Patient-Reported Dry Eye Treatment and Burden of Care.

OBJECTIVES: Dry eye is a common condition that can decrease the quality of life. This survey-based study of persons with dry eye investigated self-reported treatments (initial, current), out-of-pocket expenses, time spent on self-management, sources of care, and sources of information about their condition. METHODS: Online dry eye newsletters and support groups were emailed a link to an electronic survey asking members to participate. Survey respondents were not required to answer every question. RESULTS: In total, 639 persons with self-reported dry eye responded (86% women, 14% men [n=623]; mean ± SD age, 55 ± 14 years [n=595]). Artificial tears were the most reported intervention (76% initially, 71% currently). The median (interquartile range) out-of-pocket treatment cost annually was $500 ($200-$1,320 [n=506]). In addition, 55% (n=544) estimated 5 to 20 min daily on self-management; 22% spent an hour or more. Ophthalmologists provided most dry eye care (67%, n=520). Only 48% (n=524) reported that their primary source of dry eye information came from their eye care clinician. CONCLUSIONS: Artificial tears are the primary treatment for dry eye. Ophthalmologists provide most dry eye care, but half of patients report that their eye care provider is not their primary source of information. Almost one fourth of patients spend an hour or more daily on treatments.

Questionnaire Survey-Based Quantitative Assessment of the Impact of Transitional Care on Self-Management of Patients with Acute Exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.

METHODS: Clinical information of 78 COPD patients treated with TC (intervention group) or routine care (control group) in Shanghai Pulmonary Hospital during March 2019 and August 2020 was gathered. Patients were followed up for 3 months after discharge. The intervention group (n = 39) was subjected to a TC plan for 3 months to help patients and their family caregivers for self-management of COPD. TC was provided by specially trained nurses, and patients were supported by standardized tools. Nursing measures in the control group (n = 79) included transitional support for 30 d after hospital discharge. In this way, patients were guaranteed to follow discharge plans and transit to outpatient nursing. Patient's anxiety and depression symptoms, sleep quality, survival quality, mobility, and life quality at admission and after 3 months of discharge were assessed by Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, Quality of Life Scale Abbreviated Version, Activity of Daily Life Scale, St. George's Respiratory Questionnaire, and COPD Assessment Test. RESULTS: Except for anxiety and depression, patient's sleep quality, survival quality, mobility, and life quality in two groups were significantly improved. Moreover, average change of total CAT score during 3 months of intervention was -5.44, while that in the control group was -1.74 (p = 0.011). Improvement of survival quality of patients in the intervention group (p = 0.001) was markedly greater than that in the control group (p = 0.016). CONCLUSION: Altogether, TC based on quantification by questionnaire survey is beneficial to COPD patient's life quality and self-management.

Assessment of Hypertension Control Among Adults Participating in a Mobile Technology Blood Pressure Self-management Program.

