Patient, family member and caregiver engagement in shaping policy for primary health care teams in three Canadian Provinces.

INTRODUCTION: Improving health services integration through primary health care (PHC) teams for patients with chronic conditions is essential to address their complex health needs and facilitate better health outcomes. The objective of this study was to explore if and how patients, family members, and caregivers were engaged or wanted to be engaged in developing, implementing and evaluating health policies related to PHC teams. This patient-oriented research was carried out in three provinces across Canada: British Columbia, Alberta and Ontario. METHODS: A total of 29 semi-structured interviews with patients were conducted across the three provinces and data were analysed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Three key themes were identified: motivation for policy engagement, experiences with policy engagement and barriers to engagement in policy. The majority of participants in the study wanted to be engaged in policy processes and advocate for integrated care through PHC teams. Barriers to patient engagement in policy, such as lack of opportunities for engagement, power imbalances, tokenism, lack of accessibility of engagement opportunities and experiences of racism and discrimination were also identified. CONCLUSION: This study increases the understanding of patient, family member, and caregiver engagement in policy related to PHC team integration and the barriers that currently exist in this engagement process. This information can be used to guide decision-makers on how to improve the delivery of integrated health services through PHC teams and enhance patient, family member, and caregiver engagement in PHC policy. PATIENT OR PUBLIC CONTRIBUTION: We would like to acknowledge the contributions of our patient partners, Brenda Jagroop and Judy Birdsell, who assisted with developing and pilot testing the interview guide. Judy Birdsell also assisted with the preparation of this manuscript. This study also engaged patients, family members, and caregivers to share their experiences with engagement in PHC policy.

Traditional and complementary medicine (TCM) usage and its association with Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) among individuals with metabolic syndrome in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Traditional and Complementary Medicine (TCM) is widely used particularly among patients with chronic diseases in primary care. However, evidence is lacking regarding TCM use among patients with Metabolic Syndrome (MetS) and its association with patients' experience on chronic disease conventional care that they receive. Therefore, this study aims to determine the prevalence and pattern of TCM use, compare the patients' experience of chronic disease care using the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care - Malay version (PACIC-M) questionnaire between TCM users and non-users and determine the factors associated with TCM use among patients with MetS in primary care. METHODOLOGY: A cross-sectional study was conducted at a university primary care clinic. Patients aged 18 to 80 years old with MetS were recruited. Socio-demographic characteristic, clinical characteristics and information on TCM use and its pattern were recorded in a proforma. Patient's experience of chronic disease conventional care was measured using PACIC-M questionnaire. The comparison of PACIC-M mean score between TCM users and non-users was measured using independent t-test. The factors associated with TCM use were determined by simple logistic regression (SLogR), followed by multiple logistic regression (MLogR). RESULTS: Out of 394 participants, 381 (96.7%) were included in the final analysis. Of the 381 participants, 255 (66.9%) were TCM users (95% CI 62.7, 71.7). Only 36.9% of users disclosed about TCM use to their health care providers (HCP). The overall mean PACIC-M score was 2.91 (SD ± 0.04). TCM users had significantly higher mean PACIC-M score compared to non-users (2.98 ± 0.74 vs 2.75 ± 0.72, p = 0.01). The independent factors associated with TCM use were being female (Adj. OR 2.50, 95% CI 1.55, 4.06), having high education level (Adj. OR 2.16, 95% CI 1.37, 3.41) and having high overall PACIC-M mean score (Adj. OR 1.49, 95% CI 1.10, 2.03). CONCLUSION: TCM use was highly prevalent in this primary care clinic. However, the disclosure rate of TCM use to HCP was low. Females, those with high education and high PACIC-M mean score were more likely to use TCM. Further research should explore the reasons for their TCM use, despite having good experience in conventional chronic disease care.

Physician perspectives on delays in cancer diagnosis in Alberta: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Delays in cancer diagnosis have been associated with reduced survival, decreased quality of life after treatment, and suboptimal patient experience. The objective of the study was to explore the perspectives of a group of family physicians and other specialists regarding potentially avoidable delays in diagnosing cancer, and approaches that may help expedite the process. METHODS: We conducted a qualitative study using interviews with physicians practising in primary and outpatient care settings in Alberta between July and September 2019. We recruited family physicians and specialists who were in a position to discuss delays in cancer diagnosis by email via the Cancer Strategic Clinical Network and the Alberta Medical Association. We conducted semistructured interviews over the phone, and analyzed data using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Eleven family physicians and 22 other specialists (including 7 surgeons or surgical oncologists, 3 pathologists, 3 radiologists, 2 emergency physicians and 2 hematologists) participated in interviews; 22 were male (66.7%). We identified 4 main themes describing 9 factors contributing to potentially avoidable delays in diagnosis, namely the nature of primary care, initial presentation, investigation, and specialist advice and referral. We also identified 1 theme describing 3 suggestions for improvement, including system integration, standardized care pathways and a centralized advice, triage and referral support service for family physicians. INTERPRETATION: These findings suggest the need for enhanced support for family physicians, and better integration of primary and specialty care before cancer diagnosis. A multifaceted and coordinated approach to streamlining cancer diagnosis is required, with the goals of enhancing patient outcomes, reducing physician frustration and optimizing efficiency.

