Managing Multiple Chronic Conditions during COVID-19 Among Patients with Social Health Risks.

BACKGROUND: Optimal care for persons with multiple chronic conditions (MCC) requires primary and specialty care continuity, access to multiple providers, social risk assessment, and self-management support. The COVID-19 pandemic abruptly changed primary care delivery to increase reliance on telehealth and virtual care. We report on the experiences of individuals with MCC and their family caregivers on managing their health and receiving health care during the initial pandemic. METHODS: Semistructured qualitative interviews with 30 patients (19 English speaking, 11 Spanish speaking) plus 9 accompanying care partners, who had 2+ primary care encounters between March 1, 2020, and November 30, 2020, 2+ chronic conditions, and 1 or more self-reported social risks. Questions focused on access to and experiences with care, roles for care partners, and self-management during the first 6 months of the pandemic. RESULTS: Participants experienced substantial changes in care delivery. The most commonly reported changes were a shift to more virtual relative to in-person care and shifting roles for care partners. Changes fostered new perspectives on self-management and an appreciation of personal resilience and self-reliance. Virtual care was an acceptable complement to in-person care, though not a substitute for periodic in-person visits. It was more acceptable for English speakers and with a usual provider. CONCLUSION: New models of care delivery that recognize patient and family resilience and resourcefulness, emphasize provider continuity, and combine virtual and in-person care may support self-management for individuals with MCC and social needs.

Telemedicine-based inspiratory muscle training and walking promotion with lung cancer survivors following curative intent therapy: a parallel-group pilot randomized trial.

PURPOSE: Following curative-intent therapy of lung cancer, many survivors experience dyspnea and physical inactivity. We investigated the feasibility, acceptability, safety, and potential efficacy of inspiratory muscle training (IMT) and walking promotion to disrupt a postulated "dyspnea-inactivity" spiral. METHODS: Between January and December 2022, we recruited lung cancer survivors from Kaiser Permanente Colorado who completed curative-intent therapy within 1-6 months into a phase-IIb, parallel-group, pilot randomized trial (1:1 allocation). The 12-week intervention, delivered via telemedicine, consisted of exercise training (IMT + walking), education, and behavior change support. Control participants received educational materials on general exercise. We determined feasibility a priori: enrollment of ≥ 20% eligible patients, ≥ 75% retention, study measure completion, and adherence. We assessed acceptability using the Telemedicine-Satisfaction-and-Usefulness-Questionnaire and safety events that included emergency department visits or hospitalizations. Patient-centered outcome measures (PCOMs) included dyspnea (University-of-California-San-Diego-Shortness-of-Breath-Questionnaire), physical activity (activPAL™ steps/day), functional exercise capacity (mobile-based-six-minute-walk-test), and health-related quality of life (HRQL, St.-George's-Respiratory-Questionnaire). We used linear mixed-effects models to assess potential efficacy. RESULTS: We screened 751 patients, identified 124 eligible, and consented 31 (25%) participants. Among 28 participants randomized (14/group), 22 (11/group) completed the study (79% retention). Intervention participants returned > 90% of self-reported activity logs, completed > 90% of PCOMs, and attended > 90% of tele-visits; 75% of participants performed IMT at the recommended dose. Participants had high satisfaction with tele-visits and found the intervention useful. There was no statistically significant difference in safety events between groups. Compared to control participants from baseline to follow-up, intervention participants had statistically significant and clinically meaningful improved HRQL (SGRQ total, symptom, and impact scores) (standardized effect size: -1.03 to -1.30). CONCLUSIONS: Among lung cancer survivors following curative-intent therapy, telemedicine-based IMT + walking was feasible, acceptable, safe, and had potential to disrupt the "dyspnea-inactivity" spiral. Future efficacy/effectiveness trials are warranted and should incorporate IMT and walking promotion to improve HRQL. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT05059132.

Application of team science best practices to the project management of a large, multi-site lung cancer screening research consortium.

Research is increasingly conducted through multi-institutional consortia, and best practices for establishing multi-site research collaborations must be employed to ensure efficient, effective, and productive translational research teams. In this manuscript, we describe how the Population-based Research to Optimize the Screening Process Lung Research Center (PROSPR-Lung) utilized evidence-based Science of Team Science (SciTS) best practices to establish the consortium's infrastructure and processes to promote translational research in lung cancer screening. We provide specific, actionable examples of how we: (1) developed and reinforced a shared mission, vision, and goals; (2) maintained a transparent and representative leadership structure; (3) employed strong research support systems; (4) provided efficient and effective data management; (5) promoted interdisciplinary conversations; and (6) built a culture of trust. We offer guidance for managing a multi-site research center and data repository that may be applied to a variety of settings. Finally, we detail specific project management tools and processes used to drive collaboration, efficiency, and scientific productivity.

