Electronic consultation in correctional facilities worldwide: a scoping review.

OBJECTIVE: To provide an overview of the use of and evidence for eConsult in correctional facilities worldwide. DESIGN: Scoping review. DATA SOURCES: Three academic databases (MEDLINE, Embase and CINAHL) were searched to identify papers published between 1990 and 2020 that presented data on eConsult use in correctional facilities. The grey literature was also searched for any resources that discussed eConsult use in correctional facilities. Articles and resources were excluded if they discussed synchronous, patient-to-provider or unsecure communication. The reference lists of included articles were also hand searched. RESULTS: Of the 226 records retrieved from the academic literature search and 595 from the grey literature search, 22 were included in the review. Most study populations included adult male offenders in a variety of correctional environments. These resources identified 13 unique eConsult services in six countries. Six of these services involved multiple medical specialties, while the remaining services were single specialty. The available evidence was organised into five identified themes: feasibility, cost-effectiveness, access to care, provider satisfaction and clinical impact. CONCLUSIONS: This study identified evidence that the use of eConsult in correctional facilities is beneficial and avoids unnecessary transportation of offenders outside of the facilities. It is feasible, cost-effective, increases access to care, has an impact on clinical care and has high provider satisfaction. Some gaps in the literature remain, and we suggest further research on patient satisfaction, enablers and barriers to implementation, and women, youth and transgender populations in this setting to inform service providers and stakeholders. Despite some gaps, eConsult is evidently an important tool to provide timely, high-quality care to offenders.

Evaluation of an Electronic Consultation Service for COVID-19 Care.

PURPOSE: COVID-19 has increased the need for innovative virtual care solutions. Electronic consultation (eConsult) services allow primary care practitioners to pose clinical questions to specialists using a secure remote application. We examined eConsult cases submitted to a COVID-19 specialist group in order to assess usage patterns, impact on response times and referrals, and the content of clinical questions being asked. METHODS: This was a mixed-methods analysis of eConsult cases submitted between March and September 2020 in Ontario, Canada to 2 services. We performed a descriptive analysis of the average response time and the total time spent by the specialist for eConsults. Primary care practitioners completed a post-eConsult questionnaire that asked about the outcome of the eConsult. We performed an inductive and deductive content analysis of a subset of cases to identify common themes among the clinical questions asked. RESULTS: A total of 208 primary care practitioners submitted 289 eConsult cases. The median specialist response time was 0.6 days (range = 3 minutes to 15 days); the average time spent by specialists per case was 16 minutes (range = 5 to 59 minutes). In 69 cases (24%), the eConsult enabled avoidance of a face-to-face referral. Content analysis of 51 cases identified 5 major themes: precautions for high-risk and special populations, diagnostic clarification and/or need for COVID-19 testing, guidance on self-isolation and return to work, guidance on personal protective equipment, and management of chronic symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrates the considerable potential of eConsults during a pandemic as our service was quickly implemented across Ontario and resulted in primary care practitioners' rapid and low-barrier access to specialist input.

How One eConsult Service Is Addressing Emerging COVID-19 Questions.

INTRODUCTION: The COVID-19 pandemic has made innovative solutions to providing safe, effective care paramount. eConsult allows primary care providers to access specialist advice for their patients without necessitating an in-person visit. This study aims to explain how an eConsult service adapted to providing care for COVID-19 patients and examine its impact on patient care. METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional analysis of cases submitted to COVID-19 specialties through the Ontario eConsult service between October 2020 and April 2021. Utilization data were extracted from all eligible cases to assess number of cases submitted, patterns of use, response times, and case outcomes (ie, whether eConsult resulted in new or additional information, whether or not a referral was needed). RESULTS: 2783 eConsults were submitted to 5 COVID-19 specialty groups during the study period. 71% of the cases were for vaccine-related questions. The median response interval was 12 hours. Providers received advice for a new or additional course of action in 36% of cases. 84% of the cases did not require a referral. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated the effectiveness of rapidly adapting eConsult for COVID-19 care and supports similar action for other services.

