Testing a stepped care model for binge-eating disorder: a two-step randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: A stepped care approach involves patients first receiving low-intensity treatment followed by higher intensity treatment. This two-step randomized controlled trial investigated the efficacy of a sequential stepped care approach for the psychological treatment of binge-eating disorder (BED). METHODS: In the first step, all participants with BED (n = 135) received unguided self-help (USH) based on a cognitive-behavioral therapy model. In the second step, participants who remained in the trial were randomized either to 16 weeks of group psychodynamic-interpersonal psychotherapy (GPIP) (n = 39) or to a no-treatment control condition (n = 46). Outcomes were assessed for USH in step 1, and then for step 2 up to 6-months post-treatment using multilevel regression slope discontinuity models. RESULTS: In the first step, USH resulted in large and statistically significant reductions in the frequency of binge eating. Statistically significant moderate to large reductions in eating disorder cognitions were also noted. In the second step, there was no difference in change in frequency of binge eating between GPIP and the control condition. Compared with controls, GPIP resulted in significant and large improvement in attachment avoidance and interpersonal problems. CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated that a second step of a stepped care approach did not significantly reduce binge-eating symptoms beyond the effects of USH alone. The study provided some evidence for the second step potentially to reduce factors known to maintain binge eating in the long run, such as attachment avoidance and interpersonal problems.

Impact on mindfulness, emotion regulation, and emotional overeating of a DBT skills training group: a pilot study.

PURPOSE: The current study investigated the impact of a modified Dialectical Behavior Therapy skills (DBT) training group for patients at a hospital outpatient weight management clinic. Emotional eating is a problematic strategy for managing unpleasant feelings that can have a deleterious impact on weight management. DBT addresses emotional dysregulation via incorporation of skills aimed at coping with unpleasant affect. METHODS: This study examines outcomes for 18 patients who participated in a 12-week DBT skills building group. A pre-post design with 3-month follow-up investigated the impact of the group on emotional eating, psychological distress, emotion regulation, and mindfulness. RESULTS: Four repeated measures ANOVAs were run to assess for changes related to life difficulties and functioning, emotional overeating, emotion regulation, and mindfulness. Fisher's LSD tests assessed for linear and quadratic trends. Improvements in mindfulness, emotion regulation, and emotional overeating were found; these were maintained at follow-up. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated the utility of a group-based intervention aimed at improving emotion regulation and mindfulness skills among weight management patients. Further study is needed to determine whether improvements in the constructs studied in this research would translate to improved weight management outcomes and in determining the pathway for improvements. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level IV, multiple time series with intervention.

Hepatitis C patient communication source and modality preferences in the direct-acting antiviral era.

Background: Although hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment has improved dramatically, decision making related to treatment continues to be complex and challenging. Little data exists regarding patient information needs and preferences in the direct-acting antiviral (DAA) era. Methods: We evaluated patient-perceived information needs and preferences when making HCV treatment decisions. A cross-sectional survey was conducted at two Ottawa-based sites: a hospital-located outpatient viral hepatitis clinic, and a community-based HCV patient support program. Results: One hundred and seventeen patients completed the survey: the mean age was 52.1 years (range 23 to 78), and 64% were male, 81.5% were White, 48.6% were on disability support or leave, and 60.3% had a high school education or less. Although traditional sources of health information (e.g., direct communication with health care providers) remain preferred by most, a range of preferences were reported including utilization of newer technologies (e.g., emails, text messages). The telephone was rated as the preferred method of contact for medication reminders, with daily or weekly communication reported as most helpful. White participants, those more highly educated, and those with a higher income all indicated a greater acceptability for e-mail and/or text message communication for medication and appointment reminders. Conclusions: There is no single preferred source or method of communicating with patients. These findings indicate that a tailored multi-pronged approach, including newer technologies, is more likely to effectively educate and communicate with the heterogeneous population of individuals living with HCV.

