audit influences their prescribing behavior. The intervention effects are estimated using conditional fixed-effects logistic regression. The estimated coefficients are interpreted as marginal utilities in a choice model. RESULTS Our findings suggest that the mystery shopper intervention reduced the probability of prescribing overall. Moreover, the intervention had heterogeneous effects on different types of drugs. CONCLUSIONS This study provides new evidence suggesting that announced performance auditing of primary care providers could directly affect physician behavior even when it is not combined with pay-for-performance, or measures such as reminders, feedback or educational interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Roland Cheo
- Center for Economic Research, Shandong University, 27 Shanda Nanlu, Jinan, Shandong, 250100 P.R. China
| | - Ge Ge
- Department of Health Management and Health Economics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1089 Blindern, Oslo, 0317 Norway
| | - Geir Godager
- Department of Health Management and Health Economics, University of Oslo, P.O. Box 1089 Blindern, Oslo, 0317 Norway
- Health Services Research Unit, Akershus University Hospital, Sykehusveien 25, Nordbyhagen, 1478 Norway
| | - Rugang Liu
- School of Health Policy & Management, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Jiangning District, Nanjing, 211166 P.R. China
- Center for Global Health, Nanjing Medical University, 101 Longmian Avenue, Jiangning District, Nanjing, 211166 P.R. China
| | - Jian Wang
- Dong Fureng Institute of Economic and Social Development, Wuhan University, 54 Lishi Hutong, Dongcheng District, Beijing, 100010 China
- Center for Health Economics and Management in School of Economics and Management, Wuhan University, 299 Bayi Road Wuchang District, Wuhan, 430072 China
| | - Qiqi Wang
- School of Economics, Xi’an University of Finance and Economics, 360 Changning Avenue, Chang’an District, Xi’an Shanxi, 710100 China
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Taylor MA. GP request rejections: an analysis for ultrasound service improvement at one centre. BMJ Open Qual 2020; 9:bmjoq-2020-001108. [PMID: 32948601 PMCID: PMC7511609 DOI: 10.1136/bmjoq-2020-001108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/10/2020] [Revised: 08/17/2020] [Accepted: 08/30/2020] [Indexed: 11/03/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Ann Taylor
- Clinical Radiology, NHS Tayside, Dundee, UK .,Clinical Radiology, Perth Royal Infirmary, Perth, UK
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Tahvonen P, Oikarinen H, Tervonen O. The effect of interventions on appropriate use of lumbar spine radiograph and CT examinations in young adults and children: a three-year follow-up. Acta Radiol 2020; 61:1042-1049. [PMID: 31865752 DOI: 10.1177/0284185119893091] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND According to international guidelines, radiological examinations of the lumbar spine are of limited value and do not improve clinical outcome unless there are clinical red flags present suggesting serious pathology. Nevertheless, the utilization of lumbar spine imaging remains high. PURPOSE To follow up the effects of active referral guideline implementation and education on the number and appropriateness of lumbar spine radiographs and computed tomography (CT) examinations in young patients and to evaluate whether the appropriate radiographs have more significant findings. MATERIAL AND METHODS Referral guidelines for spine examinations and info pocket cards on radiation protection were distributed to referring practitioners. Educational lectures were provided annually. The number of lumbar spine radiographs and CT examinations on patients aged <35 years was analyzed before and three years after the interventions. Appropriateness and findings of 313 radiographs and appropriateness of 117 CT scans of the lumbar spine were assessed. RESULTS The number of lumbar spine radiographs and CT scans decreased significantly after the interventions and the level remained unchanged during the follow-up (-33% and -72%, respectively, P < 0.001). Appropriateness improved significantly in radiographs from 2005 to 2009 (65% vs. 85%) and in CT scans already from 2005 to 2007 (23% vs. 63%). Radiographs that were in accordance with the guidelines had more significant findings compared to radiographs that were not; in young adults, this was 56% versus 21% (P < 0.001). CONCLUSION A combination of interventions can achieve a sustained reduction in the number of lumbar spine examinations and improve appropriateness. Inappropriate lumbar spine radiographs do not seem to contain significant findings that would affect patient care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pirita Tahvonen
- Department of Radiology, Lapland Central Hospital, Rovaniemi, Finland
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | - Heljä Oikarinen
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
| | - Osmo Tervonen
- Department of Diagnostic Radiology, Oulu University Hospital, Oulu, Finland
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Yoong SL, Hall A, Stacey F, Grady A, Sutherland R, Wyse R, Anderson A, Nathan N, Wolfenden L. Nudge strategies to improve healthcare providers' implementation of evidence-based guidelines, policies and practices: a systematic review of trials included within Cochrane systematic reviews. Implement Sci 2020; 15:50. [PMID: 32611354 PMCID: PMC7329401 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-020-01011-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 19.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/04/2020] [Accepted: 06/16/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Nudge interventions are those that seek to modify the social and physical environment to enhance capacity for subconscious behaviours that align with the intrinsic values of an individual, without actively restricting options. This study sought to describe the application and effects of nudge strategies on clinician implementation of health-related guidelines, policies and practices within studies included in relevant Cochrane systematic reviews. METHODS As there is varied terminology used to describe nudge, this study examined studies within relevant systematic reviews. A two-stage screening process was undertaken where, firstly, all systematic reviews published in the Cochrane Library between 2016 and 2018 were screened to identify reviews that included quantitative studies to improve implementation of guidelines among healthcare providers. Secondly, individual studies within relevant systematic reviews were included if they were (i) randomised controlled trials (RCTs), (ii) included a nudge strategy in at least one intervention arm, and (iii) explicitly aimed to improve clinician implementation behaviour. We categorised nudge strategies into priming, salience and affect, default, incentives, commitment and ego, and norms and messenger based on the Mindspace framework. SYNTHESIS The number and percentage of trials using each nudge strategy was calculated. Due to substantial heterogeneity, we did not undertake a meta-analysis. Instead, we calculated within-study point estimates and 95% confidence intervals, and used a vote-counting approach to explore effects. RESULTS Seven reviews including 42 trials reporting on 57 outcomes were included. The most common nudge strategy was priming (69%), then norms and messenger (40%). Of the 57 outcomes, 86% had an effect on clinician behaviour in the hypothesised direction, and 53% of those were statistically significant. For continuous outcomes, the median effect size was 0.39 (0.22, 0.45), while for dichotomous outcomes the median Odds Ratio was 1.62 (1.13, 2.76). CONCLUSIONS This review of 42 RCTs included in Cochrane systematic reviews found that the impact of nudge strategies on clinician behaviour was at least comparable to other interventions targeting implementation of evidence-based guidelines. While uncertainty remains, the review provides justification for ongoing investigation of the evaluation and application of nudge interventions to support provider behaviour change. TRIAL REGISTRATION This review was not prospectively registered.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sze Lin Yoong
- Hunter New England Population Health, University of Newcastle, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, New South Wales, 2287, Australia.
- School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia.
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2300, Australia.
- Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia.
| | - Alix Hall
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2300, Australia
| | - Fiona Stacey
- Hunter New England Population Health, University of Newcastle, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, New South Wales, 2287, Australia
| | - Alice Grady
- Hunter New England Population Health, University of Newcastle, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, New South Wales, 2287, Australia
- School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2300, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
| | - Rachel Sutherland
- Hunter New England Population Health, University of Newcastle, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, New South Wales, 2287, Australia
- School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2300, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
| | - Rebecca Wyse
- Hunter New England Population Health, University of Newcastle, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, New South Wales, 2287, Australia
- School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2300, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
| | - Amy Anderson
- School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2300, Australia
| | - Nicole Nathan
- Hunter New England Population Health, University of Newcastle, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, New South Wales, 2287, Australia
- School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2300, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
| | - Luke Wolfenden
- Hunter New England Population Health, University of Newcastle, Locked Bag 10, Wallsend, New South Wales, 2287, Australia
- School of Medicine and Public Health, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
- Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, 2300, Australia
- Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, The University of Newcastle, Callaghan, New South Wales, 2308, Australia
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Wang SY, Groene O. The effectiveness of behavioral economics-informed interventions on physician behavioral change: A systematic literature review. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0234149. [PMID: 32497082 PMCID: PMC7272062 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0234149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2020] [Accepted: 05/19/2020] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Interventions informed by behavioral economics have the potential to change behaviors governed by underlying cognitive biases. This has been explored extensively for various use in healthcare including changing patient behavior and, more recently, physician behavior. We aimed to systematically review the literature on the use and effectiveness of behavioral economics-informed interventions in changing physician behavior. METHOD We searched Medline, Cochrane Library, EBM Reviews, PsychINFO, EconLit, Business Source Complete and Web of Science for peer-reviewed studies published in English that examined the effectiveness of behavioral economics-informed interventions on physician behavioral change. We included studies of physicians in all care settings and specialties and all types of objectively measured behavioral outcomes. The reporting quality of included studies was appraised using the Effective Public Health Practice Project tool. RESULTS We screened 6,439 studies and included 17 studies that met our criteria, involving at least 9,834 physicians. The majority of studies were conducted in the United States, published between 2014 and 2018, and were in the patient safety and quality domain. Reporting quality of included studies included strong (n = 7), moderate (n = 6) and weak (n = 4). Changing default settings and providing social reference points were the most widely studied interventions, with these studies consistently demonstrating their effectiveness in changing physician behavior despite differences in implementation methods among studies. Prescribing behavior was most frequently targeted in included studies, with consistent effectiveness of studied interventions. CONCLUSION Changing default settings and providing social reference points were the most frequently studied and consistently effective interventions in changing physician behavior towards guideline-concordant practices. Additional theory-informed research is needed to better understand the mechanisms underlying the effectiveness of these interventions to guide implementation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sophie Y. Wang
- OptiMedis AG, Hamburg, Germany
- Hamburg Center for Health Economics, Hamburg, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Oliver Groene
- OptiMedis AG, Hamburg, Germany
- London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, England, United Kingdom
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Gransjøen AM, Wiig S, Lysdahl KB, Hofmann BM. Health care personnel's perception of guideline implementation for musculoskeletal imaging: a process evaluation. BMC Health Serv Res 2020; 20:397. [PMID: 32393317 PMCID: PMC7212587 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-020-05272-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/03/2020] [Accepted: 04/29/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Background The increasing complexity and variability in radiology have significantly fueled the need for guidelines. There are many methods for disseminating and implementing guidelines however; and obtaining lasting changes has been difficult. Implementation outcome is usually measured in a decrease in unwarranted examinations, and qualitative data are rarely used. This study’s aim was to evaluate a guideline implementation process and identify factors influencing implementation outcome using qualitative data. Methods Seven general practitioners and five radiological personnel from a Norwegian county participated in four focus group interviews in 2019. The data were analyzed using qualitative content analysis, where some categories were predetermined, while most were drawn from the data. Results Four main categories were developed from the data material. 1) Successful/unsuccessful parts of the implementation, 2) perceived changes/lack of changes after the implementation, 3) environment-related factors that affected guideline use, and 4) User related factors that affect guideline use. Conclusions Our findings show that clinical guideline implementation is difficult, despite the implementation strategy being tailored to the target groups. Several environment- and user-related factors contributed to the lack of changes experienced in practice for both general practitioners and radiological personnel.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Mari Gransjøen
- Department of Health sciences in Gjøvik, Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Gjøvik (NTNU), Teknologiveien 22, 2815, Gjøvik, Norway.
| | - Siri Wiig
- SHARE-Centre for Resilience in Healthcare, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Stavanger, Kjell Arholmsgate 41, 4036, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Kristin Bakke Lysdahl
- Department of Optometry, Radiography and Lighting Design, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, Box 235, 3603, Kongsberg, PO, Norway
| | - Bjørn Morten Hofmann
- Department of Health sciences in Gjøvik, Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Gjøvik (NTNU), Teknologiveien 22, 2815, Gjøvik, Norway.,Center for medical ethics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway
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Farmer CI, Bourne AM, O'Connor D, Jarvik JG, Buchbinder R. Enhancing clinician and patient understanding of radiology reports: a scoping review of international guidelines. Insights Imaging 2020; 11:62. [PMID: 32372369 PMCID: PMC7200955 DOI: 10.1186/s13244-020-00864-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/21/2020] [Accepted: 03/31/2020] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Imaging reports are the primary method of communicating diagnostic imaging findings between the radiologist and the referring clinician. Guidelines produced by professional bodies provide guidance on content and format of imaging reports, but the extent to which they consider comprehensibility for referring clinicians and their patients is unclear. The objective of this review was to determine the extent to which radiology reporting guidelines consider comprehensibility of imaging reports for referring clinicians and patients.We performed a scoping review of English-language diagnostic imaging reporting guidelines. We searched electronic databases (OVID MEDLINE, Embase) and websites of radiological professional organisations to identify guidelines. The extent to which the guidelines recommended essential report features such as technical information, content, format and language, as well as features to enhance comprehensibility, such as lay language summaries, was recorded.Six guidelines from professional bodies representing radiologists from the USA, Canada, Australia and New Zealand, Hong Kong, the UK and Europe were identified from the search. Inconsistencies exist between guidelines in their recommendations, and they rarely consider that patients may read the report. No guideline made recommendations about the reporting of results considering the clinical context, and none recommended features preferred by patients such as lay language summaries. This review identifies an opportunity for future radiology reporting guidelines to give greater consideration to referring clinician and patient preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin I Farmer
- Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Institute, 4 Drysdale St, Malvern, VIC, 3144, Australia. .,Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia.
