Browsing by Subject "Ambulatory Care"
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Item Open Access Can caregivers report their care recipients' post-stroke hospitalizations and outpatient visits accurately? Findings of an Asian prospective stroke cohort.(BMC health services research, 2018-10-25) Tyagi, Shilpa; Koh, Gerald Choon-Huat; Luo, Nan; Tan, Kelvin Bryan; Hoenig, Helen; Matchar, David B; Yoong, Joanne; Finkelstein, Eric A; Lee, Kim En; Venketasubramanian, N; Menon, Edward; Chan, Kin Ming; De Silva, Deidre Anne; Yap, Philip; Tan, Boon Yeow; Chew, Effie; Young, Sherry H; Ng, Yee Sien; Tu, Tian Ming; Ang, Yan Hoon; Kong, Keng He; Singh, Rajinder; Merchant, Reshma A; Chang, Hui Meng; Yeo, Tseng Tsai; Ning, Chou; Cheong, Angela; Ng, Yu Li; Tan, Chuen SengBackground
Health services research aimed at understanding service use and improving resource allocation often relies on collecting subjectively reported or proxy-reported healthcare service utilization (HSU) data. It is important to know the discrepancies in such self or proxy reports, as they have significant financial and policy implications. In high-dependency populations, such as stroke survivors, with varying levels of cognitive impairment and dysphasia, caregivers are often potential sources of stroke survivors' HSU information. Most of the work conducted on agreement analysis to date has focused on validating different sources of self-reported data, with few studies exploring the validity of caregiver-reported data. Addressing this gap, our study aimed to quantify the agreement across the caregiver-reported and national claims-based HSU of stroke patients.Methods
A prospective study comprising multi-ethnic stroke patient and caregiver dyads (N = 485) in Singapore was the basis of the current analysis, which used linked national claims records. Caregiver-reported health services data were collected via face-to-face and telephone interviews, and similar health services data were extracted from the national claims records. The main outcome variable was the modified intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC), which provided the level of agreement across both data sources. We further identified the amount of over- or under-reporting by caregivers across different service types.Results
We observed variations in agreement for different health services, with agreement across caregiver reports and national claims records being the highest for outpatient visits (specialist and primary care), followed by hospitalizations and emergency department visits. Interestingly, caregivers over-reported hospitalizations by approximately 49% and under-reported specialist and primary care visits by approximately 20 to 30%.Conclusions
The accuracy of the caregiver-reported HSU of stroke patients varies across different service types. Relatively more objective data sources, such as national claims records, should be considered as a first choice for quantifying health care usage before considering caregiver-reported usage. Caregiver-reported outpatient service use was relatively more accurate than inpatient service use over shorter recall periods. Therefore, in situations where objective data sources are limited, caregiver-reported outpatient information can be considered for low volumes of healthcare consumption, using an appropriate correction to account for potential under-reporting.Item Open Access Clinician's guide to the updated ABCs of cardiovascular disease prevention.(Journal of the American Heart Association, 2014-09) Kohli, Payal; Whelton, Seamus P; Hsu, Steven; Yancy, Clyde W; Stone, Neil J; Chrispin, Jonathan; Gilotra, Nisha A; Houston, Brian; Ashen, M Dominique; Martin, Seth S; Joshi, Parag H; McEvoy, John W; Gluckman, Ty J; Michos, Erin D; Blaha, Michael J; Blumenthal, Roger STo facilitate the guideline-based implementation of treatment recommendations in the ambulatory setting and to encourage participation in the multiple preventive health efforts that exist, we have organized several recent guideline updates into a simple ABCDEF approach. We would remind clinicians that evidence-based medicine is meant to inform recommendations but that synthesis of patient-specific data and use of appropriate clinical judgment in each individual situation is ultimately preferred.Item Open Access Designing risk prediction models for ambulatory no-shows across different specialties and clinics.(Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 2018-08) Ding, Xiruo; Gellad, Ziad F; Mather, Chad; Barth, Pamela; Poon, Eric G; Newman, Mark; Goldstein, Benjamin AObjective:As available data increases, so does the opportunity to develop risk scores on more refined patient populations. In this paper we assessed the ability to derive a risk score for a patient no-showing to a clinic visit. Methods:Using data from 2 264 235 outpatient appointments we assessed the performance of models built across 14 different specialties and 55 clinics. We used regularized logistic regression models to fit and assess models built on the health system, specialty, and clinic levels. We evaluated fits based on their discrimination and calibration. Results:Overall, the results suggest that a relatively robust risk score for patient no-shows could be derived with an average C-statistic of 0.83 across clinic level models and strong calibration. Moreover, the clinic specific models, even with lower training set sizes, often performed better than the more general models. Examination of the individual models showed that risk factors had different degrees of predictability across the different specialties. Implementation of optimal modeling strategies would lead to capturing an additional 4819 no-shows per-year. Conclusion:Overall, this work highlights both the opportunity for and the importance of leveraging the available electronic health record data to develop more refined risk models.Item Open Access Establishing a regional, multisite database for quality improvement and service planning in community-based palliative care and hospice.