Abortion Safety and Use with Normally Prescribed Mifepristone in Canada.

BACKGROUND: In the United States, mifepristone is available for medical abortion (for use with misoprostol) only with Risk Evaluation and Mitigation Strategy (REMS) restrictions, despite an absence of evidence to support such restrictions. Mifepristone has been available in Canada with a normal prescription since November 2017. METHODS: Using population-based administrative data from Ontario, Canada, we examined abortion use, safety, and effectiveness using an interrupted time-series analysis comparing trends in incidence before mifepristone was available (January 2012 through December 2016) with trends after its availability without restrictions (November 7, 2017, through March 15, 2020). RESULTS: A total of 195,183 abortions were performed before mifepristone was available and 84,032 after its availability without restrictions. After the availability of mifepristone with a normal prescription, the abortion rate continued to decline, although more slowly than was expected on the basis of trends before mifepristone had been available (adjusted risk difference in time-series analysis, 1.2 per 1000 female residents between 15 and 49 years of age; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.1 to 1.4), whereas the percentage of abortions provided as medical procedures increased from 2.2% to 31.4% (adjusted risk difference, 28.8 percentage points; 95% CI, 28.0 to 29.7). There were no material changes between the period before mifepristone was available and the nonrestricted period in the incidence of severe adverse events (0.03% vs. 0.04%; adjusted risk difference, 0.01 percentage points; 95% CI, -0.06 to 0.03), complications (0.74% vs. 0.69%; adjusted risk difference, 0.06 percentage points; 95% CI, -0.07 to 0.18), or ectopic pregnancy detected after abortion (0.15% vs. 0.22%; adjusted risk difference, -0.03 percentage points; 95% CI, -0.19 to 0.09). There was a small increase in ongoing intrauterine pregnancy continuing to delivery (adjusted risk difference, 0.08 percentage points; 95% CI, 0.04 to 0.10). CONCLUSIONS: After mifepristone became available as a normal prescription, the abortion rate remained relatively stable, the proportion of abortions provided by medication increased rapidly, and adverse events and complications remained stable, as compared with the period when mifepristone was unavailable. (Funded by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and the Women's Health Research Institute.).

Qualitative Exploration of Emergency Department Care Experiences Among People With Opioid Use Disorder.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: We described the experiences and preferences of people with opioid use disorder who access emergency department (ED) services regarding ED care and ED-based interventions. METHODS: Between June and September 2020, we conducted phone or in-person semistructured qualitative interviews with patients recently discharged from 2 urban EDs in Vancouver, BC, Canada, to explore experiences and preferences of ED care and ED-based opioid use disorder interventions. We recruited participants from a cohort of adults with opioid use disorder who were participating in an ED-initiated outreach program. We transcribed audio recordings verbatim. We iteratively developed a thematic coding structure, with interim analyses to assess for thematic saturation. Two team members with lived experience of opioid use provided feedback on content, wording, and analysis throughout the study. RESULTS: We interviewed 19 participants. Participants felt discriminated against for their drug use, which led to poorer perceived health care and downstream ED avoidance. Participants desired to be treated like ED patients who do not use drugs and to be more involved in their ED care. Participants nevertheless felt comfortable discussing their substance use with ED staff and valued continuous ED operating hours. Regarding opioid use disorder treatment, participants supported ED-based buprenorphine/naloxone programs but also suggested additional options (eg, different initiation regimens and settings and other opioid agonist therapies) to facilitate further treatment uptake. CONCLUSION: Based on participant experiences, we recommend addressing potentially stigmatizing practices, increasing patient involvement in their care during ED visits, and increasing access to various opioid use disorder-related treatments and community support.

Structuring and organizing interprofessional healthcare in partnership with patients with diabetes: the INterprofessional Management and Education in Diabetes care (INMED) pathway.

