The Effect of a Patient-Provider Educational Intervention to Reduce At-Risk Drinking on Changes in Health and Health-Related Quality of Life Among Older Adults: The Project SHARE Study.

BACKGROUND: At-risk drinking, defined as alcohol use that is excessive or potentially harmful in combination with select comorbidities or medications, affects about 10% of older adults in the United States and is associated with higher mortality. The Project SHARE intervention, which uses patient and provider educational materials, physician counseling, and health educator support, was designed to reduce at-risk drinking among this vulnerable population. Although an earlier study showed that this intervention was successful in reducing rates of at-risk drinking, it is unknown whether these reductions translate into improved health and health-related quality of life (HRQL). OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to examine changes in health and HRQL of older adult at-risk drinkers resulting from a patient-provider educational intervention. RESEARCH DESIGN: A randomized controlled trial to compare the health and HRQL outcomes of patients assigned to the Project SHARE intervention vs. care as usual at baseline, 6- and 12-months post assignment. Control patients received usual care, which may or may not have included alcohol counseling. Intervention group patients received a personalized patient report, educational materials on alcohol and aging, a brief provider intervention, and a telephone health educator intervention. SUBJECTS: Current drinkers 60years and older accessing primary care clinics around Santa Barbara, California (N=1049). MEASUREMENTS: Data were collected from patients using baseline, 6- and 12-month mail surveys. Health and HRQL measures included mental and physical component scores (MCS and PCS) based on the Short Form-12v2 (SF-12v2), the SF-6D, which is also based on the SF-12, and the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS). Adjusted associations of treatment assignment with these outcomes were estimated using generalized least squares regressions with random provider effects. Regressions controlled for age group, sex, race/ethnicity, marital status, education, household income, home ownership and the baseline value of the dependent variable. RESULTS: After regression adjustment, the intervention was associated with a 0.58 point (95% CI: -0.06, 1.21) increase in 6-month MCS and a 0.14 point (95% CI: 0.01, 0.26) improvement in 12-month GDS score, compared to the control group. The intervention also increased adjusted SF-6D scores by 0.01 points at both 6 and 12months (6-month 95% CI: 0.01, 0.02; 12-month 95% CI: 0.01, 0.01). CONCLUSIONS: Despite the previously shown effectiveness of the Project SHARE intervention to reduce at-risk drinking among older adults, this effect translated into effects on health and HRQL that were statistically but not necessarily clinically significant. Effects were most prominent for patients who received physician discussions, suggesting that provider counseling may be a critical component of primary care-based interventions targeting at-risk alcohol use.

The effect of an educational intervention on alcohol consumption, at-risk drinking, and health care utilization in older adults: the Project SHARE study.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a patient-provider educational intervention in reducing at-risk drinking among older adults. METHOD: This was a cluster-randomized controlled trial of 31 primary care providers and their patients ages 60 years and older at a community-based practice with seven clinics. Recruitment occurred from July 2005 to August 2007. Eligibility was determined by telephone and a baseline mailed survey. A total of 1,186 at-risk drinkers were identified by the Comorbidity Alcohol Risk Evaluation Tool. Follow-up patient surveys were administered at 3, 6, and 12 months after baseline. Study physicians and their patients were randomly assigned to usual care (n = 640 patients) versus the Project SHARE (Senior Health and Alcohol Risk Education) intervention (n = 546 patients), which included personalized reports, educational materials, drinking diaries, physician advice during office visits, and telephone counseling delivered by a health educator. Main outcomes were alcohol consumption, at-risk drinking (overall and by type), alcohol discussions with physicians, health care utilization, and screening and intervention costs. RESULTS: At 12 months, the intervention was significantly associated with an increase in alcohol-related discussions with physicians (23% vs. 13%; p ≤ .01) and reductions in at-risk drinking (56% vs. 67%; p ≤ .01), alcohol consumption (-2.19 drinks per week; p ≤ .01), physician visits (-1.14 visits; p = .03), emergency department visits (16% vs. 25%; p ≤ .01), and nonprofessional caregiving visits (12% vs. 17%; p ≤ .01). Average variable costs per patient were $31 for screening and $79 for intervention. CONCLUSIONS: The intervention reduced alcohol consumption and at-risk drinking among older adults. Effects were sustained over a year and may have been associated with lower health care utilization, offsetting screening and intervention costs.

A practice-based intervention to improve primary care for falls, urinary incontinence, and dementia.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether a practice-based intervention can improve care for falls, urinary incontinence, and cognitive impairment. DESIGN: Controlled trial. SETTING: Two community medical groups. PARTICIPANTS: Community-dwelling patients (357 at intervention sites and 287 at control sites) aged 75 and older identified as having difficulty with falls, incontinence, or cognitive impairment. INTERVENTION: Intervention and control practices received condition case-finding, but only intervention practices received a multicomponent practice-change intervention. MEASUREMENTS: Percentage of quality indicators satisfied measured using a 13-month medical record abstraction. RESULTS: Before the intervention, the quality of care was the same in intervention and control groups. Screening tripled the number of patients identified as needing care for falls, incontinence, or cognitive impairment. During the intervention, overall care for the three conditions was better in the intervention than the control group (41%, 95% confidence interval (CI)=35-46% vs 25%, 95% CI=20-30%, P<.001). Intervention group patients received better care for falls (44% vs 23%, P<.001) and incontinence (37% vs 22%, P<.001) but not for cognitive impairment (44% vs 41%, P=.67) than control group patients. The intervention was more effective for conditions identified by screening than for conditions identified through usual care. CONCLUSION: A practice-based intervention integrated into usual clinical care can improve primary care for falls and urinary incontinence, although even with the intervention, less than half of the recommended care for these conditions was provided. More-intensive interventions, such as embedding intervention components into an electronic medical record, will be needed to adequately improve care for falls and incontinence.