Importance: It is unclear whether mobile technology hypertension self-management programs are associated with blood pressure (BP) control. Objective: To examine whether engagement with a hypertension self-management program with a BP monitor and connected smartphone application with clinically based digital coaching was associated with BP control during a follow-up period of as long as 3 years. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cohort study enrolled US adults with elevated BP or hypertension between January 1, 2015, and July 1, 2020. The hypertension self-management program was provided through the participant's (or their spouse's) employer health plan. Exposures: Program engagement, defined by average number of application sessions. Main Outcomes and Measures: Systolic and diastolic BP measured by a US Food and Drug Administration-cleared BP monitor, with categories defined as normal (systolic BP, <120 mm Hg), elevated (systolic BP, 120-129 mm Hg), stage 1 hypertension (systolic BP, 130-139 mm Hg), and stage 2 hypertension (systolic BP ≥140 mm Hg). Other measures included age, gender, depression, anxiety, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, geographic region, area deprivation index, self-reported weight, and device-measured physical activity (steps per day). Results: Among 28 189 participants (median [IQR] age, 51 [43-58] years; 9424 women [40.4%]; 13 902 men [59.6%]), median (IQR) baseline systolic BP was 129.5 mm Hg (120.5-139.6 mm Hg) and diastolic BP was 81.7 mm Hg (75.7-88.4 mm Hg). Median systolic BP at 1 year improved at least 1 category for 495 of 934 participants (53.0%) with baseline elevated BP, 673 of 966 (69.7%) with baseline stage 1 hypertension, and 920 of 1075 (85.7%) with baseline stage 2 hypertension. Participants in the program for 3 years had a mean (SEM) systolic BP reduction of 7.2 (0.4), 12.2 (0.7), and 20.9 (1.7) mm Hg compared with baseline for those starting with elevated, stage 1 hypertension, and stage 2 hypertension, respectively. Greater engagement was associated with lower systolic BP over time (high-engagement group: 131.2 mm Hg; 95% CI, 115.5-155.8 mm Hg; medium-engagement group: 133.4 mm Hg; 95% CI 116.3-159.5 mm Hg; low-engagement group: 135.5 mm Hg; 95% CI, 117.3-164.8 mm Hg; P < .001); these results persisted after adjusting for age, gender, depression, anxiety, diabetes, high cholesterol, smoking, area deprivation index rank, and US region, which was partially mediated by greater physical activity. A very high BP (systolic BP >180 mm Hg) was observed 11 637 times from 3778 participants. Greater engagement was associated with lower risk of very high BP; the estimated probability of a very high BP was greater in the low-engagement group (1.42%; 95% CI, 1.26%-1.59%) compared with the medium-engagement group (0.79%; 95% CI, 0.71%-0.87%; P < .001) and the high-engagement group (0.53%; 95% CI, 0.45%-0.60%; P < .001 for comparison with both groups). Conclusions and Relevance: The findings of this study suggest that a mobile technology hypertension self-management program can support long-term BP control and very high BP detection. Such programs may improve real-world BP monitoring and control.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Self-Reported Outcomes in Patients With Adrenal Insufficiency.

CONTEXT: The COVID-19 pandemic has impacted healthcare environment. OBJECTIVE: To determine the impact of the pandemic on self-reported outcomes in patients with adrenal insufficiency (AI). DESIGN AND SETTING: Prospective longitudinal survey study at 2 tertiary centers. PARTICIPANTS: Patients with AI. INTERVENTION: Patient-centered questionnaire. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Depression Anxiety Stress Scales-21, Short Form-36, and AI self-management. RESULTS: Of 342 patients, 157 (46%) had primary AI, 109 (32%) had secondary AI, and 76 (22%) had glucocorticoid-induced AI. When compared to prepandemic, daily glucocorticoid dose and number of adrenal crises did not change. However, patients reported a higher financial impact from AI (34% vs 23%, P = 0.006) and difficulty accessing medical care (31% vs 7%, P < 0.0001) during the pandemic. A third of patients reported difficulty managing AI during the pandemic. After adjusting for duration and subtypes of AI, younger patients [odds ratio (OR) 2.3, CI 95% 1.3-4.1], women (OR 3.7, CI 95% 1.9-7.1), poor healthcare access(OR 4.2, CI 95% 2.3-7.7), lack of good insurance support (OR 2.8, CI 95% 1.3-5.9), and those with a higher financial impact (OR 2.3, CI 95% 1.3-4.3) reported greater difficulties managing AI. Patients were more likely to report a higher anxiety score (≥8) if they found managing AI challenging during the pandemic (OR 3.0, CI 95% 1.3-6.9), and had lower Physical Component Summary (OR 4.9, CI 95% 2.2-11.0) and Mental Component Summary (OR 4.1, CI 95% 1.8-9.5) scores prior to the pandemic. CONCLUSIONS: A third of patients with AI reported difficulties with management of AI during the pandemic, particularly in younger patients, women, and those with poor healthcare access.