The Utilization of an Electronic Consultation Service During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 Pandemic.

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic forced many clinicians to rapidly adopt changes in their practice. In this study, we compared patterns of utilization of Ontario eConsult before and after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, to assess COVID 19's impact on how eConsult is used. Materials and Methods: We conducted a longitudinal analysis of registration and utilization data for Ontario eConsult. All primary care providers (PCPs) and specialists who joined the service between March 2019 and November 2020, and all eConsult cases closed during the same period were included. The data were divided into two timeframes for comparison: prepandemic (March 2019-February 2020) and pandemic (March 2020-November 2020). Results: In total, 5,925 PCPs joined during the study period, more than doubling total enrollment to 11,397. The average monthly number of eConsults increased from 2,405 (standard deviation [SD] = 260) prepandemic to 3,906 (SD = 420) pandemic. Case volume jumped to 24.3% in the first month of the pandemic, and increased by 71% during the COVID-19 pandemic timeframe. The median response time was similar in both timeframes (prepandemic: 1.0 days; pandemic: 0.9 days). The proportion of cases resulting in new/additional information (prepandemic: 55%, pandemic: 57%) or avoidance of a contemplated referral (prepandemic: 52%, pandemic: 51%) remained consistent between timeframes. Conclusions: Registration to and usage of eConsult increased during the pandemic. Metrics of the service's impact, including response time, percentage of cases resulting in new or additional information, and avoidance of originally contemplated referrals were all consistent between the prepandemic and COVID-19 pandemic timeframes, suggesting scalability.

Evaluation of an electronic consultation service for transgender care.

BACKGROUND: Access to transgender care in Canada is poor. Although primary care providers are ideally positioned to initiate care, many feel uncomfortable providing transgender care. This study aimed to explore the impact of an electronic consultation (eConsult) service between primary care providers and transgender care specialists on access to care and to explore the content of clinical questions that were asked. METHODS: This was a retrospective mixed methods analysis of 62 eConsults submitted between January 2017 and December 2018 by primary care providers to specialists in transgender care in a health region in eastern Ontario, Canada. A descriptive analysis was conducted to assess the average response time and the total time spent by the specialist for the eConsults. An inductive and deductive content analysis was carried out to identify common themes of clinical questions being asked to transgender specialists. A post-eConsult survey completed by primary care providers was assessed to gain insight into avoided face-to-face referrals and overall provider satisfaction. RESULTS: The median specialist response time was 1.2 days (range: 1 h to 5 days) and the average time spent by specialists per eConsult was 18 min (range: 10 to 40 min). The qualitative analysis identified six major themes: 1) interpretation/management of abnormal bloodwork, 2) change in management due to lack of desired effect/hormone levels not a target, 3) initiation of hormone therapy/initial work up, 4) management of adverse effects of hormone therapy, 5) transition related surgery counseling and post-op complications, and 6) management of patients with comorbidities. Approximately one-third of eConsults resulted in an avoided face-to-face referral and 95% of primary care providers rated the value of their eConsult as a 5 (excellent value) or 4. CONCLUSIONS: This study demonstrated that a transgender eConsult service has potential to significantly improve access to care for transgender patients. Given the importance that timely access has on improving mental health and reducing suicide attempts, eConsult has the potential to make a substantial clinical impact on this population. Identified themes of eConsult questions provides insight into potential gaps in knowledge amongst primary care providers that could help inform future continuing education events.

High-performing physicians are more likely to participate in a research study: findings from a quality improvement study.