A mixed methods evaluation of medication reconciliation in the primary care setting.

OBJECTIVES: To understand the extent to which behaviors consistent with high quality medication reconciliation occurred in primary care settings and explore barriers to high quality medication reconciliation. DESIGN: Fully mixed sequential equal status design including ethnographic observations, semi-structured interviews, and surveys. SETTING: Primary care practices within an integrated healthcare delivery system in the United States. PARTICIPANTS: We conducted 170 observations of patient encounters across 15 primary care clinics, 48 semi-structured interviews with staff, and 10 semi-structured interviews with patients. We also sent out surveys to 2,541 eligible staff with 616 responses (24% response rate) and to 5,132 eligible patients with 577 responses (11% response rate). RESULTS: Inconsistency emerged as a major barrier to effective medication reconciliation. This inconsistency was present across a variety of factors such as the lack of standardized workflows for conducting medication reconciliation, a lack of knowledge about medication and the process of medication reconciliation, varying levels of importance ascribed to medication reconciliation, and inadequate integration of medication reconciliation into clinical workflows. Findings were generally consistent across all data collection methods. CONCLUSION: We have identified several barriers which impact the process of medication reconciliation in primary care settings. Our key finding is that the process of medication reconciliation is plagued by inconsistencies which contribute to inaccurate medication lists. These inconsistencies can be broken down into several categories (standardization, knowledge, importance, and inadequate integration) which can be targets for future studies and interventions.

Metodologias de monitoramento e avaliação de ações de Promoção da Saúde na Atenção Primária à Saúde / Monitoring and evaluation methodologies of Health Promotion actions in Primary Health Care

Esta revisão rápida foi comissionada e subsidiada pelo Ministério da Saúde, no âmbito do projeto GEREB-010-FIO-20 e faz parte da Coleção "Rapid response for health promotion". Contexto: A Política Nacional de Promoção da Saúde reconhece a necessidade de implementação das ações de maneira integrada, transversal e intersetorial. A promoção da saúde é caracterizada como um conjunto de formas e estratégias, individuais e coletivas, de produzir saúde, em articulação intersetorial com forte participação social. Assim, seu processo de implementação contempla um novo paradigma da saúde e os processos que levam ao adoecimento, deslocando o foco da doença e acolhendo os modos e contextos de vida. Muitos avanços ocorreram nas políticas e programas de promoção à saúde, no entanto há uma necessidade de metodologias para monitorar e avaliar as ações nesse campo. Uma metodologia estruturada serve como um modelo que possibilita um passo a passo a fim de construir e avaliar um programa de intervenção e sua implementação. Pergunta: Quais são as metodologias que têm sido utilizadas para monitorar e avaliar o resultado e o impacto das ações de Promoção da Saúde na APS? Métodos: Três frameworks para avaliação e monitoramento de ações de promoção da saúde foram identificados: RE-AIM, PRECEDE-PROCEED, PROCTOR e colaboradores. Buscas manuais foram realizadas nas fontes de informação Pubmed e Google Acadêmico para identificar artigos que abordassem os conceitos e o modo de operação desses frameworks, bem como exemplos de estudos que os tenham aplicado. As buscas foram realizadas por uma revisora e as extrações de dados por três revisores. Não foi realizada a avaliação da qualidade metodológica dos estudos. Os resultados são apresentados em síntese narrativa. Resultados: As buscas manuais recuperaram treze publicações, das quais dez compuseram a síntese narrativa desta revisão rápida. Cinco artigos abordando o framework RE-AIM são apresentados, um que discorre sobre o modelo e quatro que ilustram suas possibilidades de aplicação (exemplos de estudos de desenhos diversos sobre intervenções em atividade física, obesidade infantil e mudanças no estilo de vida). Para o framework PRECEDE-PROCEED foram incluídos um artigo sobre o modelo e dois artigos que exemplificam sua aplicação na avaliação de programa de saúde comunitária para adultos hipertensos e aconselhamento de atividade física. O modelo de ciência de implementação proposto por Proctor e colaboradores é abordado em um artigo e exemplificado em outro sobre avaliação qualitativa de um programa de promoção de saúde para usuários com risco de desenvolver doenças. Considerações finais: São apresentados três frameworks para avaliação de ações de promoção da saúde em ambientes de APS. Os modelos são distintos entre si e, de maneira geral, os estudos que os utilizaram indicam que eles podem ser boas ferramentas para planejar, implementar, monitorar e avaliar programas e ações de promoção de saúde.

