Project description:Inhaled therapy is the cornerstone of asthma management in that it optimizes the delivery of the medication to the site of action. The effectiveness of inhaled therapy is affected by the correct choice of the device and proper inhalation technique. In fact, this influences the drug delivery and distribution along the bronchial tree, including the most peripheral airways. In this context, accumulating evidence supports the contribution of small airways in asthma, and these have become an important target of treatment. In reality, the "ideal inhaler" does not exist, and not all inhalers are the same. Advances in technology has highlighted these differences, and have led to the design of new devices and the development of formulations characterized by extrafine particles that facilitate the distribution and deposition of the drug particles along the respiratory tract. In addition, efforts have been made to implement adherence to chronic treatment, which translates into clinical benefit. Taken together, the optimal control of asthma depends on the drug that is selected, the device that is employed and the removal of factors that reduce patient's adherence to therapy.
Project description:With the current wealth of new inhalers available and insurance policy driven inhaler switching, the need for insights in optimal education on inhaler use is more evident than ever. We aimed to systematically review educational inhalation technique interventions, to assess their overall effectiveness, and identify main drivers of success. Medline, Embase and CINAHL databases were searched for randomised controlled trials on educational inhalation technique interventions. Inclusion eligibility, quality appraisal (Cochrane's risk of bias tool) and data extraction were performed by two independent reviewers. Regression analyses were performed to identify characteristics contributing to inhaler technique improvement. Thirty-seven of the 39 interventions included (95%) indicated statistically significant improvement of inhaler technique. However, average follow-up time was relatively short (5 months), 28% lacked clinical relevant endpoints and all lacked cost-effectiveness estimates. Poor initial technique, number of inhalation procedure steps, setting (outpatient clinics performing best), and time elapsed since intervention (all, p?<?0.05), were shown to have an impact on effectiveness of the intervention, explaining up to 91% of the effectiveness variation. Other factors, such as disease (asthma vs. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), education group size (individual vs. group training) and inhaler type (dry powder inhalers vs. pressurised metered dose inhalers) did not play a significant role. Notably, there was a trend (p?=?0.06) towards interventions in adults being more effective than those in children and the intervention effect seemed to wane over time. In conclusion, educational interventions to improve inhaler technique are effective on the short-term. Periodical intervention reinforcement and longer follow-up studies, including clinical relevant endpoints and cost-effectiveness, are recommended.
Project description:ObjectiveTo learn how minority and underserved communities would set priorities for patient-centered outcomes research (PCOR).Data sourcesSixteen groups (n = 183) from minority and underserved communities in two states deliberated about PCOR priorities using the simulation exercise CHoosing All Together (CHAT). Most participants were minority, one-third reported income <$10,000, and one-fourth reported fair/poor health.DesignAcademic-community partnerships adapted CHAT for PCOR priority setting using existing research agendas and interviews with community leaders, clinicians, and key informants.Data collectionTablet-based CHAT collected demographic information, individual priorities before and after group deliberation, and groups' priorities.Principal findingsIndividuals and groups prioritized research on Quality of Life, Patient-Doctor, Access, Special Needs, and (by total resources spent) Compare Approaches. Those with less than a high school education were less likely to prioritize New Approaches, Patient-Doctor, Quality of Life, and Families/Caregivers. Blacks were less likely to prioritize research on Causes of Disease, New Approaches, and Compare Approaches than whites. Compare Approaches, Special Needs, Access, and Families/Caregivers were significantly more likely to be selected by individuals after compared to before deliberation.ConclusionsMembers of underserved communities, in informed deliberations, prioritized research on Quality of Life, Patient-Doctor, Special Needs, Access, and Compare Approaches.
Project description:BackgroundAlthough severe asthma can be life-threatening, many patients are unaware they have this condition.ObjectivesPatient Understanding Leading to Assessment for a Severe Asthma Referral (PULSAR) is a novel, multidisciplinary working group aiming to develop and disseminate a global, patient-centered description of severe asthma to improve patient understanding of severe asthma and effect a change in patient behavior whereby patients are encouraged to visit their healthcare professional, when appropriate.MethodsCurrent definitions from patient organization websites, asthma guidelines, and medication information for key asthma drugs were assessed and informed a multidisciplinary working group, convened to identify common concepts and terminology used to define severe asthma. A patient-centered description of severe asthma and patient checklist were drafted based on working-group discussions and reviewed by an external behavioral scientist for patient understanding and relevance. These were tested using an online US/Canadian survey.ResultsThe patient-centered description of severe asthma and patient checklist were reviewed and re-drafted by the authors. The text was simplified following the behavioral-scientist review. The survey (n?=?153) included 105 patients with severe asthma. Of those with severe asthma, 92.2% of patients reported that the description was consistent with their experiences of severe asthma and 92.6% of patients reported that the PULSAR initiative would encourage them to visit their healthcare provider.ConclusionA patient-centered description of severe asthma has been developed and tested using patients with severe asthma; this description will allow patients to assess whether they might have severe asthma and prompt them to visit their healthcare provider, if appropriate.