Financial stress in emerging adults with type 1 diabetes in the United States.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the relationships among financial stress factors (perceived stress, financial stress, and financial independence) and psychological factors (depressive symptoms, trait anxiety, and diabetes distress) on self-management outcomes (HbA1c and diabetes-related quality of life) in emerging adults with type 1 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: A descriptive, correlational, cross-sectional study examined 413 emerging adults, ages 18-25, from the Type 1 Diabetes Exchange Clinic Registry. Data were collected via REDCap surveys using the Personal Financial Well-Being Scale, Willingness to Pay Scale, Financial Independence Visual Analog Scale, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Inventory, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, The Type 1 Diabetes Distress Scale, and Diabetes Quality of Life Measure. Hierarchical Multiple Regression analyses explored significant barriers to self-management outcomes. RESULTS: Hierarchical Multiple Regression analyses revealed that 20.6% of variance in HbA1c (F = 15.555, p < 0.001) was explained by greater financial stress (ß = -0.197, p < 0.001), willingness to pay (ß = -0.220, p < 0.001), disease duration (ß = 0.119, p = 0.014), and diabetes distress (ß = 0.181, p < 0.001); 64.5% of the variance in diabetes-related quality of life (F = 148.469, p < 0.001) was significantly explained by greater financial stress (ß = -0.112, p = 0.002), diabetes distress (ß = 0.512, p < 0.001), trait anxiety (ß = 0.183, p = 0.001) and depressive symptoms (ß = 0.162, p = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: Greater financial stress and psychological factors have detrimental impacts on self-management outcomes during emerging adulthood. Diabetes providers need to identify and address these factors in routine care and advocate for policy changes to support improved self-management outcomes.

Self-Monitoring via Digital Health in Weight Loss Interventions: A Systematic Review Among Adults with Overweight or Obesity.

OBJECTIVE: Self-monitoring is a core component of behavioral obesity treatment, but it is unknown how digital health has been used for self-monitoring, what engagement rates are achieved in these interventions, and how self-monitoring and weight loss are related. METHODS: This systematic review examined digital self-monitoring in behavioral weight loss interventions among adults with overweight or obesity. Six databases (PubMed, Embase, Scopus, PsycInfo, CINAHL, and ProQuest Dissertations & Theses) were searched for randomized controlled trials with interventions ≥ 12 weeks, weight outcomes ≥ 6 months, and outcomes on self-monitoring engagement and their relationship to weight loss. RESULTS: Thirty-nine studies from 2009 to 2019 met inclusion criteria. Among the 67 interventions with digital self-monitoring, weight was tracked in 72% of them, diet in 81%, and physical activity in 82%. Websites were the most common self-monitoring modality, followed by mobile applications, wearables, electronic scales, and, finally, text messaging. Few interventions had digital self-monitoring engagement rates ≥ 75% of days. Rates were higher in digital- than in paper-based arms in 21 out of 34 comparisons and lower in just 2. Interventions with counseling had similar rates to standalone interventions. Greater digital self-monitoring was linked to weight loss in 74% of occurrences. CONCLUSIONS: Self-monitoring via digital health is consistently associated with weight loss in behavioral obesity treatment.

Social support and diabetes distress among adults with type 2 diabetes covered by Alabama Medicaid.

AIMS: Diabetes distress affects approximately 36% of adults with diabetes and is associated with worse diabetes self-management and poor glycaemic control. We characterized participants' diabetes distress and studied the relationship between social support and diabetes distress. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, we surveyed a population-based sample of adults with type 2 diabetes covered by Alabama Medicaid. We used the Diabetes Distress Scale assessing emotional burden, physician-related, regimen-related and interpersonal distress. We assessed participants' level of diabetes-specific social support and satisfaction with this support, categorized as low or moderate-high. We performed multivariable logistic regression of diabetes distress by level of and satisfaction with social support, adjusting for demographics, disease severity, self-efficacy and depressive symptoms. RESULTS: In all, 1147 individuals participated; 73% were women, 41% White, 58% Black and 3% Hispanic. Low level of or satisfaction with social support was reported by 11% of participants; 7% of participants had severe diabetes distress. Participants with low satisfaction with social support were statistically significantly more likely to have severe diabetes distress than those with moderate-high satisfaction, adjusted odds ratio 2.43 (95% CI 1.30, 4.54). CONCLUSIONS: Interventions addressing diabetes distress in adults with type 2 diabetes may benefit from a focus on improving diabetes-specific social support.

Estimating the impact of self-management education, influenza vaccines, nebulizers, and spacers on health utilization and expenditures for Medicaid-enrolled children with asthma.