This rapid review was commissioned and subsidized by the Ministry of Health, within the scope of the GEREB-010-FIO-20 project and is part of the "Rapid response for health promotion" Collection. Context: The Brazilian National Health Promotion Policy recognizes the need to implement actions in an integrated, transversal and intersectoral manner. Health promotion is characterized as a set of individual and collective ways and strategies to produce health, in intersectoral articulation with strong social participation. Thus, its implementation process contemplates a new health paradigm and the processes that lead to illness, shifting the focus of the disease and welcoming the ways and contexts of life. Many advances have been made in health promotion policies and programs, however there is a need for methodologies to monitor and evaluate actions in this field. A structured methodology serves as a model that provides a step-by-step approach to building and evaluating an intervention program and its implementation. Question: What methodologies have been used to monitor and evaluate the result and impact of Health Promotion actions in PHC? Methods: Three frameworks for evaluating and monitoring health promotion actions were identified: RE-AIM, PRECEDE-PROCEED, PROCTOR and collaborators. Manual searches were carried out in Pubmed and Google Scholar information sources to identify articles that addressed the concepts and operation of these frameworks, as well as examples of studies that have applied them. Searches were performed by one reviewer and data extractions by three reviewers. The evaluation of the methodological quality of the studies was not performed. The results are presented in narrative synthesis. Results: Manual searches retrieved thirteen publications, ten of which composed the narrative synthesis of this quick review. Five articles addressing the RE-AIM framework are presented, one that discusses the model and four that illustrate its application possibilities (examples of studies of different designs on interventions in physical activity, childhood obesity and changes in lifestyle). For the PRECEDE-PROCEED framework, an article about the model and two articles that exemplify its application in the evaluation of a community health program for hypertensive adults and physical activity counseling were included. The implementation science model proposed by Proctor and collaborators is addressed in an article and exemplified in another on qualitative evaluation of a health promotion program for users at risk of developing diseases. Final considerations: Three frameworks for evaluating health promotion actions in PHC environments are presented. The models are distinct from each other and, in general, the studies that used them indicate that they can be good tools for planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluating health promotion programs and actions.

Prática de atividade física para controle de diabetes, hipertensão e obesidade da população adulta na Atenção Primária à Saúde / Practice of physical activity to control diabetes, hypertension and obesity in the adult population in Primary Health Care

Esta revisão rápida foi comissionada e subsidiada pelo Ministério da Saúde, no âmbito do projeto GEREB-010-FIO-20 e faz parte da Coleção "Rapid response for health promotion". Contexto: As Doenças Crônicas Não Transmissíveis (DCNT) estão entre as principais causas de mortalidade no mundo. Diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2), hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS) e obesidade são considerados problemas de saúde pública com alta prevalência em países pobres. A atividade física pode ser um fator protetivo para DCNT, auxiliando na prevenção e tratamento das doenças e da incapacidade funcional, por meio da redução da adiposidade corporal e da pressão arterial, melhora do perfil lipídico e da sensibilidade à insulina, entre outros benefícios. Pergunta: Quais intervenções de atividade física são efetivas para controle de diabetes, hipertensão e de sobrepeso/obesidade na Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS)? Métodos: Oito bases da literatura eletrônica foram buscadas em maio de 2021 para identificar revisões sistemáticas (RS) sobre intervenções de atividade física para controle ou melhoria dos quadros de diabetes, hipertensão e sobrepeso/obesidade. Utilizando atalhos de revisão rápida para simplificar o processo, foram realizadas seleção e extração dos dados com posterior avaliação da qualidade das RS. Em seguida, os resultados foram reunidos em síntese narrativa conforme similaridade. Resultados: A busca retornou 633 referências únicas, que após seleção resultaram na inclusão de 6 revisões sistemáticas, todas de confiança criticamente baixa na avaliação da qualidade metodológica. A maioria dos estudos foi realizada na Ásia e América do Norte, com destaque para China e Estados Unidos. Uma revisão sistemática incluiu estudos realizados no Brasil. O protocolo desta revisão previa a inclusão de estudos realizados em serviços de atenção primária à saúde, porém durante o processo de seleção foi necessário ampliar os critérios de elegibilidade, pois não foram identificados estudos restritos a contextos de APS. Algumas RS também incluíram o grupo de comparadores envolvendo atividade física e voluntários saudáveis. Os resultados foram apresentados em três categorias conforme a condição analisada: hipertensão, diabetes mellitus 2 e as três condições combinadas (HAS, DM2 e obesidade). Os estudos envolveram as seguintes intervenções: prática de tai chi chuan; treino de resistência e/ou aeróbico; aeróbico, musculação e educação sobre estilo de vida; yoga; treino de hidroginástica, fortalecimento, alongamento e Baduanjin; uso de monitores de atividade (acelerômetros ou pedômetros) e exercício de resistência progressiva; pedômetro com atividade física. A maioria dos resultados mostrou efeitos positivos (pressão arterial média; controle efetivo da pressão arterial - PA; redução das pressões arteriais sistólica (PAS) e diastólica (PAD); melhora na medida da hemoglobina glicada; diminuição significativa do índice de massa corporal - IMC), indicando também incertezas quanto a alguns desfechos. Conclusão: As RS que avaliaram pacientes hipertensos indicam redução na PA com a prática de atividade física, porém a certeza da evidência foi baixa em uma delas. O uso de monitores de atividade não resultou em melhora nos indicadores de pacientes com DM2. Uma das RS indicou que exercícios de resistência melhoraram a medida da hemoglobina glicada, mas não apresentaram efeito na composição corporal de pacientes com DM2 e sobrepeso. Já o uso de pedômetros, em uma RS, foi associado à diminuição no IMC e na PAS em pacientes com comorbidades. Os estudos incluídos devem ser avaliados com cautela, pois apresentaram falhas metodológicas que comprometem a confiança em seus resultados.