Type 2 diabetes is a complex chronic disease that requires ongoing monitoring by an interprofessional team to prevent complications. The INMED (INterprofessional Management and Education in Diabetes) care pathway was developed by our team to optimize primary care services for these patients and their families. The objective of this study is to describe the preliminary results of its adoption and implementation. The INMED care pathway is organized into four axes: (a) continuing professional education, (b) self-management support, (c) case management, and (d) ongoing evaluation of the quality of diabetes care and services. A multiple-case study is underway to document its effects on practice change using the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework. Preliminary results on the adoption and implementation revealed some strengths: (a) regular patient follow-up by the case manager, (b) scheduling of physician appointments when required, and (c) regular screening for risk factors. Barriers were also identified: (a) lack of clear understanding of the case manager role, (b) lack of referrals to team members, and (c) lack of use of the motivational interview approach. The INMED care pathway is being adopted by primary care teams but challenges need to be overcome to improve its reach and effectiveness.

Ups and downs of hypertension control in Canada: critical factors and lessons learned.

As the leading risk for death, population control of increased blood pressure represents a major challenge for all countries of the Americas. In the early 1990's, Canada had a hypertension control rate of 13%. The control rate increased to 68% in 2010, accompanied by a sharp decline in cardiovascular disease. The unprecedented improvement in hypertension control started around the year 2000 when a comprehensive program to implement annually updated hypertension treatment recommendations started. The program included a comprehensive monitoring system for hypertension control. After 2011, there was a marked decrease in emphasis on implementation and evaluation and the hypertension control rate declined, driven by a reduction in control in women from 69% to 49%. A coalition of health and scientific organizations formed in 2011 with a priority to develop advocacy positions for dietary policies to prevent and control hypertension. By 2015, the positions were adopted by most federal political parties, but implementation has been slow. This manuscript reviews key success factors and learnings. Some key success factors included having broad representation on the program steering committee, multidisciplinary engagement with substantive primary care involvement, unbiased up to date credible recommendations, development and active adaptation of education resources based on field experience, extensive implementation of primary care resources, annual review of the program and hypertension indicators and developing and emphasizing the few interventions important for hypertension control. Learnings included the need for having strong national and provincial government engagement and support, and retaining primary care organizations and clinicians in the implementation and evaluation.

La hipertensión arterial representa el principal riesgo de muerte; controlarla a nivel de la población constituye un desafío importante para todos los países de la Región de las Américas. A principios de la década de 1990, Canadá presentaba una tasa de control de la hipertensión del 13%. La tasa de control aumentó al 68% en el 2010, lo que vino acompañado por una disminución importante de las enfermedades cardiovasculares. Esta mejora sin precedentes en el control de la hipertensión empezó alrededor del año 2000 cuando se inició un programa integral para aplicar las recomendaciones sobre el tratamiento de la hipertensión, actualizadas anualmente. El programa incluyó un sistema de monitoreo integral para el control de la hipertensión. Después del 2011, hubo una marcada disminución del énfasis en la implementación y la evaluación, y la tasa de control de la hipertensión disminuyó, impulsada por una reducción en el control en las mujeres, que pasó del 69% al 49%. En el 2011, se formó una coalición de organizaciones científicas y de salud con la prioridad de elaborar una campaña de defensa y promoción de las políticas alimentarias para prevenir y controlar la hipertensión. Para el año 2015, esta postura fue adoptada por la mayoría de los partidos políticos federales, aunque la implementación ha sido lenta.En este artículo se revisan los factores clave de éxito y las lecciones aprendidas. Algunos factores clave de éxito fueron tener una amplia representación en el comité directivo del programa; el compromiso multidisciplinario con la participación sustantiva del sector de la atención primaria; unas recomendaciones creíbles, imparciales y actualizadas; el desarrollo y la adaptación activa de recursos educativos basados en la experiencia en el terreno; la amplia implementación de los recursos de la atención primaria; la revisión anual del programa y de los indicadores de hipertensión; y el desarrollo y el énfasis en unas pocas intervenciones importantes para el control de la hipertensión. Entre las lecciones aprendidas se encontró la necesidad de contar con un fuerte compromiso y apoyo del gobierno nacional y provincial, y de mantener a las organizaciones de atención primaria y al personal médico en la implementación y la evaluación.

