Pilot RCT Testing A Mailing About Sleeping Pills and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia: Impact on Benzodiazepines and Z-Drugs.

OBJECTIVES: The aim is to pilot a low-touch program for reducing benzodiazepine receptor agonist (BZRA; benzodiazepines, z-drugs) prescriptions among older veterans. METHODS: Pilot randomized controlled trial consists of 2,009 veterans aged ≥ 65 years who received BZRA prescriptions from a Veterans Health Administration pharmacy (Colorado or Montana) during the prior 18 months. Active: Arm 1 was a mailed brochure about BZRA risks that also included information about a free, online cognitive behavioral therapy for the insomnia (CBTI) program. Arm 2 was a mailed brochure (same as arm 1) and telephone reinforcement call. Control: Arm 3 was a mailed brochure without insomnia treatment information. Active BZRA prescriptions at follow-up (6 and 12 months) were measured. RESULTS: In logistic regression analyses, the odds of BZRA prescription at 6- and 12-month follow-ups were not significantly different for arm 1 or 2 (active) versus arm 3 (control), including models adjusted for demographics and prescription characteristics (p-values >0.36). CONCLUSIONS: Although we observed no differences in active BZRA prescriptions, this pilot study provides guidance for conducting a future study, indicating a need for a more potent intervention. A full-scale trial testing an optimized program would provide conclusive results. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Mailing information about BZRA risks and CBTI did not affect BZRA prescriptions.

The Influence of the Rural Transitions Nurse Program for Veterans on Healthcare Utilization Costs.

BACKGROUND: The Veterans Affairs (VA) Healthcare System Rural Transitions Nurse Program (TNP) addresses barriers veterans face when transitioning from urban tertiary VA hospitals to home. Previous clinical evaluations of TNP have shown that enrolled veterans were more likely to follow up with their primary care provider within 14 days of discharge and experience a significant reduction in mortality within 30 days compared to propensity-score matched controls. OBJECTIVE: Examine changes from pre- to post-hospitalization in total, inpatient, and outpatient 30-day healthcare utilization costs for TNP enrollees compared to controls. DESIGN: Quantitative analyses modeling the changes in cost via multivariable linear mixed-effects models to determine the association between TNP enrollment and changes in these costs. PARTICIPANTS: Veterans meeting TNP eligibility criteria who were discharged home following an inpatient hospitalization at one of the 11 implementation sites from April 2017 to September 2019. INTERVENTION: The four-step TNP transitional care intervention. MAIN MEASURES: Changes in 30-day total, inpatient, and outpatient healthcare utilization costs were calculated for TNP enrollees and controls. KEY RESULTS: Among 3001 TNP enrollees and 6002 controls, no statistically significant difference in the change in total costs (p = 0.65, 95% CI: (- $675, $350)) was identified. However, on average, the increase in inpatient costs from pre- to post-hospitalization was approximately $549 less for TNP enrollees (p = 0.02, 95% CI: (- $856, - $246)). The average increase in outpatient costs from pre- to post-hospitalization was approximately $421 more for TNP enrollees compared to controls (p = 0.003, 95% CI: ($109, $671)). CONCLUSIONS: Although we found no difference in change in total costs between veterans enrolled in TNP and controls, TNP was associated with a smaller increase in direct inpatient medical costs and a larger increase in direct outpatient medical costs. This suggests a shifting of costs from the inpatient to outpatient setting.

Understanding adaptations in the Veteran Health Administration's Transitions Nurse Program: refining methodology and pragmatic implications for scale-up.

BACKGROUND: When complex health services interventions are implemented in real-world settings, adaptations are inevitable. Adaptations are changes made to an intervention, implementation strategy, or context prior to, during, and after implementation to improve uptake and fit. There is a growing interest in systematically documenting and understanding adaptations including what is changed, why, when, by whom, and with what impact. The rural Transitions Nurse Program (TNP) is a program in the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), designed to safely transition a rural veteran from a tertiary hospital back home. TNP has been implemented in multiple cohorts across 11 sites nationwide over 4 years. In this paper, we describe adaptations in five TNP sites from the first cohort of sites and implications for the scale-up of TNP and discuss lessons learned for the systematic documentation and analysis of adaptations. METHODS: We used the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) expanded version of the original Stirman framework to guide the rapid qualitative matrix analysis of adaptations. Adaptations were documented using multiple approaches: real-time database, semi-structured midpoint and exit interviews with implementors, and member checking with the implementation team. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. To combine multiple sources of adaptations, we used key domains from our framework and organized adaptations by time when the adaptation occurred (pre-, early, mid-, late implementation; sustainment) and categorized them as proactive or reactive. RESULTS: Forty-one unique adaptations were reported during the study period. The most common type of adaptation was changes in target populations (patient enrollment criteria) followed by personnel changes (staff turnover). Most adaptations occurred during the mid-implementation time period and varied in number and type of adaptation. The reasons for this are discussed, and suggestions for future adaptation protocols are included. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the feasibility of systematically documenting adaptations using multiple methods across time points. Implementors were able to track adaptations in real time across the course of an intervention, which provided timely and actionable feedback to the implementation team overseeing the national roll-out of the program. Longitudinal semi-structured interviews can complement the real-time database and elicit reflective adaptations.

An interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellowship model: Opportunities for nurse PhDs.

Interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellowships can provide rich opportunities for nurses to receive additional training and develop diverse professional academic and research partnerships. They provide a structure for learning in which team science is emphasized and complex health issues are addressed. This paper presents an interdisciplinary postdoctoral fellowship model and highlights the development of one nurse fellow's network during the program. The fellowship curriculum is outlined and the three focus areas (education, research, and experience) are further explained. A social network analysis approach was used to illustrate the growth in one nurse fellow's network during a two-year postdoctoral fellowship. The first year of the fellowship showed an increase in the number of professional connections, while in the second year the relationships deepened as collaborations were established and strengthened.