| | - Allison M Bourne
- Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Institute, 4 Drysdale St, Malvern, VIC, 3144, Australia.,Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Denise O'Connor
- Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Institute, 4 Drysdale St, Malvern, VIC, 3144, Australia.,Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
| | - Jeffrey G Jarvik
- Departments of Radiology, Neurological Surgery, School of Medicine and Health Services, School of Public Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA.,Departments of Pharmacy and Orthopaedic & Sports Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Rachelle Buchbinder
- Monash Department of Clinical Epidemiology, Cabrini Institute, 4 Drysdale St, Malvern, VIC, 3144, Australia.,Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, Australia
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Logan GS, Copsey B, Etchegary H, Parfrey P, Mahoney K, Hall A. Family physician referral rates for lumbar spine computed tomography in Newfoundland and Labrador: a cross-sectional analysis using routinely collected data. CMAJ Open 2020; 8:E56-E59. [PMID: 31992560 PMCID: PMC6996032 DOI: 10.9778/cmajo.20190076] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Reducing computed tomography (CT) examinations of the lumbar spine is one of Choosing Wisely Canada's initial top 10 recommendations. This study's objective was to report the age- and-sex standardized rates of lumbar spine CT ordered by family physicians in 1 health region in Newfoundland and Labrador. METHODS We conducted a retrospective study using local health data from Meditech, an electronic health record system, from 2013 to 2016 for the Eastern Health Region of Newfoundland and Labrador, the largest health region in the province. Records were included if the referral was for an adult aged 20 years or more, and CT was ordered by a family physician. Lumbar spine CT rates were contextualized with age- and sex-stratified estimates. Population estimates were provided by the Newfoundland and Labrador Centre for Health Information to calculate age- and sex-standardized rates per 100 000 people. We calculated rate ratios to test for statistical significance in differences in rates between years. RESULTS A total of 14 370 records were examined. The age- and sex-standardized rates of lumbar spine CT per 100 000 were 1225 in 2013, 1393 in 2014, 1556 in 2015 and 1395 in 2016. The rate ratio was 1.137 (95% confidence interval [CI] 1.084-1.194) for the comparison between 2014 and 2013, 1.117 (95% CI 1.067-1.169) between 2015 and 2014, and 0.896 (95% CI 0.857-0.938) between 2016 and 2015. INTERPRETATION The age- and sex-standardized rates suggest that there was a steady rate of lumbar spine CT examinations being ordered by family physicians in Newfoundland and Labrador in 2013-2016. Although all rate ratios were statistically significant, the magnitude of the difference between years is likely not clinically relevant. These rates are important because they serve as a benchmark for future initiatives to reduce unnecessary referrals for lumbar spine CT.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabrielle S Logan
- Faculty of Medicine (Logan, Etchegary, Parfrey, Mahoney, Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld.; Centre for Statistics in Medicine (Copsey), Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Primary Health Research Unit (Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld.
| | - Bethan Copsey
- Faculty of Medicine (Logan, Etchegary, Parfrey, Mahoney, Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld.; Centre for Statistics in Medicine (Copsey), Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Primary Health Research Unit (Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld
| | - Holly Etchegary
- Faculty of Medicine (Logan, Etchegary, Parfrey, Mahoney, Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld.; Centre for Statistics in Medicine (Copsey), Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Primary Health Research Unit (Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld
| | - Patrick Parfrey
- Faculty of Medicine (Logan, Etchegary, Parfrey, Mahoney, Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld.; Centre for Statistics in Medicine (Copsey), Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Primary Health Research Unit (Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld
| | - Krista Mahoney
- Faculty of Medicine (Logan, Etchegary, Parfrey, Mahoney, Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld.; Centre for Statistics in Medicine (Copsey), Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Primary Health Research Unit (Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld
| | - Amanda Hall
- Faculty of Medicine (Logan, Etchegary, Parfrey, Mahoney, Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld.; Centre for Statistics in Medicine (Copsey), Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK; Primary Health Research Unit (Hall), Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, Nfld
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Pantoja T, Grimshaw JM, Colomer N, Castañon C, Leniz Martelli J. Manually-generated reminders delivered on paper: effects on professional practice and patient outcomes. Cochrane Database Syst Rev 2019; 12:CD001174. [PMID: 31858588 PMCID: PMC6923326 DOI: 10.1002/14651858.cd001174.pub4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Health professionals sometimes do not use the best evidence to treat their patients, in part due to unconscious acts of omission and information overload. Reminders help clinicians overcome these problems by prompting them to recall information that they already know, or by presenting information in a different and more accessible format. Manually-generated reminders delivered on paper are defined as information given to the health professional with each patient or encounter, provided on paper, in which no computer is involved in the production or delivery of the reminder. Manually-generated reminders delivered on paper are relatively cheap interventions, and are especially relevant in settings where electronic clinical records are not widely available and affordable. This review is one of three Cochrane Reviews focused on the effectiveness of reminders in health care. OBJECTIVES 1. To determine the effectiveness of manually-generated reminders delivered on paper in changing professional practice and improving patient outcomes. 2. To explore whether a number of potential effect modifiers influence the effectiveness of manually-generated reminders delivered on paper. SEARCH METHODS We searched CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and two trials registers on 5 December 2018. We searched grey literature, screened individual journals, conference proceedings and relevant systematic reviews, and reviewed reference lists and cited references of included studies. SELECTION CRITERIA We included randomised and non-randomised trials assessing the impact of manually-generated reminders delivered on paper as a single intervention (compared with usual care) or added to one or more co-interventions as a multicomponent intervention (compared with the co-intervention(s) without the reminder component) on professional practice or patients' outcomes. We also included randomised and non-randomised trials comparing manually-generated reminders with other quality improvement (QI) interventions. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Two review authors screened studies for eligibility and abstracted data independently. We extracted the primary outcome as defined by the authors or calculated the median effect size across all reported outcomes in each study. We then calculated the median percentage improvement and interquartile range across the included studies that reported improvement related outcomes, and assessed the certainty of the evidence using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS We identified 63 studies (41 cluster-randomised trials, 18 individual randomised trials, and four non-randomised trials) that met all inclusion criteria. Fifty-seven studies reported usable data (64 comparisons). The studies were mainly located in North America (42 studies) and the UK (eight studies). Fifty-four studies took place in outpatient/ambulatory settings. The clinical areas most commonly targeted were cardiovascular disease management (11 studies), cancer screening (10 studies) and preventive care (10 studies), and most studies had physicians as their target population (57 studies). General management of a clinical condition (17 studies), test-ordering (14 studies) and prescription (10 studies) were the behaviours more commonly targeted by the intervention. Forty-eight studies reported changes in professional practice measured as dichotomous process adherence outcomes (e.g. compliance with guidelines recommendations), 16 reported those changes measured as continuous process-of-care outcomes (e.g. number of days with catheters), eight reported dichotomous patient outcomes (e.g. mortality rates) and five reported continuous patient outcomes (e.g. mean systolic blood pressure). Manually-generated reminders delivered on paper probably improve professional practice measured as dichotomous process adherence outcomes) compared with usual care (median improvement 8.45% (IQR 2.54% to 20.58%); 39 comparisons, 40,346 participants; moderate certainty of evidence) and may make little or no difference to continuous process-of-care outcomes (8 comparisons, 3263 participants; low certainty of evidence). Adding manually-generated paper reminders to one or more QI co-interventions may slightly improve professional practice measured as dichotomous process adherence outcomes (median improvement 4.24% (IQR -1.09% to 5.50%); 12 comparisons, 25,359 participants; low certainty of evidence) and probably slightly improve professional practice measured as continuous outcomes (median improvement 0.28 (IQR 0.04 to 0.51); 2 comparisons, 12,372 participants; moderate certainty of evidence). Compared with other QI interventions, manually-generated reminders may slightly decrease professional practice measured as process adherence outcomes (median decrease 7.9% (IQR -0.7% to 11%); 14 comparisons, 21,274 participants; low certainty of evidence). We are uncertain whether manually-generated reminders delivered on paper, compared with usual care or with other QI intervention, lead to better or worse patient outcomes (dichotomous or continuous), as the certainty of the evidence is very low (10 studies, 13 comparisons). Reminders added to other QI interventions may make little or no difference to patient outcomes (dichotomous or continuous) compared with the QI alone (2 studies, 2 comparisons). Regarding resource use, studies reported additional costs per additional point of effectiveness gained, but because of the different currencies and years used the relevance of those figures is uncertain. None of the included studies reported outcomes related to harms or adverse effects. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Manually-generated reminders delivered on paper as a single intervention probably lead to small to moderate increases in outcomes related to adherence to clinical recommendations, and they could be used as a single QI intervention. It is uncertain whether reminders should be added to other QI intervention already in place in the health system, although the effects may be positive. If other QI interventions, such as patient or computerised reminders, are available, they should be preferred over manually-generated reminders, but under close evaluation in order to decrease uncertainty about their potential effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tomas Pantoja