BACKGROUND: Participants in voluntary research present a different demographic profile than those who choose not to participate, affecting the generalizability of many studies. Efforts to evaluate these differences have faced challenges, as little information is available from non-participants. Leveraging data from a recent randomized controlled trial that used health administrative databases in a jurisdiction with universal medical coverage, we sought to compare the quality of care provided by participating and non-participating physicians prior to the program's implementation in order to assess whether participating physicians provided a higher baseline quality of care. METHODS: We conducted clustered regression analyses of baseline data from provincial health administrative databases. Participants included all family physicians who were eligible to participate in the Improved Delivery of Cardiovascular Care (IDOCC) project, a quality improvement project rolled out in a geographically defined region in Ontario (Canada) between 2008 and 2011. We assessed 14 performance indicators representing measures of access, continuity, and recommended care for cancer screening and chronic disease management. RESULTS: In unadjusted and patient-adjusted models, patients of IDOCC-participating physicians had higher continuity scores at the provider (Odds Ratio (OR) [95% confidence interval]: 1.06 [1.03-1.09]) and practice (1.06 [1.04-1.08]) level, lower risk of emergency room visits (Rate Ratio (RR): 0.93 [0.88-0.97]) and hospitalizations (RR:0.87 [0.77-0.99]), and were more likely to have received recommended diabetes tests (OR: 1.25 [1.06-1.49]) and cancer screening for cervical cancer (OR: 1.32 [1.08-1.61] and breast cancer (OR: 1.32 [1.19-1.46]) than patients of non-participating physicians. Some indicators remained statistically significant in the model after adjusting for provider factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our study demonstrated a participation bias for several quality indicators. Physician characteristics can explain some of these differences. Other underlying physician or practice attributes also influence interest in participating in quality improvement initiatives and existing quality levels. The standard for addressing participation bias by controlling for basic physician and practice level variables is inadequate for ensuring that results are generalizable to primary care providers and practices.

The impact of the adoption of a patient rostering model on primary care access and continuity of care in urban family practices in Ontario, Canada.

BACKGROUND: Greater continuity and access to primary care results in improved patient health, satisfaction, and reduced healthcare costs. Although patient rostering is considered to be a cornerstone of a high performing primary care system and is believed to improve continuity and access, few studies have examined these relationships. This study examined the impact of the adoption of a patient rostering enhanced fee-for-service model (eFFS) on continuity, coordination of specialized care, and access. METHOD: A population-based longitudinal study was conducted using health administrative data from urban family practices in Ontario, Canada. Family physicians that transitioned from traditional FFS (tFFS) to eFFS between 2004 and 2013 were followed overtime. Physicians providing comprehensive primary care that had at least 4 years of pre-transition and 2 years of post-transition data were eligible. Patients were attributed to physicians on an annual basis by determining the provider that billed the largest dollar amount over a 2 year period. Outcomes of interest were the usual provider of care index (UPC), a referral index (RI) (% of total primary care referrals for a physician's roster made by the main provider), and emergency department (ED) visits for family practice sensitive conditions (FPSCs). Mixed-effects segmented linear and logistic regressions were used to examine changes in outcomes while controlling for patient and provider contextual factors. RESULTS: Prior to transitioning, UPC was decreasing at a rate of 0.27%/year (95% CI: -0.34 to - 0.21, p < 0.0001). Following the transition, UPC began decreasing by an additional 0.59%/year (95% CI: -0.69 to - 0.49, p < 0.0001) relative to the pre-transition rate. RI decreased by an additional 0.34%/year (95% CI: -0.43 to - 0.24, p < 0.0001) relative to the pre-transition period, where it had been stable. The transition had minimal impact on FPSC ED visits. CONCLUSION: Continuity and coordination of specialized care slightly decreased upon transition from tFFS to eFFS. This is likely due to physicians working in groups and sharing patients following the transition to the eFFS model. Adoption of an enrolment model with after-hours care did not decrease non-urgent ED use, which may reflect the small impact that primary care access has on these types of ED visits.

Physician perspectives on a tailored multifaceted primary care practice facilitation intervention for improvement of cardiovascular care.