INTRODUCTION: We quantify the effect of a set of interventions including asthma self-management education, influenza vaccination, spacers, and nebulizers on healthcare utilization and expenditures for Medicaid-enrolled children with asthma in New York and Michigan. METHODS: We obtained patients' data from Medicaid Analytic eXtract files and evaluated patients with persistent asthma in 2010 and 2011. We used difference-in-difference regression to quantify the effect of the intervention on the probability of asthma-related healthcare utilization, asthma medication, and utilization costs. We estimated the average change in outcome measures from pre-intervention/intervention (2010) to post-intervention (2011) periods for the intervention group by comparing this with the average change in the control group over the same time horizon. RESULTS: All of the interventions reduced both utilization and asthma medication costs. Asthma self-management education, nebulizer, and spacer interventions reduced the probability of emergency department (20.8-1.5%, 95%CI 19.7-21.9% vs. 0.5-2.5%, respectively) and inpatient (3.5-0.8%, 95%CI 2.1-4.9% vs. 0.4-1.2%, respectively) utilizations. Influenza vaccine decreased the probability of primary care physician (6-3.5%, 95%CI 4.4-7.6% vs. 1.5-5.5%, respectively) visit. The reductions varied by state and intervention. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting asthma self-management education, influenza vaccinations, nebulizers, and spacers can decrease the frequency of healthcare utilization and asthma-related expenditures while improving medication adherence.

Prevalence of Self-Managed Abortion Among Women of Reproductive Age in the United States.

Importance: Increasing evidence indicates that people are attempting their own abortions outside the formal health care system. However, population-based estimates of experience with self-managed abortion (SMA) are lacking. Objective: To estimate the prevalence of SMA attempts among the general US population. Design, Setting, and Participants: This cross-sectional survey study was fielded August 2 to 17, 2017 among English- and Spanish- speaking, self-identified female panel members from the GfK web-based KnowledgePanel. Women ages 18 to 49 years were approached to complete a 1-time survey. Data were analyzed from September 22, 2017, to March 26, 2020. Main Outcomes and Measures: SMA was defined as "some women may do something on their own to try to end a pregnancy without medical assistance. For example, they may get information from the internet, a friend, or family member about pills, medicine, or herbs they can take on their own, or they may do something else to try to end the pregnancy." SMA was assessed using the question, "Have you ever taken or used something on your own, without medical assistance, to try to end an unwanted pregnancy?" Participants reporting SMA were asked about methods used, reasons, and outcomes. Factors associated with SMA experience, including age, race/ethnicity, socioeconomic status, nativity, reproductive health history, and geography, were assessed. Projected lifetime SMA prevalence was estimated using discrete-time event history models, adjusting for abortion underreporting. Results: Among 14 151 participants invited to participate, 7022 women (49.6%) (mean [SE] age, 33.9 [9.0] years) agreed to participate. Among these, 57.4% (95% CI, 55.8%-59.0%) were non-Hispanic White, 20.2% (95% CI, 18.9%-21.5%) were Hispanic, and 13.3% (95% CI, 12.1%-14.5%) were non-Hispanic Black; and 15.1% (95% CI, 14.1%-16.3%) reported living at less than 100% federal poverty level (FPL). A total of 1.4% (95% CI, 1.0%-1.8%) of participants reported a history of attempting SMA while in the US. Projected lifetime prevalence of SMA adjusting for underreporting of abortion was 7.0% (95% CI, 5.5%-8.4%). In bivariable analyses, non-Hispanic Black (prevalence ratio [PR], 3.16; 95% CI, 1.48-6.75) and Hispanic women surveyed in English (PR, 3.74; 95% CI, 1.78-7.87) were more likely than non-Hispanic White women to have attempted SMA. Women living below 100% of the FPL were also more likely to have attempted SMA compared with those at 200% FPL or greater (PR, 3.43; 95% CI, 1.83-6.42). At most recent SMA attempt, 20.0% (95% CI, 10.9%-33.8%) of respondents used misoprostol, 29.2% (95% CI, 17.5%-44.5%) used another medication or drug, 38.4% (95% CI, 25.3%-53.4%) used herbs, and 19.8% (95% CI, 10.0%-35.5%) used physical methods. The most common reasons for SMA included that it seemed faster or easier (47.2% [95% CI, 33.0%-61.8%]) and the clinic was too expensive (25.2% [95% CI, 15.7%-37.7%]). Of all attempts, 27.8% (95% CI, 16.6%-42.7%) of respondents reported they were successful; the remainder reported they had subsequent facility-based abortions (33.6% [95% CI, 21.0%-49.0%]), continued the pregnancy (13.4% [95% CI, 7.4%-23.1%]), had a miscarriage (11.4% [95% CI, 4.2%-27.5%]), or were unsure (13.3% [95% CI, 6.8%-24.7%]). A total of 11.0% (95% CI, 5.5%-21.0%) of respondents reported a complication. Conclusions and Relevance: This cross-sectional study found that approximately 7% of US women reported having attempted SMA in their lifetime, commonly with ineffective methods. These findings suggest that surveys of SMA experience among patients at abortion clinics may capture only one-third of SMA attempts. People's reasons for attempting SMA indicate that as abortion becomes more restricted, SMA may become more common.