This rapid review was commissioned and subsidized by the Ministry of Health, within the scope of the GEREB-010-FIO-20 project and is part of the "Rapid response for health promotion" Collection. Context: Chronic Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs) are among the leading causes of mortality in the world. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2), systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) and obesity are considered public health problems with high prevalence in poor countries. Physical activity can be a protective factor for NCDs, helping to prevent and treat diseases and functional disability, by reducing body adiposity and blood pressure, improving lipid profile and insulin sensitivity, among other benefits. Question: Which physical activity interventions are effective for controlling diabetes, hypertension and overweight/obesity in Primary Health Care (PHC)? Methods: Eight electronic literature databases were searched in May 2021 to identify systematic reviews (SR) on physical activity interventions to control or improve diabetes, hypertension and overweight/obesity. Using quick review shortcuts to simplify the process, data selection and extraction were performed with subsequent evaluation of the SR quality. Then, the results were gathered in narrative synthesis according to similarity. Results: The search returned 633 unique references, which after selection resulted in the inclusion of 6 systematic reviews, all with critically low confidence in the assessment of methodological quality. Most studies were carried out in Asia and North America, with emphasis on China and the United States. A systematic review included studies carried out in Brazil. The protocol of this review provided for the inclusion of studies carried out in primary health care services, but during the selection process it was necessary to expand the eligibility criteria, as no studies restricted to PHC contexts were identified. Some SRs also included the group of comparators involving physical activity and healthy volunteers. The results were presented in three categories according to the condition analyzed: hypertension, diabetes mellitus 2 and the three conditions combined (SAH, DM2 and obesity). The studies involved the following interventions: practice of tai chi chuan; resistance and/or aerobic training; aerobics, strength training and lifestyle education; yoga; water aerobics, strengthening, stretching and Baduanjin training; use of activity monitors (accelerometers or pedometers) and progressive resistance exercise; pedometer with physical activity. Most of the results showed positive effects (mean blood pressure; effective control of blood pressure - BP; reduction of systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures; improvement in the measurement of glycated hemoglobin; significant decrease in body mass index - BMI ), also indicating uncertainties regarding some outcomes. Conclusion: The SRs that evaluated hypertensive patients indicated a reduction in BP with the practice of physical activity, but the certainty of the evidence was low in one of them. The use of activity monitors did not result in an improvement in the indicators of patients with DM2. One of the RS indicated that resistance exercises improved the measurement of glycated hemoglobin, but had no effect on the body composition of patients with DM2 and overweight. The use of pedometers in an SR was associated with a decrease in BMI and SBP in patients with comorbidities. The included studies should be evaluated with caution, as they had methodological flaws that compromise confidence in their results.

Tratamento de hipertensão arterial sistêmica na Atenção Primária à Saúde / Treatment of systemic arterial hypertension in Primary Health Care

Esta revisão rápida de recomendações foi comissionada e subsidiada pelo Ministério da Saúde, no âmbito do projeto GEREB-010-FIO-20 e faz parte da Coleção "Rapid response for health promotion". Contexto: A hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS) é um problema global de saúde pública, considerada um dos principais determinantes para o desenvolvimento de doenças cardiovasculares. Trata-se de uma doença crônica cujo acompanhamento prioritário é realizado por equipes de atenção primária à saúde (APS), responsáveis por garantir a coordenação de um cuidado integral à pessoa com HAS. Pergunta: Quais são as intervenções efetivas para o tratamento de adultos e idosos com HAS na APS? Métodos: Nove bases da literatura eletrônica foram buscadas em março de 2021 por revisões sistemáticas (RS) e guias de prática clínica (GPC) sobre o tratamento de HAS. Utilizando atalhos de revisão rápida para simplificar o processo, foi realizada seleção e extração dos dados com posterior avaliação da qualidade das RS. Em seguida, os resultados foram reunidos em síntese narrativa conforme similaridade. Resultados: A busca retornou 771 referências únicas, que após seleção resultaram na inclusão de três GPC e 13 RS. Os guias apresentaram 33 recomendações sobre tratamento farmacológico e não farmacológico, além de metas pressóricas para o tratamento. As recomendações referem-se ao início do tratamento de pacientes sem contraindicações, fármacos em situações de saúde e populações específicas, como a afro-americana, mulheres e idosos; no tratamento não farmacológico são descritas recomendações direcionadas ao estilo de vida; metas pressóricas são indicadas para casos distintos. Nas RS foram identificadas estratégias para apoiar as recomendações dos guias, como monitoramento da pressão arterial, educação em saúde, e também intervenções incidindo diretamente sobre a gestão do trabalho das equipes de saúde ou programas complexos para controle da hipertensão. Conclusão: Esta revisão rápida apresenta recomendações de GPC elaboradas com base em evidências científicas, bem como a força dessas evidências. As RS incluídas mostram resultados positivos de várias estratégias para melhorar o tratamento da HAS. No entanto, esses achados devem ser analisados com cautela, considerando as falhas metodológicas da RS. Na tomada de decisão, também é necessário analisar os contextos em que foram realizados os estudos primários e as características das intervenções.

