Browsing by Subject "Health Services Research"

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Open Access
A strategy to advance the evidence base in palliative medicine: formation of a palliative care research cooperative group.
(J Palliat Med, 2010-12) Abernethy, Amy P; Aziz, Noreen M; Basch, Ethan; Bull, Janet; Cleeland, Charles S; Currow, David C; Fairclough, Diane; Hanson, Laura; Hauser, Joshua; Ko, Danielle; Lloyd, Linda; Morrison, R Sean; Otis-Green, Shirley; Pantilat, Steve; Portenoy, Russell K; Ritchie, Christine; Rocker, Graeme; Wheeler, Jane L; Zafar, S Yousuf; Kutner, Jean S
BACKGROUND: Palliative medicine has made rapid progress in establishing its scientific and clinical legitimacy, yet the evidence base to support clinical practice remains deficient in both the quantity and quality of published studies. Historically, the conduct of research in palliative care populations has been impeded by multiple barriers including health care system fragmentation, small number and size of potential sites for recruitment, vulnerability of the population, perceptions of inappropriateness, ethical concerns, and gate-keeping. METHODS: A group of experienced investigators with backgrounds in palliative care research convened to consider developing a research cooperative group as a mechanism for generating high-quality evidence on prioritized, clinically relevant topics in palliative care. RESULTS: The resulting Palliative Care Research Cooperative (PCRC) agreed on a set of core principles: active, interdisciplinary membership; commitment to shared research purposes; heterogeneity of participating sites; development of research capacity in participating sites; standardization of methodologies, such as consenting and data collection/management; agile response to research requests from government, industry, and investigators; focus on translation; education and training of future palliative care researchers; actionable results that can inform clinical practice and policy. Consensus was achieved on a first collaborative study, a randomized clinical trial of statin discontinuation versus continuation in patients with a prognosis of less than 6 months who are taking statins for primary or secondary prevention. This article describes the formation of the PCRC, highlighting processes and decisions taken to optimize the cooperative group's success.
Open Access
Conceptualizing trust in community-academic research partnerships using concept mapping approach: A multi-CTSA study.
(Evaluation and program planning, 2018-02) Dave, Gaurav; Frerichs, Leah; Jones, Jennifer; Kim, Mimi; Schaal, Jennifer; Vassar, Stefanie; Varma, Deepthi; Striley, Catherine; Ruktanonchai, Corrine; Black, Adina; Hankins, Jennifer; Lovelady, Nakita; Cene, Crystal; Green, Melissa; Young, Tiffany; Tiwari, Shristi; Cheney, Ann; Cottler, Linda; Sullivan, Greer; Brown, Arleen; Burke, Jessica; Corbie-Smith, Giselle
Objectives
Collaborations between communities, healthcare practices and academic institutions are a strategy to address health disparities. Trust is critical in the development and maintaining of effective collaborations. The aim of this pilot study was to engage stakeholders in defining determinants of trust in community academic research partnerships and to develop a framework for measuring trust.
Methods
The study was conducted by five collaborating National Institute of Health' Clinical and Translational Sciences Awardees. We used concept mapping to engage three stakeholders: community members, healthcare providers and academicians. We conducted hierarchical cluster analysis to assess the determinants of trust in community-academic research partnerships.
Results
A total of 186 participants provided input generating 2,172 items that were consolidated into 125 unique items. A five cluster solution was defined: authentic, effective and transparent communication; mutually respectful and reciprocal relationships; sustainability; committed partnerships; and, communication, credibility and methodology to anticipate and resolve problems.
Conclusion
Results from this study contribute to an increasing empirical body of work to better understand and improve the underlying factors that contribute to building and sustaining trust in community academic research partnerships.
Open Access
Design and Implementation of a Career Development Program for Physician-Scientists: Lessons Learned.
(Urogynecology (Philadelphia, Pa.), 2022-08) Kameny, Rebecca R; Amundsen, Cindy L
Importance
Although skills in health services research and data science have great potential to advance the field of urogynecology, few clinical researchers obtain such training.
Objectives
The aim of the R25 UrogynCREST Program is to prepare the next generation of physician-scientists for a successful career in urogynecologic health services research through skilled mentoring and advanced training. The purpose of this report is to describe program implementation and lessons learned.
Study design
Administered through the program institution and in partnership with the American Urogynecologic Society, this program provided junior faculty with advanced online training and, through a core facility, access to health care databases for research projects. Participants received individualized mentoring and biostatistical support. Anonymous surveys captured actionable, real-time feedback from participants as they moved through the program.