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileDepartment of Family Medicine, Faculty of MedicineCentro Medico San Joaquin, Vicuña Mackenna 4686MaculSantiagoChile
| | - Jeremy M Grimshaw
- Ottawa Hospital Research InstituteClinical Epidemiology ProgramThe Ottawa Hospital ‐ General Campus501 Smyth Road, Box 711OttawaONCanadaK1H 8L6
| | - Nathalie Colomer
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileDepartment of Family Medicine, Faculty of MedicineCentro Medico San Joaquin, Vicuña Mackenna 4686MaculSantiagoChile
| | - Carla Castañon
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileDepartment of Family Medicine, Faculty of MedicineCentro Medico San Joaquin, Vicuña Mackenna 4686MaculSantiagoChile
| | - Javiera Leniz Martelli
- Pontificia Universidad Católica de ChileDepartment of Family Medicine, Faculty of MedicineCentro Medico San Joaquin, Vicuña Mackenna 4686MaculSantiagoChile
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What do we really know about the appropriateness of radiation emitting imaging for low back pain in primary and emergency care? A systematic review and meta-analysis of medical record reviews. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0225414. [PMID: 31805073 PMCID: PMC6894771 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0225414] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2019] [Accepted: 11/03/2019] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Since 2000, guidelines have been consistent in recommending when diagnostic imaging for low back pain should be obtained to ensure patient safety and reduce unnecessary tests. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted to determine the pooled proportion of CT and x-ray imaging of the lumbar spine that were considered appropriate in primary and emergency care. Methods Pubmed, CINAHL, The Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews and Embase were searched for synonyms of “low back pain”, “guidelines”, and “adherence” that were published after 2000. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were reviewed for inclusion with forward and backward tracking on included studies. Included studies had data extracted and synthesized. Risk of bias was performed on all studies, and GRADE was performed on included studies that provided data on CT and x-ray separately. A random effect, single proportion meta-analysis model was used. Results Six studies were included in the descriptive synthesis, and 5 studies included in the meta-analysis. Five of the 6 studies assessed appropriateness of x-rays; two of the six studies assessed appropriateness of CTs. The pooled estimate for appropriateness of x-rays was 43% (95% CI: 30%, 56%) and the pooled estimate for appropriateness of CTs was 54% (95% CI: 51%, 58%). Studies did not report adequate information to fulfill the RECORD checklist (reporting guidelines for research using observational data). Risk of bias was high in 4 studies, moderate in one, and low in one. GRADE for x-ray appropriateness was low-quality and for CT appropriateness was very-low-quality. Conclusion While this study determined a pooled proportion of appropriateness for both x-ray and CT imaging for low back pain, there is limited confidence in these numbers due to the downgrading of the evidence using GRADE. Further research on this topic is needed to inform our understanding of x-ray and CT appropriateness in order to improve healthcare systems and decrease patient harms.
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Ashikyan O, Buller DC, Pezeshk P, McCrum C, Chhabra A. Reduction of unnecessary repeat knee radiographs during osteoarthrosis follow-up visits in a large teaching medical center. Skeletal Radiol 2019; 48:1975-1980. [PMID: 31139920 DOI: 10.1007/s00256-019-03247-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2019] [Revised: 05/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/14/2019] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Professional organizations recommend against repeat radiographs for routine follow-up of osteoarthrosis. However, clinics frequently obtain radiographs during or before the clinical visit. The purpose of our project was to determine the baseline frequency of unnecessary knee radiographs and whether educational interventions can reduce this frequency. METHODS This QI project was exempt from IRB review. Radiology reports of knee radiographs were searched in our database filtered by presence of the words "severe", "degenerative", "osteoarthritis", and similar variants. We reviewed 500 consecutive corresponding medical records to confirm the presence of severe osteoarthritis, and presence of a repeat radiograph within 6 months. Indications for repeat radiographs were determined. Repeat radiographs were counted as "non-indicated" when medical records revealed no new symptoms. A focused educational intervention was provided to the orthopedic and family practice departments. An additional 500 radiology reports were evaluated 9 months after intervention in the same manner and the rate of non-indicated radiographs was calculated. Follow-up review of additional 500 radiology reports at 1-year time point was performed. RESULTS Our initial search returned 1517 reports. Upon evaluation of 500 studies, there were 112/500 repeat radiographs (22%); 77/500 (15%) of knee radiographs were not indicated. Upon initial follow-up evaluation of 500 studies, there were 52/500 repeat radiographs (10%) and 40/500 (8%) radiographs were not indicated. The reduction of unnecessary repeat knee radiographs rate was sustained at 1 year. CONCLUSIONS Focused educational intervention results in a substantial (50%) reduction of the number of unnecessary repeat knee radiographs in patients with known severe OA.
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Affiliation(s)
- Oganes Ashikyan
- Department of Radiology, Musculoskeletal Imaging, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, E230-C, Dallas, TX, 75390-9316, USA.
| | - D C Buller
- Medical School, UT Southwestern, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - P Pezeshk
- Department of Radiology, Musculoskeletal Imaging, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, E230-C, Dallas, TX, 75390-9316, USA
| | - C McCrum
- Department of Orthopedic Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
| | - A Chhabra
- Department of Radiology, Musculoskeletal Imaging, UT Southwestern Medical Center, 5323 Harry Hines Blvd, E230-C, Dallas, TX, 75390-9316, USA.,Department of Orthopedic Surgery, UT Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas, TX, USA
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Siewert B, Hochman M, Eisenberg RL, Swedeen S, Brook OR. Acing the Joint Commission Regulatory Visit: Running an Effective and Compliant Safety Program. Radiographics 2019; 38:1744-1760. [PMID: 30303792 DOI: 10.1148/rg.2018180134] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Ensuring the safety of patients and staff is a core effort of all health care organizations. Many regulatory agencies, from The Joint Commission to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, provide policies and guidelines, with relevant metrics to be achieved. Data on safety can be obtained through a variety of mechanisms, including gemba walks, team discussion during safety huddles, audits, and individual employee entries in safety reporting systems. Data can be organized on a scorecard that provides an at-a-glance view of progress and early warning signs of practice drift. In this article, relevant policies are outlined, and instruction on how to achieve compliance with national patient safety goals and regulations that ensure staff safety and Joint Commission ever-readiness are described. Additional critical components of a safety program, such as department commitment, a just culture, and human factors engineering, are discussed. ©RSNA, 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bettina Siewert
- From the Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Mary Hochman
- From the Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Ronald L Eisenberg
- From the Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Suzanne Swedeen
- From the Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02115
| | - Olga R Brook
- From the Department of Radiology, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 330 Brookline Ave, Boston, MA 02115
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Meidani Z, Mousavi GA, Kheirkhah D, Benar N, Maleki MR, Sharifi M, Farrokhian A. Going beyond audit and feedback: towards behaviour-based interventions to change physician laboratory test ordering behaviour. J R Coll Physicians Edinb 2019. [PMID: 29537404 DOI: 10.4997/jrcpe.2017.407] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies indicate there are a variety of contributing factors affecting physician test ordering behaviour. Identifying these behaviours allows development of behaviour-based interventions. Methods Through a pilot study, the list of contributing factors in laboratory tests ordering, and the most ordered tests, were identified, and given to 50 medical students, interns, residents and paediatricians in questionnaire form. The results showed routine tests and peer or supervisor pressure as the most influential factors affecting physician ordering behaviour. An audit and feedback mechanism was selected as an appropriate intervention to improve physician ordering behaviour. The intervention was carried out at two intervals over a three-month period. Findings There was a large reduction in the number of laboratory tests ordered; from 908 before intervention to 389 and 361 after first and second intervention, respectively. There was a significant relationship between audit and feedback and the meaningful reduction of 7 out of 15 laboratory tests including complete blood count (p = 0.002), erythrocyte sedimentation rate (p = 0.01), C-reactive protein (p = 0.01), venous blood gas (p = 0.016), urine analysis (p = 0.005), blood culture (p = 0.045) and stool examination (p = 0.001). Conclusion The audit and feedback intervention, even in short duration, affects physician ordering behaviour. It should be designed in terms of behaviour-based intervention and diagnosis of the contributing factors in physicians' behaviour. Further studies are required to substantiate the effectiveness of such behaviour-based intervention strategies in changing physician behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Z Meidani
- D Kheirkhah, Infectious Diseases Research Centre, Kashan University of Medical Sciences, Kashan, Iran.