BACKGROUND: Practice facilitation is an effective way to help physicians implement change in their clinics, but little is known about physicians' perspectives on this service. OBJECTIVES: To examine physicians' responses to a practice facilitation program, focussing on their overall satisfaction, perceived most significant clinical changes, and interactions with the facilitator. METHODS: The Improved Delivery of Cardiovascular Care program investigated the impact of practice facilitation on improving the quality of cardiovascular primary care in Eastern Ontario, Canada, from 2007 to 2011. We conducted a qualitative content analysis of post-intervention surveys completed by participating physicians, using a constant comparison approach framed around the Chronic Care Model. RESULTS: Ninety-five physicians completed the survey. Physicians overwhelmingly viewed the program positively, though descriptions of its benefits and impact varied widely. Facilitators filled three key roles for physicians, acting as a resource centre, motivator and outside perspective. Physicians adopted a number of changes in their practices. These changes include adoption of clinical information systems (diabetes registries), decision support tools (chart audits, guideline documents, flow sheets) and delivery system design (community resources). CONCLUSIONS: Most physicians appreciated having access to a practice facilitator and viewed the intervention positively. Insight into physicians' perspectives on practice facilitation provides a valuable counterpoint to outcomes-based evaluations of such services. Further research should investigate potential obstacles in the group of physicians who make fewer practice changes, as well as the sustainability of this type of facilitation intervention.

A real-world stepped wedge cluster randomized trial of practice facilitation to improve cardiovascular care.

BACKGROUND: Practice facilitation has been associated with meaningful improvements in disease prevention and quality of patient care. Using practice facilitation, the Improved Delivery of Cardiovascular Care (IDOCC) project aimed to improve the delivery of evidence-based cardiovascular care in primary care practices across a large health region. Our goal was to evaluate IDOCC's impact on adherence to processes of care delivery. METHODS: A pragmatic stepped wedge cluster randomized trial recruiting primary care providers in practices located in Eastern Ontario, Canada (ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00574808). Participants were randomly assigned by region to one of three steps. Practice facilitators were intended to visit practices every 3-4 (year 1-intensive) or 6-12 weeks (year 2-sustainability) to support changes in practice behavior. The primary outcome was mean adherence to indicators of evidence-based care measured at the patient level. Adherence was assessed by chart review of a randomly selected cohort of 66 patients per practice in each pre-intervention year, as well as in year 1 and year 2 post-intervention. RESULTS: Eighty-four practices (182 physicians) participated. On average, facilitators had 6.6 (min: 2, max: 11) face-to-face visits with practices in year 1 and 2.5 (min: 0 max: 10) visits in year 2. We collected chart data from 5292 patients. After adjustment for patient and provider characteristics, there was a 1.9 % (95 % confidence interval (CI): -2.9 to -0.9 %) and 4.2 % (95 % CI: -5.7 to -2.6 %) absolute decrease in mean adherence from baseline to intensive and sustainability years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: IDOCC did not improve adherence to best-practice guidelines. Our results showed a small statistically significant decrease in mean adherence of questionable clinical significance. Potential reasons for this result include implementation challenges, competing priorities in practices, a broad focus on multiple chronic disease indicators, and use of an overall index of adherence. These results contrast with findings from previously reported facilitation trials and highlight the complexities and challenges of translating research findings into clinical practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT00574808.

Intracluster correlation coefficients for sample size calculations related to cardiovascular disease prevention and management in primary care practices.