Results
Despite a limited budget, UrogynCREST maintained a core of excellent faculty, high-quality biostatistical support, and engaged, knowledgeable advisors and mentors. This allowed for similar experiences across cohorts while permitting program improvements between cohorts in faculty-participant interactions, team dynamics, and data and regulatory support. Administrative management by a single institution facilitated responses to fiscal and regulatory changes. Asynchronized learning and partnering with a society attracted a diverse group of physician-scientists.
Conclusions
Career development programs that incorporate online education, mentoring, database access, and biostatistical support must be prepared for midprogram changes. Regular communication among stakeholders was vital. Working with a core facility provided efficient database access, but evolving regulatory and administrative processes and costs presented challenges. Our experiences implementing this program can benefit similar programs that train early-career physician-scientists.
Open Access
Economic evaluation of access to musculoskeletal care: the case of waiting for total knee arthroplasty.
(BMC Musculoskelet Disord, 2014-01-18) Mather, Richard C; Hug, Kevin T; Orlando, Lori A; Watters, Tyler Steven; Koenig, Lane; Nunley, Ryan M; Bolognesi, Michael P
BACKGROUND: The projected demand for total knee arthroplasty is staggering. At its root, the solution involves increasing supply or decreasing demand. Other developed nations have used rationing and wait times to distribute this service. However, economic impact and cost-effectiveness of waiting for TKA is unknown. METHODS: A Markov decision model was constructed for a cost-utility analysis of three treatment strategies for end-stage knee osteoarthritis: 1) TKA without delay, 2) a waiting period with no non-operative treatment and 3) a non-operative treatment bridge during that waiting period in a cohort of 60 year-old patients. Outcome probabilities and effectiveness were derived from the literature. Costs were estimated from the societal perspective with national average Medicare reimbursement. Effectiveness was expressed in quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) gained. Principal outcome measures were average incremental costs, effectiveness, and quality-adjusted life years; and net health benefits. RESULTS: In the base case, a 2-year wait-time both with and without a non-operative treatment bridge resulted in a lower number of average QALYs gained (11.57 (no bridge) and 11.95 (bridge) vs. 12.14 (no delay). The average cost was $1,660 higher for TKA without delay than wait-time with no bridge, but $1,810 less than wait-time with non-operative bridge. The incremental cost-effectiveness ratio comparing wait-time with no bridge to TKA without delay was $2,901/QALY. When comparing TKA without delay to waiting with non-operative bridge, TKA without delay produced greater utility at a lower cost to society. CONCLUSIONS: TKA without delay is the preferred cost-effective treatment strategy when compared to a waiting for TKA without non-operative bridge. TKA without delay is cost saving when a non-operative bridge is used during the waiting period. As it is unlikely that patients waiting for TKA would not receive non-operative treatment, TKA without delay may be an overall cost-saving health care delivery strategy. Policies aimed at increasing the supply of TKA should be considered as savings exist that could indirectly fund those strategies.
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 P
BACKGROUND: 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.
Open Access
Integrated Behavioral-Physical Care Management in the Primary Care Setting
(2015-04-30) Dakkak, Mark
Background: Care management programs for high-cost patients with complex medical and social needs are seen as an opportunity to improve quality of care, promote health, and reduce costs. However, mixed evidence of intervention effectiveness and a lack of supportive analytics tools limit the ability of programs to properly target patients with services that significantly impact health service use. The primary aim of this study is to evaluate a unified primary care and behavioral health intervention targeting high utilizer Medicaid enrollees by examining the program’s effect on subsequent health service utilization patterns. The secondary aim is to develop tools that improve the identification of patients for enrollment in high utilizer care management programs. Methods: This study employs a case-control study design that compares program participants to a carefully matched control group. Patients engaged in primary care were identified via high numbers of emergency department visits and referrals from physicians and the state Medicaid agency. Thirty-five Medicaid beneficiaries were enrolled between August 2013 and February 2014 and included in the final analysis. Priority was given to patients with comorbid mental health or substance abuse disorders, but a number of patients with significant chronic medical illness were also enrolled. Baseline rates of emergency department visits, hospital admissions, and primary care visits were calculated for the one-year pre-enrollment. Post-intervention rates were calculated as twice the number of encounters during a 6-month follow up period. Results: Enrollment of high utilizer Medicaid beneficiaries in integrated behavioral-physical care management did not result in a greater reduction of emergency department visits or hospital admissions compared to patients receiving standard primary care. Patients enrolled in the program showed an average decrease of 3.46 ED visits per year and an average increase of 0.17 hospital admissions per year. Similar high utilizer patients receiving standard primary care showed an average decrease of 4.43 ED visits per year and average decrease of 0.20 hospital admissions per year. However, program participants were significantly more engaged in primary care over the follow up period compared to the control group. Patients enrolled in the program had almost no change in primary care visit rate (increase of 0.14 visits per year), whereas control patients had an average decrease of 9.71 visits per year. Conclusion: This case-control study reveals the tough road ahead for programs attempting to show a return on investment—changes in outpatient healthcare use were not accompanied by a drop in more costly hospital healthcare use. A data application was developed to improve patient selection, which we hope reduces patient heterogeneity moving forward. More must be done to rigorously evaluate high utilizer care management programs on a larger study population.
