Evaluation of Two Videos that Apply Evidence-Based Strategies to Increase Self-Efficacy and Reduce Opioid-Related Stigma Among Medical Students.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the video-based application of evidence-based stigma reduction strategies to increase medical students' screening-diagnostic self-efficacy for opioid use disorder (OUD) and reduce stigma toward opioid use. METHODS: Formative qualitative research informed development of two videos for medical students. One uses an education strategy by including education regarding non-stigmatizing language use and OUD screening and diagnosis (Video A); the other uses an interpersonal contact strategy by presenting narratives regarding opioid use from three people who have a history of opioid use and three physicians (Video B). Both videos were administered to all respondents, with video order randomized. Effects on outcomes were evaluated using a pre-/post-test design with a 1-month follow-up. Participants also provided feedback on video content and design. RESULTS: Medical students (N = 103) watched the videos and completed the pre-/post-test, with 99% (N = 102) completing follow-up 1 month after viewing both videos. Self-efficacy increased directly following viewing Video A, and this increase was sustained at 1-month follow-up. Stigma toward opioid use decreased directly following viewing Video B, and this decrease was sustained at 1-month follow-up for participants who watched Video B first. Statistically significant improvements were observed in most secondary outcomes (e.g., harm reduction acceptability) directly following watching each video and most were sustained at 1-month follow-up. Feedback about the videos suggested the delivery of evidence-based strategies in each video was appropriate. CONCLUSIONS: Video-based applications of these evidence-based strategies were found acceptable by medical students and have potential to elicit sustained improvement in their screening-diagnostic self-efficacy and opioid-related stigma.

Supporting wellbeing in motor neurone disease for patients, carers, social networks, and health professionals: A scoping review and synthesis.

ABSTRACTObjective:Disease management in motor neurone disease (MND) is focused on preserving quality of life. However, the emphasis has so far been on physical symptoms and functioning and not psychosocial wellbeing. MND affects the wellbeing of carers, of family and social network members, and of healthcare providers, as well as of the patients. We therefore aimed to assess and synthesize the knowledge about maximizing MND-related psychosocial wellbeing across all these groups. METHOD: We used a systematic search and selection process to assess the scope of the literature along with a narrative synthesis of recent high-quality reviews. RESULTS: The original studies were mainly observational studies of patients and, to a lesser extent, of carers. There were few interventional studies, mainly of patients. There were very few studies of any type on wellbeing in their wider social network or in healthcare professionals. All the review literature looked at MND patient or carer wellbeing, with some covering both. No reviews were found of wellbeing in other family members, patients' social networks, or their healthcare professionals. The reviews demonstrated wellbeing problems for patients linked to psychosocial issues. Carer wellbeing is also compromised. Psychotherapies, social supports, improved decision supports, and changes to healthcare delivery are among the suggested strategies for improved patient and carer wellbeing, but no proven interventions were identified for either. Early access to palliative care, also not well-tested but recommended, is poorly implemented. SIGNIFICANCE OF RESULTS: Work on interventions to deal with well-established wellbeing problems for patients and carers is now a research priority. Explicit use of current methods for patient and public involvement and for design and testing of interventions provide a toolkit for this research. Observational research is needed in other groups. There is a potential in considering needs across patients' social networks rather than looking individually at particular groups.