Examining Patient Outcome Quality Indicators Based on Wait Time From Referral to Entry Into Cardiac Rehabilitation: A PILOT OBSERVATIONAL STUDY.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to examine whether meeting the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) ≤60-day wait time from cardiac rehabilitation (CR) referral to enrollment is associated with CCS patient-level quality indicator outcomes. METHODS: This pilot observational study consisted of 69 participants entering CR separated into 2 groups based on wait time (≤60-day, n = 45; >60-day, n = 24). Data were collected at baseline, and 1, 4 (CR completion), 6, and 12 months after baseline. Quality indicators for achieving a 0.5 peak metabolic equivalent (MET) improvement at CR completion, physical activity of 150 min/wk of moderate-vigorous physical activity, and CR adherence were assessed. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Patient Health Questionnaire. RESULTS: Sixty participants completed the study (≤60-day, n = 40; >60-day, n = 20). In the ≤60-day group, 92% of participants achieved the 0.5 MET improvement upon CR completion; whereas 60% of the >60-day group met this criteria (P ≤ .05). For the 150 min/wk of moderate-vigorous physical activity and CR adherence, both groups were not significantly different at any time. Elevated depressive symptoms were initially observed in 45% of participants in the ≤60-day group and 35% in the >60-day group (NS) and decreased to 8% in the ≤60-day group compared with 30% in the >60-day group at 12 months (P ≤ .05). CONCLUSIONS: Meeting the CCS 60-day acceptable wait time is associated with improvements in METs and depressive symptoms, but not with physical activity or CR adherence. A larger observational study is warranted to explore patient-level CCS quality indicators during and after CR.

Formative evaluation of practice changes for managing depression within a Shared Care model in primary care.

Aim To investigate the implementation and initial impact of the Physician Integrated Network (PIN) mental health indicators, which are specific to screening and managing follow-up for depression, in three primary care practices with Shared Mental Health Care in Manitoba. BACKGROUND: Manitoba Health undertook a primary care renewal initiative in 2006 called the PIN, which included the development of mental health indicators specific to screening and managing follow-up for depression. These indicators were implemented in three PIN group practice sites in Manitoba, which are also part of Shared Mental Health Care. METHODS: The design was a non-experimental longitudinal design. A formative evaluation investigated the implementation and initial impact of the mental health indicators using mixed methods (document review, survey, and interview). Quantitative data was explored using descriptive and comparative statistics and a content and theme analysis of the qualitative interviews was conducted. Survey responses were received from 32 out of 36 physicians from the three sites. Interviews were conducted with 15 providers. Findings This evaluation illustrated providers' perceived attitudes, knowledge, skills, and behaviours related to recognizing and treating depression and expanded our understanding of primary care processes related to managing depression related to the implementation of a new initiative. Depression is viewed as an important problem in primary care practice that is time consuming to diagnose, manage and treat and requires further investigation. Implementation of the PIN mental health indicators was variable across sites and providers. There was an increase in use of the indicators across time and a general sentiment that benefits of screening outweigh the costs; however, the benefit of screening for depression remains unclear. Consistent with current guidelines, a question the findings of this evaluation suggests is whether there are more effective ways of having an impact on depression within primary care than screening.

Critical review of bariatric surgery, medically supervised diets, and behavioural interventions for weight management in adults.

AIMS: Patient selection of weight management treatment option is often guided by a variety of factors. Currently, there is no comprehensive tool to facilitate informed decision-making for patients and clinicians. This article aims to synthesise evidence on the treatment effectiveness, health benefits, risks, and patient experiences of treatment options presently available at the Weight Management Clinic at The Ottawa Hospital (TOH), as a first step towards developing a decision aid. METHODS: Narrative and systematic reviews published in English between 1999 and 2014 were included that focused on one or more of the following weight management treatments in adults aged 18 years and over: roux-en-y gastric bypass (RYGB), sleeve gastrectomy (SG), medically supervised meal replacement, and behavioural or lifestyle intervention. RESULTS: Overall, bariatric surgeries have received the greatest research attention and have been associated not only with greater weight loss and health benefit but also with greater risks, complications, and financial cost. Dietary programmes demonstrated weight loss and health benefits to a lesser extent than with surgery but were associated with lower and shorter-term risks and complications. Behavioural and lifestyle interventions have been studied less yet have shown significant, albeit small, weight loss outcomes alone and in combination with dietary or surgical options; they also appear to be the lowest risk interventions. Patient experiences of weight management options are mixed and not well understood. CONCLUSION: Further research is needed; however, this review identified some general trends related to weight loss outcomes, benefits, risks, and barriers for weight management options that have implications for shared treatment decision-making.

Primary Care Provider Views About Usefulness and Dissemination of a Web-Based Depression Treatment Information Decision Aid.