O controle populacional da hipertensão arterial ­ o maior fator de risco de morte ­ representa um grande desafio para todos os países das Américas. No início da década de 1990, o Canadá tinha uma taxa de controle de hipertensão de 13%. Esse índice aumentou para 68% em 2010, acompanhado por um declínio acentuado das doenças cardiovasculares. A melhoria sem precedentes no controle da hipertensão começou por volta do ano 2000, quando teve início um programa abrangente para implementar recomendações de tratamento de hipertensão atualizadas anualmente. O programa incluía um sistema integral de monitoramento do controle da hipertensão. Após 2011, houve uma acentuada redução da ênfase na implementação e avaliação, e a taxa de controle de hipertensão caiu, principalmente às custas de uma redução deste controle em mulheres (de 69% para 49%). Uma coalizão de organizações científicas e de saúde formou-se em 2011 com a prioridade de desenvolver posições de defesa de políticas alimentares para prevenir e controlar a hipertensão. Até 2015, essas posições haviam sido adotadas pela maioria dos partidos políticos federais, mas a implementação tem sido lenta.Este manuscrito examina fatores-chave de sucesso e aprendizados. Alguns fatores-chave de sucesso incluíram uma ampla representatividade no comitê diretor do programa, engajamento multidisciplinar (com envolvimento significativo da atenção primária), recomendações imparciais e confiáveis, elaboração e adaptação ativa de recursos didáticos com base na experiência de campo, ampla implementação dos recursos da atenção primária, revisão anual do programa e dos indicadores de hipertensão e desenvolvimento e ênfase das poucas intervenções realmente importantes para o controle da hipertensão. As lições aprendidas incluíram a necessidade de ter forte envolvimento e apoio dos governos nacional e subnacionais e manter organizações e médicos da atenção primária engajados na implementação e avaliação.

Does spaced education improve clinical knowledge among Family Medicine residents? A cluster randomized controlled trial.

Spaced education is a learning strategy to improve knowledge acquisition and retention. To date, no robust evidence exists to support the utility of spaced education in the Family Medicine residency. We aimed to test whether alerts to encourage spaced education can improve clinical knowledge as measured by scores on the Canadian Family Medicine certification examination. METHOD: We conducted a cluster randomized controlled trial to empirically and pragmatically test spaced education using two versions of the Family Medicine Study Guide mobile app. 12 residency training programs in Canada agreed to participate. At six intervention sites, we consented 335 of the 654 (51%) eligible residents. Residents in the intervention group were sent alerts through the app to encourage the answering of questions linked to clinical cases. At six control sites, 299 of 586 (51%) residents consented. Residents in the control group received the same app but with no alerts. Incidence rates of case completion between trial arms were compared using repeated measures analysis. We linked residents in both trial arms to their knowledge scores on the certification examination of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. RESULTS: Over 67 weeks, there was no statistically significant difference in the completion of clinical cases by participants. The difference in mean exam scores and the associated confidence interval did not exceed the pre-defined limit of 4 percentage points. CONCLUSION: Further research is recommended before deploying spaced educational interventions in the Family Medicine residency to improve knowledge.

