Project description:BackgroundADHD commonly co-occurs in children and parents. When ADHD is untreated in parents, it contributes to negative child developmental and treatment outcomes. Screening for parent and child ADHD co-occurrence in pediatric primary care may be an effective strategy for early identification and treatment. There is no data on whether this screening model can be implemented successfully and there exists limited guidance on how to effectively approach parents about their own ADHD in pediatric settings. Even greater sensitivity may be required when engaging with families living in urban, low SES communities due to systemic inequities, mistrust, and stigma.MethodsThe current pilot study described the first 6 months of implementation of a parent and child ADHD screening protocol in urban pediatric primary care clinics serving a large population of families insured through Medicaid. Parents and children were screened for ADHD symptoms at annual well-child visits in pediatric primary care clinics as part of standard behavioral health screening. Independent stakeholder group meetings were held to gather feedback on factors influencing the implementation of the screening and treatment strategies. Mixed methods were used to examine initial screening completion rates and stakeholder perspectives (i.e., parents, primary care office staff, pediatricians, and behavioral health providers) on challenges of implementing the screening protocol within urban pediatric primary care.ResultsScreening completion rates were low (19.28%) during the initial 6-month implementation period. Thematic analysis of stakeholder meetings provided elaboration on the low screening completion rates. Identified themes included: 1) divergence between provider enthusiasm and parent hesitation; 2) parent preference versus logistic reality of providers; 3) centering the experiences of people with marginalized identities; and 4) sensitivity when discussing parent mental health and medication.ConclusionsFindings highlight the importance of developing flexible approaches to screening parent and child ADHD in urban pediatric health settings and emphasize the importance of cultural sensitivity when working with marginalized and under-resourced families.Trial registrationNCT04240756 (27/01/2020).
Project description:Background: Few primary care patients are screened for substance use. As part of a phased feasibility study examining the implementation of electronic health record-integrated screening with the Tobacco, Alcohol, and Prescription Medication Screening (TAPS) Tool and clinical decision support (CDS) in rural primary care clinics, focus groups were conducted to identify early indicators of success and challenges to screening implementation. Method: Focus groups (n = 6) were conducted with medical assistants (MAs: n = 3: 19 participants) and primary care providers (PCPs: n = 3: 13 participants) approximately one month following screening implementation in three Federally Qualified Health Centers in Maine. Rapid analysis and matrix analysis using Proctor's Taxonomy of Implementation Outcomes were used to explore implementation outcomes. Results: There was consensus that screening is being used, but use of the CDS was lower, in part due to limited positive screens. Fidelity was high among MAs, though discomfort with the CDS surfaced among PCPs, impacting adoption and fidelity. The TAPS Tool's content, credibility and ease of workflow integration were favorably assessed. Challenges include screening solely at annual visits and self-administered screening for certain patients. Conclusions: Results reveal indicators of implementation success and strategies to address challenges to screening for substance use in primary care.
Project description:BACKGROUND:In Malawi, early retention in HIV care remains challenging. Depression is strongly associated with reduced anti-retroviral therapy (ART) adherence and viral suppression. Appropriate depression care for people initiating ART is likely to be supportive of early and continued engagement in the HIV care continuum. This paper aims to provide an overview of a task-shifting program that integrates depression screening and treatment into HIV care and the strategy used to evaluate this program, describes the implementation process, and discusses key challenges and lessons learned in the first phase of program implementation. METHODS:We are implementing a program integrating depression screening and treatment into HIV care initiation at two clinics in Lilongwe District, Malawi. The program's effect on patients' depression and HIV outcomes will be evaluated using a multiple baseline pre-post study. In this manuscript, we draw from our experiences as program implementers and some of the quantitative data to describe the process of implementation and key lessons learned. RESULTS:We successfully implemented the screening phase of this program at both clinics; 88.3 and 93.2% of newly diagnosed patients have been screened for depression at each clinic respectively. 25% of enrolled patients reported symptoms of mild-to-severe depression and only 6% reported symptoms of moderate-to-severe depression. Key lessons learned from the process show the importance of utilizing existing processes and infrastructure and focusing on iterative and collaborative learning. We continued to face challenges around establishing a sense of program ownership among providers, developing capacity to diagnose and manage depression, and ensuring the availability of appropriate medication. Our efforts to address these challenges provide insight into the technical and managerial support needed to prepare for, roll out, and sustain integrated models of mental health and HIV care. CONCLUSIONS:This activity demonstrates how a depression screening program can successfully be integrated into HIV care within the public health system in Malawi. While this program focuses on integrating depression management into HIV care, most of the lessons learned could apply to integration of mental health into any non-psychiatric specialist setting. TRIAL REGISTRATION:ClinicalTrials.gov ID [ NCT03555669 ]. Retrospectively registered on 13 June 2018.