This rapid review of recommendations was commissioned and supported by the Ministry of Health, under the project GEREB-010-FIO-20 and is part of the "Rapid response for health promotion" Collection. Context: Systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) is a global public health problem, considered one of the main determinants for the development of cardiovascular diseases. It is a chronic disease whose priority monitoring is carried out by teams of primary health care (PHC), responsible for ensuring the coordination of comprehensive care for people with SAH. Question: What are the effective interventions for the treatment of adults and elderly people with SAH in PHC? Methods: Nine electronic literature databases were searched in March 2021 for systematic reviews (RS) and clinical practice guides (GPC) on the treatment of SAH. Using quick review shortcuts to simplify the process, data selection and extraction were performed with subsequent evaluation of the quality of the SRs. Then, the results were gathered in narrative synthesis according to similarity. Results: The search returned 771 unique references, which after selection resulted in the inclusion of three GPC and 13 RS. The guides presented 33 recommendations on pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatment, in addition to blood pressure targets for treatment. The recommendations refer to the initiation of treatment of patients without contraindications, drugs in health situations and specific populations, such as African Americans, women and the elderly; in the non-pharmacological treatment, recommendations directed to the lifestyle are described; pressure targets are indicated for different cases. Strategies were identified in the SRs to support the recommendations of the guides, such as blood pressure monitoring, health education, as well as interventions directly focusing on the management of the work of health teams or complex programs to control hypertension. Conclusion: This rapid review presents GPC recommendations based on scientific evidence, as well as the strength of that evidence. The SRs included show positive results from several strategies to improve the treatment of SAH. However, these findings must be analyzed with caution, considering the methodological flaws of RS. In decision making, it is also necessary to analyze the contexts in which the primary studies were carried out and the characteristics of the interventions.

Uniting Public Health and Primary Care for Healthy Communities in the COVID-19 Era and Beyond.

The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has laid bare the dis-integrated health care system in the United States. Decades of inattention and dwindling support for public health, coupled with declining access to primary care medical services have left many vulnerable communities without adequate COVID-19 response and recovery capacity. "Health is a Community Affair" is a 1966 effort to build and deploy local communities of solution that align public health, primary care, and community organizations to identify health care problem sheds, and activate local asset sheds. After decades of independent effort, the COVID-19 pandemic offers an opportunity to reunite and align the shared goals of public health and primary care. Imagine how different things might look if we had widely implemented the recommendations from the 1966 report? The ideas and concepts laid out in "Health is a Community Affair" still offer a COVID-19 response and recovery approach. By bringing public health and primary care together in community now, a future that includes a shared vision and combined effort may emerge.

Barreiras e facilitadores na APS para adesão ao tratamento em adultos com hipertensão arterial ou diabetes mellitus tipo 2 / Barriers and facilitators in PHC for treatment adherence in adults with arterial hypertension or type 2 diabetes mellitus