Correlation between self-perceived burden and self-management behavior in elderly stroke survivors: A longitudinal observational study.

The aim of this study was to assess the levels of self-perceived burden (SPB) and self-management behavior in elderly stroke survivors during the first 3 months after acute stroke, and to explore the correlation between them.A total of 203 consecutive hospitalized elderly patients diagnosed with stroke were recruited. Self-perceived Burden Scale and Stroke Self-management Scale in 1 month (T1) and 3 months (T2) post-stroke were assessed and compared.The score of SPB in elderly stroke survivors was 28.96 ±â€Š5.50 and 27.25 ±â€Š6.17 at T1 and T2, respectively. Stroke self-management scale scored 165.93 ±â€Š9.82 at T1 and 167.29 ±â€Š10.60 at T2. In the first 3 months post-stroke, the physical burden was dominant (T1 14.73 ±â€Š3.07, T2 14.40 ±â€Š3.13), and the behavior of stroke symptoms and signs monitoring (T1 27.58 ±â€Š6.56, T2 28.64 ±â€Š6.43) and rehabilitation exercise management (T1 21.40 ±â€Š3.28, T2 20.74 ±â€Š3.15) was the worst. SPB was negatively correlated with self-management behavior (T1 r = -.202, T2 r = -.511).Elderly stroke survivors experienced a medium level of SPB and self-management behavior in the first 3 months post-stroke. There is a positive relationship between reduced SPB and improved self-management behavior. Addressing the characteristics and correlations as well as development of targeted interventions for SPB decreasing is beneficial to improving self-management behavior for elderly survivors.

Social Norms and Self-Management Ability among Uninsured Primary Care Patients.

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to examine the association between social norms and self-management ability among uninsured low-income primary care patients. METHODS: Data were collected from adult patients at a free clinic using a self-administered survey from August to December 2018. RESULTS: Higher levels of social norms to exercise were associated with higher levels of all aspects of self-management ability. Lower levels of social norms to use substances were associated with higher levels of all aspects of self-management ability, except for variety in self-management. Better health was associated with higher levels of investment behavior of self-management ability. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest the association between social norms and self-management ability and its impact on health among low-income, uninsured primary care patients. Self-management ability is important for maintaining health. Providing intervention programs on self-management skills should focus on not only individual behaviors but also social norms that affect their health behaviors.

Disease Control and Gender Predict the Socioeconomic Effects of Acromegaly: A Nationwide Cohort Study.