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Ranasinghe L, Dor FJMF, Herbert P. Turning the oil tanker: a novel approach to shifting perspectives in medical practice. ADVANCES IN MEDICAL EDUCATION AND PRACTICE 2019; 10:507-511. [PMID: 31372087 PMCID: PMC6628889 DOI: 10.2147/amep.s197570] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2018] [Accepted: 05/17/2019] [Indexed: 06/10/2023]
Abstract
Although health care is encouraged to follow an evidence-based approach, there are perceived instances where suboptimal practice persists in the presence of better options due to an inherent resistance to change within many health care systems. To continue striving for clinical excellence, it is important to identify deficient practices and make appropriate corrections by implementing new and improved techniques and treatments. Bringing about change, however, tends to be a long, arduous process consisting of several small and successive deviations from the norm, analogous to "turning the oil tanker". Analyzing the methods employed by successful health care innovators has allowed the development of a "three-pronged" approach to overcoming resistance to change: 1) a determined opinion leader with a network or like-minded opinion leaders; 2) the presentation of hard evidence with adequate praise for current practice and the generation of clearly worded, specific guidelines; and 3) the use of simple reminders and continuous analysis of outcomes. Employing this three-pronged approach could lead to faster and more successful implementation of change within the health care system.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frank JMF Dor
- Imperial College Renal and Transplant Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
| | - Paul Herbert
- Imperial College Renal and Transplant Unit, Hammersmith Hospital, London, UK
- Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, London, UK
- Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial College, London, UK
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Hall AM, Scurrey SR, Pike AE, Albury C, Richmond HL, Matthews J, Toomey E, Hayden JA, Etchegary H. Physician-reported barriers to using evidence-based recommendations for low back pain in clinical practice: a systematic review and synthesis of qualitative studies using the Theoretical Domains Framework. Implement Sci 2019; 14:49. [PMID: 31064375 PMCID: PMC6505266 DOI: 10.1186/s13012-019-0884-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2018] [Accepted: 03/27/2019] [Indexed: 01/05/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Adoption of low back pain guidelines is a well-documented problem. Information to guide the development of behaviour change interventions is needed. The review is the first to synthesise the evidence regarding physicians' barriers to providing evidence-based care for LBP using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF). Using the TDF allowed us to map specific physician-reported barriers to individual guideline recommendations. Therefore, the results can provide direction to future interventions to increase physician compliance with evidence-based care for LBP. METHODS We searched the literature for qualitative studies from inception to July 2018. Two authors independently screened titles, abstracts, and full texts for eligibility and extracted data on study characteristics, reporting quality, and methodological rigour. Guided by a TDF coding manual, two reviewers independently coded the individual study themes using NVivo. After coding, we assessed confidence in the findings using the GRADE-CERQual approach. RESULTS Fourteen studies (n = 318 physicians) from 9 countries reported barriers to adopting one of the 5 guideline-recommended behaviours regarding in-clinic diagnostic assessments (9 studies, n = 198), advice on activity (7 studies, n = 194), medication prescription (2 studies, n = 39), imaging referrals (11 studies, n = 270), and treatment/specialist referrals (8 studies, n = 193). Imaging behaviour is influenced by (1) social influence-from patients requesting an image or wanting a diagnosis (n = 252, 9 studies), (2) beliefs about consequence-physicians believe that providing a scan will reassure patients (n = 175, 6 studies), and (3) environmental context and resources-physicians report a lack of time to have a conversation with patients about diagnosis and why a scan is not needed (n = 179, 6 studies). Referrals to conservative care is influenced by environmental context and resources-long wait-times or a complete lack of access to adjunct services prevented physicians from referring to these services (n = 82, 5 studies). CONCLUSIONS Physicians face numerous barriers to providing evidence-based LBP care which we have mapped onto 7 TDF domains. Two to five TDF domains are involved in determining physician behaviour, confirming the complexity of this problem. This is important as interventions often target a single domain where multiple domains are involved. Interventions designed to address all the domains involved while considering context-specific factors may prove most successful in increasing guideline adoption. REGISTRATION PROSPERO 2017, CRD42017070703.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amanda M Hall
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, Room 417
- Janeway Hostel, Health Sciences Centre, 300 Prince Philip Parkway, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada.
| | - Samantha R Scurrey
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, Room 417
- Janeway Hostel, Health Sciences Centre, 300 Prince Philip Parkway, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Andrea E Pike
- Primary Healthcare Research Unit (PHRU), Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, Room 417
- Janeway Hostel, Health Sciences Centre, 300 Prince Philip Parkway, St. John's, NL, A1B 3V6, Canada
| | - Charlotte Albury
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Helen L Richmond
- Centre for Rehabilitation Research in Oxford, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - James Matthews
- School of Public Health, Physiotherapy and Sports Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Elaine Toomey
- School of Psychology, National University of Ireland Galway, Galway, Ireland
| | - Jill A Hayden
- Department of Community Health & Epidemiology, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
| | - Holly Etchegary
- Clinical Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Memorial University, St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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Imaging versus no imaging for low back pain: a systematic review, measuring costs, healthcare utilization and absence from work. EUROPEAN SPINE JOURNAL : OFFICIAL PUBLICATION OF THE EUROPEAN SPINE SOCIETY, THE EUROPEAN SPINAL DEFORMITY SOCIETY, AND THE EUROPEAN SECTION OF THE CERVICAL SPINE RESEARCH SOCIETY 2019; 28:937-950. [DOI: 10.1007/s00586-019-05918-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2018] [Revised: 01/18/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
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Greenwood-Lee J, Jewett L, Woodhouse L, Marshall DA. A categorisation of problems and solutions to improve patient referrals from primary to specialty care. BMC Health Serv Res 2018; 18:986. [PMID: 30572898 PMCID: PMC6302393 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-018-3745-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2018] [Accepted: 11/21/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Improving access to specialty care has been identified as a critical issue in the delivery of health services, especially given an increasing burden of chronic disease. Identifying and addressing problems that impact access to specialty care for patients referred to speciality care for non-emergent procedures and how these deficiencies can be managed via health system delivery interventions is important to improve care for patients with chronic conditions. However, the primary-specialty care interface is complex and may be impacted by a variety of potential health services delivery deficiencies; with an equal range of interventions developed to correct them. Consequently, the literature is also diverse and difficult to navigate. We present a narrative review to identify existing literature, and provide a conceptual map that categorizes problems at the primary-specialty care interface with linkages to corresponding interventions aimed at ensuring that patient transitions across the primary-specialty care interface are necessary, appropriate, timely and well communicated. METHODS We searched MEDLINE and EMBASE databases from January 1, 2005 until Dec 31, 2014, grey literature and reference lists to identify articles that report on interventions implemented to improve the primary-specialty care interface. Selected articles were categorized to describe: 1) the intervention context, including the deficiency addressed, and the objective of the intervention 2) intervention activities, and 3) intervention outcomes. RESULTS We identified 106 articles, producing four categories of health services delivery deficiencies based in: 1) clinical decision making; 2) information management; 3) the system level management of patient flows between primary and secondary care; and 4) quality-of-care monitoring. Interventions were divided into seven categories and fourteen sub-categories based on the deficiencies addressed and the intervention strategies used. Potential synergies and trade-offs among interventions are discussed. Little evidence exists regarding the synergistic and antagonistic interactions of alternative intervention strategies. CONCLUSION The categorization acts as an aid in identifying why the primary-specialty care interface may be failing and which interventions may produce improvements. Overlap and interconnectedness between interventions creates potential synergies and conflicts among co-implemented interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- James Greenwood-Lee
- Centre for Science, Athabasca University, 6th Floor, 345 6 Avenue SE, Calgary, Alberta, T2G 4V1, Canada
| | - Lauren Jewett
- Geography & Planning, University of Toronto, Sidney Smith Hall, Rm 594, 100 St George St., Toronto, Ontario, M5S 3G3, Canada
| | - Linda Woodhouse
- Faculty of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Alberta, 3-10 Corbett Hall, 8205 114 Street, Edmonton, Alberta, T6G 2G4, Canada
| | - Deborah A Marshall
- Canada Research Chair, Health Services and Systems Research, Arthur J.E. Child Chair in Rheumatology Outcomes Research, Department of Community Health Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada.