Esta síntese rápida de evidências foi comissionada e subsidiada pelo Ministério da Saúde, no âmbito do projeto GEREB-010-FIO-20 e faz parte da Coleção "Rapid response for health promotion". O problema: O cuidado integral e longitudinal da pessoa com hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS) e da diabetes mellitus tipo 2 (DM2) estão inseridas nas práticas do SUS, sobretudo na Atenção Primária à Saúde (APS), sendo a adesão ao tratamento um dos seus maiores desafios. Essa revisão rápida visa descrever as barreiras e os facilitadores da adesão ao tratamento terapêutico de HAS e DM2 na APS. Busca de evidência: Foram realizadas buscas em nove bases de dados que resultaram em 222 referências, e após o processo de seleção de acordo com os critérios de elegibilidade, 7 revisões sistemáticas (RS) foram incluídas nesta síntese narrativa. Na avaliação da qualidade metodológica (AMSTAR 2), uma RS foi classificada como de confiança baixa e seis de confiança criticamente baixa. As barreiras e facilitadores encontrados foram sintetizados, agrupando-se as estratégias conforme sua similaridade quanto aos usuários, profissionais de saúde e sistema de saúde. Barreiras: Sete RS apresentaram barreiras para a adesão ao tratamento de HAS ou DM. As intervenções encontradas foram: eHealth, acompanhamento clínico e tratamento farmacológico. Para os usuários, os aspectos emocionais (medo, angústia ou vergonha entre outros), aspectos sociais (acesso aos serviços, educação, custo) e aspectos individuais (estilo de vida, autocuidado, crenças, família) foram mencionados como barreiras à adesão ao tratamento. Os trabalhadores de saúde, por sua vez, referiram a falta de treinamento adequado, fluxo de trabalho, recursos humanos incipientes, além de suas emoções (medo e frustração com a baixa adesão do paciente ao tratamento) como aspectos impeditivos para a adesão dos pacientes de forma satisfatória. Recursos limitados, recursos humanos insuficiente, mão de obra desqualificada e sobrecarga de trabalho foram apontadas como barreiras ao nível do sistema de saúde. Facilitadores: Foram identificados facilitadores para a adesão ao tratamento de DM2 e de HAS em seis RS. Entre os usuários, organizar a atenção para que tenham experiências positivas no início do uso da insulina facilitou a adesão. Também, a oferta de cuidado integral, com a participação de farmacêuticos e agentes comunitários de saúde, foi benéfica inclusive por estimular ações de educação em saúde. Em relação aos trabalhadores, a adoção de abordagem centrada na pessoa e a participação de especialistas foi benéfica para adesão ao tratamento. Ações que tornam mais simples o uso de tecnologias de comunicação, melhorando sua utilização pelos usuários, aumentaram o uso dessas ferramentas para assegurar a adesão. Ademais, garantir o acesso aos medicamentos facilita enormemente que se cumpra o tratamento, bem como ter serviços com recursos físicos e equipes suficientes. Considerações finais: Esta síntese rápida de evidências encontrou barreiras e facilitadores relacionados aos usuários, aos profissionais de saúde e ao sistema de saúde. As intervenções identificadas foram eHealth, acompanhamento clínico, tratamentos farmacológicos com destaque para iniciação à insulina que podem ser aplicadas no contexto da APS. Embora algumas RS não trouxessem informações relativas ao contexto de saúde, decidiu-se incluí-las por haver um entendimento que essas estratégias poderiam ser realizadas em um ambiente de atenção primária. Além disso, houve algumas limitações metodológicas das revisões sistemáticas que devem ser consideradas. Essa síntese rápida não envolveu resultados sobre opções para enfrentamento do problema, uma vez que foram realizadas sínteses com esse foco anteriormente.

This rapid synthesis of evidence was commissioned and subsidized by the Ministry of Health, within the scope of the GEREB-010-FIO-20 project and is part of the "Rapid response for health promotion" Collection. The problem: Comprehensive and longitudinal care for people with systemic arterial hypertension (SAH) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) are part of SUS practices, especially in Primary Health Care (PHC), with adherence to treatment being one of the its biggest challenges. This quick review aims to describe the barriers and facilitators of adherence to the therapeutic treatment of SAH and T2DM in PHC. Search for evidence: Searches were carried out in nine databases that resulted in 222 references, and after the selection process according to the eligibility criteria, 7 systematic reviews (SR) were included in this narrative synthesis. In the methodological quality assessment (AMSTAR 2), one SR was classified as low confidence and six as critically low confidence. The barriers and facilitators found were synthesized, grouping the strategies according to their similarity in terms of users, health professionals and the health system. Barriers: Seven RS presented barriers to adherence to treatment for SAH or DM. The interventions found were: eHealth, clinical follow-up and pharmacological treatment. For users, emotional aspects (fear, anguish or shame, among others), social aspects (access to services, education, cost) and individual aspects (lifestyle, self-care, beliefs, family) were mentioned as barriers to treatment adherence. . Health workers, in turn, mentioned the lack of adequate training, workflow, incipient human resources, in addition to their emotions (fear and frustration with the patient's low adherence to treatment) as impediments to patient adherence to treatment. satisfactory way. Limited resources, insufficient human resources, unskilled labor and work overload were identified as barriers at the health system level. Facilitators: Facilitators were identified for adherence to DM2 and SAH treatment in six SRs. Among users, organizing attention so that they have positive experiences at the beginning of insulin use facilitated adherence. Also, the provision of comprehensive care, with the participation of pharmacists and community health agents, was beneficial, including encouraging health education actions. Regarding workers, the adoption of a person-centered approach and the participation of specialists was beneficial for treatment adherence. Actions that make the use of communication technologies simpler, improving their use by users, increased the use of these tools to ensure adherence. In addition, ensuring access to medicines greatly facilitates compliance with treatment, as well as having services with sufficient physical resources and staff. Final considerations: This rapid synthesis of evidence found barriers and facilitators related to users, health professionals and the health system. The interventions identified were eHealth, clinical follow-up, pharmacological treatments with emphasis on insulin initiation that can be applied in the context of PHC. Although some SRs did not bring information related to the health context, it was decided to include them because there was an understanding that these strategies could be carried out in a primary care environment. In addition, there were some methodological limitations of systematic reviews that should be considered. This quick synthesis did not involve results on options for coping with the problem, since syntheses with this focus were carried out previously.

Population child health: understanding and addressing complex health needs.