Measuring chronic condition self-management in an Australian community: factor structure of the revised Partners in Health (PIH) scale.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the factor structure of the revised Partners in Health (PIH) scale for measuring chronic condition self-management in a representative sample from the Australian community. METHODS: A series of consultations between clinical groups underpinned the revision of the PIH. The factors in the revised instrument were proposed to be: knowledge of illness and treatment, patient-health professional partnership, recognition and management of symptoms and coping with chronic illness. Participants (N = 904) reporting having a chronic illness completed the revised 12-item scale. Two a priori models, the 4-factor and bi-factor models were then evaluated using Bayesian confirmatory factor analysis (BCFA). Final model selection was established on model complexity, posterior predictive p values and deviance information criterion. RESULTS: Both 4-factor and bi-factor BCFA models with small informative priors for cross-loadings provided an acceptable fit with the data. The 4-factor model was shown to provide a better and more parsimonious fit with the observed data in terms of substantive theory. McDonald's omega coefficients indicated that the reliability of subscale raw scores was mostly in the acceptable range. CONCLUSION: The findings showed that the PIH scale is a relevant and structurally valid instrument for measuring chronic condition self-management in an Australian community. The PIH scale may help health professionals to introduce the concept of self-management to their patients and provide assessment of areas of self-management. A limitation is the narrow range of validated PIH measurement properties to date. Further research is needed to evaluate other important properties such as test-retest reliability, responsiveness over time and content validity.

Practice change in chronic conditions care: an appraisal of theories.

BACKGROUND: Management of chronic conditions can be complex and burdensome for patients and complex and costly for health systems. Outcomes could be improved and costs reduced if proven clinical interventions were better implemented, but the complexity of chronic care services appears to make clinical change particularly challenging. Explicit use of theories may improve the success of clinical change in this area of care provision. Whilst theories to support implementation of practice change are apparent in the broad healthcare arena, the most applicable theories for the complexities of practice change in chronic care have not yet been identified. METHODS: We developed criteria to review the usefulness of change implementation theories for informing chronic care management and applied them to an existing list of theories used more widely in healthcare. RESULTS: Criteria related to the following characteristics of chronic care: breadth of the field; multi-disciplinarity; micro, meso and macro program levels; need for field-specific research on implementation requirements; and need for measurement. Six theories met the criteria to the greatest extent: the Consolidate Framework for Implementation Research; Normalization Process Theory and its extension General Theory of Implementation; two versions of the Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services framework and Sticky Knowledge. None fully met all criteria. Involvement of several care provision organizations and groups, involvement of patients and carers, and policy level change are not well covered by most theories. However, adaptation may be possible to include multiple groups including patients and carers, and separate theories may be needed on policy change. Ways of qualitatively assessing theory constructs are available but quantitative measures are currently partial and under development for all theories. CONCLUSIONS: Theoretical bases are available to structure clinical change research in chronic condition care. Theories will however need to be adapted and supplemented to account for the particular features of care in this field, particularly in relation to involvement of multiple organizations and groups, including patients, and in relation to policy influence. Quantitative measurement of theory constructs may present difficulties.

Changing practice to support self-management and recovery in mental illness: application of an implementation model.

Health services introducing practice changes need effective implementation methods. Within the setting of a community mental health service offering recovery-oriented psychosocial support for people with mental illness, we aimed to: (i) identify a well-founded implementation model; and (ii) assess its practical usefulness in introducing a new programme for recovery-oriented self-management support. We reviewed the literature to identify implementation models applicable to community mental health organisations, and that also had corresponding measurement tools. We used one of these models to inform organisational change strategies. The literature review showed few models with corresponding tools. The Promoting Action on Research Implementation in Health Services (PARIHS) model and the related Organisational Readiness to Change Assessment (ORCA) tool were used. The PARIHS proposes prerequisites for health service change and the ORCA measures the extent to which these prerequisites are present. Application of the ORCA at two time points during implementation of the new programme showed strategy-related gains for some prerequisites but not for others, reflecting observed implementation progress. Additional strategies to address target prerequisites could be drawn from the PARIHS model. The PARIHS model and ORCA tool have potential in designing and monitoring practice change strategies in community mental health organisations. Further practical use and testing of implementation models appears justified in overcoming barriers to change.

Implementing guideline based heart failure care in the Northern Territory: challenges and solutions.