CONTEXT: Acromegaly is an insidious disease associated with severe somatic morbidity but data on socioeconomic status are scarce. OBJECTIVE: To study the socioeconomic status in acromegaly in a population-based follow-up study. METHODS: All incident cases of acromegaly (n = 576) during the period 1977-2010 were included. For every patient, 100 persons were sampled from the general population matched for date of birth and gender (comparison cohort). Cox regression and hazard ratios (HR), conditional logistic regression and linear regression with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used. OUTCOME MEASURES: Retirement, social security benefit, annual income, cohabitation, separation, parenthood and educational level. RESULTS: The proportion of retired individuals was significantly higher in patients with acromegaly after the time of diagnosis (HR, 1.43; 95% CI, 1.26-1.62) and also during the 5-year pre-diagnostic period (HR, 1.15; 95% CI, 1.03-1.28). More individuals with acromegaly received social security benefit compared with the comparison cohort during the initial period after the time of diagnosis. Among patients who maintained a job, the annual income was similar to the comparison cohort. Compared with the background population, cohabitation was lower (HR, 0.69; 95% CI, 0.50-0.95) as was parenthood (HR, 0.56; 95% CI, 0.39-0.80), whereas neither educational level (HR, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.35-1.06) nor separation (HR, 1.13; 95% CI, 0.86-1.47) were different. Female gender and insufficient disease control were associated with a significantly worse socioeconomic status. CONCLUSIONS: 1) Socioeconomic status is impaired in patients with acromegaly even before a diagnosis of acromegaly. 2) Females and patients without disease remission have worse outcomes. 3) Early diagnosis and effective treatment of acromegaly could be important factors in mitigating the negative impact on socioeconomic factors.

Type 1 diabetes self-management behaviors among emerging adults: Racial/ethnic differences.

BACKGROUND: Emerging adulthood is a vulnerable period for poor blood glucose control and self-management behaviors (SMBs) among individuals with type 1 diabetes. Racial/ethnic minority young adults have poorer glycemic outcomes than non-Hispanic whites; however, little is known about possible racial/ethnic differences in frequency of SMBs among emerging adults (EAs). OBJECTIVE: To examine racial/ethnic differences in SMBs and to determine associations between SMBs and blood glucose control. METHODS: A sample of EAs (ages 18-25 years; N = 3456) from the type 1 diabetes exchange registry was used to conduct multivariate analyses to examine (a) racial/ethnic differences in SMBs and (b) associations between SMBs and blood glucose control for each racial/ethnic group. RESULTS: Compared to non-Hispanic whites, African Americans and Hispanics less frequently took an insulin bolus for snacks, less frequently checked blood glucose with a meter, and were more likely to not use insulin to carbohydrate ratios. African Americans also less frequently checked blood glucose prior to mealtime boluses and more frequently missed insulin doses. SMBs that were associated with blood glucose control across groups were frequency of checking blood glucose at mealtime, missing an insulin dose, and checking blood glucose with a meter. CONCLUSIONS: Promoting two SMBs: checking blood glucose and taking insulin doses as needed among African American EAs may be important to address racial disparities in glycemic outcomes. Future research should evaluate possible social and contextual mechanisms contributing to low engagement in these behaviors among African Americans to inform strategies to address racial differences in glycemic outcomes.

Racial-Ethnic Inequity in Young Adults With Type 1 Diabetes.

CONTEXT: Minority young adults (YA) currently represent the largest growing population with type 1 diabetes (T1D) and experience very poor outcomes. Modifiable drivers of disparities need to be identified, but are not well-studied. OBJECTIVE: To describe racial-ethnic disparities among YA with T1D and identify drivers of glycemic disparity other than socioeconomic status (SES). DESIGN: Cross-sectional multicenter collection of patient and chart-reported variables, including SES, social determinants of health, and diabetes-specific factors, with comparison between non-Hispanic White, non-Hispanic Black, and Hispanic YA and multilevel modeling to identify variables that account for glycemic disparity apart from SES. SETTING: Six diabetes centers across the United States. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 300 YA with T1D (18-28 years: 33% non-Hispanic White, 32% non-Hispanic Black, and 34% Hispanic). MAIN OUTCOME: Racial-ethnic disparity in HbA1c levels. RESULTS: Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic YA had lower SES, higher HbA1c levels, and much lower diabetes technology use than non-Hispanic White YA (P < 0.001). Non-Hispanic Black YA differed from Hispanic, reporting higher diabetes distress and lower self-management (P < 0.001). After accounting for SES, differences in HbA1c levels disappeared between non-Hispanic White and Hispanic YA, whereas they remained for non-Hispanic Black YA (+ 2.26% [24 mmol/mol], P < 0.001). Diabetes technology use, diabetes distress, and disease self-management accounted for a significant portion of the remaining non-Hispanic Black-White glycemic disparity. CONCLUSION: This study demonstrated large racial-ethnic inequity in YA with T1D, especially among non-Hispanic Black participants. Our findings reveal key opportunities for clinicians to potentially mitigate glycemic disparity in minority YA by promoting diabetes technology use, connecting with social programs, and tailoring support for disease self-management and diabetes distress to account for social contextual factors.

