Program Evaluation of an Integrated Behavioral Health Clinic in an Outpatient Women's Health Clinic: Challenges and Considerations.

Many women receive their regular check-ups and preventive care through a women's health clinic, including their behavioral health needs. Most of these clinics have not yet developed the capacity to adequately manage behavioral health concerns. We describe our clinical experience integrating behavioral health services into a women's health clinic. In one year, 108 women (54% White, Mage= 35) were referred for behavioral health treatment 47% were identified using a screening questionnaire, 51% were referred by their women's health provider and 2% were self-referred. The most common presenting concerns were anxiety (52%) and depressive symptoms (48%). Sixty-one (56%) patients completed an intake assessment, of whom 33 (54%) engaged in follow-up treatment (M = 3.7 treatment sessions, SD = 3.0). Behavioral health screening and treatment appears to be feasible and effective within a women's health setting. Further research is needed to overcome barriers to referrals and treatment engagement in this population.

Defining "significant weight loss" in atypical anorexia nervosa.

OBJECTIVE: Atypical anorexia nervosa (AAN) is defined by the symptoms of anorexia nervosa in the presence of "significant weight loss" in individuals who are not underweight. Description of current weight in AAN has been limited, significant weight loss has not been defined, and the distinction between having AAN versus having weight suppression has not been examined. METHOD: Secondary analyses were conducted with data from an epidemiological study of women (n = 1,640) and men (n = 794). Three definitions of significant weight loss (5, 10, and 15%) for AAN were tested in comparisons with controls and a DSM-5 eating disorder group (DSM-5 ED) on measures of eating pathology and clinical significance using ANCOVA and logistic regression, controlling for age and body mass index. Secondary analyses compared AAN to a weight suppressed group (WS-only) and a cognitive concerns group (COG-only). RESULTS: Across weight loss thresholds, ≥25% of adults with AAN were currently overweight/obese. At the 5% and 10% definitions, AAN was associated with elevated eating pathology and distress relative to controls, WS-only, and COG-only in women and men. Women with AAN endorsed less eating pathology and distress than DSM-5 ED at some weight loss definitions, whereas men with AAN did not differ from DSM-5 ED in eating pathology or distress. DISCUSSION: Results support that even a 5% weight loss, combined with cognitive concerns, may produce a group with a clinically significant eating disorder. AAN was observed in both healthy weight and overweight/obese adults, highlighting the importance of screening for restrictive eating disorders at all weights.

A Digital Library for Increasing Awareness About Living Donor Kidney Transplants: Formative Study.

BACKGROUND: It is not common for people to come across a living kidney donor, let alone consider whether they would ever donate a kidney themselves while they are alive. Narrative storytelling, the sharing of first-person narratives based on lived experience, may be an important way to improve education about living donor kidney transplants (LDKTs). Developing ways to easily standardize and disseminate diverse living donor stories using digital technology could inspire more people to consider becoming living donors and reduce the kidney shortage nationally. OBJECTIVE: This paper aimed to describe the development of the Living Donation Storytelling Project, a web-based digital library of living donation narratives from multiple audiences using video capture technology. Specifically, we aimed to describe the theoretical foundation and development of the library, a protocol to capture diverse storytellers, the characteristics and experiences of participating storytellers, and the frequency with which any ethical concerns about the content being shared emerged. METHODS: This study invited kidney transplant recipients who had received LDKTs, living donors, family members, and patients seeking LDKTs to record personal stories using video capture technology by answering a series of guided prompts on their computer or smartphone and answering questions about their filming experience. The digital software automatically spliced responses to open-ended prompts, creating a seamless story available for uploading to a web-based library and posting to social media. Each story was reviewed by a transplant professional for the disclosure of protected health information (PHI), pressuring others to donate, and medical inaccuracies. Disclosures were edited. RESULTS: This study recruited diverse storytellers through social media, support groups, churches, and transplant programs. Of the 137 storytellers who completed the postsurvey, 105/137 (76.6%) were white and 99/137 (72.2%) were female. They spent 62.5 min, on average, recording their story, with a final median story length of 10 min (00:46 seconds to 32:16 min). A total of 94.8% (130/137) of storytellers were motivated by a desire to educate the public; 78.1% (107/137) were motivated to help more people become living donors; and 75.9% (104/137) were motivated to dispel myths. The ease of using the technology and telling their story varied, with the fear of being on film, emotional difficulty talking about their experiences, and some technological barriers being reported. PHI, most commonly surnames and transplant center names, was present in 62.9% (85/135) of stories and was edited out. CONCLUSIONS: With appropriate sensitivity to ensure diverse recruitment, ethical review of content, and support for storytellers, web-based storytelling platforms may be a cost-effective and convenient way to further engage patients and increase the curiosity of the public in learning more about the possibility of becoming living donors.