Open Access
Integrated vector management for malaria control in Uganda: knowledge, perceptions and policy development.
(Malar J, 2012-01-14) Mutero, Clifford M; Schlodder, Dieter; Kabatereine, Narcis; Kramer, Randall
BACKGROUND: Integrated vector management (IVM) is increasingly being recommended as an option for sustainable malaria control. However, many malaria-endemic countries lack a policy framework to guide and promote the approach. The objective of the study was to assess knowledge and perceptions in relation to current malaria vector control policy and IVM in Uganda, and to make recommendations for consideration during future development of a specific IVM policy. METHODS: The study used a structured questionnaire to interview 34 individuals working at technical or policy-making levels in health, environment, agriculture and fisheries sectors. Specific questions on IVM focused on the following key elements of the approach: integration of chemical and non-chemical interventions of vector control; evidence-based decision making; inter-sectoral collaboration; capacity building; legislation; advocacy and community mobilization. RESULTS: All participants were familiar with the term IVM and knew various conventional malaria vector control (MVC) methods. Only 75% thought that Uganda had a MVC policy. Eighty percent (80%) felt there was inter-sectoral collaboration towards IVM, but that it was poor due to financial constraints, difficulties in involving all possible sectors and political differences. The health, environment and agricultural sectors were cited as key areas requiring cooperation in order for IVM to succeed. Sixty-seven percent (67%) of participants responded that communities were actively being involved in MVC, while 48% felt that the use of research results for evidence-based decision making was inadequate or poor. A majority of the participants felt that malaria research in Uganda was rarely used to facilitate policy changes. Suggestions by participants for formulation of specific and effective IVM policy included: revising the MVC policy and IVM-related policies in other sectors into a single, unified IVM policy and, using legislation to enforce IVM in development projects. CONCLUSION: Integrated management of malaria vectors in Uganda remains an underdeveloped component of malaria control policy. Cooperation between the health and other sectors needs strengthening and funding for MVC increased in order to develop and effectively implement an appropriate IVM policy. Continuous engagement of communities by government as well as monitoring and evaluation of vector control programmes will be crucial for sustaining IVM in the country.
Open Access
Mobile health for non-communicable diseases in Sub-Saharan Africa: a systematic review of the literature and strategic framework for research.
(Global Health, 2014-06-13) Bloomfield, Gerald S; Vedanthan, Rajesh; Vasudevan, Lavanya; Kithei, Anne; Were, Martin; Velazquez, Eric J
BACKGROUND: Mobile health (mHealth) approaches for non-communicable disease (NCD) care seem particularly applicable to sub-Saharan Africa given the penetration of mobile phones in the region. The evidence to support its implementation has not been critically reviewed. METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Cochrane Central Register of Clinical Trials, a number of other databases, and grey literature for studies reported between 1992 and 2012 published in English or with an English abstract available. We extracted data using a standard form in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. RESULTS: Our search yielded 475 citations of which eleven were reviewed in full after applying exclusion criteria. Five of those studies met the inclusion criteria of using a mobile phone for non-communicable disease care in sub-Saharan Africa. Most studies lacked comparator arms, clinical endpoints, or were of short duration. mHealth for NCDs in sub-Saharan Africa appears feasible for follow-up and retention of patients, can support peer support networks, and uses a variety of mHealth modalities. Whether mHealth is associated with any adverse effect has not been systematically studied. Only a small number of mHealth strategies for NCDs have been studied in sub-Saharan Africa. CONCLUSIONS: There is insufficient evidence to support the effectiveness of mHealth for NCD care in sub-Saharan Africa. We present a framework for cataloging evidence on mHealth strategies that incorporates health system challenges and stages of NCD care. This framework can guide approaches to fill evidence gaps in this area. Systematic review registration: PROSPERO CRD42014007527.