Advances in paediatric care mean that more children with complex medical problems (heart disease, neurodevelopmental problems and so on) are surviving their early years. This has important implications for the design and delivery of healthcare given their extensive multidisciplinary requirements and susceptibility to poor outcomes when not optimally managed. Importantly, their medical needs must also be understood and addressed within the context of the child and family's life circumstances. There is growing recognition that many other factors contribute to a child's complex health needs (CHNs), for example, family problems, fragmentation of health and care provision, psychological difficulties or social issues.To facilitate proactive care for these patients, we must develop accurate ways to identify them. Whole Systems Integrated Care-an online platform that integrates routinely collected data from primary and secondary care-offers an example of how to do this. An algorithm applied to this data identifies children with CHNs from the entire patient population. When tested in a large inner-city GP practice, this analysis shows good concordance with clinical opinion and identifies complex children in the population to a much higher proportion than expected. Ongoing refinement of these data-driven processes will allow accurate quantification and identification of need in local populations, thus aiding the development of tailored services.

A new model of care to return holism to family medicine.

Family medicine's leadership in primary care is slipping as it loses its vision of whole-person care. This model of care can help us better manage and combat chronic disease.

Does Upper Cervical Manual Therapy Provide Additional Benefit in Disability and Mobility over a Physiotherapy Primary Care Program for Chronic Cervicalgia? A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Introduction: Neck pain is a condition with a high incidence in primary care. Patients with chronic neck pain often experience reduction in neck mobility. However, no study to date has investigated the effects of manual mobilization of the upper cervical spine in patients with chronic mechanical neck pain and restricted upper cervical rotation. Objective: To evaluate the effect of adding an upper cervical translatoric mobilization or an inhibitory suboccipital technique to a conventional physical therapy protocol in patients with chronic neck pain test on disability and cervical range of motion. Design: Randomized controlled trial. Methods: Seventy-eight patients with chronic neck pain and restricted upper cervical rotation were randomized in three groups: Upper cervical translatoric mobilization group, inhibitory suboccipital technique group, or control group. The neck disability index, active cervical mobility, and the flexion-rotation test were assessed at baseline (T0), after the treatment (T1), and at three-month follow-up (T2). Results: There were no statistically significant differences between groups in neck disability index. The upper cervical translatoric mobilization group showed a significant increase in the flexion-rotation test to the more restricted side at T1 (F = 5.992; p < 0.004) and T2 (F = 5.212; p < 0.007) compared to the control group. The inhibitory suboccipital technique group showed a significant increase in the flexion-rotation test to the less restricted side at T1 (F = 3.590; p < 0.027). All groups presented high percentages of negative flexion-rotation tests. (T1: 69.2% upper neck translator mobilization group; 38.5% suboccipital inhibition technique group, 19.2% control group; at T2: 80.8%; 46.2% and 26.9% respectively). No significant differences in the active cervical mobility were found between groups. Conclusion: Adding manual therapy to a conventional physical therapy protocol for the upper cervical spine increased the flexion-rotation test in the short- and mid-term in patients with chronic neck pain. No changes were found in the neck disability index and the global active cervical range of motion.

Patient experience with a large-scale integrated behavioral health and primary care initiative: A qualitative study.

Introduction: Patient engagement in research can improve a health system's responsiveness to patient need, but patient experience with integrated care is not well understood. This qualitative study explores patient experience and provider perceptions of patient experience with the Behavioral Health Integration and Complex Care Initiative (BHICCI), which is a large-scale system redesign that delivers integrated care to persons with complex needs. Methods: We conducted 8 patient focus groups (n = 54 patients) and n = 32 interviews with BHICCI providers at five community health settings participating in the BHICCI during which patients and providers described how patient experience with care had changed under the initiative. Results: Patient experience and provider perception of patient experience aligned under 2 themes: (a) care coordination is essential for positive patient experience; and (b) the BHICCI strengthened patient provider relationships. Perspectives diverged under theme (c) patient experience with programmatic "growing pains." Discussion: This study highlights the importance of seeking outpatient feedback and incorporating these experiences into the redesign of integrated care systems. Formal mechanisms, such as patient advisory boards, are needed to ensure that health care quality improvement initiatives are patient centered. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2020 APA, all rights reserved).

Different models of pharmaceutical services and care in primary healthcare clinics in the Eastern Cape, South Africa: Challenges and opportunities for pharmacy practice.