(J Palliat Med, 2010-08) Bull, Janet; Zafar, S Yousuf; Wheeler, Jane L; Harker, Matthew; Gblokpor, Agbessi; Hanson, Laura; Hulihan, Deirdre; Nugent, Rikki; Morris, John; Abernethy, Amy PBACKGROUND: Outpatient palliative care, an evolving delivery model, seeks to improve continuity of care across settings and to increase access to services in hospice and palliative medicine (HPM). It can provide a critical bridge between inpatient palliative care and hospice, filling the gap in community-based supportive care for patients with advanced life-limiting illness. Low capacities for data collection and quantitative research in HPM have impeded assessment of the impact of outpatient palliative care. APPROACH: In North Carolina, a regional database for community-based palliative care has been created through a unique partnership between a HPM organization and academic medical center. This database flexibly uses information technology to collect patient data, entered at the point of care (e.g., home, inpatient hospice, assisted living facility, nursing home). HPM physicians and nurse practitioners collect data; data are transferred to an academic site that assists with analyses and data management. Reports to community-based sites, based on data they provide, create a better understanding of local care quality. CURRENT STATUS: The data system was developed and implemented over a 2-year period, starting with one community-based HPM site and expanding to four. Data collection methods were collaboratively created and refined. The database continues to grow. Analyses presented herein examine data from one site and encompass 2572 visits from 970 new patients, characterizing the population, symptom profiles, and change in symptoms after intervention. CONCLUSION: A collaborative regional approach to HPM data can support evaluation and improvement of palliative care quality at the local, aggregated, and statewide levels.Item Open Access Implications of practice setting on clinical outcomes and efficiency of care in the delivery of physical therapy services.(J Orthop Sports Phys Ther, 2014-12) Childs, John D; Harman, Jeffrey S; Rodeghero, Jason R; Horn, Maggie; George, Steven ZSTUDY DESIGN: Retrospective analysis of episodes of care. OBJECTIVE: To assess the implications of practice setting (hospital outpatient settings versus private practice) on clinical outcomes and efficiency of care in the delivery of physical therapy services. BACKGROUND: Many patients with musculoskeletal conditions benefit from care provided by physical therapists. The majority of physical therapists deliver services in either a private practice setting or in a hospital outpatient setting. There have not been any recent studies comparing whether clinical outcomes or efficiency of care differ based on practice setting. METHODS: Practices that use the Focus On Therapeutic Outcomes, Inc system were surveyed to determine the specific type of setting in which outcomes were collected in patients with musculoskeletal impairments. Patient outcome data over 12 months (2011-2012) were extracted from the database and analyzed to identify differences in the functional status achieved and the efficiency of the care delivery process between private practices and hospital outpatient settings. RESULTS: The data suggest that patients experience more efficient care when receiving physical therapy in hospital outpatient settings compared to private practice settings, as demonstrated by 3.1 points of greater improvement in functional status over 2.9 fewer physical therapy visits. However, the difference in improvement between settings is less than the minimum clinically important difference of 9 points in functional status outcome score. CONCLUSION: In this cohort, our data suggest that more efficient care was delivered in the hospital outpatient setting compared to the private practice setting. However, we cannot conclude that care delivered in the hospital setting is more cost-effective, because it is possible that any difference in efficiency of care favoring the hospital outpatient setting is more than offset by higher costs of care.Item Open Access Nurse-Patient Rapport During Videoconferencing Visits in Oncology Ambulatory Care(2023) Koppel, Paula DianneCare of individuals with cancer represents a significant aspect of nursing; projections of new cases will continue to rise nationally and internationally. Rapport is generated within the context of an interaction between individuals and is especially important in oncological care. Interpersonal interventions that cultivate rapport between patients and clinicians have the potential to improve patient health outcomes and satisfaction. Research suggests that rapport makes a trusting and therapeutic relationship more likely, thus enabling clinicians to become a source of emotional support helping patients to adapt to and navigate their cancer journey.