Facilitators and barriers to the self-management of COPD: a qualitative study from rural Nepal.

OBJECTIVE: To understand the facilitators and barriers to the self-management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in rural Nepal. SETTINGS: Community and primary care centres in rural Nepal. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 14 participants (10 people with COPD and 4 health care providers) were interviewed. PRIMARY AND SECONDARY OUTCOME MEASURES: People with COPD and healthcare provider's experience of COPD self-management in rural Nepal. RESULTS: Facilitators and barriers affecting COPD self-management in Nepal operated at the patient-family, community and service provider levels. People with COPD were found to have a limited understanding of COPD and medications. Some participants reported receiving inadequate family support and described poor emotional health. At the community level, widespread use of complementary and alternative treatment was found to be driven by social networks and was used instead of western medicine. There were limited quality controls in place to monitor the safe use of alternative treatment. While a number of service level factors were identified by all participants, the pertinent concerns were the levels of trust and respect between doctors and their patients. Service level factors included patients' demands for doctor time and attention, limited confidence of people with COPD in communicating confidently and openly with their doctor, limited skills and expertise of the doctors in promoting behavioural change, frustration with doctors prescribing too many medicines and the length of time to diagnose the disease. These service level factors were underpinned by resource constraints operating in rural areas. These included inadequate infrastructure and resources, limited skills of primary level providers and lack of educational materials for COPD. CONCLUSIONS: The study findings suggest the need for a more integrated model of care with multiple strategies targeting all three levels in order to improve the self-management practices among people with COPD.

Impact of a Telephonic Intervention to Improve Diabetes Control on Health Care Utilization and Cost for Adults in South Bronx, New York.

OBJECTIVE: Self-management education and support are essential for improved diabetes control. A 1-year randomized telephonic diabetes self-management intervention (Bronx A1C) among a predominantly Latino and African American population in New York City was found effective in improving blood glucose control. To further those findings, this current study assessed the intervention's impact in reducing health care utilization and costs over 4 years. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We measured inpatient (n = 816) health care utilization for Bronx A1C participants using an administrative data set containing all hospital discharges for New York State from 2006 to 2014. Multilevel mixed modeling was used to assess changes in health care utilization and costs between the telephonic diabetes intervention (Tele/Pr) arm and print-only (PrO) control arm. RESULTS: During follow-up, excess relative reductions in all-cause hospitalizations for the Tele/Pr arm compared with PrO arm were statistically significant for odds of hospital use (odds ratio [OR] 0.89; 95% CI 0.82, 0.97; P < 0.01), number of hospital stays (rate ratio [RR] 0.90; 95% CI 0.81, 0.99; P = 0.04), and hospital costs (RR 0.90; 95% CI 0.84, 0.98; P = 0.01). Reductions in hospital use and costs were even stronger for diabetes-related hospitalizations. These outcomes were not significantly related to changes observed in hemoglobin A1c during individuals' participation in the 1-year intervention. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that the impact of the Bronx A1C intervention was not just on short-term improvements in glycemic control but also on long-term health care utilization. This finding is important because it suggests the benefits of the intervention were long-lasting with the potential to not only reduce hospitalizations but also to lower hospital-associated costs.

