Enhancing medication adherence in older adults at two nurse practitioner-owned clinics.

BACKGROUND: The World Health Organization identified medication adherence as the greatest opportunity to improve outcomes related to chronic disease. Adherence rates of 80% or greater, or taking medication as prescribed at least 80% of the time, can positively impact health outcomes. LOCAL PROBLEM: A prior study at two nurse practitioner (NP)-owned family practice clinics in New Hampshire measured medication adherence among adult type-2 diabetes mellitus (DM) patients at 77% and declining over a 4-year period. Patients' hemoglobin A1c rates were stagnant despite previous initiative to improve this biomarker. METHODS: Nurse practitioners were educated on provider-driven strategies to improve medication adherence in the older adult with DM, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. A review of medical records was performed on patients for 52 weeks before seminar and 13 weeks after seminar to capture medication adherence rates and clinical biomarkers. INTERVENTION: Pre- and postseminar data were analyzed to determine whether the seminar resulted in improved adherence and clinical outcomes. RESULTS: Preseminar medication adherence rates exceeded evidence-based standards of 80% for each condition. Postseminar, statistically significant improved adherence rates were seen among DM patients with hypertension. Adherence worsened among hyperlipidemia patients, although this change was not statistically significant. Clinical biomarkers saw little change. CONCLUSIONS: This quality improvement project found that educating NPs on strategies to improve medication adherence can improve adherence among DM and hypertension patients. Continued education and measurement of adherence and clinical biomarkers are encouraged to capture more postseminar visits. This project adds to the growing body of knowledge about patients managed by NPs and NP-owned practices.

The feasibility and acceptability of using virtual world technology for interprofessional education in palliative care: a mixed methods study.

The objective of this mixed methods study was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of using a virtual world educational environment for interprofessional health professions students learning about palliative care. Graduate students (n = 35) from five different health professions programs (medicine, nursing, nutrition, physical therapy, and social work) across two educational institutions participated in a small-group immersive educational experience focused on palliative care in the virtual world of Second Life. Collected data included pre and post surveys of interprofessional attitudes using previously-published questionnaires as well as student reflective writing and photographs about their experience. We found it was feasible to create and deliver an interprofessional educational experience in palliative care in a virtual world environment. The educational experience was acceptable to participants, with an improvement in attitudes toward interprofessional education and interprofessional teamwork after a single virtual world educational session, based on both quantitative and qualitative results. Students found the virtual world environment acceptable for interprofessional education focused on palliative care, based on qualitative results. As health professions schools develop interprofessional education curricula, the use of virtual world technology may be an important modality to consider, to effectively and conveniently bring interprofessional learners together.

Improving vaccination rates in older adults: A quality improvement project.

Adults age 65 or older are at increased risk for acute and chronic diseases. Patients in this group who are up to date with all CDC-recommended vaccinations can reduce morbidity and mortality. This article discusses a quality improvement project across four NP-owned primary care clinics in which all clinical staff received an educational intervention focused on best vaccination practices and Medicare billing strategies. This project yielded improved vaccination rates in the older adult patient population over a 3-month period.

Evaluating quality metrics of patients with type 2 diabetes managed by nurse practitioners in two family nurse practitioner-owned clinics.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes is a major health concern in the U.S. with increasing prevalence. There are limited data on nurse practitioner (NP) roles in diabetes management and clinical patient outcomes in relation to national standards of care. This project aimed to identify rates of American Diabetes Association (ADA) guideline adherence of two NP-owned and operated practices during an ongoing four-year quality improvement project. METHODS: Methods: Electronic health records of 83 - 112 patients (depending on the year) ages > 18 years with type 2 diabetes were reviewed. Mean A1C and rates of adherence to ADA standards were compared from 2013 to 2017 and to national and state data. CONCLUSIONS: Findings demonstrated that diabetes management provided by NPs consistently adhered to national ADA standards of care and met or exceeded national data. This four-year ongoing quality improvement project has led to the implementation of practice modifications that continue to improve patient outcomes through increased adherence to ADA guidelines. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Strategies which improve adherence to ADA standards of care by NPs are essential. Identifying rates of adherence and implementing quality improvement strategies can significantly improve the quality of care provided to patients with diabetes.