Open Access
Relevant Journals for Identifying Implementation Science Articles: Results of an International Implementation Science Expert Survey.
(Frontiers in public health, 2021-01) Mielke, Juliane; Brunkert, Thekla; Zullig, Leah L; Bosworth, Hayden B; Deschodt, Mieke; Simon, Michael; De Geest, Sabina
In implementation science (IS), conducting well-targeted and reproducible literature searches is challenging due to non-specific and varying terminology that is fragmented over multiple disciplines. A list of journals that publish IS-relevant content for use in search strings can support this process. We conducted a cross-sectional online survey of 56 Australian, European, and North American IS experts to identify and prioritize relevant journals that publish IS articles. Journals' relevance was assessed by providing each with a list of 12 journals, to which they were encouraged to add additional journal names and comments as free text. We also assessed which journals had published special IS-focused issues-identified via PubMed and Google searches-over the last 20 years. Data were analyzed descriptively. Between February 28 and March 15, 2020, a purposive sample of 34/56 experts participated in the survey (response rate: 60.7%). Implementation Science and BMC Health Services Research were perceived as relevant by 97.1% of participants; other journals' relevance varied internationally. Experts proposed 50 additional journals from various clinical fields and health science disciplines. We identified 12 calls and 53 special issues on IS published within various journals and research fields. Experts' comments confirmed the described challenges in identifying IS literature. This report presents experts' ratings of IS journals, which can be included in strategies supporting searches of IS evidence. However, challenges in identifying IS evidence remain geographically and interdisciplinary. Further investment is needed to develop reproducible search strings to capture IS evidence as an important step in improving IS research quality.
Open Access
Setting an agenda for comparative effectiveness systematic reviews in CKD care.
(BMC Nephrol, 2012-08-01) Crews, Deidra C; Greer, Raquel C; Fadrowski, Jeffrey J; Choi, Michael J; Doggett, David; Segal, Jodi B; Fawole, Kemi A; Crawford, Pammie R; Boulware, L Ebony
Systematic reviews comparing the effectiveness of strategies to prevent, detect, and treat chronic kidney disease are needed to inform patient care. We engaged stakeholders in the chronic kidney disease community to prioritize topics for future comparative effectiveness research systematic reviews. We developed a preliminary list of suggested topics and stakeholders refined and ranked topics based on their importance. Among 46 topics identified, stakeholders nominated 18 as 'high' priority. Most pertained to strategies to slow disease progression, including: (a) treat proteinuria, (b) improve access to care, (c) treat hypertension, (d) use health information technology, and (e) implement dietary strategies. Most (15 of 18) topics had been previously studied with two or more randomized controlled trials, indicating feasibility of rigorous systematic reviews. Chronic kidney disease topics rated by stakeholders as 'high priority' are varied in scope and may lead to quality systematic reviews impacting practice and policy.
Open Access
Setting the stage: Research to inform interventions, practice and policy to improve women veterans' health and health care.
(Journal of general internal medicine, 2013-07) Bastian, Lori A; Bosworth, Hayden B; Washington, Donna L; Yano, Elizabeth M
Open Access
Team-Based Qualitative Rapid Analysis: Approach and Considerations for Conducting Developmental Formative Evaluation for Intervention Design.
(Qualitative health research, 2023-07) Schexnayder, Julie; Perry, Kathleen R; Sheahan, Kate; Majette Elliott, Nadya; Subramaniam, Soumya; Strawbridge, Elizabeth; Webel, Allison R; Bosworth, Hayden B; Gierisch, Jennifer M
Qualitative rapid analysis is one of many rapid research approaches that offer a solution to the problem of time constrained health services evaluations and avoids sacrificing the richness of qualitative data that is needed for intervention design. We describe modifications to an established team-based, rapid analysis approach that we used to rapidly collect and analyze semi-structured interview data for a developmental formative evaluation of a cardiovascular disease prevention intervention. Over 18 weeks, we conducted and analyzed 35 semi-structured interviews that were conducted with patients and health care providers in the Veterans Health Administration to identify targets for adapting the intervention in preparation for a clinical trial. We identified 12 key themes describing actionable targets for intervention modification. We highlight important methodological decisions that allowed us to maintain rigor when using qualitative rapid analysis for intervention adaptation and we provide practical guidance on the resources needed to execute similar qualitative studies. We additionally reflect on the benefits and challenges of the described approach when working within a remote research team environment.ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04545489.