Despite the importance of rapport, little research has explored how it is developed in an ambulatory care environment, where most oncology care is delivered. Even less is known about the impact of telehealth videoconferencing on relationship building, but studies suggest that interactions during videoconferencing, although similar to in-person encounters, present unique challenges that can impact rapport, diagnostic accuracy, and treatment compliance. When the COVID-19 pandemic necessitated telehealth videoconferencing for patients with cancer, clinicians had little research to help them understand how the subsequent change in interactive practice might affect patient-clinician relationships. Additionally, limited tools are available to measure clinician-patient rapport, and few have been used in health care encounters or videoconferencing.
To establish what is known about the development of in-person rapport between nurses and patients with cancer, both in videoconferencing and in-person ambulatory oncology encounters, literature was examined using systematic review methodologies. These reviews demonstrated a lack of studies focused specifically on nurse-patient rapport in oncology ambulatory care and videoconferencing encounters. This gap in the literature indicates a need for future research with aims and variables specifically focused on rapport to enhance understanding of this aspect of the nurse-patient relationship.
In response to this need, a qualitative descriptive study in which patients (n = 10) and oncology nurses (n = 12) were interviewed about their experiences of rapport-building during videoconferencing visits was conducted. Patient and nurse interviews were analyzed separately using conventional content analysis, with a comparative analysis of patient and nurse results performed in the final analysis. Three themes fit the collective data: (1) person-centered and relationship-based care is valued and foundational to nurse-patient rapport in oncology ambulatory care regardless of how care is delivered, (2) adapting a “bedside” manner to facilitate rapport during videoconferencing visits is feasible, and (3) nurses and patients can work together to create person-centered options across the care trajectory to ensure quality care outcomes. Barriers to relationship-building in videoconferencing visits included unexpected interruptions from others, breaks in internet connection, concerns about privacy, and limitations associated with not being physically present.
Finally, an observational study was designed to evaluate the use of behavioral indicators of positivity resonance and self-report items of perceived positivity resonance to measure rapport between nurses and patients with cancer in videoconferencing visits. This initial evaluation suggests this behavioral observational measure is feasible and could be a useful measure in this setting and with this population. In addition, the recruitment and study procedures were acceptable to participants and effective. This feasibility study established the foundation for a planned future investigation to test the reliability and validity of positivity resonance measures in health care encounters.