Project description:Alcohol use is a major cause of disability and death worldwide. To improve prevention and treatment addressing unhealthy alcohol use, experts recommend that alcohol-related care be integrated into primary care (PC). However, few healthcare systems do so. To address this gap, implementation researchers and clinical leaders at Kaiser Permanente Washington partnered to design a high-quality Program of Sustained Patient-centered Alcohol-related Care (SPARC). Here, we describe the SPARC pilot implementation, evaluate its effectiveness within three large pilot sites, and describe the qualitative findings on barriers and facilitators. Across the three sites (N = 74,225 PC patients), alcohol screening increased from 8.9% of patients pre-implementation to 62% post-implementation (p < 0.0001), with a corresponding increase in assessment for alcohol use disorders (AUD) from 1.2 to 75 patients per 10,000 seen (p < 0.0001). Increases were sustained over a year later, with screening at 84.5% and an assessment rate of 81 patients per 10,000 seen across all sites. In addition, there was a 50% increase in the number of new AUD diagnoses (p = 0.0002), and a non-statistically significant 54% increase in treatment within 14 days of new diagnoses (p = 0.083). The pilot informed an ongoing stepped-wedge trial in the remaining 22 PC sites.
Project description:PurposeHearing loss (HL) is underdiagnosed and often unaddressed. A recent study of screening for HL using an electronic prompt showed efficacy in increasing appropriate referrals for subsequent testing. We build on the results of this study using a qualitative lens to explore implementation processes through the perspectives of family medicine clinicians.MethodsWe collected clinic observations and semistructured interviews of family medicine clinicians and residents who interacted with the HL prompt. All data were analyzed using thematic, framework, and mixed methods integration strategies.ResultsWe interviewed 27 clinicians and conducted 10 observations. Thematic analysis resulted in 6 themes: (1) the prompt was overwhelmingly viewed as easy, simple to use, accurate; (2) clinicians considered prompt as an effective way to increase awareness and conversations with patients about HL; (3) clinician and staff buy-in played a vital role in implementation; (4) clinicians prioritized prompt during annual visits; (5) medical assistant involvement in prompt workflow varied by health system, clinic, and clinician; (6) prompt resulted in more conversations about HL, but uncertain impact on patient outcomes. Themes are presented alongside constructs of normalization process theory and intervention outcomes.ConclusionIntegration of a HL screening prompt into clinical practice varied by clinician buy-in and beliefs about the impact on patient outcomes, involvement of medical assistants, and prioritization during clinical visits. Further research is needed to understand how to leverage clinician and staff buy-in and whether implementation of a new clinical prompt has sustained impact on HL screening and patient outcomes.
Project description:BackgroundMailed fecal immunochemical test (FIT) outreach can improve colorectal cancer (CRC) screening rates. We piloted a collaborative mailed FIT program with health plans and rural clinics to evaluate preliminary effectiveness and refine implementation strategies.MethodsWe conducted a single-arm study using a convergent, parallel mixed-methods design to evaluate the implementation of a collaborative mailed FIT program. Enrollees were identified using health plan claims and confirmed via clinic scrub. The intervention included a vendor-delivered automated phone call (auto-call) prompt, FIT mailing, and reminder auto-call; clinics were encouraged to make live reminder calls. Practice facilitation was the primary implementation strategy. At 12 months post mailing, we assessed the rates of: (1) mailed FIT return and (2) completion of any CRC screening. We took fieldnotes and conducted postintervention key informant interviews to assess implementation outcomes (eg, feasibility, acceptability, and adaptations).ResultsOne hundred and sixty-nine Medicaid or Medicare enrollees were mailed a FIT. Over the 12-month intervention, 62 participants (37%) completed screening of which 21% completed the mailed FIT (most were returned within 3 months), and 15% screened by other methods (FITs distributed in-clinic, colonoscopy). Enrollee demographics and the reminder call may encourage mailed FIT completion. Program feasibility and acceptability was high and supported by perceived positive benefit, alignment with existing workflows, adequate staffing, and practice facilitation.ConclusionCollaborative health plan-clinic mailed FIT programs are feasible and acceptable for implementation in rural clinics and support CRC screening completion. Studies that pragmatically test collaborative approaches to mailed FIT and patient navigation follow-up after abnormal FIT and support broad scale-up in rural settings are needed.