Open Access
The use of the case-crossover design in studying illicit drug use.
(Substance use & misuse, 2000-05) Wu, LT; Anthony, JC
The case-crossover design was developed to study time-varying exposures that cause transient excess risk of acute health events. It is a variant of case-control and subject-as-own-control research designs, involving use of information about exposure history of each case to estimate the transient effect. This kind of self-control design can help to reduce sampling bias otherwise introduced in the selection of controls, as well as confounding bias that might be derived from enduring individual characteristics, especially personality traits and other long-standing inherited or acquired vulnerabilities. When the subject is used as his or her own control, these personal vulnerabilities are matched. In this paper we discuss strengths and weaknesses of the case-crossover design and suggest applications of the case-crossover design in epidemiologic studies on suspected hazards of illicit drug use, and in studies of drug use and co-occurring psychiatric disturbances. We conclude that the case-crossover design can play a useful role, but it discloses a need to secure fine-grained measurements in epidemiologic research on psychiatric comorbidity. As explained in the paper, we also believe the case-crossover method may be of use to criminologists who study the drugs-crime nexus, to services researchers and clinicians who seek to understand treatment entry and compliance behavior, and to etiologists interested in polydrug use.
Open Access
Toward the development of national telehealth services: the role of Veterans Health Administration and future directions for research.
(Telemed J E Health, 2010-01) Tuerk, Peter W; Fortney, John; Bosworth, Hayden B; Wakefield, Bonnie; Ruggiero, Kenneth J; Acierno, Ron; Frueh, B Christopher
The Veterans Health Administration (VHA) in the Department of Veteran Affairs (VA) has emerged as a national and international leader in the delivery and research of telehealth-based treatment. Several unique characteristics of care in VA settings intersect to create an ideal environment for telehealth modalities and research. However, the value of telehealth experience and initiatives in VA settings is limited if telehealth strategies cannot be widely exported to other public or private systems. Whereas a hierarchical organization, such as VA, can innovate and fund change relatively quickly based on provider and patient preferences and a growing knowledge base, other health provider organizations and third-party payers may likely require replicable scientific findings over time before incremental investments will be made to create infrastructure, reform regulatory barriers, and amend laws to accommodate expansion of telehealth modalities. Accordingly, large-scale scientifically rigorous telehealth research in VHA settings is essential not only to investigate the efficacy of existing and future telehealth practices in VHA, but also to hasten the development of telehealth infrastructure in private and other public health settings. We propose an expanded partnership between the VA, NIH, and other funding agencies to investigate creative and pragmatic uses of telehealth technology. To this end, we identify six specific areas of research we believe to be particularly relevant to the efficient development of telehealth modalities in civilian and military contexts outside VHA.
Open Access
Use of substance abuse treatment services by persons with mental health and substance use problems.
(Psychiatric services (Washington, D.C.), 2003-03) Wu, Li-Tzy; Ringwalt, Christopher L; Williams, Charles E
OBJECTIVES: This study provided population estimates of mental syndromes and substance use problems and examined whether the co-occurrence of mental health and substance use problems was associated with the use of substance abuse treatment services. METHODS: Study data were drawn from the 1997 National Household Survey on Drug Abuse. RESULTS: Of the total sample of 16,661 adults, 2 percent reported using services for alcohol or drug use problems in the previous year. Among the 3,474 (17 percent) who reported at least one alcohol or drug use problem, 6 percent used substance abuse services. Only 4 percent of persons who reported substance use problems alone received any substance abuse treatment service in the previous year. Only 3 percent of persons who reported alcohol use problems alone received such services. Among persons with one or more substance use problems, the prevalence of service use was 11 percent among persons who reported one co-occurring mental syndrome and 18 percent among those who reported two or more mental syndromes. Multiple logistic regression analyses identified a number of subgroups who might have needed substance abuse services but did not receive them, including women, Asians and Pacific Islanders, college graduates, persons employed full-time, persons who abused alcohol only, and persons with substance use problems who reported no coexisting mental syndromes. CONCLUSIONS: The rate of help seeking among persons with alcohol use problems is low, which is a public health concern.

Browsing by Subject "Health Services Research"

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