Item Open Access Pilot Intervention to Improve Medication Adherence Among Patients With Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Using Pharmacy Refill Data.(Arthritis care & research, 2023-03) Sun, Kai; Eudy, Amanda M; Rogers, Jennifer L; Criscione-Schreiber, Lisa G; Sadun, Rebecca E; Doss, Jayanth; Maheswaranathan, Mithu; Barr, Ann Cameron; Eder, Lena; Corneli, Amy L; Bosworth, Hayden B; Clowse, Megan EBObjective
Despite high rates of medication nonadherence among patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), effective interventions to improve adherence in SLE are limited. We aimed to assess the feasibility of a pilot intervention and explore its effect on adherence.Methods
The intervention used pharmacy refill data to monitor nonadherence and prompt discussions surrounding SLE medications during clinic encounters. Over 12 weeks, the intervention was delivered through routine clinic visits by providers to patients with SLE who take SLE-specific medications. We measured acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility using provider surveys. We also measured acceptability by patient surveys and feasibility by medical record documentation. We explored change in adherence by comparing percent of patients with medication possession ratio (MPR) ≥80% 3 months before and after the intervention visit using the McNemar's test.Results
Six rheumatologists participated; 130 patients were included in the analysis (median age 43, 95% female, and 59% racial and ethnic minorities). Implementation of the intervention was documented in 89% of clinic notes. Provider surveys showed high scores for feasibility (4.7/5), acceptability (4.4/5), and appropriateness (4.6/5). Among patient surveys, the most common reactions to the intervention visit were feeling determined (32%), empowered (32%), and proud (19%). Proportion of patients with MPR ≥80% increased from 48% to 58% (P = 0.03) after the intervention visit.Conclusion
Our intervention showed feasibility, acceptability, and appropriateness and led to a statistically significant improvement in adherence. Future work should refine the intervention, assess its efficacy in a controlled setting, and adapt its use among other clinic settings.Item Open Access Practice-Level Variation in Outpatient Cardiac Care and Association With Outcomes.(J Am Heart Assoc, 2016-02-23) Clough, Jeffrey D; Rajkumar, Rahul; Crim, Matthew T; Ott, Lesli S; Desai, Nihar R; Conway, Patrick H; Maresh, Sha; Kahvecioglu, Daver C; Krumholz, Harlan MBACKGROUND: Utilization of cardiac services varies across regions and hospitals, yet little is known regarding variation in the intensity of outpatient cardiac care across cardiology physician practices or the association with clinical endpoints, an area of potential importance to promote efficient care. METHODS AND RESULTS: We included 7 160 732 Medicare beneficiaries who received services from 5635 cardiology practices in 2012. Beneficiaries were assigned to practices providing the plurality of office visits, and practices were ranked and assigned to quartiles using the ratio of observed to predicted annual payments per beneficiary for common cardiac services (outpatient intensity index). The median (interquartile range) outpatient intensity index was 1.00 (0.81-1.24). Mean payments for beneficiaries attributed to practices in the highest (Q4) and lowest (Q1) quartile of outpatient intensity were: all cardiac payments (Q4 $1272 vs Q1 $581; ratio, 2.2); cardiac catheterization (Q4 $215 vs Q1 $64; ratio, 3.4); myocardial perfusion imaging (Q4 $253 vs Q1 $83; ratio, 3.0); and electrophysiology device procedures (Q4 $353 vs Q1 $142; ratio, 2.5). The adjusted odds ratios (95% CI) for 1 incremental quartile of outpatient intensity for each outcome was: cardiac surgical/procedural hospitalization (1.09 [1.09, 1.10]); cardiac medical hospitalization (1.00 [0.99, 1.00]); noncardiac hospitalization (0.99 [0.99, 0.99]); and death at 1 year (1.00 [0.99, 1.00]). CONCLUSION: Substantial variation in the intensity of outpatient care exists at the cardiology practice level, and higher intensity is not associated with reduced mortality or hospitalizations. Outpatient cardiac care is a potentially important target for efforts to improve efficiency in the Medicare population.Item Open Access Preferences of people living with HIV for differentiated care models in Kenya: A discrete choice experiment.(PloS one, 2021-01) Dommaraju, Sagar; Hagey, Jill; Odeny, Thomas A; Okaka, Sharon; Kadima, Julie; Bukusi, Elizabeth A; Cohen, Craig R; Kwena, Zachary; Eshun-Wilson, Ingrid; Geng, ElvinIntroduction