BACKGROUND: Few studies have comprehensively reported intracluster correlation coefficient (ICC) estimates for outcomes collected in primary care settings. Using data from a large primary care study, we aimed to: a) report ICCs for process-of-care and clinical outcome measures related to cardiovascular disease management and prevention, and b) investigate the impact of practice structure and rurality on ICC estimates. METHODS: We used baseline data from the Improved Delivery of Cardiovascular Care (IDOCC) trial to estimate ICC values. Data on 5,140 patients from 84 primary care practices across Eastern Ontario, Canada were collected through chart abstraction. ICC estimates were calculated using an ANOVA approach and were calculated for all patients and separately for patient subgroups defined by condition (i.e., coronary artery disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and smoking). We compared ICC estimates between practices in which data were collected from a single physician versus those that had multiple participating physicians and between urban versus rural practices. RESULTS: ICC estimates ranged from 0 to 0.173, with a median of 0.056. The median ICC estimate for dichotomous process outcomes (0.088) was higher than that for continuous clinical outcomes (0.035). ICC estimates calculated for single physician practices were higher than those for practices with multiple physicians for both process (average 3.9-times higher) and clinical measures (average 1.9-times higher). Urban practices tended to have higher process-of-care ICC estimates than rural practices, particularly for measuring lipid profiles and estimated glomerular filtration rates. CONCLUSION: To our knowledge, this is the most comprehensive summary of cardiovascular-related ICCs to be reported from Canadian primary care practices. Differences in ICC estimates based on practice structure and location highlight the importance of understanding the context in which external ICC estimates were determined prior to their use in sample size calculations. Failure to choose appropriate ICC estimates can have substantial implications for the design of a cluster randomized trial.

Quality of cardiovascular disease care in Ontario's primary care practices: a cross sectional study examining differences in guideline adherence by patient sex.

BACKGROUND: Women are disproportionately affected by cardiovascular disease, often experiencing poorer outcomes following a cardiovascular event. Evidence points to inequities in processes of care as a potential contributing factor. This study sought to determine whether any sex differences exist in adherence to process of care guidelines for cardiovascular disease within primary care practices in Ontario, Canada. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of pooled cross-sectional baseline data collected through a larger quality improvement initiative known as the Improved Delivery of Cardiovascular Care (IDOCC). Chart abstraction was performed for 4,931 patients from 84 primary care practices in Eastern Ontario who had, or were at high risk of, cardiovascular disease. Measures examining adherence to guidelines associated with nine areas of cardiovascular care (coronary artery disease, peripheral vascular disease (PVD), stroke/transient ischemic attack, chronic kidney disease, diabetes, dyslipidemia, hypertension, smoking cessation, and weight management) were collected. Multivariable logistic regression analysis was performed to evaluate sex differences, adjusting for age, physician remuneration, and rurality. RESULTS: Women were significantly less likely to have their lipid profiles taken (OR=1.17, 95% CI 1.03-1.33), be prescribed lipid lowering medication for dyslipidemia (OR=1.54, 95% CI 1.20-1.97), and to be prescribed ASA following stroke (OR=1.56, 95% CI 1.39-1.75). Women with PVD were significantly less likely to be prescribed ACE inhibitors and/or angiotensin receptor blockers (OR=1.74, 95% CI 1.25-2.41) and lipid lowering medications (OR=1.95, 95% CI 1.46-2.62) or ASA (OR=1.59, 95% CI 1.43-1.78). However, women were more likely to have two blood pressure measurements taken and to be referred to a dietician or weight loss program. Male patients with diabetes were less likely to be prescribed glycemic control medication (OR=0.84, 95% CI 0.74-0.86). CONCLUSIONS: Sex disparities exist in the quality of cardiovascular care in Canadian primary care practices, which tend to favour men. Women with PVD have a particularly high risk of not receiving appropriate medications. Our findings indicate that improvements in care delivery should be made to address these issues, particularly with regard to the prescribing of recommended medications for women, and preventive measures for men.

