An educational intervention for providers to promote bone health in high-risk older patients.

OBJECTIVES: To design, implement, and assess an educational intervention for providers focused on osteoporosis screening and management in older patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or asthma who have been prescribed prolonged courses of oral or high-dose inhaled corticosteroids or both and are therefore at high risk for bone loss and fractures. DESIGN: One-group pretest-posttest. SETTING: Academic outpatient pulmonary practice. PARTICIPANTS: Nineteen pulmonary specialists at an academic medical center. INTERVENTION: Educational theory and a needs assessment and attitude survey guided the development of a multicomponent educational intervention. MEASUREMENTS: Change in provider behavior was assessed by auditing the electronic medical records for adherence to osteoporosis management guidelines in high-risk patients seen by participants at baseline and for 6 months after the educational intervention. Knowledge transfer and changes in attitude were assessed using pre- and posttests and surveys. RESULTS: A 19% increase in overall rate of adherence to osteoporosis management guidelines in high-risk patients was observed: 45% before intervention to 64% after intervention (n=249 patients, P=.003). Postintervention surveys and test scores also showed statistically significant gains from baseline. CONCLUSION: An educational intervention improved adherence to osteoporosis management guidelines of academic pulmonary specialists. The results of this study provide evidence for the positive effect of a multimodal educational program in altering practice behaviors.

Design and measurement of quality improvement indicators in ambulatory pulmonary care: creating a "culture of quality" in an academic pulmonary division.

BACKGROUND: Quality improvement (QI) measures often are cited as goals for individual practices and medical centers and may someday form a component of reimbursement guidelines. Relatively few QI metrics relevant to ambulatory pulmonary medicine have been published. We describe the development and implementation of a QI program in an academic pulmonary division, including progress to date and lessons learned. METHODS: Metrics for the pulmonary QI Dashboard were developed based on an extensive literature review. Patients were identified through International Classification of Diseases-based billing databases, and results data were obtained from a manual and automated review of the electronic medical record. The performance of the division was monitored and presented in regular faculty meetings. Quarterly, confidential, individual scorecards gave each clinician feedback about his or her performance and compared the feedback to that of the faculty of the entire division. RESULTS: Significant improvements were found in many QI measures during a 2-year period. The number of patients with asthma who received appropriately prescribed inhaled corticosteroids increased from a baseline of 76 to 92% to 98%. Flu shot and pneumococcal vaccine administration documentation for patients with COPD increased from baseline values of 11 to 32% and 11 to 34%, respectively, to 90% and 93%, respectively. The COPD Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease pharmacotherapy guidelines adherence increased substantially for patients with all disease stages. Chest CT scan results notification documentation improved from a baseline of 67 to 76% to 98%. Comparison between baseline and QI periods yielded statistically significant increases for these indicators. CONCLUSIONS: QI measures for an ambulatory pulmonary practice can be designed, implemented, and monitored. Key components include a well-structured electronic medical record, measurable outcomes, strong QI leadership, and specific interventions, such as providing feedback through QI review meetings and individual "report cards."