Attitudes of Slovenian family practice patients toward changing unhealthy lifestyle and the role of family physicians: cross-sectional study

Screening and Registering Patients with Asthma and Copd in Slovenian Primary Care: First Results

AIM

This study aimed to evaluate a new project of the Slovene Ministry of Health - the Family Medicine Model Practices (MPs) Project in Slovenia, and to show its effectiveness in the management of asthma and COPD by family medicine practice teams, consisting of a family physician, a nurse practitioner and a practice nurse.

METHODS

A total of 107 family practices with 203122 patients joined the project during the first year of its initiation. The effectiveness of the program in disease management was analysed in two phases according to the registration of family practices. The number of patients registered and the number of asthma and COPD patients (existing and newly detected) by model practice teams were being reported. Descriptive analyses were used to describe the study populations. Prevalence by diseases and phases was established after the initial round of data collection. Chi square (χ(2)) test was used to analyse the difference between the phases.

RESULTS

The frequency of asthma was 2.12%, while the frequency of COPD was 1.15% throughout the study period. For both diseases, more than 30% of patients were newly diagnosed.

CONCLUSIONS

The project of implementing Family Medicine MPs in the area of COPD has given first positive results and the project is still ongoing to its full implementation.

Focus points in prevention actions against legal substances' abuse

AIM

To determine the factors associated with alcohol and tobacco abuse in Slovenian general population.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

We performed an observational cross-sectional study in a representative sample of 1002 Slovenian inhabitants in June 2011. It was performed using a method of computer-assisted telephone interview. The telephone interview consisted of questions about the prevalence and duration of preselected health-related symptoms in the past month, questions about the presence of chronic diseases, question about the presence of current smoking, EQ-5D questionnaire and AUDIT-C questionnaire.

RESULTS

Risky drinking was found in 103 (14.3 %) of the sample and smoking was found in 226 (22.6 %) of the sample. Men reported risky drinking more often when compared with women (17.7 vs. 10.5 %, P = 0.007). Multivariate analysis showed that male sex, current tobacco smoking, lower education level, self-reported presence of anxiety/depression and self-reported presence of muscle pain and excessive fatigue in the past month were independently associated with risky drinking and that male sex, lower education and income, the presence of chronic disease, self-reported problems in daily activities, risky drinking, self-reported troubles in sleeping and restless leg syndrome were independently associated with current tobacco smoking.

CONCLUSION

Risky alcohol drinking and smoking are still major public health problems in Slovenia and are associated with known demographic risk factors but also with some symptoms of somatoform disorders. These findings should be incorporated into the guidelines for family physicians as the important focus points for screening and intervening against legal substances' abuse in their patients.

Factors that affect readiness to change lifestyle: a 22-country survey from primary care

BACKGROUND

The family physician's task in prevention is not only an assessment of patients' health risks but also counselling individual patients.

AIM

Aim of this primary care based study was to find how patients' characteristics relate to their readiness to change.

METHODS

This multinational cross-sectional survey was conducted in primary care in 22 European countries, coordinated by EUROPREV. Consecutive attenders from randomly selected family practices answered a questionnaire about attitudes towards prevention and about lifestyle.

RESULTS

The questionnaire was answered by 7947 patients in 224 primary care practices in 22 European countries. Smoking was reported by 828 women (23.2%) versus 1238 (32.57%) men, unhealthy diet by 637 (11.6%) women versus 830 men (17.62%), risky alcohol consumption by 348 women (8.19%) versus 1009 men (23.07%) and the lack of physical activity by 617 women (12.68%) versus 614 men (16.45%). The need for change was declared by 432 (31.8%) of 1357 risky drinkers, 612 (29.6%) of 2066 smokers, 1210 (82.4%) of 1467 patients with unhealthy diet and by 2456 (30.9%) of all participants, 1231 of them were not physically active at all. Among patients with unhealthy dietary habits, 681 (56.3%) were confident of successfully changing their behaviour, among physically inactive it was 1561 (63.6 %), among smokers 284 (46.4%), and among risky drinkers 214 (49.5%).