Project description:Background: Asthma guidelines recommend considering patient preferences for inhaler choice. However, few studies have assessed the impact of patient satisfaction with an inhaler on adherence and health outcomes. Objective: To assess the impact of patient satisfaction with an inhaler on adherence and health outcomes in asthma. Methods: In a cross-sectional, observational, multicenter study, 778 patients with moderate or severe asthma and who were treated with maintenance inhalers completed a number of scales and questionnaires: the Feeling of Satisfaction with Inhaler (FSI-10) questionnaire, the Treatment Satisfaction Questionnaire for Medication, the Test of Adherence to Inhalers (TAI), the Morisky-Green questionnaire, and the Asthma Control Test (ACT). Results: The study population was categorized according to a median FSI-10 score as high (49.4%) and low (50.6%) satisfaction with their inhaler. Logistic regression analysis showed that high specific satisfaction with an inhaler was associated with the younger age group (odds ratio [OR] 0.976 [95% confidence interval {CI} 0.965-0.987]); male gender (OR 1.725 [95% CI 1.187-2.507]); controlled asthma: ACT score ? 20 (OR 1.664 [95% CI 1.133-2.445]); high general satisfaction with treatment (OR 4.861 [95% CI 3.335-7.085]); high adherence to inhaler: TAI score ? 46 (OR 1.546 [95% CI 1.025-2.332]); nonsevere asthma (OR 1.056 [95% CI 0.648-1.721]); and no trouble with inhaler use (OR 0.401 [95% CI 0.174-0.922]). Conclusion: High patient satisfaction with an inhaler, irrespective of received medication, was related to adherence and asthma control. Our results pointed out the relevance of inhaler choice in inhaled therapy; these results could be useful for designing new strategies targeted to increase adherence in patients with asthma.
Project description:Early detection is a valued strategy to decrease cancer mortality rates; however, new strategies are needed. Unintentional weight loss (UWL) is experienced by patients across the cancer spectrum, but often goes unnoticed. Patient-centered weight tracking may be a useful early detection marker. Fifty patients were enrolled in a prospective patient-centered weight tracking trial. Patients received a scale and monetary compensation to participate. A reminder to measure and record weight was texted to participants for 26 consecutive weeks. Most patients were black (86.0%) and female (68.0%). The median age was 47 years (range: 22-84 years). Many participants had Medicaid (42.0%) and the median household income by home zip code was $31,046. After 26 weeks, 90% of patients had recorded at least one weight. Among all patients, 73.7% of all possible weights were recorded and the median response rate per patient was 92.3% (24 of 26 weights). There was no difference in the response rates during the first and second halves of the study (77.7% vs. 69.7%, P = 0.53). The range of weight change over the study period was 16.1% loss to 25.0% gain, with 56% of patients maintaining stable weight. Seven patients (14.0%) lost more than 5% weight and 11 patients (22.0%) gained over 5%. Of the seven patients with weight loss, two (4.0% of the cohort) were determined to have UWL. Patient-centered weight tracking is feasible and inexpensive, and has potential as an early detector of UWL. Further studies are needed to apply this strategy to detect underlying malignancies.
Project description:IntroductionDespite available and effective tools for asthma self-assessment (Asthma Control Test, ACT) and self-management (Asthma Action Plan, AAP), they are underutilized in outpatient specialty clinics. We evaluated the impact of a patient-centered checklist, the Asthma Passport, on improving ACT and AAP utilization in clinic.MethodsThis was a randomized, interventional quality-improvement project in which the Asthma Passport was distributed to 120 pediatric asthma patients over the duration of 16 weeks. The passport's checklist consisted of tasks to be completed by the patient/family, including completion of the ACT and AAP. We compared rates of completion of the ACT and AAP for those who received the passport versus the control group, and assessed patient/caregiver and provider satisfaction.ResultsBased on electronic medical record data from 222 participants, the ACT completion rate was not significantly different between the passport and control groups, however, the AAP completion rate was significantly greater than control (30.0% vs. 17.7%, p = 0.04). When per-protocol analysis was limited to groups who completed and returned their passports, ACT and AAP completion rates were significantly greater than control (73.8% vs. 44.1% (p = 0.002) and 35.7% vs. 17.7% (p = 0.04), respectively). Nearly all participants reported high satisfaction with care, and surveyed providers viewed the passport favorably.ConclusionsA patient-centered checklist significantly improved the completion rate of the AAP. For patient's who completed and returned the asthma passport, the ACT completion rate was also improved. Participants and providers reported high satisfaction with the checklist, suggesting that it can effectively promote asthma self-management and self-assessment without burdening clinicians or clinic workflow.