Improved Access to and Impact of Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Services Associated with an Integrated Care Model in a High-Risk, Minority Population.

BACKGROUND: Integrated health care models create opportunities for registered dietitian nutritionists (RDNs) to provide nutrition-related care and engage in multidisciplinary teams to improve clinical outcomes. While benefits of integrated care (IC) have been reported, little is known about the impact of the RDN within an IC model. OBJECTIVE: Our primary objective was to identify whether IC vs traditional care (TC) increases the number of RDN patient visits. Our secondary objective was to evaluate clinical outcomes of patients seeing an RDN vs not, regardless of care model. DESIGN: This was a retrospective cohort study. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Patients were aged 3 to 94 years and from a patient-centered medical home in Boston, MA. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We measured 3-month total and average number of patients seen by the RDN in TC vs IC. Changes in adult hemoglobin A1c, weight, and pediatric body mass index (measured as kg/m2) among high-risk patients seen by an RDN compared to patients not seen by an RDN. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS: Data were obtained from electronic medical records and analyzed utilizing Mann-Whitney U test, analysis of covariance, and paired sample t tests. RESULTS: The RDN saw 145 patients (137 adult, 8 pediatric) in the TC model compared to 185 patients (135 adult, 50 pediatric) in the IC model. Mean number of patients seen per session was 3.20 in the TC model vs 4.63 in the IC model (P=0.004). Adult hemoglobin A1c within-group differences decreased by 0.42%±1.49% (P=0.007) for patients seen by an RDN and decreased 0.15%±1.47% (P=0.012) for patients not seen by an RDN. Adult weight within-group differences decreased 1.0±7.2 kg (P=0.15) for patients seen by a RDN and increased 0.1±5.6 kg (P=0.70) for patients not seen by a RDN. Pediatric BMI showed no change between or within groups. CONCLUSIONS: The IC model increased 3-month total number of patients seen by an RDN. High-risk patients who saw an RDN had a significant decrease in hemoglobin A1c.

The reliability and validity of the self-reported drinking measures in the Army's Health Risk Appraisal survey.

BACKGROUND: The reliability and validity of self-reported drinking behaviors from the Army Health Risk Appraisal (HRA) survey are unknown. METHODS: We compared demographics and health experiences of those who completed the HRA with those who did not (1991-1998). We also evaluated the reliability and validity of eight HRA alcohol-related items, including the CAGE, weekly drinking quantity, and drinking and driving measures. We used Cohen's kappa and Pearson's r to assess reliability and convergent validity. To assess criterion (predictive) validity, we used proportional hazards and logistical regression models predicting alcohol-related hospitalizations and alcohol-related separations from the Army, respectively. RESULTS: A total of 404,966 soldiers completed an HRA. No particular demographic group seems to be over- or underrepresented. Although few respondents skipped alcohol items, those who did tended to be older and of minority race. The alcohol items demonstrate a reasonable degree of reliability, with Cronbach's alpha = 0.69 and test-retest reliability associations in the 0.75-0.80 range for most items over 2- to 30-day interims between surveys. The alcohol measures showed good criterion-related validity: those consuming more than 21 drinks per week were at 6 times the risk for subsequent alcohol-related hospitalization versus those who abstained from drinking (hazard ratio, 6.36; 95% confidence interval=5.79, 6.99). Those who said their friends worried about their drinking were almost 5 times more likely to be discharged due to alcoholism (risk ratio, 4.9; 95% confidence interval=4.00, 6.04) and 6 times more likely to experience an alcohol-related hospitalization (hazard ratio, 6.24; 95% confidence interval=5.74, 6.77). CONCLUSIONS: The Army's HRA alcohol items seem to elicit reliable and valid responses. Because HRAs contain identifiers, alcohol use can be linked with subsequent health and occupational outcomes, making the HRA a useful epidemiological research tool. Associations between perceived peer opinions of drinking and subsequent problems deserve further exploration.