Feasibility and acceptability of an integrated behavioral medicine service within a post-bariatric surgery clinic.

BACKGROUND: Long-term medical and psychological follow-up after weight loss surgery is associated with improved patient outcomes. Weight regain after weight loss surgery is a common concern that has behavioral and psychological components; however, most patients do not attend behavioral medicine (BMED) follow-up appointments post-surgery. Innovative treatment models are needed to improve access to BMED to optimize long-term outcomes. OBJECTIVES: This study aimed to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an integrated BMED service within a bariatric surgery clinic. SETTING: University medical center, outpatient clinic. METHODS: Patients (n = 198) in a post-bariatric surgery clinic were screened for psychosocial/behavioral concerns and offered a same-day BMED consult, when appropriate. Patients rated their satisfaction with the consult and their confidence in being able to carry out the plan created during the consult. RESULTS: The top 3 concerns identified during screenings were emotional eating, body image, and cravings. The top 3 concerns addressed during consults were emotional eating, mood, and cravings. The mean length of consult was 26.1 minutes. The mean severity of problems addressed was 7 of 10. Patients' confidence ratings had a mean of 9.4 of 10 (1 = low, 10 = high) and satisfaction ratings had a mean of 9.8 of 10. CONCLUSIONS: In this clinic, the integration of a BMED service provided 40% of patients with behavioral intervention for psychosocial/behavioral concerns during routine surgery follow-up appointments. Patients indicated high satisfaction with consults and reported high confidence in being able to carry out the plan created during the consult.

The non-directed living kidney donor: Why donate to strangers?

BACKGROUND: Kidney transplantation improves survival and quality of life for patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). However, there is a shortage of donated organs, resulting in long wait times and the potential for death before a donor is found. Non-directed (also called altruistic) living kidney donation is a growing type of donation; however, few studies have examined the values and motivation of individuals evaluated to be a non-directed donor. OBJECTIVES: This qualitative study explores the motivations and values of individuals evaluated for non-directed donation. DESIGN: Focus groups were conducted with individuals who had been evaluated for non-directed living kidney donation. Grounded theory method guided the data analysis. PARTICIPANTS: Participants (N = 11) were individuals who completed the evaluation for a non-directed living kidney donation. FINDINGS: Qualitative analyses revealed eight major themes participants considered in making their decision to donate to a non-related person: (i) motivation to donate; (ii) minimise perceived risk; (iii) ideal selected recipient; (iv) change in lifestyle; (v) source of donation knowledge; (vi) history of altruistic acts; (vii) donation chain and (viii) others' response. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that non-directed living kidney donors think deeply about their decision and have a resolve to help others that is aligned with their values. As organ availability remains at a critical shortage, unwillingness to consider non-directed living donors (NDD) due to beliefs of ill motivations appears unsupported. Future directions call for the need of standard practice of care in kidney donation evaluations across transplant centers.

Impact on psychosocial outcomes of a nationally available weight management program tailored for individuals with type 2 diabetes: Results of a randomized controlled trial.

AIMS: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) can substantially decrease quality of life (QOL). This study examined the effects on QOL-relevant psychosocial measures of a widely available commercial weight loss program enhanced for individuals with T2DM. METHODS: A year-long multi-site randomized clinical trial compared the Weight Watchers (WW) approach, supplemented with phone and email counseling with a certified diabetes educator (CDE), to brief standard diabetes nutrition counseling and education (Standard Care; SC). Participants were 400 women and 163 men (N=279 WW; 284 SC) with T2DM [mean (±SD) HbA1c 8.32±1%; BMI=37.1±5.7kg/m2; age=55.1 ± 9.1years]. Psychosocial outcomes were assessed at baseline, month 6, and month 12 using a diabetes specific psychosocial measure (Diabetes Distress Scale [DDS]), Impact of Weight on Quality of Life-Lite scale (IWQOL), a generic QOL measure (SF-36), and a depression screen (PHQ-9). RESULTS: WW participants showed significantly greater improvements than did SC participants on all DDS subscales and total score and on IWQOL total score and physical function, sex life and work domains (all ps<.05). There was no significant treatment effect on SF-36 scores or PHQ-9. CONCLUSIONS: WW enhanced for individuals with T2DM was superior to SC in improving psychosocial outcomes most specific to T2DM and obesity. Available commercial WL programs, combined with scalable complementary program-specific diabetes counseling, may have benefits that extend to diabetes-related distress and weight-relevant QOL.