The Northern Territory of Australia is a vast area serviced by two major tertiary hospitals. It has both a unique demography and geography, which pose challenges for delivering optimal heart failure services. The prevalence of congestive heart failure continues to increase, imposing a significant burden on health infrastructure and health care costs. Specific patient groups suffer disproportionately from increased disease severity or service related issues often represented as a "health care gap". The syndrome itself is characterised by ongoing symptoms interspersed with acute decompensation requiring lifelong therapy and is rarely reversible. For the individual client the overwhelming attention to heart failure care and the impact of health care gaps can be devastating. This gap may also contribute to widening socio-economic differentials for families and communities as they seek to take on some of the care responsibilities. This review explores the challenges of heart failure best practice in the Northern Territory and the opportunities to improve on service delivery. The discussions highlighted could have implications for health service delivery throughout regional centres in Australia and health systems in other countries.

Health workers' views of a program to facilitate physical health care in mental health settings: implications for implementation and training.

OBJECTIVE: Physical comorbidities shorten the lifespan of people with severe mental illness therefore mental health clinicians need to support service users in risk factor-related behaviour change. We investigated mental health care workers' views of a physical health self-management support program in order to identify implementation requirements. METHOD: Qualitative interviews were conducted with workers who had differing levels of experience with a self-management support program. Themes were identified using interpretive descriptive analysis and then matched against domains used in implementation models to draw implications for successful practice change. RESULTS: Three main themes emerged related to: (1) understandings of disease management within job roles; (2) requirements for putting self-management support into practice; and (3) challenges of coordination in disease management. Priority domains from implementation models were inner and outer health service settings. CONCLUSION: While staff training is required, practice change for care which takes account of both mental and physical health also requires changes in organisational frameworks.

e-Learning competency for practice nurses: an evaluation report.

Practice nurses in Australia are now funded to facilitate chronic condition management, including self-management support. Chronic disease management requires an established rapport, support and proactivity between general practitioners, patients and the practice nurses. To achieve this, training in shared decision making is needed. e-Learning supports delivery and achievement of such policy outcomes, service improvements and skill development. However, e-learning effectiveness for health care professionals' is determined by several organisational, economic, pedagogical and individual factors, with positive e-learning experience linked closely to various supports. This paper reinforces previous studies showing nurses' expanding role across general practice teams and reports on some of the challenges of e-learning. Merely providing practice nurses with necessary information via web-based learning systems does not ensure successful learning or progress toward improving health outcomes for patients.

Comparison of Methods for Alcohol and Drug Screening in Primary Care Clinics.

Importance: Guidelines recommend that adult patients receive screening for alcohol and drug use during primary care visits, but the adoption of screening in routine practice remains low. Clinics frequently struggle to choose a screening approach that is best suited to their resources, workflows, and patient populations. Objective: To evaluate how to best implement electronic health record (EHR)-integrated screening for substance use by comparing commonly used screening methods and examining their association with implementation outcomes. Design, Setting, and Participants: This article presents the outcomes of phases 3 and 4 of a 4-phase quality improvement, implementation feasibility study in which researchers worked with stakeholders at 6 primary care clinics in 2 large urban academic health care systems to define and implement their optimal screening approach. Site A was located in New York City and comprised 2 clinics, and site B was located in Boston, Massachusetts, and comprised 4 clinics. Clinics initiated screening between January 2017 and October 2018, and 93 114 patients were eligible for screening for alcohol and drug use. Data used in the analysis were collected between January 2017 and October 2019, and analysis was performed from July 13, 2018, to March 23, 2021. Interventions: Clinics integrated validated screening questions and a brief counseling script into the EHR, with implementation supported by the use of clinical champions (ie, clinicians who advocate for change, motivate others, and use their expertise to facilitate the adoption of an intervention) and the training of clinic staff. Clinics varied in their screening approaches, including the type of visit targeted for screening (any visit vs annual examinations only), the mode of administration (staff-administered vs self-administered by the patient), and the extent to which they used practice facilitation and EHR usability testing. Main Outcomes and Measures: Data from the EHRs were extracted quarterly for 12 months to measure implementation outcomes. The primary outcome was screening rate for alcohol and drug use. Secondary outcomes were the prevalence of unhealthy alcohol and drug use detected via screening, and clinician adoption of a brief counseling script. Results: Patients of the 6 clinics had a mean (SD) age ranging from 48.9 (17.3) years at clinic B2 to 59.1 (16.7) years at clinic B3, were predominantly female (52.4% at clinic A1 to 64.6% at clinic A2), and were English speaking. Racial diversity varied by location. Of the 93,114 patients with primary care visits, 71.8% received screening for alcohol use, and 70.5% received screening for drug use. Screening at any visit (implemented at site A) in comparison with screening at annual examinations only (implemented at site B) was associated with higher screening rates for alcohol use (90.3%-94.7% vs 24.2%-72.0%, respectively) and drug use (89.6%-93.9% vs 24.6%-69.8%). The 5 clinics that used a self-administered screening approach had a higher detection rate for moderate- to high-risk alcohol use (14.7%-36.6%) compared with the 1 clinic that used a staff-administered screening approach (1.6%). The detection of moderate- to high-risk drug use was low across all clinics (0.5%-1.0%). Clinics with more robust practice facilitation and EHR usability testing had somewhat greater adoption of the counseling script for patients with moderate-high risk alcohol or drug use (1.4%-12.5% vs 0.1%-1.1%). Conclusions and Relevance: In this quality improvement study, EHR-integrated screening was feasible to implement in all clinics and unhealthy alcohol use was detected more frequently when self-administered screening was used at any primary care visit. The detection of drug use was low at all clinics, as was clinician adoption of counseling. These findings can be used to inform the decision-making of health care systems that are seeking to implement screening for substance use. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02963948.