- 3C56 Health Research Innovation Centre (HRIC), 3280 Hospital Drive NW, Calgary, Alberta, T2N 4Z6, Canada.
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Jenkins HJ, Downie AS, Maher CG, Moloney NA, Magnussen JS, Hancock MJ. Imaging for low back pain: is clinical use consistent with guidelines? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Spine J 2018; 18:2266-2277. [PMID: 29730460 DOI: 10.1016/j.spinee.2018.05.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2018] [Revised: 04/13/2018] [Accepted: 05/01/2018] [Indexed: 02/03/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND CONTEXT The problem of imaging patients with low back pain (LBP) when it is not indicated is well recognized. The converse is also possible, although rarely considered. The extent of these two problems is presently unclear. PURPOSE This study aimed to estimate how commonly overuse, and also underuse, of imaging occurs in the management of LBP, and how appropriate use of imaging is assessed. DESIGN This is a systematic review and meta-analysis. PATIENT SAMPLE The sample comprised patients with LBP presenting to primary care. OUTCOME MEASURES Proportions of inappropriate referral, and inappropriate non-referral, for diagnostic imaging for LBP were the outcome measures. METHODS MEDLINE, EMBASE, and CINAHL were searched from January 1, 1995 to December 17, 2017. Two authors independently assessed study quality and extracted data. Meta-analyses were performed where appropriate, and strength of evidence was assessed using the Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation system. RESULTS Thirty-three studies were included. In patients referred for lumbar imaging, 34.8% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 27.1, 43.3) were judged inappropriate by the absence of red flags for serious pathology and 31.6% (95% CI: 28.3, 35.1) were judged inappropriate by the criteria of no clinical suspicion of pathology. In patients presenting for care, imaging was inappropriately performed in 27.7% of cases (95% CI: 21.3, 35.1) when judged by duration of episode, 9.0% of cases (95% CI: 7.4, 11.0) when judged by absence of red flags, and 7.0% (95% CI: 1.8, 23.3) when judged by no clinical suspicion of pathology. In patients presenting for care, imaging was not performed where appropriately indicated in 65.6% (95% CI: 51.8, 77.2) of patients who presented with red flags, and 60.8% (95% CI: 42.0, 76.8) with clinical suspicion of serious pathology. CONCLUSIONS Inappropriate imaging is common in LBP management, including both overuse in those where imaging is not indicated and underuse of imaging when it is indicated. Appreciating that both underuse and overuse can occur is fundamental to efforts to improve imaging practice to align with current guidelines and best evidence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hazel J Jenkins
- Department of Health Professions, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia; Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia.
| | - Aron S Downie
- Department of Chiropractic, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia; The University of Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Chris G Maher
- The University of Sydney School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, NSW, 2006, Australia
| | - Niamh A Moloney
- Department of Health Professions, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - John S Magnussen
- Department of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia
| | - Mark J Hancock
- Department of Health Professions, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, NSW, 2109, Australia
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Soon J, Traeger AC, Elshaug AG, Cvejic E, Maher CG, Doust JA, Mathieson S, McCaffery K, Bonner C. Effect of two behavioural ‘nudging’ interventions on management decisions for low back pain: a randomised vignette-based study in general practitioners. BMJ Qual Saf 2018; 28:547-555. [DOI: 10.1136/bmjqs-2018-008659] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2018] [Revised: 10/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/29/2018] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Objective‘Nudges’ are subtle cognitive cues thought to influence behaviour. We investigated whether embedding nudges in a general practitioner (GP) clinical decision support display can reduce low-value management decisions .MethodsAustralian GPs completed four clinical vignettes of patients with low back pain. Participants chose from three guideline-concordant and three guideline-discordant (low-value) management options for each vignette, on a computer screen. A 2×2 factorial design randomised participants to two possible nudge interventions: ‘partition display’ nudge (low-value options presented horizontally, high-value options listed vertically) or ‘default option’ nudge (high-value options presented as the default, low-value options presented only after clicking for more). The primary outcome was the proportion of scenarios where practitioners chose at least one of the low-value care options.Results120 GPs (72% male, 28% female) completed the trial (n=480 vignettes). Participants using a conventional menu display without nudges chose at least one low-value care option in 42% of scenarios. Participants exposed to the default option nudge were 44% less likely to choose at least one low-value care option (OR 0.56, 95%CI 0.37 to 0.85; p=0.006) compared with those not exposed. The partition display nudge had no effect on choice of low-value care (OR 1.08, 95%CI 0.72 to 1.64; p=0.7). There was no interaction between the nudges (OR 0.94, 95% CI 0.41 to 2.15; p=0.89).InterpretationA default option nudge reduced the odds of choosing low-value options for low back pain in clinical vignettes. Embedding high value options as defaults in clinical decision support tools could improve quality of care. More research is needed into how nudges impact clinical decision-making in different contexts.