Anticipatory care planning intervention for older adults at risk of functional decline: study protocol for a primary care cluster feasibility randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: The treatment and management of long-term health conditions is the greatest challenge facing health systems around the world today. Innovative approaches to patient care in the community such as Anticipatory Care Planning (ACP), which seek to help with the provision of high-quality comprehensive care to older adults at risk of functional decline, require evaluation. This study will evaluate one approach that will include primary care as the setting for ACP. METHODS/DESIGN: This study will help to determine the feasibility for a definitive randomised trial to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of an ACP intervention. The intervention will be delivered by specially trained registered nurses in a primary care setting with older adults identified as at risk of functional decline. The intervention will comprise: (a) information collection via patient assessment; (b) facilitated informed dialogue between the patient, family carer, general practitioner and other healthcare practitioners; and, (c) documentation of the agreed support plan and follow-up review dates. Through a structured consultation with patients and their family carers, the nurses will complete a mutually agreed personalised support plan. DISCUSSION: This study will determine the feasibility for a full trial protocol to evaluate the implementation and outcomes of an (ACP) intervention in primary care to assist older adults aged 70 years of age or older and assessed as being at risk of functional decline. The study will be implemented in two jurisdictions on the island of Ireland which employ different health systems but which face similar health challenges. This study will allow us to examine important issues, such as the impact of two different healthcare systems on the health of older people and the influence of different legislative interpretations on undertaking cross jurisdictional research in Ireland. PROTOCOL VERSION: Version 1, 17 September 2019. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Clinicaltrials.gov, ID: NCT03902743. Registered on 4 April 2019.

The cost-effectiveness of specialized nursing interventions for people with Parkinson's disease: the NICE-PD study protocol for a randomized controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Current guidelines recommend that every person with Parkinson's disease (PD) should have access to Parkinson's disease nurse specialist (PDNS) care. However, there is little scientific evidence of the cost-effectiveness of PDNS care. This hampers wider implementation, creates unequal access to care, and possibly leads to avoidable disability and costs. Therefore, we aim to study the (cost-)effectiveness of specialized nursing care provided by a PDNS compared with usual care (without PDNS) for people with PD in all disease stages. To gain more insight into the deployed interventions and their effects, a preplanned subgroup analysis will be performed on the basis of disease duration (diagnosis < 5, 5-10, or > 10 years ago). METHODS: We will perform an 18-month, single-blind, randomized controlled clinical trial in eight community hospitals in the Netherlands. A total of 240 people with PD who have not been treated by a PDNS over the past 2 years will be included, independent of disease severity or duration. In each hospital, 30 patients will randomly be allocated in a 1:1 ratio to receive either care by a PDNS (who works according to a recent guideline on PDNS care) or usual care. We will use two co-primary outcomes: quality of life (measured with the Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire-39) and motor symptoms (measured with the Movement Disorders Society-sponsored revision of the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale part III). Secondary outcomes include nonmotor symptoms, health-related quality of life, experienced quality of care, self-management, medication adherence, caregiver burden, and coping skills. Data will be collected after 12 months and 18 months by a blinded researcher. A healthcare utilization and productivity loss questionnaire will be completed every 3 months. DISCUSSION: The results of this trial will have an immediate impact on the current care of people with PD. We hypothesize that by offering more patients access to PDNS care, quality of life will increase. We also expect healthcare costs to remain equal because increases in direct medical costs (funding additional nurses) will be offset by a reduced number of consultations with the general practitioner and neurologist. If these outcomes are reached, wide implementation of PDNS care will be warranted. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03830190. Registered February 5, 2019 (retrospectively registered).

Demand for Self-Managed Medication Abortion Through an Online Telemedicine Service in the United States.

Objectives. To examine demand for abortion medications through an online telemedicine service in the United States.Methods. We examined requests from US residents to the online telemedicine abortion service Women on Web (WoW) between October 15, 2017, and August 15, 2018. We calculated the population-adjusted rate of requests by state and examined the demographics, clinical characteristics, and motivations of those seeking services, comparing those in states with hostile versus supportive abortion policy climates.Results. Over 10 months, WoW received 6022 requests from US residents; 76% from hostile states. Mississippi had the highest rate of requests (24.9 per 100 000 women of reproductive age). In both hostile and supportive states, a majority (60%) reported a combination of barriers to clinic access and preferences for self-management. Cost was the most common barrier (71% in hostile states; 63% in supportive states; P < .001). Privacy was the most common preference (49% in both hostile and supportive states; P = .66).Conclusions. Demand for self-managed medication abortion through online telemedicine is prevalent in the United States. There is a public health justification to make these abortions as safe, effective, and supported as possible.