Providing reviews of evidence to COPD patients: qualitative study of barriers and facilitating factors to patient-mediated practice change.

This study aimed to identify barriers and facilitating factors to people with COPD performing the following actions: (a) reading a manual that contained summaries of evidence on treatments used in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and (b) at a medical consultation, asking questions that were provided in the manual and were designed to prompt doctors to review current treatments in the light of evidence. The manual was developed using current best practice and was designed to facilitate reading and discussion with doctors. In-depth interviews were held with patients who had received the manual. Of 125 intervention participants from a controlled clinical trial of the manual, 16 were interviewed in their homes in and around Adelaide, South Australia. Plain language writing and a simple layout facilitated reading of the manual by participants. Where the content matched the interests of participants this also facilitated reading. On the other hand, some participants showed limited interest in the evidence summaries. Participant comments indicated that they did not see it as possible or acceptable for patients to master research evidence or initiate discussions of evidence with doctors. These appeared to be the main barriers to effectiveness of the manual. If evidence summaries for patients are to be used in disease management, they should be understandable and relevant to patients and provide a basis for discussion between patients and doctors. Work is now needed so that we can both present evidence summaries in a way that is relevant to patients and reduce the barriers to patient-initiated discussions of evidence.

The Ex Vivo Colon Organ Culture and Its Use in Antimicrobial Host Defense Studies.

The intestine displays an architecture of repetitive crypt structures consisting of different types of epithelial cells, lamina propia containing immune cells, and stroma. All of these heterogeneous cells contribute to intestinal homeostasis and participate in antimicrobial host defense. Therefore, identifying a surrogate model for studying immune response and antimicrobial activity of the intestine in an in vitro setting is extremely challenging. In vitro studies using immortalized intestinal epithelial cell lines or even primary crypt organoid culture do not represent the exact physiology of normal intestine and its microenvironment. Here, we discuss a method of culturing mouse colon tissue in a culture dish and how this ex vivo organ culture system can be implemented in studies related to antimicrobial host defense responses. In representative experiments, we showed that colons in organ culture express antimicrobial peptides in response to exogenous IL-1ß and IL-18. Further, the antimicrobial effector molecules produced by the colon tissues in the organ culture efficiently kill Escherichia coli in vitro. This approach, therefore, can be utilized to dissect the role of pathogen- and danger-associated molecular patterns and their cellular receptors in regulating intestinal innate immune responses and antimicrobial host defense responses.