Attendance, activation and health profiles of participants, a prospective study on a regional cardiometabolic disease self-management program in Laval, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Chronic diseases are responsible for over 70% of all deaths globally. While some self-management programs have been shown to be efficacious in preventing or altering trajectories for some chronic conditions, scaling-up and sustaining such programs beyond tightly-controlled study conditions remain a major challenge. CISSS-Laval partnered with the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program team to co-develop Cible-santé/prévention and evaluate the first cohort of participants enrolled in the program, in order to better understand the program's implementation and scope. The objective of the current study was to describe the profile of attendees and the level of engagement of participants in a new, region-wide cardiometabolic disease self-management program offered in Laval, Canada. METHODS: This was a prospective study with no comparison group. Potential participants were identified and referred to the program from April to December 2015 by their primary care health professional practicing in one of the city's interdisciplinary primary care clinics. They had their blood pressure, waist circumference and body mass index measured by trained volunteers, and completed a questionnaire on health habits, level of activation and the risk of developing prediabetes and type 2 diabetes over the next 10 years. RESULTS: A descriptive analysis of the first cohort of 141 Cible-Santé/prévention participants showed very low attendance. Furthermore, only 1 in 10 of enrolled participants completed the full program. The program typically attracted adults with some risk factors associated with their conditions (high waist circumference, obesity), but with an already high level of knowledge, skills and confidence to participate in self-management activities. CONCLUSION: This study provides a portrait of new participants to a self-management cardiometabolic disease program, which highlights the potential of supporting patients ready to make changes but also exposes the difficulty of attracting a larger number and diversity of participants and in encouraging completion of the program.

Participation in the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) by older adults residing in social housing in Quebec: Social network analysis.

BACKGROUND: The Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) is as a community-based cardiovascular disease prevention program recently adapted to target older adults living in 14 social housing buildings in Ontario (7) and Quebec (7). Social network analysis (SNA) has been used successfully to assess and strengthen participation in health promotion programs. We applied SNA methods to investigate whether interpersonal relationships among residents within buildings influenced their participation in CHAP. METHODS: Our aim was to examine relational dynamics in two social housing buildings in Quebec with low and high CHAP attendance rates, respectively. We used sociometric questionnaires and network analysis for the quantitative phase of the study, supplemented by a phase of qualitative interviews. All residents of both buildings were eligible for the sociometric questionnaire. Respondents for the qualitative interviews were purposively selected to represent the different attendance situations following the principle of content saturation. RESULTS: In total, 69 residents participated in the study, 37 through sociometric questionnaires and 32 in qualitative interviews. Of the latter, 10 attended almost all CHAP sessions, 10 attended once, and 12 attended none. Results of the quantitative analysis phase identified well-known and appreciated local leaders. In Building 1, which had a high attendance rate (34.3%), there was a main leader (in-degree or 'named by others' frequency 23.2%) who had attended all CHAP sessions. In Building 2, which had a low attendance rate (23.9%), none of the leaders had attended CHAP sessions. Results of the qualitative analysis phase showed that residents who did not attend CHAP sessions (or other activities in the building) generally preferred to avoid conflicts, vindictiveness, and gossip and did not want to get involved in clans and politics within their building. CONCLUSION: We identified four potential strategies to increase attendance at CHAP sessions by residents of subsidized housing for older adults: strengthen confidentiality for those attending the sessions; use community peer networks to enhance recruitment; pair attendees to increase the likelihood of participation; and intervene through opinion leaders or bridging individuals.

Addressing quadruple aims through primary care and public health collaboration: ten Canadian case studies.

BACKGROUND: Health systems in Canada and elsewhere are at a crossroads of reform in response to rising economic and societal pressures. The Quadruple Aim advocates for: improving patient experience, reducing cost, advancing population health and improving the provider experience. It is at the forefront of Canadian reform debates aimed to improve a complex and often-fragmented health care system. Concurrently, collaboration between primary care and public health has been the focus of current research, looking for integrated community-based primary health care models that best suit the health needs of communities and address health equity. This study aimed to explore the nature of Canadian primary care - public health collaborations, their aims, motivations, activities, collaboration barriers and enablers, and perceived outcomes. METHODS: Ten case studies were conducted in three provinces (Nova Scotia, Ontario, and British Columbia) to elucidate experiences of primary care and public health collaboration in different settings, contexts, populations and forms. Data sources included a survey using the Partnership Self-Assessment Tool, focus groups, and document analysis. This provided an opportunity to explore how primary care and public health collaboration could serve in transforming community-based primary health care with the potential to address the Quadruple Aims. RESULTS: Aims of collaborations included: provider capacity building, regional vaccine/immunization management, community-based health promotion programming, and, outreach to increase access to care. Common precipitators were having a shared vision and/or community concern. Barriers and enablers differed among cases. Perceived barriers included ineffective communication processes, inadequate time for collaboration, geographic challenges, lack of resources, and varying organizational goals and mandates. Enablers included clear goals, trusting and inclusive relationships, role clarity, strong leadership, strong coordination and communication, and optimal use of resources. Cases achieved outcomes addressing the Q-Aims such as improving access to services, addressing population health through outreach to at-risk populations, reducing costs through efficiencies, and improving provider experience through capacity building. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care and public health collaborations can strengthen community-based primary health care while addressing the Quadruple Aims with an emphasis on reducing health inequities but requires attention to collaboration barriers and enablers.