What is the impact of primary care model type on specialist referral rates? A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Several new primary care models have been implemented in Ontario, Canada over the past two decades. These practice models differ in team structure, physician remuneration, and group size. Few studies have examined the impact of these models on specialist referrals. We compared specialist referral rates amongst three primary care models: 1) Enhanced Fee-for-service, 2) Capitation- Non-Interdisciplinary (CAP-NI), 3) Capitation - Interdisciplinary (CAP-I). METHODS: We conducted a cross-sectional study using health administrative data from primary care practices in Ontario from April 1st, 2008 to March 31st, 2010. The analysis included all family physicians providing comprehensive care in one of the three models, had at least 100 patients, and did not have a prolonged absence (eight consecutive weeks). The primary outcome was referral rate (# of referrals to all medical specialties/1000 patients/year). A multivariable clustered Poisson regression analysis was used to compare referral rates between models while adjusting for provider (sex, years since graduation, foreign trained, time in current model) and patient (age, sex, income, rurality, health status) characteristics. RESULTS: Fee-for-service had a significantly lower adjusted referral rate (676, 95% CI: 666-687) than the CAP-NI (719, 95% confidence interval (CI): 705-734) and CAP-I (694, 95% CI: 681-707) models and the interdisciplinary CAP-I group had a 3.5% lower referral rate than the CAP-NI group (RR = 0.965, 95% CI: 0.943-0.987, p = 0.002). Female and Canadian-trained physicians referred more often, while female, older, sicker and urban patients were more likely to be referred. CONCLUSIONS: Primary care model is significantly associated with referral rate. On a study population level, these differences equate to 111,059 and 37,391 fewer referrals by fee-for-service versus CAP-NI and CAP-I, respectively - a difference of $22.3 million in initial referral appointment costs. Whether a lower rate of referral is more appropriate or not is not known and requires further investigation. Physician remuneration and team structure likely account for the differences; however, further investigation is also required to better understand whether other organizational factors associated with primary care model also impact referral.

Primary care quality improvement from a practice facilitator's perspective.

BACKGROUND: Practice facilitation has proven to be effective at improving care delivery. Practice facilitators are healthcare professionals who work with and support other healthcare providers. To the best of our knowledge, very few studies have explored the perspective of facilitators. The objective of this study was to gain insight into the barriers that facilitators face during the facilitation process and to identify approaches used to overcome these barriers to help practices move towards positive change. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with four practice facilitators who worked with 84 primary care practices in Eastern Ontario, Canada over a period of five years (2007-2012). The transcripts were analyzed independently by three members of the research team using an open coding technique. A qualitative data analysis using immersion/crystallization technique was applied to interpret the interview transcripts. RESULTS: Common barriers identified by the facilitators included accessibility to the practice (e.g., difficulty scheduling meetings, short meetings), organizational behaviour (team organization, team conflicts, etc.), challenges with practice engagement (e.g., lack of interest, lack of trust), resistance to change, and competing priorities. To help practices move towards positive change the facilitators had to tailor their approach, integrate themselves, be persistent with practices, and exhibit flexibility. CONCLUSIONS: The consensus on redesigning and transforming primary care in North America and around the world is rapidly growing. Practice facilitation has been pivotal in materializing the transformation in the way primary care practices deliver care. This study provides an exclusive insight into facilitator approaches which will assist the design and implementation of small- and large-scale facilitation interventions.

Quality of cardiovascular disease care in Ontario, Canada: missed opportunities for prevention - a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Primary care plays a key role in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We examined primary care practice adherence to recommended care guidelines associated with the prevention and management of CVD for high risk patients. METHODS: We conducted a secondary analysis of cross-sectional baseline data collected from 84 primary care practices participating in a large quality improvement initiative in Eastern Ontario from 2008 to 2010. We collected medical chart data from 4,931 patients who either had, or were at high risk of developing CVD to study adherence rates to recommended guidelines for CVD care and to examine the proportion of patients at target for clinical markers such as blood pressure, lipid levels and hemoglobin A1c. RESULTS: Adherence to preventive care recommendations was poor. Less than 10% of high risk patients received a waistline measurement, half of the smokers received cessation advice, and 7.7% were referred to a smoking cessation program. Gaps in care exist for diabetes and kidney disease as 54.9% of patients with diabetes received recommended hemoglobin-A1c screenings, and only 55.8% received an albumin excretion test. Adherence rates to recommended guidelines for coronary artery disease, hypertension, and dyslipidemia were high (>75%); however <50% of patients were at target for blood pressure or LDL-cholesterol levels (37.1% and 49.7% respectively), and only 59.3% of patients with diabetes were at target for hemoglobin-A1c. CONCLUSIONS: There remain significant opportunities for primary care providers to engage high risk patients in prevention activities such as weight management and smoking cessation. Despite high adherence rates for hypertension, dyslipidemia, and coronary artery disease, a significant proportion of patients failed to meet treatment targets, highlighting the complexity of caring for people with multiple chronic conditions.