BACKGROUND: Decisions related to mental health are often complex, problems often remain undetected and untreated, information unavailable or not used, and treatment decisions frequently not informed by best practice or patient preferences. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this paper was to obtain the opinions of health professionals working in primary health care settings about a Web-based information decision aid (IDA) for patients concerning treatment options for depression and the dissemination of the resources in primary care settings. METHODS: Participants were recruited from primary care clinics in Winnipeg and Ottawa, Canada, and included 48 family physicians, nurses, and primary care staff. The study design was a qualitative framework analytic approach of 5 focus groups. Focus groups were conducted during regular staff meetings, were digitally recorded, and transcripts created. Analysis involved a content and theme analysis. RESULTS: Seven key themes emerged including the key role of the primary care provider, common questions about treatments, treatment barriers, sources of patient information, concern about quality and quantity of available information, positive opinions about the IDA, and disseminating the IDA. The most common questions mentioned were about medication and side effects and alternatives to medication. Patients have limited access to alternative treatment options owing to cost and availability. CONCLUSIONS: Practitioners evaluated the IDA positively. The resources were described as useful, supportive of providers' messages, and accessible for patients. There was unanimous consensus that information needs to be available electronically through the Internet.

Impact of a CBT psychotherapy group on post-operative bariatric patients.

Psychological difficulties for patients seeking bariatric surgery are greater and in the post-operative phase, a significant minority go on to experience significant psychosocial difficulties, increasing their risk of poorer post-operative adjustment and associated weight regain. 17 post-operative patients participated in an eight-week cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based psychotherapy group at the Ottawa Hospital. A pre-post design with a 3-month follow-up investigated the impact of the group on emotional eating, general as well as obesity-specific adjustment, psychological distress, and attachment. There were significant and meaningful improvements in patients' level of psychological distress, perceived difficulties in their lives, and weight-related adjustment that were maintained at a 3-month follow-up period. Although statistical change was not significant, there were also meaningful improvements in emotional overeating and relationship anxiety and avoidance. The intervention also appeared to be acceptable to patients in that attendance and satisfaction were good. Findings suggest that a short-term CBT psychotherapy group led to significant and meaningful benefits in psychological wellbeing for post-surgical bariatric patients.

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction: pilot study of a treatment group for patients with chronic pain in a primary care setting.

AIM: The study objective was to evaluate an eight-week Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) treatment group for chronic pain in terms of effects on pain disability, subjective ratings of pain and psychological distress related to pain, and activity level and willingness to experience pain. This pilot study evaluated the impact of two eight-week MBSR treatment groups that were delivered in a clinic in Winnipeg, Manitoba. BACKGROUND: Chronic pain is one of the most common presenting problems in primary care settings. METHODS: Adult patients with chronic pain were recruited from 20 clinics that are part of a collaborative care programme and outcome measures were administered at baseline and programme completion. FINDINGS: Despite a modest attendance rate and the short length of programme, a pre-post evaluation involving 17 patients revealed significant and/or clinically relevant improvements in level of pain disability, psychological distress, engagement in life activities, willingness to experience pain, and subjective rating of current pain.

Dissemination of an Internet-based treatment for chronic insomnia into primary care.

This study evaluated the effectiveness of two strategies (provider-targeted, consumer-targeted) in the dissemination of an insomnia treatment into primary care. Results of the study indicated that more patients from the provider-targeted, than the consumer-targeted, clinic followed up on the referral for insomnia treatment, but that overall there was limited uptake. These results did not seem to be associated with low levels of provider interest, although providers expressed need for more education about the insomnia program. Implications of these results are that future research efforts would benefit from expanding upon the education of providers in terms of treatment offered, perhaps teaching providers how to better motivate their patients for behavior change.

Impact of integrating a physical activity counsellor into the primary health care team: physical activity and health outcomes of the Physical Activity Counselling randomized controlled trial.

The purpose of this paper was to report the physical activity and health outcomes results from the Physical Activity Counselling (PAC) trial. Patients (n = 120, mean age 47.3 ± 11.1 years, 69.2% female) who reported less than 150 min of physical activity per week were recruited from a large community-based Canadian primary care practice. After receiving brief physical activity counselling from their provider, they were randomized to receive 6 additional patient-centered counselling sessions over 3 months from a physical activity counsellor (intensive-counselling group; n = 61), or no further intervention (brief-counselling group; n = 59). Physical activity (self-reported and accelerometer) was measured every 6 weeks up to 25 weeks (12 weeks postintervention). Quality of life was also assessed, and physical and metabolic outcomes were evaluated in a randomly selected subset of patients (33%). In the intent-to-treat analyses of covariance, the intensive-counselling group self-reported significantly higher levels of physical activity at 6 weeks (p = 0.009) and 13 weeks (p = 0.01). There were no differences in self-reported physical activity between the groups after the intervention in the follow-up period, nor was there any increase in accelerometer-measured physical activity. Finally, the intensive-counselling patients showed greater decreases in percent body fat and total fat mass from 13 weeks to 25 weeks. Results for physical activity depended on the method used, with positive short-term results with self-report and no effects with the accelerometers. Between-group differences were found for body composition in that the intensive-counselling patients decreased more. A multisite randomized controlled trial with a longer intensive intervention and follow-up is warranted.