Evaluating implementation and impact of a provincial quality improvement collaborative for the management of chronic diseases in primary care: the COMPAS+ study protocol.

BACKGROUND: Chronic conditions such as diabetes and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common and burdensome diseases primarily managed in primary care. Yet, evidence points to suboptimal quality of care for these conditions in primary care settings. Quality improvement collaboratives (QICs) are organized, multifaceted interventions that can be effective in improving chronic disease care processes and outcomes. In Quebec, Canada, the Institut national d'excellence en santé et en services sociaux (INESSS) has developed a large-scale QIC province-wide program called COMPAS+ that aims to improve the prevention and management of chronic diseases in primary care. This paper describes the protocol for our study, which aims to evaluate implementation and impact of COMPAS+ QICs on the prevention and management of targeted chronic diseases like diabetes and COPD. METHODS: This is a mixed-methods, integrated knowledge translation study. The quantitative component involves a controlled interrupted time series involving nine large integrated health centres in the province. Study sites will receive one of two interventions: the multifaceted COMPAS+ intervention (experimental condition) or a feedback only intervention (control condition). For the qualitative component, a multiple case study approach will be used to achieve an in-depth understanding of individual, team, organizational and contextual factors influencing implementation and effectiveness of the COMPAS+ QICs. DISCUSSION: COMPAS+ is a QI program that is unique in Canada due to its integration within the governance of the Quebec healthcare system and its capacity to reach many primary care providers and people living with chronic diseases across the province. We anticipate that this study will address several important gaps in knowledge related to large-scale QIC projects and generate strong and useful evidence (e.g., on leadership, organizational capacity, patient involvement, and implementation) having the potential to influence the design and optimisation of future QICs in Canada and internationally.

Volunteer engagement to inform research on cardiovascular health awareness, Canada.

Volunteers have been extensively used in health promotion programmes. However, they have been less frequently involved in the research process. In its most recent iterations, the Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP) integrated volunteers (i) to facilitate CHAP sessions with participating patients for data collection and (ii) to evaluate the intervention. Drawing on the patient and public involvement literature, our research team included volunteers in the data collection and evaluation of CHAP sessions as part of the programme's implementation in the province of Quebec (Canada). We sought volunteers' formal feedback through individual online and phone interviews and through focus groups for each of the four projects conducted in Quebec. We found that volunteers provide valuable insight on the research protocol as well as patient needs. Their feedback led to several modifications to the research protocol and procedures of subsequent CHAP sessions. Changes included involving volunteers at earlier stages of the research process, adding more learning modules and practice sessions during the volunteer training and defining research priorities according to patient needs. Our methodology of engaging volunteers in the research process was useful to gain important and unique insight on patient needs and for future programme planning to modify the research process.

The Canadian Community Utilization of Stroke Prevention Study in Atrial Fibrillation in the Emergency Department (C-CUSP ED).