CONCLUSION

More likely to be ready to change unhealthy lifestyles are frequent attenders, European Union citizens, women and patients under 50 years of age.

Recruitment of veterans from primary care into a physical activity randomized controlled trial: the experience of the VA-STRIDE study

BACKGROUND

Much of the existing literature on physical activity (PA) interventions involves physically inactive individuals recruited from community settings rather than clinical practice settings. Recruitment of patients into interventions in clinical practice settings is difficult due to limited time available in the clinic, identification of appropriate personnel to efficiently conduct the process, and time-consuming methods of recruitment. The purpose of this report is to describe the approach used to identify and recruit veterans from the Veterans Affairs (VA) Pittsburgh Healthcare System Primary Care Clinic into a randomized controlled PA study.

METHODS

A sampling frame of veterans was developed using the VA electronic medical record. During regularly scheduled clinic appointments, primary care providers (PCPs) screened identified patients for safety to engage in moderate-intensity PA and willingness to discuss the study with research staff members. Research staff determined eligibility with a subsequent telephone screening call and scheduled a research study appointment, at which time signed informed consent and baseline measurements were obtained.

RESULTS

Of the 3,482 veterans in the sampling frame who were scheduled for a primary care appointment during the study period, 1,990 (57.2%) were seen in the clinic and screened by the PCP; moderate-intensity PA was deemed safe for 1,293 (37.1%), 871 (25.0%) agreed to be contacted for further screening, 334 (9.6%) were eligible for the study, and 232 (6.7%) enrolled.

CONCLUSIONS

Using a semiautomated screening approach that combined an electronically-derived sampling frame with paper and pencil prescreening by PCPs and research staff, VA-STRIDE was able to recruit 1 in 15 veterans in the sampling frame. Using this approach, a high proportion of potentially eligible veterans were screened by their PCPs.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

Clinical trials.gov identifier: NCT00731094.

Management of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in High Risk Patients: Correlates of Quality of Care

Izhodišča: Bolezni srca in ožilja (BSO) predstavljajo vodilni vzrok smrti v večini evropskih držav, njihovo preprečevanje pa predstavlja pomembno nalogo osnovnega zdravstvenega varstva. Ocena dejavnikov tveganja in usmerjene preventivne aktivnosti so posebej pomembne pri visokoogroženih bolnikih. Pomembno je poznati tudi dejavnike, ki vplivajo na uspešnost preventive teh bolezni.

Metode: V presečno raziskavo je bilo z naključnim stratificiranim vzorčenjem vključenih 36 slovenskih ambulant. Vsaka ambulanta je iz registra visokoogroženih vključila 30 bolnikov, ki so izpolnili vprašalnik o življenjskem slogu, kakovosti življenja, samooceni zdravja in o uporabi zdravstvenih storitev. Vir podatkov o dejavnikih tveganja BSO so bile kartoteke bolnikov, z vprašalnikom o ambulanti pa so bila pridobljena vprašanja o obremenjenosti, projektih kakovosti, izobraževanju, informacijski tehnologiji, o preventivnih aktivnostih.

Rezultati: Sodelovalo je 871 bolnikov iz 36 ambulant (80,6 % predvidenega vzorca), starih 62,4 leta (SD±8,6). 22,4 % je bilo kadilcev; priporočeno raven aerobne telesne aktivnosti je vzdrževalo 330 (48,8 %) sodelujočih, najmanj urejen dejavnik tveganja pa je bil indeks telesne mase (29,3kg/m2). V multivariatnem modelu so vsi dejavniki (ambulante, bolniki in zdravniki) statistično značilno napovedali urejenost dejavnikov tveganja (p<0,005, F=2,7, R2 =0,087). Neodvisne spremenljivke bolje urejenih dejavnikov tveganja so bile: ženski spol, višja starost in višja izobrazba bolnika, uporaba informacijskega sistema v ambulanti, organizacija srčno-žilne preventive in zdravnikova profesionalna aktivnost v projektih preventive.

