Abnormal Uterine Bleeding.

Abnormal uterine bleeding is a common problem in premenopausal women and refers to uterine bleeding that is abnormal in frequency, duration, volume, and/or regularity. Etiologies can be classified using the PALM-COIEN system. Patients should receive a comprehensive history and physical with special attention to menstrual, sexual, and family history. Physical examination needs to include a pelvic examination with speculum and bimanual components. All patients need to have a pregnancy test and CBC with platelets. Treatments vary by etiology. Medical treatments include levonorgestrel intrauterine devices, oral contraceptive pills, and tranexamic acid. Surgical treatment options include endometrial ablation and hysterectomy.

Achieving 70% Hypertension Control: How Hard Can It Be?

BACKGROUND: Although decades of research support hypertension treatment, studies guiding the successful implementation of programs to control blood pressure (BP) in real-world primary care settings are sparse. METHODS: In this study a multicomponent intervention was implemented, with the following goals: (1) achieve 70% control of hypertension within 18 months, (2) use the RE-AIM (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance) framework to evaluate the implementation of the program, and (3) assess additional actions that could have been undertaken to achieve control among those who remained uncontrolled. RESULTS: Of 786 patients, 597 achieved BP control (75.9%; improvement of 20.9 percentage points). For RE-AIM outcomes, (1) staff performed outreach for all uncontrolled patients, with 75.3% making follow-up appointments, and 61.3% attending at least one appointment; (2) the proportion of faculty with at least 70% control increased from 26.7% to 87.5%, indicating significant physician adoption; (3) implementation outcomes were mixed, with four of six medical assistant BP training sessions completed, outreach calls performed in 16 of 18 months, but only 24 patients referred to the patient counseling and medication management program. For maintenance, 70% control was maintained for a 7-month observation period. The research team determined that 16.8% of those uncontrolled could have had additional actions taken to achieve control. CONCLUSION: The goal of 70% control was achieved, improving control by 20.9 percentage points over 18 months. The RE-AIM framework evaluation demonstrated successful implementation and likely contributed to achievement of the target. The chart review findings revealed that a minority of patients could have additional interventions provided by the primary care practice.

A Longitudinal Ambulatory Quality Improvement Curriculum That Aligns Resident Education With Patient Outcomes: A 3-Year Experience.

Quality improvement (QI) plays a vital role in practice management, patient care, and reimbursement. The authors implemented a 3-year longitudinal curriculum that combined QI didactics, intervention development, and implementation at university-based, community-based, and Veterans Administration-based practices. Highlights included Plan-Do-Study-Act cycle format, team-based collaboration to brainstorm interventions, interdisciplinary QI council to select and plan interventions, system-wide intervention implementation across entire clinic populations with outcome monitoring, and intervention modifications based on challenges. A pre-post survey assessed residents' confidence in QI skills and interdisciplinary team participation, while quarterly quality data assessed patient outcomes. All 150 internal medicine residents participated. Confidence in QI and interdisciplinary team participation improved significantly (P < .001). Patient outcomes improved for 6 of 9 targeted projects and were sustained at 1 year. This curriculum is a systems-based innovation designed to improve patient care and encourage interdisciplinary teamwork and can be adopted by residencies seeking to improve engagement in QI.