Comparison of primary care models in the prevention of cardiovascular disease - a cross sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Primary care providers play an important role in preventing and managing cardiovascular disease. This study compared the quality of preventive cardiovascular care delivery amongst different primary care models. METHODS: This is a secondary analysis of a larger randomized control trial, known as the Improved Delivery of Cardiovascular Care (IDOCC) through Outreach Facilitation. Using baseline data collected through IDOCC, we conducted a cross-sectional study of 82 primary care practices from three delivery models in Eastern Ontario, Canada: 43 fee-for-service, 27 blended-capitation and 12 community health centres with salary-based physicians. Medical chart audits from 4,808 patients with or at high risk of developing cardiovascular disease were used to examine each practice's adherence to ten evidence-based processes of care for diabetes, chronic kidney disease, dyslipidemia, hypertension, weight management, and smoking cessation care. Generalized estimating equation models adjusting for age, sex, rurality, number of cardiovascular-related comorbidities, and year of data collection were used to compare guideline adherence amongst the three models. RESULTS: The percentage of patients with diabetes that received two hemoglobin A1c tests during the study year was significantly higher in community health centres (69%) than in fee-for-service (45%) practices (Adjusted Odds Ratio (AOR) = 2.4 [95% CI 1.4-4.2], p = 0.001). Blended capitation practices had a significantly higher percentage of patients who had their waistlines monitored than in fee-for-service practices (19% vs. 5%, AOR = 3.7 [1.8-7.8], p = 0.0006), and who were recommended a smoking cessation drug when compared to community health centres (33% vs. 16%, AOR = 2.4 [1.3-4.6], p = 0.007). Overall, quality of diabetes care was higher in community health centres, while smoking cessation care and weight management was higher in the blended-capitation models. Fee-for-service practices had the greatest gaps in care, most noticeably in diabetes care and weight management. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the evidence suggesting that primary care delivery model impacts quality of care. These findings support current Ontario reforms to move away from the traditional fee-for-service practice. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00574808.

Improved delivery of cardiovascular care (IDOCC) through outreach facilitation: study protocol and implementation details of a cluster randomized controlled trial in primary care.

BACKGROUND: There is a need to find innovative approaches for translating best practices for chronic disease care into daily primary care practice routines. Primary care plays a crucial role in the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease. There is, however, a substantive care gap, and many challenges exist in implementing evidence-based care. The Improved Delivery of Cardiovascular Care (IDOCC) project is a pragmatic trial designed to improve the delivery of evidence-based care for the prevention and management of cardiovascular disease in primary care practices using practice outreach facilitation. METHODS: The IDOCC project is a stepped-wedge cluster randomized control trial in which Practice Outreach Facilitators work with primary care practices to improve cardiovascular disease prevention and management for patients at highest risk. Primary care practices in a large health region in Eastern Ontario, Canada, were eligible to participate. The intervention consists of regular monthly meetings with the Practice Outreach Facilitator over a one- to two-year period. Starting with audit and feedback, consensus building, and goal setting, the practices are supported in changing practice behavior by incorporating chronic care model elements. These elements include (a) evidence-based decision support for providers, (b) delivery system redesign for practices, (c) enhanced self-management support tools provided to practices to help them engage patients, and (d) increased community resource linkages for practices to enhance referral of patients. The primary outcome is a composite score measured at the level of the patient to represent each practice's adherence to evidence-based guidelines for cardiovascular care. Qualitative analysis of the Practice Outreach Facilitators' written narratives of their ongoing practice interactions will be done. These textual analyses will add further insight into understanding critical factors impacting project implementation. DISCUSSION: This pragmatic, stepped-wedge randomized controlled trial with both quantitative and process evaluations demonstrates innovative methods of implementing large-scale quality improvement and evidence-based approaches to care delivery. This is the first Canadian study to examine the impact of a large-scale multifaceted cardiovascular quality-improvement program in primary care. It is anticipated that through the evaluation of IDOCC, we will demonstrate an effective, practical, and sustainable means of improving the cardiovascular health of patients across Canada. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT00574808.