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Gransjøen AM, Wiig S, Lysdahl KB, Hofmann BM. Development and conduction of an active re-implementation of the Norwegian musculoskeletal guidelines. BMC Res Notes 2018; 11:785. [PMID: 30390703 PMCID: PMC6215611 DOI: 10.1186/s13104-018-3894-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2018] [Accepted: 10/27/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Objective Significant geographical variations in the use of diagnostic imaging have been demonstrated in Norway and elsewhere. Non-traumatic musculoskeletal conditions is one area where this has been demonstrated. A national musculoskeletal guideline was implemented in response by online publishing and postal dissemination in Norway in 2014 by national policy makers. The objective of our study was to develop and conduct an intervention as an active re-implementation of this guideline in one Norwegian county to investigate and facilitate guideline adherence. The development and implementation process is reported here, to facilitate understanding of the future evaluation results of this study. Results The consolidated framework for implementation research guided the intervention development and implementation. The implementation development was also based on earlier reported success factors in combination with interviews with general practitioners and radiologists regarding facilitators and barriers to guideline adherence. A combined implementation strategy was developed, including educational meetings, shortening of the guideline and easier access. All the aspects of the implementation strategy were adapted towards general practitioners, radiological personnel and the Norwegian Labor and Welfare Administration. Sixteen educational meetings were held, and six educational videos were made for those unable to attend, or where meetings could not be held. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1186/s13104-018-3894-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ann Mari Gransjøen
- Department of Health Sciences in Gjøvik, Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Gjøvik (NTNU), Teknologiveien 22, 2815, Gjøvik, Norway.
| | - Siri Wiig
- Faculty of Health Sciences, SHARE-Centre for Resilience in Healthcare, University of Stavanger, Kjell Arholmsgate 41, 4036, Stavanger, Norway
| | - Kristin Bakke Lysdahl
- Department of Optometry, Radiography and Lighting Design, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of South-Eastern Norway, PO Box 235, 3603, Kongsberg, Norway
| | - Bjørn Morten Hofmann
- Department of Health Sciences in Gjøvik, Norwegian University of Science and Technology in Gjøvik (NTNU), Teknologiveien 22, 2815, Gjøvik, Norway.,Center for Medical Ethics, University of Oslo, PO Box 1130, Blindern, 0318, Oslo, Norway
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Halpin DMG. Understanding irrationality: the key to changing behaviours and improving management of respiratory diseases? THE LANCET RESPIRATORY MEDICINE 2018; 6:737-739. [PMID: 30303088 DOI: 10.1016/s2213-2600(18)30364-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2018] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- David M G Halpin
- Department of Respiratory Medicine, Royal Devon and Exeter Hospital, Exeter EX2 5DW, UK.
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Radwan M, Akbari Sari A, Rashidian A, Takian A, Elsous A, Abou-Dagga S. Factors hindering the adherence to clinical practice guideline for diabetes mellitus in the Palestinian primary healthcare clinics: a qualitative study. BMJ Open 2018; 8:e021195. [PMID: 30185569 PMCID: PMC6129048 DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-021195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
OBJECTIVE Despite a high number of the internationally produced and implemented clinical guidelines, the adherence with them is still low in healthcare. This study aimed at exploring the perspectives and experiences of senior doctors and nurses towards the barriers of adherence to diabetes guideline. SETTING The Palestinian Primary Health Care-Ministry of Health (PHC-MoH) and Primary Health Care-United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (PHC- UNRWA) in Gaza Strip. PARTICIPANTS Individual face-to-face in-depth interviews were conducted with 20 senior doctors and nurses who were purposefully selected. METHODS Qualitative design was employed using the theoretical framework by Cabana et al to develop an interview guide. Semi-structural and audio-recorded interviews were conducted. Data were transcribed verbatim and thematically analysed. RESULTS The key theme barriers identified by participants that emerged from the analysed data were in regard of the PHC-MoH lack reimbursement, lack of resources and lack of the guideline trustworthiness, and in regard of PHC-UNRWA the time constraints and the lack of the guideline trustworthiness. The two key subthemes elicited from the qualitative analysis were the outdated guideline and lack of auditing and feedback. CONCLUSION The analysis identified a wide range of barriers against the adherence to diabetes guideline within the PHC-MoH and PHC-UNRWA. The environmental-related and guideline-related barriers were the most prominent factors influencing the guideline adherence. Our study can inform the policy makers and senior managers to develop a tailored interventions that can target the elicited barriers through a multifaceted implementation strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mahmoud Radwan
- Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IC-TUMS), Tehran, Iran
- International Cooperation Directorate, Palestinian Ministry of Health, Gaza Strip, Palestine
| | - Ali Akbari Sari
- Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IC-TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Arash Rashidian
- Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IC-TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Amirhossein Takian
- Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IC-TUMS), Tehran, Iran
- Health Equity Research Centre (HERC), Tehran University of Medical Sciences (TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Aymen Elsous
- Department of Health Management and Economics, School of Public Health, International Campus, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (IC-TUMS), Tehran, Iran
| | - Sanaa Abou-Dagga
- Department of Research Affairs and Graduates Studies, Islamic University of Gaza, Gaza Strip, Palestine
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Wáng YXJ, Wu AM, Ruiz Santiago F, Nogueira-Barbosa MH. Informed appropriate imaging for low back pain management: A narrative review. J Orthop Translat 2018; 15:21-34. [PMID: 30258783 PMCID: PMC6148737 DOI: 10.1016/j.jot.2018.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 07/24/2018] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Most patients with acute low back pain (LBP), with or without radiculopathy, have substantial improvements in pain and function in the first 4 weeks, and they do not require routine imaging. Imaging is considered in those patients who have had up to 6 weeks of medical management and physical therapy that resulted in little or no improvement in their LBP. It is also considered for those patients presenting with suspicion for serious underlying conditions, such as cauda equina syndrome, malignancy, fracture and infection. In western country primary care settings, the prevalence has been suggested to be 0.7% for metastatic cancer, 0.01% for spinal infection and 0.04% for cauda equina syndrome. Of the small proportion of patients with any of these conditions, almost all have an identifiable risk factor. Osteoporotic vertebral compression fractures (4%) and inflammatory spine disease (<5%) may cause LBP, but these conditions typically carry lower diagnostic urgency. Imaging is an important driver of LBP care costs, not only because of the direct costs of the test procedures but also because of the downstream effects. Unnecessary imaging can lead to additional tests, follow-up, referrals and may result in an invasive procedure of limited or questionable benefit. Imaging should be delayed for 6 weeks in patients with nonspecific LBP without reasonable suspicion for serious disease. The translational potential of this article: Diagnostic imaging studies should be performed only in patients who have severe or progressive neurologic deficits or are suspected of having a serious or specific underlying condition. Radiologists can play a critical role in decision support related to appropriateness of imaging requests, and accurately reporting the potential clinical significance or insignificance of imaging findings.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yì Xiáng J Wáng
- Department of Imaging and Interventional Radiology, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Prince of Wales Hospital, Shatin, New Territories, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region
| | - Ai-Min Wu
- Department of Spine Surgery, Zhejiang Spine Surgery Centre, Orthopaedic Hospital, The Second Affiliated Hospital and Yuying Children's Hospital of the Wenzhou Medical University, The Second School of Medicine Wenzhou Medical University, The Key Orthopaedic Laboratory of Zhejiang Province, Wenzhou, China