Self Managing Heart Failure in Remote Australia - Translating Concepts into Clinical Practice.

Congestive heart failure (CHF) is an ambulatory health care condition characterized by episodes of decompensation and is usually without cure. It is a leading cause for morbidity and mortality and the lead cause for hospital admissions in older patients in the developed world. The long-term requirement for medical care and pharmaceuticals contributes to significant health care costs. CHF management follows a hierarchy from physician prescription to allied health, predominately nurse-led, delivery of care. Health services are easier to access in urban compared to rural settings. The differentials for more specialized services could be even greater. Remote Australia is thus faced with unique challenges in delivering CHF best practice. Chronic disease self-management programs (CDSMP) were designed to increase patient participation in their health and alleviate stress on health systems. There have been CDSMP successes with some diseases, although challenges still exist for CHF. These challenges are amplified in remote Australia due to geographic and demographic factors, increased burden of disease, and higher incidence of comorbidities. In this review we explore CDSMP for CHF and the challenges for our region.

A pragmatic randomized controlled trial of the Flinders Program of chronic condition management in community health care services.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the Flinders Program in improving self-management in common chronic conditions. To examine properties of the Partners in Health scale (PIH). METHODS: Participants were randomized to usual care or Flinders Program plus usual care. Self-management competency, quality of life, and other outcomes were measured at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. RESULTS: Of 231 participants, 172 provided data at 6 months and 61 at 12 months. At 6 months, intention-to-treat outcomes favoured the intervention group for SF-12 physical health (p=0.043). Other pre-determined outcomes did not show significance. At 6 months intervention participants' problem severity scores reduced (p<0.001) and goal achievement scores increased (p<0.001). Only 55% of the intervention group received a Flinders Program, compromising study power. The PIH was associated with other measures at baseline and for change over time. CONCLUSION: In a pragmatic community trial, the Flinders Program improved quality of life at 6 months. Incomplete in-practice intervention delivery limited trial power. Studies are now needed on improving delivery. The PIH has potential as a generic risk screening tool and predictive measure of change in self-management and chronic condition outcomes over time. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: Better implementation including service integration is required for improved chronic disease management.

Temporary phosphorus partitioning in mycelial systems of the cord-forming basidiomycete Phanerochaete velutina.

Mycelial cord systems, up to 50-cm diameter, of the basidiomycete Phanerochaete velutina (DC.: Pers.) Parmasto, a common woodland saprotroph, grown on non-sterile soil in model laboratory microcosms were baited, after 27 d, with pairs of fresh beech wood blocks (baits), placed at 10 d intervals behind the foraging colony margin. System development was quantified by image analysis. Mean radial extent and hyphal cover increased linearly with time until day 21, but declined before the mycelial systems reached the edges of the laboratory microcosms. The mass (DBM ) and border (DBS ) fractal dimensions of the mycelial systems changed with time but the ratio DBM ∶DBS became constant after 14 d. A separate central compartment containing the inoculum was supplied with 32 P orthophosphate and its translocation to wood baits monitored non-destructively for 73 d. Whilst total 32 P acquisition by wood baits increased linearly with time, the proportion of total allocated to baits varied significantly both temporally and according to the length of time that baits had been in contact with the mycelium. Most recently supplied wood baits were not the main sink for supplied phosphorus; rather, the rate of 32 P acquisition was initially greatest in baits from which egress of the fungus had already occurred. The rate of 32 P acquisition by the most recently added baits increased with time, supported by efflux from other wood baits, which had initially been the main sinks for translocated phosphorus. The results raise important questions about the ecological and functional significance of nutrient partitioning in cord systems and imply that 'observed' translocation, rather than being an absolute measure, indicates the degree to which phosphorus is loaded from a translocation stream in regions where it is being actively utilized and/or stored.

An eHealth Intervention for Patients in Rural Areas: Preliminary Findings From a Pilot Feasibility Study.