A community-based hip-hop dance program for youth in a disadvantaged community in Ottawa: implementation findings.

Participation in physical activity is important for the positive development and well-being of youth. A community- academic partnership was formed to improve access to physical activity for youth in one disadvantaged community in Ottawa, Canada. After consulting this community, a new hip-hop dance intervention was implemented. Adolescents aged 11 to 16 years participated in one of two 3-month sessions. A girls-only and a boys-and-girls format were offered both sessions. This article investigates the implementation of the intervention from the perspective of the youth participants, parents, staff, and researchers. Multiple methods were used, including document review, observation, questionnaire, focus groups, and interviews. Overall, the consistency and quality of program implementation were moderately satisfactory; however, important concerns were noted and this program appeared to be only partially delivered as planned. These findings will be discussed in terms of suggestions for improving the implementation of this intervention and similar recreation programs prioritizing disadvantaged communities.

A systematic review of food deserts, 1966-2007.

INTRODUCTION: "Food deserts," areas characterized by poor access to healthy and affordable food, may contribute to social and spatial disparities in diet and diet-related health outcomes. However, the extent to which food deserts exist is debated. We review the evidence for the existence of food deserts in socioeconomically disadvantaged areas. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of primary, quantitative, observational studies, published in English or French, that used geographic or market-basket approaches in high-income countries. The literature search included electronic and hand searches and peer-reviewed and grey literature from 1966 through 2007. We also contacted key researchers to identify other studies. We analyzed the findings and quality of the studies qualitatively. RESULTS: Forty-nine studies in 5 countries met inclusion criteria; the amount and consistency of the evidence varied by country. These studies were a mix of geographic and market-basket approaches, but the methodologic quality of studies and completeness of reported findings were mixed. We found clear evidence for disparities in food access in the United States by income and race. Findings from other high-income countries were sparse and equivocal. CONCLUSION: This review suggests that food deserts exist in the United States, where area-level deprivation compounds individual disadvantage. Evidence for the existence of food deserts in other high-income nations is weak.

Organizational cultural competence in community health and social service organizations: how to conduct a self-assessment.

OBJECTIVES: In an effort to address the significant socio-cultural changes in the population demographics of the United States (US) and Canada, organizations are increasingly seeking ways of improving their level of cultural competence. Evaluating organizational cultural competence is essential to address the needs of ethnic and cultural minorities. Yet, research related to organizational cultural competence is relatively new. The purpose of this paper is to review the extant literature with a specific focus on: (1) identifying the key standards that define culturally competent community health and social service organizations; and (2) outlining the core elements for evaluating cultural competence in a health and social service organization. Furthermore, issues related to choosing self-assessment tools and conducting an evaluation will be explored.

The physical activity counselling (PAC) randomized controlled trial: rationale, methods, and interventions.

Primary care is a promising venue to build patient motivation and confidence to increase physical activity (PA). Physician PA counselling has demonstrated some success; however, maintenance of behaviour change appears to require more intensive interventions. In reality, most physicians do not have the necessary training nor the time for this type of counselling. The purpose of this paper is to outline the rationale, methods, and interventions for the ongoing physical activity counselling (PAC) randomized controlled trial (RCT), which aims to assess the impact of integrating a PA counsellor into a primary care practice. This RCT has 2 arms: (i) brief PA counselling (2-4 min) from a health care provider and (ii) brief PA counselling+intensive PA counselling from a PA counsellor (3 months). The impact of this intervention is being evaluated using the comprehensive RE-AIM framework. One hundred twenty insufficiently active adult patients, aged 18 to 69 y and recruited during regular primary care visits have been randomized. Dependent measures include psychological mediators, PA participation, quality of life, and physical and metabolic outcomes. The PAC project represents an innovative, theoretically-based approach to promoting PA in primary care, focusing on psychological mediators of change. We anticipate that key lessons from this study will be useful for shaping future public health interventions, theories, and research.