STUDY OBJECTIVE: Lack of oral anticoagulation prescription in the emergency department (ED) has been identified as a care gap in atrial fibrillation patients. This study seeks to determine whether the use of a tool kit for emergency physicians with a follow-up community-based atrial fibrillation clinic resulted in greater oral anticoagulation prescription at ED discharge than usual care. METHODS: This was a before-after study in 5 Canadian EDs in 3 cities. Patients who presented to the ED with atrial fibrillation were eligible for inclusion. The before phase (1) was retrospective; 2 after phases (2 and 3) were prospective: phase 2 used an oral anticoagulation prescription tool for emergency physicians and patient education materials, whereas phase 3 used the same prescription tool, patient materials, atrial fibrillation educational session, and follow-up in an atrial fibrillation clinic. Each phase was 1 year long. The primary outcome was the rate of new oral anticoagulation prescription at ED discharge for patients who were oral anticoagulation eligible and not receiving oral anticoagulation at presentation. RESULTS: A total of 631 patients were included. Mean age was 69 years (SD 14 years), 47.4% were women, and 69.6% of patients had a CHADS2 score greater than or equal to 1. The rate of new oral anticoagulation prescription in phase 1 was 15.8% compared with 54.1% and 47.2%, in phases 2 and 3, respectively. After multivariable adjustment, the odds ratio for new oral anticoagulation prescription was 8.03 (95% confidence interval 3.52 to 18.29) for phase 3 versus 1. The 6-month rate of oral anticoagulation use was numerically but not significantly higher in phase 3 compared with phase 2 (71.6% versus 79.4%; adjusted odds ratio 2.30; 95% confidence interval 0.89 to 5.96). The rate of major bleeding at 6 months was 0%, 0.8%, and 1% in phases 1, 2, and 3, respectively. CONCLUSION: An oral anticoagulation prescription tool was associated with an increase in new oral anticoagulation prescription in the ED, irrespective of whether an atrial fibrillation clinic follow-up was scheduled. The use of an atrial fibrillation clinic was associated with a trend to a higher rate of oral anticoagulation at 6-month follow-up.

The Community Health Assessment Program in the Philippines (CHAP-P) diabetes health promotion program for low- to middle-income countries: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Type 2 diabetes is increasing globally, with the highest burden in low- to middle-income countries (LMICs) such as the Philippines. Developing effective interventions could improve detection, prevention, and treatment of diabetes. The Cardiovascular Health Awareness Program (CHAP), an evidence-based Canadian intervention, may be an appropriate model for LMICs due to its low cost, ease of implementation, and focus on health promotion and disease prevention. The primary aim of this study is to adapt the CHAP model to a Philippine context as the Community Health Assessment Program in the Philippines (CHAP-P) and evaluate the effect of CHAP-P on glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) compared to a random sample of community residents in control communities. METHODS: Six-month, 26-community (13 intervention, 13 control) parallel cluster randomized controlled trial in Zamboanga Peninsula, an Administrative Region in the southern Philippines. Criteria for community selection include: adequate political stability, connection with local champions, travel feasibility, and refrigerated space for materials. The community-based intervention, CHAP-P sessions, are volunteer-led group sessions with chronic condition assessment, blood pressure monitoring, and health education. Three participant groups will be involved: 1) Random sample of community participants aged 40 or older, 100 per community (1300 control, 1300 intervention participants total); 2) Community members aged 40 years or older who attended at least one CHAP-P session; 3) Community health workers and staff facilitating sessions. PRIMARY OUTCOME: mean difference in HbA1c at 6 months in intervention group individuals compared to control. SECONDARY OUTCOMES: modifiable risk factors, health utilization and access (individual); diabetes detection and management (cluster). Evaluation also includes community process evaluation and cost-effectiveness analysis. DISCUSSION: CHAP has been shown to be effective in a Canadian setting. Individual components of CHAP-P have been piloted locally and shown to be acceptable and feasible. This study will improve understanding of how best to adapt this model to an LMIC setting, in order to maximize prevention, detection, and management of diabetes. Results may inform policy and practice in the Philippines and have the potential to be applied to other LMICs. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov ( NCT03481335 ), registered March 29, 2018.