BACKGROUND: Primary health care (PHC) re-engineering forms a crucial part of South Africa's National Health Insurance (NHI), with pharmaceutical services and care being crucial to treatment outcomes. However, owing to a shortage of pharmacists within PHC clinics, task-shifting of the dispensing process to pharmacist's assistants and nurses is common practice. The implications of this task-shifting process on the provision of pharmaceutical services and care remains largely unstudied. AIM: The study aimed to explore the pharmacist-based, pharmacist's assistant-based and nurse-based dispensing models within the PHC setting. SETTING: The Nelson Mandela Bay Health District, South Africa. METHODS: A mixed methods approach was utilised comprising of Phase 1: a pharmaceutical services audit to analyse pharmaceutical service provision and Phase 2: semi-structured interviews to describe the pharmaceutical care provision within each dispensing model thematically. RESULTS: Pharmaceutical services partially fulfilled minimum standards within all models, however, challenges exist that limit the quality of these services. Phase 2 showed that the provision of pharmaceutical care within all models was restricted by context-related constraints, thus patient-centred activities to underpin pharmaceutical services were limited. CONCLUSION: Although pharmaceutical services may have been available for all models, compromised quality of these services impacted overall quality of care. Limited pharmaceutical care provision was evident within each dispensing model. The results raised concerns about the current utilisation of pharmacy personnel, including the pharmacist, within the PHC setting. Further opportunities exist, if constraints allow, for the pharmacist to contribute to better patient-centred care.

Design of the PROstate cancer follow-up care in Secondary and Primary hEalth Care study (PROSPEC): a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of primary care-based follow-up of localized prostate cancer survivors.

BACKGROUND: In its 2006 report, From cancer patient to cancer survivor: lost in transition, the U.S. Institute of Medicine raised the need for a more coordinated and comprehensive care model for cancer survivors. Given the ever increasing number of cancer survivors, in general, and prostate cancer survivors, in particular, there is a need for a more sustainable model of follow-up care. Currently, patients who have completed primary treatment for localized prostate cancer are often included in a specialist-based follow-up care program. General practitioners already play a key role in providing continuous and comprehensive health care. Studies in breast and colorectal cancer suggest that general practitioners could also consider to provide survivorship care in prostate cancer. However, empirical data are needed to determine whether follow-up care of localized prostate cancer survivors by the general practitioner is a feasible alternative. METHODS: This multicenter, randomized, non-inferiority study will compare specialist-based (usual care) versus general practitioner-based (intervention) follow-up care of prostate cancer survivors who have completed primary treatment (prostatectomy or radiotherapy) for localized prostate cancer. Patients are being recruited from hospitals in the Netherlands, and randomly (1:1) allocated to specialist-based (N = 195) or general practitioner-based (N = 195) follow-up care. This trial will evaluate the effectiveness of primary care-based follow-up, in comparison to usual care, in terms of adherence to the prostate cancer surveillance guideline for the timing and frequency of prostate-specific antigen assessments, the time from a biochemical recurrence to retreatment decision-making, the management of treatment-related side effects, health-related quality of life, prostate cancer-related anxiety, continuity of care, and cost-effectiveness. The outcome measures will be assessed at randomization (≤6 months after treatment), and 12, 18, and 24 months after treatment. DISCUSSION: This multicenter, prospective, randomized study will provide empirical evidence regarding the (cost-) effectiveness of specialist-based follow-up care compared to general practitioner-based follow-up care for localized prostate cancer survivors. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Registry, Trial NL7068 (NTR7266). Prospectively registered on 11 June 2018.

Vaccine Policy in the United States.

In an era when the success of the US vaccination policies to date is threatened by vaccine hesitancy, it is important for clinicians to have a working understanding of how vaccines are developed and recommended for use in the United States and how federal and state governments are coordinated to ensure a safe and effective vaccine supply. This article discusses the federal agencies involved in vaccine development and recommendation, other organizations involved in vaccine policy, and the role of vaccine-related public health law in promoting universal vaccination.

Exploring characteristics of COPD patients with clinical improvement after integrated disease management or usual care: post-hoc analysis of the RECODE study.

BACKGROUND: The cluster randomized controlled trial on (cost-)effectiveness of integrated chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management in primary care (RECODE) showed that integrated disease management (IDM) in primary care had no effect on quality of life (QOL) in COPD patients compared with usual care (guideline-supported non-programmatic care). It is possible that only a subset of COPD patients in primary care benefit from IDM. We therefore examined which patients benefit from IDM, and whether patient characteristics predict clinical improvement over time. METHOD: Post-hoc analyses of the RECODE trial among 1086 COPD patients. Logistic regression analyses were performed with baseline characteristics as predictors to examine determinants of improvement in QOL, defined as a minimal decline in Clinical COPD Questionnaire (CCQ) of 0.4 points after 12 and 24 months of IDM. We also performed moderation analyses to examine whether predictors of clinical improvement differed between IDM and usual care. RESULTS: Regardless of treatment type, more severe dyspnea (MRC) was the most important predictor of clinically improved QOL at 12 and 24 months, suggesting that these patients have most room for improvement. Clinical improvement with IDM was associated with female gender (12-months) and being younger (24-months), and improvement with usual care was associated with having a depression (24-months). CONCLUSIONS: More severe dyspnea is a key predictor of improved QOL in COPD patients over time. More research is needed to replicate patient characteristics associated with clinical improvement with IDM, such that IDM programs can be offered to patients that benefit the most, and can potentially be adjusted to meet the needs of other patient groups as well. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Netherlands Trial Register, NTR2268. Registered 31 March 2010.