The influence of triethylene glycol derived from dental composite resins on the regulation of Streptococcus mutans gene expression.

Bacterial microleakage along the tooth/composite resin dental restoration interface contributes to post-operative sensitivity, recurrent caries, pulp inflammation and necrosis. Studies have confirmed that saliva can catalyze the degradation of constitutive monomers in dental restorative composites, forming biodegradation by-products (BBPs) such as methacrylic acid (MA), and triethylene glycol (TEG). TEG accelerates the growth of Streptococcus mutans, a major etiological agent of dental caries. Restriction fragment differential display polymerase chain reaction (RFDD-PCR) in conjunction with single strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP) was used to identify S. mutans genes with differential expression when grown in the presence of TEG at pH levels 5.5 and 7.0. Quantitative real-time PCR (q-RT PCR) was utilized to study specific gene expression patterns. TEG modulated the expression levels of glucosyltransferase B (gtfB) (involved in biofilm formation) and yfiV (a putative transcription regulator) in S. mutans. The expression patterns were dependent on the bacterial growth mode (planktonic vs. biofilm) as well as pH (5.5 vs. 7.0). The findings describe the effect of composite resin-derived BBPs on important physiological functions of S. mutans (at BBP concentration levels found in vivo), and indicate the potential influence of BBPs in biofilm formation and microbial survival on surfaces in the oral cavity.

Composite resin degradation products from BisGMA monomer modulate the expression of genes associated with biofilm formation and other virulence factors in Streptococcus mutans.

Bacterial microleakage along the tooth/composite resin dental restoration interface contributes to postoperative sensitivity, recurrent caries, and necrosis. Studies have confirmed that enzymes in human saliva degrade composite resin monomers 2,2-bis [4-(2-hydroxy-3-methacryloxypropoxy) phenyl] propane (BisGMA) and triethylene glycol dimethacrylate (TEGDMA) to release methacrylic acid (MA), bishydroxypropoxyphenyl propane (Bis-HPPP), and triethylene glycol (TEG) at levels of 50 microM in vivo. Studies have found that TEGDMA degradation products alter the growth and gene expression of cariogenic Streptococcus mutans. Specifically, TEG was shown to alter S. mutans gene expression levels of gtfB, a known virulence factor, and yfiV, a putative transcriptional regulator of cell-surface fatty acid genes. The objective of this study was to examine the effect of BisGMA degradation products on the growth and gene expression of S. mutans NG8 cells. Results demonstrated slight inhibition of bacterial growth at Bis-HPPP concentrations of 1.0 x 10(2) and 2.5 x 10(2) microM at pH 5.5. Furthermore, both MA and Bis-HPPP affected gtfB and yfiV expression in a concentration-dependent manner. Because BisGMA is universally used across most dental restorative materials, with millions of placement procedures performed annually, these findings are relevant due to the potential influence of resin monomer-derived biodegradation products on biofilm formation, acid tolerance, and proliferation of S. mutans cells.