Sleep and timing of death by suicide among U.S. Veterans 2006-2015: analysis of the American Time Use Survey and the National Violent Death Reporting System.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Suicide is a top public health priority, and U.S. Veterans are recognized to be at particularly elevated risk. Sleep disturbances are an independent risk factor for suicide; recent empirical data suggest that nocturnal wakefulness may be a key mechanism underlying this association. Given higher rates of sleep disturbances among U.S. Veterans compared with civilians, we examined associations between nocturnal wakefulness and timing of death by suicide in U.S. Veterans and civilians to determine whether temporal suicide patterns differed. METHODS: The American Time Use Survey and the National Violent Death Reporting System were analyzed (2006-2015) to determine whether sleep and temporal suicide patterns differed between age-stratified groups (18-39, 40-64, and ≥65) of U.S. Veterans and civilians. Observed temporal suicide patterns were reported and standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) calculated to compare the percentage of suicides observed with those expected, given the proportion of the population awake, across clock hours. RESULTS: The raw proportion of Veteran suicides peaks between the hours of 1000-1200; however, the peak prevalence of suicide after accounting for the population awake is between 0000 and 0300 hr (p < .00001, ϕ = .88). The highest SIR was at midnight; U.S. Veterans were eight times more likely to die by suicide than expected given the population awake (SIR = 8.17; 95% CI = 7.45-8.94). CONCLUSIONS: Nocturnal wakefulness is associated with increased risk for suicide in U.S. Veterans. Overall patterns of observed suicides by clock hour were similar between U.S. Veterans and civilians. However, Veteran-specific SIRs suggest differences in magnitude of risk by clock hour across age groups. Future research examining female and Post-9/11 U.S. Veterans is warranted.

Feasibility of a Telemedicine-Delivered Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia in Rural Breast Cancer Survivors.

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate a nurse-led, telemedicine-delivered cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) in rural breast cancer survivors (BCSs). SAMPLE & SETTING: 18 BCSs diagnosed with stage I-III breast cancer in the rural western United States. METHODS & VARIABLES: In this prospective, pre-/post-test, quasiexperimental feasibility pilot trial, BCSs attended six weekly sessions of CBTI via Internet videoconference. Feasibility was assessed using recruitment and acceptability of the intervention. Primary outcomes were diary-based sleep efficiency (SE), sleep latency (SL), total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, and number of nightly awakenings; secondary outcomes included quality of life (QOL), mental health, and daily functioning. RESULTS: Following the intervention, participants reported improvements in sleep outcomes, including SE and SL. QOL and daily functioning improved, but anxiety and depression did not. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Nurse-led, telemedicine-delivered CBTI for rural BCSs is feasible and may be effective in managing insomnia. Additional research is needed to determine widespread effectiveness and best practices for dissemination and implementation.

Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia outcomes in women after primary breast cancer treatment: a randomized, controlled trial.

PURPOSE/OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) on sleep improvement, daytime symptoms, and quality of life (QOL) in breast cancer survivors (BCSs) after cancer treatment. DESIGN: A prospective, longitudinal, randomized, controlled trial. SETTING: Oncology clinics, breast cancer support groups, and communities in Colorado. SAMPLE: 56 middle-aged BCSs with chronic insomnia. METHODS: Women were randomly assigned to CBTI or behavioral placebo treatment (BPT) and completed measures of sleep, QOL, functioning, fatigue, and mood at baseline, postintervention, and at three- and six-month follow-ups. MAIN RESEARCH VARIABLES: Sleep outcomes (e.g., sleep efficiency, sleep latency, total sleep time, wake after sleep onset, number of nightly awakenings); secondary variables included sleep medication use, insomnia severity, QOL, physical function, cognitive function, fatigue, depression, anxiety, and sleep attitudes or knowledge. FINDINGS: Sleep efficiency and latency improved more in the CBTI group than the BPT group; this difference was maintained during follow-up. Women in the CBTI group had less subjective insomnia, greater improvements in physical and cognitive functioning, positive sleep attitudes, and increased sleep hygiene knowledge. No group differences in improvement were noted relative to QOL, fatigue, or mood. CONCLUSIONS: Nurse-delivered CBTI appears to be beneficial for BCSs' sleep latency/efficiency, insomnia severity, functioning, sleep knowledge, and attitudes more than active placebo, with sustained benefit over time. IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING: Oncology nurses are in a unique position to identify insomnia in cancer survivors. When sleep disturbances become chronic, nurses need to make recommendations and referrals.

Adherence to cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia: a systematic review.

Chronic insomnia is a significant public health problem worldwide, and insomnia has considerable personal and social costs associated with serious health conditions, greater healthcare utilization, work absenteeism, and motor-vehicle accidents. Cognitive behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBTI) is an efficacious treatment, yet attrition and suboptimal adherence may diminish its impact. Despite the increasing use of CBTI, surprisingly little attention has been devoted to understanding the role of adherence. This review describes a comprehensive literature search of adherence to CBTI. The search revealed 15 studies that evaluated adherence to CBTI in adults using valid and reliable measures of sleep, and measure of adherence other than study withdrawals. The primary purposes of this review were to 1) synthesize current study characteristics, methodology, adherence rates, contributing factors, and impact on outcomes, 2) discuss measurement issues, and 3) identify future practice and research directions that may lead to improved outcomes. Strong patterns and inconsistencies were identified among the studies, which complicate an evaluation of the role of adherence as a factor and outcome of CBTI success. The importance of standardized adherence and outcome measures is discussed. In light of the importance of adherence to behavior change, this systematic review may better inform future intervention efforts.