To improve retention on HIV treatment in Africa, public health programs are promoting a family of innovations to service delivery-referred to as "differentiated service delivery" (DSD) models-which seek to better meet the needs of both systems and patients by reducing unnecessary encounters, expanding access, and incorporating peers and patients in patient care. Data on the relative desirability of different models to target populations, which is currently sparse, can help guide prioritization of specific models during scale-up.Methods
We conducted a discrete choice experiment to assess patient preferences for various characteristics of treatment services. Clinically stable people living with HIV were recruited from an HIV clinic in Kisumu, Kenya. We selected seven attributes of DSD models drawn from literature review and previous qualitative work. We created a balanced and orthogonal design to identify main term effects. A total of ten choice tasks were solicited per respondent. We calculated relative utility (RU) for each attribute level, a numerical representation of the strength of patient preference. Data were analyzed using a Hierarchical Bayesian model via Sawtooth Software.Results
One hundred and four respondents (37.5% men, 41.1 years mean age) preferred receiving care at a health facility, compared with home-delivery or a community meeting point (RU = 69.3, -16.2, and -53.1, respectively; p << 0.05); receiving those services from clinicians and pharmacists-as opposed to lay health workers or peers (RU = 21.5, 5.9, -24.5; p < 0.05); and preferred an individual support system over a group support system (RU = 15.0 and 4.2; p < 0.05). Likewise, patients strongly preferred longer intervals between both clinical reviews (RU = 40.1 and -50.7 for 6- and 1-month spacing, respectively; p < 0.05) and between ART collections (RU = 33.6 and -49.5 for 6- and1-month spacing, respectively; p < 0.05).Conclusion
Although health systems find community- and peer-based DSD models attractive, clinically stable patients expressed a preference for facility-based care as long as clinical visits were extended to biannual. These data suggest that multi-month scripting and fast-track models best align with patient preferences, an insight which can help prioritize use of different DSD models in the region.Item Open Access Provider specialty and atrial fibrillation treatment strategies in United States community practice: findings from the ORBIT-AF registry.(J Am Heart Assoc, 2013-07-18) Fosbol, Emil L; Holmes, DaJuanicia N; Piccini, Jonathan P; Thomas, Laine; Reiffel, James A; Mills, Roger M; Kowey, Peter; Mahaffey, Kenneth; Gersh, Bernard J; Peterson, Eric D; ORBIT-AF Investigators and PatientsBACKGROUND: The prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF) continues to increase; however, there are limited data describing the division of care among practitioners in the community and whether care differs depending on provider specialty. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using the Outcomes Registry for Better Informed Treatment of AF (ORBIT-AF) Registry, we described patient characteristics and AF management strategies in ambulatory clinic practice settings, including electrophysiology (EP), general cardiology, and primary care. A total of 10 097 patients were included; of these, 1544 (15.3%) were cared for by an EP provider, 6584 (65.2%) by a cardiology provider, and 1969 (19.5%) by an internal medicine/primary care provider. Compared with those patients who were cared for by cardiologists or internal medicine/primary care providers, patients cared for by EP providers were younger (median age, 73 years [interquartile range, IQR, 64, 80 years, Q1, Q3] versus 75 years [IQR, 67, 82 years] for cardiology and versus 76 years [IQR, 68, 82 years] for primary care). Compared with cardiology and internal medicine/primary care providers, EP providers used rhythm control (versus rate control) management more often (44.2% versus 29.7% and 28.8%, respectively, P<0.0001; adjusted odds ratio [OR] EP versus cardiology, 1.66 [95% confidence interval, CI, 1.05 to 2.61]; adjusted OR for internal medicine/primary care versus cardiology, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.65 to 1.26]). Use of oral anticoagulant therapy was high across all providers, although it was higher for cardiology and EP providers (overall, 76.1%; P=0.02 for difference between groups). CONCLUSIONS: Our data demonstrate important differences between provider specialties, the demographics of the AF patient population treated, and treatment strategies-particularly for rhythm control and anticoagulation therapy.Item Open Access Telehealth transformation: COVID-19 and the rise of virtual care.(Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association : JAMIA, 2020-06) Wosik, Jedrek; Fudim, Marat; Cameron, Blake; Gellad, Ziad F; Cho, Alex; Phinney, Donna; Curtis, Simon; Roman, Matthew; Poon, Eric G; Ferranti, Jeffrey; Katz, Jason N; Tcheng, JamesThe novel coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic has altered our economy, society, and healthcare system. While this crisis has presented the U.S. healthcare delivery system with unprecedented challenges, the pandemic has catalyzed rapid adoption of telehealth, or the entire spectrum of activities used to deliver care at a distance. Using examples reported by U.S. healthcare organizations, including ours, we describe the role that telehealth has played in transforming healthcare delivery during the 3 phases of the U.S. COVID-19 pandemic: (1) stay-at-home outpatient care, (2) initial COVID-19 hospital surge, and (3) postpandemic recovery. Within each of these 3 phases, we examine how people, process, and technology work together to support a successful telehealth transformation. Whether healthcare enterprises are ready or not, the new reality is that virtual care has arrived.Item Open Access The comparison of the commonly used surrogates for baseline renal function in acute kidney injury diagnosis and staging.(BMC nephrology, 2016-01) Thongprayoon, Charat; Cheungpasitporn, Wisit; Harrison, Andrew M; Kittanamongkolchai, Wonngarm; Ungprasert, Patompong; Srivali, Narat; Akhoundi, Abbasali; Kashani, Kianoush BBackground
Baseline serum creatinine (SCr) level is frequently not measured in clinical practice. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of various methods of baseline SCr determination measurement on accuracy of acute kidney injury (AKI) diagnosis in critically ill patients.Methods
This was a retrospective cohort study. All adult intensive care unit (ICU) patients admitted at a tertiary referral hospital from January 1, 2011 through December 31, 2011, with at least one measured SCr value during ICU stay, were included in this study. The baseline SCr was considered either an admission SCr (SCrADM) or an estimated SCr, using MDRD formula, based on an assumed glomerular filtration rate (GFR) of 75 ml/min/1.73 m(2) (SCrGFR-75). Determination of AKI was based on the KDIGO SCr criterion. Propensity score to predict the likelihood of missing SCr was used to generate a simulated cohort of 3566 patients with baseline outpatient SCr, who had similar characteristics with patients whose outpatient SCr was not available.Results
Of 7772 patients, 3504 (45.1 %) did not have baseline outpatient SCr. Among patients without baseline outpatient SCr, AKI was detected in 571 (16.3 %) using the SCrADM and 997 (28.4 %) using SCrGFR-75 (p < .001). Compared with non-AKI patients, patients who met AKI only by SCrADM, but not SCrGFR-75, were significantly associated with 60-day mortality (OR 2.90; 95 % CI 1.66-4.87), whereas patients who met AKI only by SCrGFR-75, but not SCrADM, had a non-significant increase in 60-day mortality risk (OR 1.33; 95 % CI 0.94-1.88). In a simulated cohort of patients with baseline outpatient SCr, SCrGFR-75 yielded a higher sensitivity (77.2 vs. 50.5 %) and lower specificity (87.8 vs. 94.8 %) for the AKI diagnosis in comparison with SCrADM.Conclusions
When baseline outpatient SCr was not available, using SCrGFR-75 as surrogate for baseline SCr was found to be more sensitive but less specific for AKI diagnosis compared with using SCrADM. This resulted in higher incidence of AKI with larger likelihood of false-positive cases.Item Open Access Transmission of MRSA between companion animals and infected human patients presenting to outpatient medical care facilities.