BACKGROUND: eHealth facilitation of chronic disease management has potential to increase engagement and effectiveness and extend access to care in rural areas. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to demonstrate the feasibility and acceptability of an eHealth system for the management of chronic conditions in a rural setting. METHODS: We developed an online management program which incorporated content from the Flinders Chronic Condition Management Program (Flinders Program) and used an existing software platform (goACT), which is accessible by patients and health care workers using either Web-enabled mobile phone or Internet, enabling communication between patients and clinicians. We analyzed the impact of this eHealth system using qualitative and simple quantitative methods. RESULTS: The eHealth system was piloted with 8 recently hospitalized patients from rural areas, average age 63 (SD 9) years, each with an average of 5 chronic conditions and high level of psychological distress with an average K10 score of 32.20 (SD 5.81). Study participants interacted with the eHealth system. The average number of logins to the eHealth system by the study participants was 26.4 (SD 23.5) over 29 weeks. The login activity was higher early in the week. CONCLUSIONS: The pilot demonstrated the feasibility of implementing and delivering a chronic disease management program using a Web-based patient-clinician application. A qualitative analysis revealed burden of illness and low levels of information technology literacy as barriers to patient engagement.

Obstructive sleep apnoea in adults: a common chronic condition in need of a comprehensive chronic condition management approach.

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is a common disorder that has all the characteristics of a chronic condition. As with other chronic conditions, OSA requires ongoing management of treatments and problems, such as residual symptoms, deficits and co-morbidities. Also, many OSA patients have modifiable lifestyle factors that contribute to their disease, which could be improved with intervention. As health systems are in the process of developing more comprehensive chronic care structures and supports, tools such as chronic condition management programs are available to enable OSA patients and their health care providers to further engage and collaborate in health management. This review explains why the OSA patient group requires a more comprehensive approach to disease management, describes the chronic care model as a platform for management of chronic conditions, and assesses the suitability of particular chronic disease management programs in relation to the needs of the OSA population. Implementation of an evidence-based health-professional-led chronic condition management program into OSA patient care is likely to provide a context in which health risks are properly acknowledged and addressed. Such programs present an important opportunity to enable more optimal health outcomes than is possible by device-focused management alone.

Lessons learned in pilot testing specialty consultations to benefit individuals with lower limb loss.

Telerehabilitation technologies enable the delivery of rehabilitation services from providers to people with disabilities as well as specialty care consultations. This article discusses the barriers experienced when planning and pilot testing a telerehabilitation multi-site specialty consultation for specialists in their medical centers, and the lessons learned. The barriers included integration and participation, coordination across organizational units, and privacy and information security. Lessons learned included the need for collaboration across multiple departments, telerehabilitation equipment back-ups, and anonymous and private communication protocols. Despite delays resulting from coordination at multiple levels of a national organization, we developed a program plan and successfully implemented a pilot test of the southeast region program. Specialty consultation using telerehabilitation delivery methods requires identifying provider preferences for technological features. Lessons learned could inform development of outpatient telerehabilitation for patients with amputations and studies of patients and providers involved in telerehabilitation.

Treatments for somnambulism in adults: assessing the evidence.

Somnambulism, or sleepwalking, is a parasomnia of non-rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep where movement behaviours usually confined to wakefulness are displayed during sleep. Generally, if sleepwalking is causing distress or danger in spite of safety measures, medical or psychological treatment is indicated. Clinicians will need to assess the evidence for treatment options. MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO and the Ovid Evidence-Based Medicine Reviews (EBM) multifile databases were searched. No properly powered rigorous controlled trials were found for treatment of sleepwalking in adults. Seven reports described small trials with some kind of control arm, or retrospective case series which included 30 or more patients. With no high quality evidence to underpin recommendations for treatments of somnambulism, full discussion with patients is advised. Adequately powered, well-designed clinical trials are now needed, and multi-centre collaborations may be required to obtain the sample sizes required.