Project description:A TKA is the most effective and cost-effective surgical option for moderate to severe osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee. Yet, black patients are less willing to undergo knee replacement surgery than white patients. Decision aids help people understand treatment options and consider the personal importance of possible benefits and harms of treatments, including TKA.We asked: (1) Does a patient-centered intervention consisting of a decision aid for knee OA and motivational interviewing improve the proportion of referrals of blacks with knee OA to orthopaedic surgery? (2) Does the intervention increase patients' willingness to undergo TKA?Adults who self-identified as black who were at least 50 years old with moderate to severe knee OA were enrolled from urban primary care clinics in a two-group randomized, controlled trial. A total of 1253 patients were screened for eligibility, and 760 were excluded for not meeting inclusion criteria, declining to participate, or other reasons. Four hundred ninety-three patients were randomized and completed the intervention; three had missing referral data at followup. The mean age of the patients was 61 years, and 51% were women. The majority had an annual household income less than USD 15,000. Participants in the treatment group were shown a decision-aid video and had a brief session with a trained counselor in motivational interviewing. Participants in the control group received an educational booklet about OA that did not mention joint replacement. The two groups had comparable demographic and socioeconomic characteristics. The primary outcome was referral to orthopaedic surgery 12 months after treatment exposure. Receipt of referral was defined as the receipt of a recommendation or prescription from a primary care provider for orthopaedic evaluation. The secondary outcome was change in patient willingness to undergo TKA based on patient self-report.The odds of receiving a referral to orthopaedic surgery did not differ between the two study groups (36%, 90 of 253 of the control group; 32%, 76 of 240 of the treatment group; odds ratio [OR], 0.81; 95% CI, 0.56-1.18; p = 0.277). At 2 weeks followup, there was no difference between the treatment and the control groups in terms of increased willingness to consider TKA relative to baseline (34%, 67 of 200 patients in the treatment group; 33%, 68 of 208 patients in the control group; OR, 1.06; p = 0.779). At 12 months followup, the percent increase in willingness to undergo TKA still did not differ between patients in the treatment and control groups (29%, 49 of 174 in the treatment group; 27%, 51 of 191 in the control group; OR, 1.10; p = 0.679).A combination decision aid and motivational interviewing strategy was no better than an educational pamphlet in improving patients' preferences toward joint replacement surgery for knee OA. The type of intervention treatment also did not affect access to surgical evaluation. Other tools that target patient knowledge, beliefs, and attitudes regarding surgical treatments for OA may be further developed and tested in the future.Level I, therapeutic study.
Project description:BackgroundImportant knowledge gaps have been identified related to the causes and symptoms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and medical treatments and their side effects. Patients with IBD turn to social media to learn more about their disease. However, such information found on the web is misleading and often of low quality.ObjectiveThis study aims to gain an in-depth understanding of the unmet educational needs of patients with IBD and to use the resulting insights to develop a collection of freely available, evidence-based educational videos optimized for dissemination through social media.MethodsWe used design thinking, a human-centered approach, to guide our qualitative research methodology. We performed focus groups and interviews with a diverse sample of 29 patients with IBD. Data collection was performed in 3 phases (inspiration, ideation, and implementation) based on IDEO design thinking. Phase 1 offered insights into the needs of patients with IBD, whereas phases 2 and 3 involved ideation, prototyping, and video testing. A thematic analysis was performed to analyze the resulting data.ResultsPatients emphasized the need for educational videos that address their challenges, needs, and expectations. From the data analysis, 5 video topics and their content emerged: IBD treatments' risks and benefits; how to be a self-advocate; how to stay healthy with IBD; how to cope with IBD; and educating families, friends, and colleagues about experiences of patients with IBD.ConclusionsDesign thinking offers a deep understanding and recognition of the unmet educational needs of patients with IBD; this approach informed the development of 5 evidence-based educational videos. Future research will formally test and disseminate these freely available videos through social media.
Project description:Background and aimsPatient-reported outcome and experience measures (PROM and PREM) can facilitate shared decision making and hold potential to improve healthcare quality. However, their adoption in perinatal care is still limited. The International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) developed a Pregnancy and Childbirth (PCB) outcome set, including PROM and PREM questionnaires. We studied the feasibility to use these PROMs/PREMs in Dutch perinatal care, addressing both women's and professionals' perspective.MethodsPatients and professionals in primary and hospital care participated. Women under care at one of five timepoints for PROM/PREM collection of the PCB set (2 during pregnancy, 3 postpartum) were e-mailed a questionnaire and discussed their answers with their obstetric professional the next regular visit. Compliance was recorded. After discussing the PROMs/PREMs, usability and experience were assessed with separate surveys amongst women and professionals.ResultsOf 26 women approached, 21 completed and discussed their PROM/PREM questionnaire. Mean questionnaire completion rate was 97%. Average reported time completing the questionnaires was 10 minutes; most women (90%) stated this was acceptable. Women preferred completing questionnaires digitally and discuss their answers with an obstetric professional rather than other care professionals, also 6 months postpartum. Over half of women agreed PROMs/PREMs supported shared decision making (58%), ability to raise issues (60%), and patient-clinician relationship (52%). Six professionals participated: two obstetricians, two clinical midwives, and two community midwives. Most professionals experienced sufficient time to discuss the responses, except at 6 months postpartum. They knew what items to discuss but did not always feel responsible to act upon them. Professionals agreed PROMs/PREMs supported symptom detection and personalized care.ConclusionsPatients and obstetric professionals consider the PCB set a feasible instrument for PROM/PREM assessment, with good compliance, acceptability and usability. Important determinants of successful implementation are a well-equipped ICT-tool, agreements regarding professionals' responsibilities and how outcomes are discussed or acted upon.