Province-wide Biliary Atresia Home Screening Program in British Columbia: Evaluation of First 2 Years.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Biliary atresia (BA), a rare newborn liver disease, is the leading cause of liver-related death in children. Early disease recognition and timely surgical Kasai hepatoportoenterostomy (KP) offers long-term survival without liver transplant. Universal BA screening in Taiwan using infant stool color cards (ISCCs) has proven effectiveness. We report our experience with infant stool color card (ISCC) BA screening in a province-wide program in British Columbia (BC). The objective of this study is to assess program performance and cost from launch April 1, 2014 to March 31, 2016. METHODS: ISCCs distributed to families upon maternity ward discharge. Parents were instructed to monitor their infant's stool color for 1 month and contacted the screening center with concerns. The number of live births, ISCC distribution, BA cases, and costs were recorded. Cases with Program screen success had both acholic stool recognition (ISCC screen success) and timely referral for BA. RESULTS: All 126 maternity units received ISCCs. Of 87,583 live births there were 6 BA cases. Of the 5 cases with ISCC Screen Success 3 had Program Screen Success. The median KP age in the program screen success and failure groups was 49 (42-52) and 116 (49-184) days, respectively. Program sensitivity was 50%, specificity 99%, positive predictive value 4%, and negative predictive value 99%. A random sample of 1054 charts at BC Children's Hospital found an ISCC distribution rate of 94%. After a phase-in period, the annual program cost was $30,033.82, and the ISCC cost per birth was $0.68. CONCLUSIONS: The screening program has high specificity and distribution with low cost. Successful program case identification had earlier age at KP. Program modifications aim to improve sensitivity. Longer-term studies will determine program impact on health outcomes.

Reduction in targeted potentially inappropriate medication use in elderly inpatients: a pragmatic randomized controlled trial.

PURPOSE: The use of potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in hospitalized older adults is a complex problem, but the use of computerized alert systems (CAS) has shown some potential. The study's objective is to assess the change in PIM use with a CAS-based pharmacist-physician intervention model compared to usual clinical care. METHODS: Pragmatic single-site randomized controlled trial was conducted at a university teaching hospital. Hospitalizations identified with selected Beers or STOPP criteria were randomized to usual clinical care or to the CAS-based pharmacist-physician intervention. The primary outcome was PIM drug cessation or dosage decrease. Clinical relevance of the CAS alerts was assessed. RESULTS: Analyses included 231 patients who had 128 and 126 hospitalizations in the control and intervention groups, respectively. Patients had a mean age of 81, and 60% were female. In the intervention compared to the control group, drug cessation or dosage decrease were more frequent at 48 h post-alert (45.8 vs 15.9%; absolute difference 30.0%; 95%CI 13.8 to 46.1%) and at discharge from the hospital (48.1 vs 27.3%; absolute difference 20.8%; 95%CI 4.6 to 37.0%). In a post hoc analysis of all alerts, regardless of their clinical relevance, the absolute difference in drug cessation or dosage decrease between the intervention and control groups was 16.2% (95%CI 2.9 to 29.6%) at 48 h and 8.0% (95%CI -4.0 to 20.0%) at discharge from the hospital. CONCLUSIONS: In hospitalized older adults, a CAS-based pharmacist-physician intervention, compared to usual clinical care, resulted in significant higher number of drug cessation and dosage reductions for targeted PIMs.