Designing a Primary Care-Based Deprescribing Intervention for Patients with Dementia and Multiple Chronic Conditions: a Qualitative Study.

BACKGROUND: Patients with dementia and multiple chronic conditions (MCC) frequently experience polypharmacy, increasing their risk of adverse drug events. OBJECTIVES: To elucidate patient, family, and physician perspectives on medication discontinuation and recommended language for deprescribing discussions in order to inform an intervention to increase awareness of deprescribing among individuals with dementia and MCC, family caregivers and primary care physicians. We also explored participant views on culturally competent approaches to deprescribing. DESIGN: Qualitative approach based on semi-structured interviews with patients, caregivers, and physicians. PARTICIPANTS: Patients aged ≥ 65 years with claims-based diagnosis of dementia, ≥ 1 additional chronic condition, and ≥ 5 chronic medications were recruited from an integrated delivery system in Colorado and an academic medical center in Maryland. We included caregivers when present or if patients were unable to participate due to severe cognitive impairment. Physicians were recruited within the same systems and through snowball sampling, targeting areas with large African American and Hispanic populations. APPROACH: We used constant comparison to identify and compare themes between patients, caregivers, and physicians. KEY RESULTS: We conducted interviews with 17 patients, 16 caregivers, and 16 physicians. All groups said it was important to earn trust before deprescribing, frame deprescribing as routine and positive, align deprescribing with goals of dementia care, and respect caregivers' expertise. As in other areas of medicine, racial, ethnic, and language concordance was important to patients and caregivers from minority cultural backgrounds. Participants favored direct-to-patient educational materials, support from pharmacists and other team members, and close follow-up during deprescribing. Patients and caregivers favored language that explained deprescribing in terms of altered physiology with aging. Physicians desired communication tips addressing specific clinical situations. CONCLUSIONS: Culturally sensitive communication within a trusted patient-physician relationship supplemented by pharmacists, and language tailored to specific clinical situations may support deprescribing in primary care for patients with dementia and MCC.

Return of Research-Related Genetic Test Results and Genetic Discrimination Concerns: Facilitators and Barriers of Genetic Research Participation in Diverse Groups.

BACKGROUND: Most genetics studies lack the diversity necessary to ensure that all groups benefit from genetic research. OBJECTIVES: To explore facilitators and barriers to genetic research participation. METHODS: We conducted a survey on genetics in research and healthcare from November 15, 2017 to February 28, 2018 among adult Kaiser Permanente (KP) members who had been invited to participate in the KP biobank (KP Research Bank). We used logistic regression to calculate adjusted odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) comparing the willingness to participate in genetic research under different return of results scenarios and genetic discrimination concerns between groups, according to their demographic characteristics. RESULTS: A total of 57,331 KP members were invited to participate, and 10,369 completed the survey (18% response rate). Respondents were 65% female, 44% non-Hispanic White (NH White), 22% Asian/Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander (Asian/PI), 19% non-Hispanic Black (NH Black), and 16% Hispanic. Respondents willing to participate in genetic research ranged from 22% with no results returned to 87% if health-related genetic results were returned. We also found variation by race/ethnicity; when no results were to be returned, Asian/PIs, Hispanics, and NH Blacks were less likely to want to participate than NH Whites (p < 0.05). However, when results were returned, disparities in the willingness to participate disappeared for NH Blacks and Hispanics. Genetic discrimination concerns were more prevalent in Asian/PIs, Hispanics, and NH Blacks than in NH Whites (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: Policies that prohibit the return of results and do not address genetic discrimination concerns may contribute to a greater underrepresentation of diverse groups in genetic research.

Demographic differences in the utilization of clinical and direct-to-consumer genetic testing.

Genetic testing has increased over the last decade due to growth in the number of clinical and direct-to-consumer (DTC) tests. However, there is uncertainty about how increased DTC genetic testing affects disparities. Between November 2017 and February 2018, a nationwide electronic survey on experiences with genetic testing was conducted among adult Kaiser Permanente members. Logistic regression was used to calculate adjusted odds ratios and 95% confidence intervals comparing receipt of clinical and DTC genetic testing between groups by race and ethnicity. Invitations were sent to 57,331 members, and 10,369 surveys were completed. 22% of respondents had received genetic testing (17% DTC and 5% provider-ordered). Non-Hispanic Whites were more likely than other groups to have clinical genetic testing but were similar to Hispanics and non-Hispanic Blacks in rates of DTC genetic testing. Among those who received any health-related genetic test, 10% reported abnormal results. Of these, non-Hispanic Whites were more likely than other racial/ethnic groups to speak to a medical professional about abnormal results. Results suggest that racial/ethnic disparities in the use of clinical genetic services persist. Additional research is needed to identify lessons learned from DTC genetic testing that may increase equity in the use of clinical genetic services.