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Bandong AN, Leaver A, Mackey M, Ingram R, Shearman S, Chan C, Cameron ID, Moloney N, Mitchell R, Doyle E, Leyten E, Rebbeck T. Adoption and use of guidelines for whiplash: an audit of insurer and health professional practice in New South Wales, Australia. BMC Health Serv Res 2018; 18:622. [PMID: 30089495 PMCID: PMC6083615 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-018-3439-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2018] [Accepted: 08/01/2018] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In Australia, the New South Wales (NSW) State Insurance Regulatory Authority has been continuously developing and implementing clinical practice guidelines to address the health and economic burden from whiplash associated disorders (WAD). Despite this, it is uncertain the extent to which the guidelines are followed. This study aimed to determine insurer and health professional compliance with recommendations of the 2014 NSW clinical practice guidelines for the management of acute WAD; and explore factors related to adherence. METHODS This was an observational study involving an audit of 288 randomly-selected claimant files from 4 insurance providers in NSW, Australia between March and October 2016. Data extracted included demographic, claim and injury details, use of health services, and insurer and health professional practices related to the guidelines. Analyses involved descriptive statistics and correlation analysis. RESULTS Median time for general practitioner medical consultation was 4 days post-injury and 25 days for physical treatment (e.g. physiotherapy). Rates of x-ray investigations were low (21.5%) and most patients (90%) were given active treatments in line with the guideline recommendations. The frequency of other practices recommended by the guidelines suggested lower guideline adherence in some areas such as; using the Quebec Task Force classification (19.9%); not using specialised imaging for WAD grades I and II (e.g. MRI, 45.8%); not using routine passive treatments (e.g. manual therapy, 94.0%); and assessing risk of non-recovery using relevant prognostic tools (e.g. Neck Disability Index, 12.8%). Over half of the claimants (59.0%) were referred to other professionals at 9-12 weeks post-injury, among which 31.2% were to psychologists and 68.8% to specialists (surgical specialists, 43.6%; WAD specialists, 20.5%). Legal representation and lodgment of full claim were associated with increased number of medical visits and imaging (ρ 0.23 to 0.3; p < 0.01). CONCLUSION There is evidence of positive uptake of some guideline recommendations by insurers and health professionals; however, there are practices that are not compliant and might lead to poor health outcomes and greater treatment cost. Organisational, regulatory and professional implementation strategies may be considered to change practice, improve scheme performance and ultimately improve outcomes for people with WAD.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aila Nica Bandong
- Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Sydney, Australia
- College of Allied Medical Professions, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines
- Musculoskeletal Lab/Refshauge Lab (S218), Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney – Cumberland Campus, 75 East Street, Lidcombe, NSW 2141 Australia
| | - Andrew Leaver
- Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Sydney, Australia
| | - Martin Mackey
- Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Sydney, Australia
| | - Rodney Ingram
- Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Sydney, Australia
| | - Samantha Shearman
- Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Sydney, Australia
| | - Christen Chan
- Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Sydney, Australia
| | - Ian D Cameron
- John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia
| | - Niamh Moloney
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Rebecca Mitchell
- Macquarie University, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Sydney, Australia
| | - Eoin Doyle
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Emma Leyten
- Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, Australia
| | - Trudy Rebbeck
- Faculty of Health Sciences, The University of Sydney, 75 East Street, Sydney, Australia
- John Walsh Centre for Rehabilitation Research, Royal North Shore Hospital, Sydney, Australia
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Foster NE, Anema JR, Cherkin D, Chou R, Cohen SP, Gross DP, Ferreira PH, Fritz JM, Koes BW, Peul W, Turner JA, Maher CG. Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions. Lancet 2018; 391:2368-2383. [PMID: 29573872 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(18)30489-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1169] [Impact Index Per Article: 194.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2016] [Revised: 07/18/2017] [Accepted: 10/20/2017] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
Abstract
Many clinical practice guidelines recommend similar approaches for the assessment and management of low back pain. Recommendations include use of a biopsychosocial framework to guide management with initial non-pharmacological treatment, including education that supports self-management and resumption of normal activities and exercise, and psychological programmes for those with persistent symptoms. Guidelines recommend prudent use of medication, imaging, and surgery. The recommendations are based on trials almost exclusively from high-income countries, focused mainly on treatments rather than on prevention, with limited data for cost-effectiveness. However, globally, gaps between evidence and practice exist, with limited use of recommended first-line treatments and inappropriately high use of imaging, rest, opioids, spinal injections, and surgery. Doing more of the same will not reduce back-related disability or its long-term consequences. The advances with the greatest potential are arguably those that align practice with the evidence, reduce the focus on spinal abnormalities, and ensure promotion of activity and function, including work participation. We have identified effective, promising, or emerging solutions that could offer new directions, but that need greater attention and further research to determine if they are appropriate for large-scale implementation. These potential solutions include focused strategies to implement best practice, the redesign of clinical pathways, integrated health and occupational interventions to reduce work disability, changes in compensation and disability claims policies, and public health and prevention strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nadine E Foster
- Arthritis Research UK Primary Care Centre, Research Institute for Primary Care and Health Sciences, Keele University, Staffordshire, UK.
| | - Johannes R Anema
- Department of Public and Occupational Health and Amsterdam Public Health Research Institute, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam, Netherlands
| | - Dan Cherkin
- Kaiser Permanente Washington Health Research Institute, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Roger Chou
- Department of Clinical Epidemiology and Medical Informatics and Department of Medicine, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA
| | - Steven P Cohen
- Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA; Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Douglas P Gross
- Department of Physical Therapy, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada
| | - Paulo H Ferreira
- Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia
| | - Julie M Fritz
- Department of Physical Therapy and Athletic Training, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT, USA
| | - Bart W Koes
- Department of General Practice, Erasmus University Medical Center, Rotterdam, Netherlands
| | - Wilco Peul
- Department of Neurosurgery, Leiden University, Leiden, Netherlands
| | - Judith A Turner
- Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, and Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Chris G Maher
- Sydney School of Public Health, University of Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Patel S, Rajkomar A, Harrison JD, Prasad PA, Valencia V, Ranji SR, Mourad M. Next-generation audit and feedback for inpatient quality improvement using electronic health record data: a cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ Qual Saf 2018; 27:691-699. [PMID: 29507124 DOI: 10.1136/bmjqs-2017-007393] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2017] [Revised: 01/12/2018] [Accepted: 01/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Audit and feedback improves clinical care by highlighting the gap between current and ideal practice. We combined best practices of audit and feedback with continuously generated electronic health record data to improve performance on quality metrics in an inpatient setting. METHODS We conducted a cluster randomised control trial comparing intensive audit and feedback with usual audit and feedback from February 2016 to June 2016. The study subjects were internal medicine teams on the teaching service at an urban tertiary care hospital. Teams in the intensive feedback arm received access to a daily-updated team-based data dashboard as well as weekly inperson review of performance data ('STAT rounds'). The usual feedback arm received ongoing twice-monthly emails with graphical depictions of team performance on selected quality metrics. The primary outcome was performance on a composite discharge metric (Discharge Mix Index, 'DMI'). A washout period occurred at the end of the trial (from May through June 2016) during which STAT rounds were removed from the intensive feedback arm. RESULTS A total of 40 medicine teams participated in the trial. During the intervention period, the primary outcome of completion of the DMI was achieved on 79.3% (426/537) of patients in the intervention group compared with 63.2% (326/516) in the control group (P<0.0001). During the washout period, there was no significant difference in performance between the intensive and usual feedback groups. CONCLUSION Intensive audit and feedback using timely data and STAT rounds significantly increased performance on a composite discharge metric compared with usual feedback. With the cessation of STAT rounds, performance between the intensive and usual feedback groups did not differ significantly, highlighting the importance of feedback delivery on effecting change. CLINICAL TRIAL The trial was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02593253).
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Affiliation(s)
- Sajan Patel
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Alvin Rajkomar
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - James D Harrison
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Priya A Prasad
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Victoria Valencia
- Department of Internal Medicine, Dell Medical School at the University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA
| | - Sumant R Ranji
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, California, USA
| | - Michelle Mourad
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hospital Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California, USA
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