Zaključki: Urejenost dejavnikov tveganja je v največji meri odvisna od značilnosti ambulante, predvsem organizacije na področju preventive, ter od strokovne aktivnosti zdravnika. Vplivajo tudi nekatere splošne značilnosti bolnika. Pomembni so še drugi dejavniki, ki niso bili vključeni v model.

Do family physicians advise younger people on cardiovascular disease prevention? A cross-sectional study from Slovenia

Background

One of the main family practice interventions in the younger healthy population is advice on how to keep or develop a healthy lifestyle. In this study we explored the level of counselling regarding healthy lifestyle by family physicians and the factors associated with it.

Methods

A cross-sectional study with a random sample of 36 family practices, stratified by size and location. Each practice included up to 40 people aged 18–45 with low/medium risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Data were obtained by patient and practice questionnaires and semi-structured interviews. Several predictors on the patient and practice level for received advice in seven areas of CVD prevention were applied in corresponding models using a two-level logistic regression analysis.

Results

Less than half of the eligible people received advice for the presented risk factors and the majority of them found it useful. Practices with medium patient list-sizes showed consistently higher level of advice in all areas of CVD prevention. Independent predictors for receiving advice on cholesterol management were patients’ higher weight (regression coefficient 0.04, p=0.03), urban location of practice (regression coefficient 0.92, p=0.04), organisation of education by the practice (regression coefficient 0.47, p=0.01) and practice list size (regression coefficient 6.04, p=0.04). Patients who self-assessed their health poorly more frequently received advice on smoking (regression coefficient −0.26, p=0.03). Hypertensive patients received written information more often (regression coefficient 0.66, p=0.04). People with increased weight more often received advice for children’s lifestyle (regression coefficient 0.06, p=0.03). We did not find associations with patient or practice characteristics and advice regarding weight and physical activity. We did not find a common pattern of predictors for advice.

Conclusions

Counselling for risk diseases such as increased cholesterol is more frequently provided than basic lifestyle counselling. We found some doctors and practice factors associated with counselling behaviour, but the majority has to be explained by further studies.

Lipid-lowering pharmacotherapy in Central and Eastern European countries in cardiovascular prevention: self-reported prescription patterns of primary care physicians

AIMS

The aims of this study were (1) to explore physicians' self-reported treatment of patients with dyslipidemia and (2) to identify intercountry differences and associations between physicians' characteristics and treatment patterns.

METHODS

A cross-sectional survey was performed in primary health care in 9 Central and Eastern European countries. An anonymous questionnaire, which included questions devoted to dyslipidemia treatment, was distributed.

RESULTS

A total of 3000 physicians were randomly chosen and 867 responded. The mean percentage of physicians in all countries who reported regular use of statins in primary prevention of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) was 86.4 (range between 91.0% of Polish physicians and 75.7% of Czech physicians; P < .01). In secondary prevention, the mean percentage was only a little higher, 89.9. The use of fibrates for primary prevention was reported by 40.3% of the respondents from Bulgaria and by 2% of the respondents from Estonia (P < .01). Also, significant differences between countries were found in the use of fibrates and combination therapy in secondary prevention. Atorvastatin and simvastatin were the most prescribed drugs in everyday practice (the mean percentage of physicians in all countries was 72.5% and 68.0%, respectively). More than three-fourth of the respondents reported prescribing lifelong treatment with statins. Inconsistent associations were found between the characteristics of physicians and their treatment patterns.

CONCLUSIONS

There are significant variations in the use of lipid-lowering drugs in Central and Eastern European countries; however, statin monotherapy predominates. Some physicians' decisions are made without supporting evidence from clinical trials. There is still scope to improve preventive care of CVD.