How do family physicians measure blood pressure in routine clinical practice? National survey of Canadian family physicians.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the techniques currently used by family physicians in Canada to measure blood pressure (BP) for screening for, diagnosing, and treating hypertension. DESIGN: A Web-based cross-sectional survey distributed by e-mail. SETTING: Stratified random sample of family physicians in Canada. PARTICIPANTS: Family physician members of the College of Family Physicians of Canada with valid e-mail addresses. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Physicians' self-reported routine methods for recording BP in their practices to screen for, diagnose, and manage hypertension. RESULTS: A total of 774 valid responses were received, for a response rate of 16.2%. Respondents were similar to nonrespondents except for underrepresentation of male physicians. Of 769 respondents, 417 (54.2%) indicated that they used manual office BP measurement with a mercury or aneroid device and stethoscope as the routine method to screen patients for high BP, while 42.9% (330 of 769) reported using automated office BP (AOBP) measurement. The method most frequently used to make a diagnosis of hypertension was AOBP measurement (31.1%, 240 of 771), followed by home BP measurement (22.4%, 173 of 771) and manual office BP measurement (21.4%, 165 of 771). Ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was used for diagnosis by 14.4% (111 of 771) of respondents. The most frequently reported method for ongoing management was home BP monitoring (68.7%, 528 of 769), followed by manual office BP measurement (63.6%, 489 of 769) and AOBP measurement (59.2%, 455 of 769). More than three-quarters (77.8%, 598 of 769) of respondents indicated that ABPM was readily available for their patients. CONCLUSION: Canadian family physicians exhibit overall high use of electronic devices for BP measurement, However, more efforts are needed to encourage practitioners to follow current Canadian guidelines, which advocate the use of AOBP measurement for hypertension screening, ABPM and home BP measurement for making a diagnosis, and both AOBP and home BP monitoring for ongoing management.

Home-Based Screening for Biliary Atresia Using Infant Stool Color Cards in Canada: Quebec Feasibility Study.

OBJECTIVES: Biliary atresia (BA) is a leading cause of liver failure and liver transplantation in pediatrics. BA manifests by 3 weeks of life with jaundice and pale stools. Delayed diagnosis and surgical intervention with Kasai portoenterostomy after 3 months of age is significantly associated with poor prognosis for native liver survival. A national Taiwan infant stool color card (SCC) screening program has entirely eliminated late Kasai portoenterostomy >90 days of age and improved native liver survival. A recent large-scale prospective cohort study in British Columbia, Canada, indicated that distribution of SCC on the maternity ward was feasible, led to high utilization rate, and was cost-effective. The aim of the present study was to assess the generalizability of this screening strategy in another Canadian jurisdiction with a different sociodemographic profile. METHODS: An SCC was distributed to families of newborns discharged at St Mary's Hospital Center, Montreal, Quebec. Families were instructed to monitor their infant's stool color for 21 days and then complete and mail the SCC to the study center. Phone surveys to families who did not return cards were used to estimate total card utilization rate. RESULTS: Two thousand two hundred forty-six infants were eligible for inclusion; 99.9% were enrolled. Mail SCC return rate was 63.3%. No cases of BA were identified. All of the 118 families who completed the phone survey reported that they had utilized the SCC. Conservative and optimistic estimates for total card utilization rates were 82% and 100%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: The high enrollment and utilization rates in this screening study strongly support the feasibility of implementing a Canadian SCC screening program to improve outcomes of children with BA.

Validating abortion procedure coding in Canadian administrative databases.

BACKGROUND: The British Columbia (BC) Ministry of Health collects abortion procedure data in the Medical Services Plan (MSP) physician billings database and in the hospital information Discharge Abstracts Database (DAD). Our study seeks to validate abortion procedure coding in these databases. METHODS: Two randomized controlled trials enrolled a cohort of 1031 women undergoing abortion. The researcher collected database includes both enrollment and follow up chart review data. The study cohort was linked to MSP and DAD data to identify all abortions events captured in the administrative databases. We compared clinical chart data on abortion procedures with health administrative data. We considered a match to occur if an abortion related code was found in administrative data within 30 days of the date of the same event documented in a clinical chart. RESULTS: Among 1158 abortion events performed during enrollment and follow-up period, 99.1 % were found in at least one of the administrative data sources. The sensitivities for the two databases, evaluated using a gold standard, were 97.7 % (95 % confidence interval (CI): 96.6-98.5) for the MSP database and 91.9 % (95 % CI: 90.0-93.4) for the DAD. CONCLUSIONS: Abortion events coded in the BC health administrative databases are highly accurate. Single-payer health administrative databases at the provincial level in Canada have the potential to offer valid data reflecting abortion events. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier NCT01174225 , Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN19506752 .