Browsing by Author "Weaver, Jennifer"
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Item Open Access IMPACTS OF SEA LEVEL RISE ON RIVER HERRING SPAWNING AND NURSERY HABITAT IN EASTERN NORTH CAROLINA(2009-04-24T19:51:57Z) Weaver, JenniferRiver herring populations have declined in abundance by 99% since the 1970s, in part because of spawning and nursery habitat loss. In Eastern North Carolina, river herring spawn in coastal streams and adjacent riparian wetlands. Juveniles remain in natal streams and adjacent estuaries until the fall, when they migrate to oceanic environments. Many of these habitats are low-lying and may be subject to increasing water levels as the sea level rises in response to climate change. This project evaluates the extent of these effects to currently identified habitat and presents a model to describe future impacts to river herring habitat in these regions as water level rises and wetlands migrate inland. Sea level rise was modeled at increments of 0.25, 0.5, 0.75, 1, 1.5 and 2 meters for the Salmon Creek watershed in the Chowan River Basin. Resulting sea levels were overlaid with a GIS-based model of current river herring habitat. Future habitat quality was predicted through the application of a simple habitat model and the development of an index that evaluates the potential for riparian wetland migration. Results indicate that sea level rise has the potential to affect a significant portion of available habitat in the study area. Increases in water level are likely to result in the initial creation of habitat in the lower portion of Salmon Creek watershed; however, the suitability of these habitats for river herring spawning and juvenile development will decrease as sea level rise proceeds. Information generated using this model identifies the extent of future spawning and nursery habitat for river herring and can be used to prioritize areas important for conservation of river herring habitat in the future.Item Open Access Multifaceted intervention to improve medication adherence and secondary prevention measures after acute coronary syndrome hospital discharge: a randomized clinical trial.(JAMA internal medicine, 2014-02) Ho, P Michael; Lambert-Kerzner, Anne; Carey, Evan P; Fahdi, Ibrahim E; Bryson, Chris L; Melnyk, S Dee; Bosworth, Hayden B; Radcliff, Tiffany; Davis, Ryan; Mun, Howard; Weaver, Jennifer; Barnett, Casey; Barón, Anna; Del Giacco, Eric JImportance
Adherence to cardioprotective medication regimens in the year after hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome (ACS) is poor.Objective
To test a multifaceted intervention to improve adherence to cardiac medications.Design, setting, and participants
In this randomized clinical trial, 253 patients from 4 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers located in Denver (Colorado), Seattle (Washington); Durham (North Carolina), and Little Rock (Arkansas) admitted with ACS were randomized to the multifaceted intervention (INT) or usual care (UC) prior to discharge.Interventions
The INT lasted for 1 year following discharge and comprised (1) pharmacist-led medication reconciliation and tailoring; (2) patient education; (3) collaborative care between pharmacist and a patient's primary care clinician and/or cardiologist; and (4) 2 types of voice messaging (educational and medication refill reminder calls).Main outcomes and measures
The primary outcome of interest was proportion of patients adherent to medication regimens based on a mean proportion of days covered (PDC) greater than 0.80 in the year after hospital discharge using pharmacy refill data for 4 cardioprotective medications (clopidogrel, β-blockers, 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors [statins], and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers [ACEI/ARB]). Secondary outcomes included achievement of blood pressure (BP) and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) level targets. RESULTS Of 253 patients, 241 (95.3%) completed the study (122 in INT and 119 in UC). In the INT group, 89.3% of patients were adherent compared with 73.9% in the UC group (P = .003). Mean PDC was higher in the INT group (0.94 vs 0.87; P< .001). A greater proportion of intervention patients were adherent to clopidogrel (86.8% vs 70.7%; P = .03), statins (93.2% vs 71.3%; P < .001), and ACEI/ARB (93.1% vs 81.7%; P = .03) but not β-blockers (88.1% vs 84.8%; P = .59). There were no statistically significant differences in the proportion of patients who achieved BP and LDL-C level goals.Conclusions and relevance
A multifaceted intervention comprising pharmacist-led medication reconciliation and tailoring, patient education, collaborative care between pharmacist and patients' primary care clinician and/or cardiologist, and voice messaging increased adherence to medication regimens in the year after ACS hospital discharge without improving BP and LDL-C levels. Understanding the impact of such improvement in adherence on clinical outcomes is needed prior to broader dissemination of the program.Trial registration
clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT00903032.Item Open Access Patient-centered adherence intervention after acute coronary syndrome hospitalization.(Circulation. Cardiovascular quality and outcomes, 2012-07) Lambert-Kerzner, Anne; Del Giacco, Eric J; Fahdi, Ibrahim E; Bryson, Chris L; Melnyk, S Dee; Bosworth, Hayden B; Davis, Ryan; Mun, Howard; Weaver, Jennifer; Barnett, Casey; Radcliff, Tiffany; Hubbard, Amanda; Bosket, Kevin D; Carey, Evan; Virchow, Allison; Mihalko-Corbitt, Renee; Kaufman, Amy; Marchant-Miros, Kathy; Ho, P Michael; Multifaceted Intervention to Improve Cardiac Medication Adherence and Secondary Prevention Measures (Medication) Study InvestigatorsBackground
Adherence to cardioprotective medications in the year after acute coronary syndrome hospitalization is generally poor and is associated with increased risk of rehospitalization and mortality. Few interventions have specifically targeted this high-risk patient population to improve medication adherence. We hypothesize that a multifaceted patient-centered intervention could improve adherence to cardioprotective medications.Methods and results
To evaluate this intervention, we propose enrolling 280 patients with a recent acute coronary syndrome event into a multicenter randomized, controlled trial. The intervention comprises 4 main components: (1) pharmacist-led medication reconciliation and tailoring; (2) patient education; (3) collaborative care between pharmacist and primary care provider/cardiologist; and (4) 2 types of voice messaging (educational and medication refill reminder calls). Patients in the intervention arm will visit with the study pharmacist ≈1 week post-hospital discharge. The pharmacist will work with the patient and collaborate with providers to reconcile medication issues. Voice messages will augment the educational process and remind patients to refill their cardioprotective medications. The study will compare the intervention versus usual care for 12 months. The primary outcome of interest is adherence using the ReComp method. Secondary and tertiary outcomes include achievement of targets for blood pressure and low-density lipoprotein, and reduction in the combined cardiovascular end points of myocardial infarction hospitalization, coronary revascularization, and all-cause mortality. Finally, we will also evaluate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention compared with usual care.Conclusions
If the intervention is effective in improving medication adherence and demonstrating a lower cost, the intervention has the potential to improve cardiovascular outcomes in this high-risk patient population.