(PLoS One, 2011) Ferreira, Jorge Pinto; Anderson, Kevin L; Correa, Maria T; Lyman, Roberta; Ruffin, Felicia; Reller, L Barth; Fowler, Vance GMethicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) is a significant pathogen in both human and veterinary medicine. The importance of companion animals as reservoirs of human infections is currently unknown. The companion animals of 49 MRSA-infected outpatients (cases) were screened for MRSA carriage, and their bacterial isolates were compared with those of the infected patients using Pulsed-Field Gel Electrophoresis (PFGE). Rates of MRSA among the companion animals of MRSA-infected patients were compared to rates of MRSA among companion animals of pet guardians attending a "veterinary wellness clinic" (controls). MRSA was isolated from at least one companion animal in 4/49 (8.2%) households of MRSA-infected outpatients vs. none of the pets of the 50 uninfected human controls. Using PFGE, patient-pets MRSA isolates were identical for three pairs and discordant for one pair (suggested MRSA inter-specie transmission p-value = 0.1175). These results suggest that companion animals of MRSA-infected patients can be culture-positive for MRSA, representing a potential source of infection or re-infection for humans. Further studies are required to better understand the epidemiology of MRSA human-animal inter-specie transmission.Item Open Access Treatment use and barriers among adolescents with prescription opioid use disorders.(Addictive behaviors, 2011-12) Wu, Li-Tzy; Blazer, Dan G; Li, Ting-Kai; Woody, George EThis study examined national trends, patterns, correlates, and barriers to substance abuse treatment use by adolescents aged 12-17 years who met at least one of the past-year criteria for prescription opioid abuse or dependence (N=1788).Data were from the 2005-2008 National Surveys of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH). Past-year substance use disorders, major depression, and treatment use were assessed by audio computer-assisted self-interviewing.About 17% of adolescents with opioid dependence (n=434) and 16% of those with opioid abuse (n=355) used any substance abuse treatment in the past year compared with 9% of subthreshold users, i.e., adolescents who reported 1-2 prescription opioid dependence criteria but no abuse criteria (n=999). Only 4.2% of adolescents with opioid dependence, 0.5% of those with abuse, and 0.6% of subthreshold users reported a perceived need for treatment of nonmedical opioid use. Self-help groups and outpatient rehabilitation were the most commonly used sources of treatment. Few black adolescents used treatment (medical settings, 3.3%; self-help groups, 1.7%) or reported a need for treatment (1.8%). Talking to parents/guardians about dangers of substance use increased the odds of treatment use. Barriers to treatment use included "wasn't ready to stop substance use," "didn't want others to find out," and "could handle the problem without treatment."Adolescents with prescription opioid use disorders markedly underutilize treatment. Non-financial barriers are pervasive, including stigma and a lack of perceived treatment need.Item Open Access Variability in performance measures for assessment of hypertension control.(Am Heart J, 2013-05) Navar-Boggan, AM; Shah, BR; Boggan, JC; Stafford, JA; Peterson, EDBACKGROUND: Definitions of multiple performance measures exist for the assessment of blood pressure control; however, limited data on how these technical variations may affect actual measured performance are available. METHODS: We evaluated patients with hypertension followed routinely by cardiologists at Duke University Health System from 2009 to 2010. Provider hypertension control was compared based on reading at the last clinic visit vs the average blood pressure across all visits. The impact of home blood pressure measurements and patient exclusions endorsed by the American Heart Association, the American College of Cardiology, and the Physician Consortium for Performance Improvement were evaluated using medical record reviews. RESULTS: Among 5,552 hypertensive patients, the rate of blood pressure control based on last clinic visit was 69.1%; however, significant clinic-to-clinic variability was seen in serial clinic blood pressure measurements in individual patients (average 18 mm Hg). As a result, provider performance ratings varied considerably depending on whether a single reading or average blood pressure reading was used. The inclusion of home blood pressure measurements resulted in modestly higher rates of blood pressure control performance (+6% overall). Similarly, excluding patients who met guideline-recommended exclusion criteria increased blood pressure control rates only slightly (+3% overall). In contrast, excluding patients who were on 2 or more antihypertensive medications would have raised blood pressure control rates to 96% overall. CONCLUSION: Depending on definitions used, overall and provider-specific blood pressure control rates can vary considerably. Technical aspects of blood pressure performance measures may affect perceived quality gaps and comparative provider ratings.