Project description:The utilization of the Papanicolaou (Pap) test and the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine has significantly decreased rates of cervical cancer and related mortality. Disparities in receiving these preventive screenings are scarcely studied in Muslim females. Our study explores primary care providers' (PCP) approaches to cervical cancer screening in Muslim females. We created a cross-sectional Qualtrics survey using convenience sampling of PCPs who perform Pap tests in central Ohio. Recruitment emails were disseminated via departmental email listservs. We had 200 analyzable responses and 78% of respondents reported having Muslim patients. Bivariate analysis was used to identify predictors of providers' approaches. Providers younger than 35 years obtained a sexual history from Muslim females less frequently, family medicine providers were more likely to obtain a sexual history from Muslim females, and gynecologists were more likely to offer the HPV vaccine to Muslim females. Providers who counseled patients about Pap tests (P<0.001) and HPV modes of transmission (P<0.004) were more likely to offer cervical cancer screening for Muslim females. Our findings suggested that providers' age and specialty may be predictors of proactive cervical cancer screening and prevention in Muslim females and that there is a gap between current guidelines and preventive clinical practices regarding the HPV vaccine and transmission counseling.
Project description:BackgroundPhysical activity (PA) preserves mobility, but few practices screen older adults for mobility impairment or counsel on PA.Design"Promoting Active Aging" (PAA) was a mixed-methods randomized-controlled pilot, to test the feasibility and acceptability of a video-based PA counseling tool and implementation into practice of two mobility assessment tools.SettingThree primary care practices affiliated with Wake Forest Baptist Health.ParticipantsAdults aged 65 years and older who presented for primary care follow-up and were willing and able to answer self-report questions and walk 4 meters (n = 59).InterventionVideo-based PA counseling intervention versus control video, "Healthy Eating."MeasurementsPotential participants completed mobility assessments: self-report (Mobility Assessment Tool-short form (MAT-sf)) and performance based (4-meter walk test). We assessed PAA's implementation-feasibility, acceptability, and value-via interviews and surveys. Effectiveness was measured via participant attendance at a PA information session.ResultsOf 92 patients approached, 89 (96.7%) agreed to mobility assessment. Eighty-nine completed MAT-sf, and 97.8% (87/89) completed 4-meter walk test. Sixty-seven (75%) met eligibility criteria, and 59 (88%) consented to be randomized either to the PA counseling intervention (Video-PA) or to active control (Video-C). Most participants viewed the walk test positively (51/59; 86.4%). Staff reported that completion of patient surveys, MAT-sf, and videos required significant staff time and support (median = 26 minutes for all), resulting in low acceptability of MAT-sf and the videos. Attendance at a PA information session did not differ by randomization group (Video-PA = 11/29 (37.9%); Video-C = 12/30 (40%); 95% confidence interval for difference in proportion = -0.29 to 0.25).ConclusionsMobility assessment, particularly a 4-meter walk test, was feasible in primary care. Tablet-based assessment (MAT-sf) and video counseling tools, selected to reduce staff effort, instead required significant time to implement. Future work to promote PA should identify effective ways to facilitate adoption of PA in sedentary older adults that do not burden staff.
Project description:INTRODUCTION:Nearly 50% of depressed primary care patients referred to mental health services do not initiate mental health treatment. The most promising interventions for increasing depression treatment initiation in primary care settings remain unclear. METHODS:We performed a systematic search of publicly available databases from inception through August 2017 to identify interventions designed to increase depression treatment initiation. Two authors independently selected, extracted data, and rated risk of bias from included studies. Eligible studies used a randomized or pre-post design and assessed depression treatment initiation (i.e., ≥ 1 mental health visit or antidepressant fill) among adults, the majority of whom met criteria for depression. Interventions were classified as simple or complex and sub-classified into intervention strategies that were graded for strength of evidence. RESULTS:Of 9516 articles identified, we included 14 unique studies representing 16 (4 simple and 12 complex) interventions and 8 treatment initiation strategies. We found low to moderate strength of evidence for collaborative/integrated care (3 studies), treatment preference matching (2 studies), and case management (2 studies) strategies. However, there was insufficient evidence to determine the benefit of cultural tailoring (2 studies), motivation (alone, with reminders or with cultural tailoring (5 studies)), education (1 study), and shared decision-making strategies (1 study). Overall, we found moderate strength of evidence for complex interventions (8 of 12 complex interventions demonstrated statistically significant effects on treatment initiation). DISCUSSION:Collaborative/integrated care, preference treatment matching, and case management strategies had the best evidence for improving depression treatment initiation, but none of the strategies had high strength of evidence. While primary care settings can consider using some of these strategies when referring depressed patients to treatment, our review highlights the need for further rigorous research in this area.