Effect of peer support interventions on cardiovascular disease risk factors in adults with diabetes: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Peer support by persons affected with diabetes improves peer supporter's diabetes self-management skills. Peer support interventions by individuals who have diabetes or are affected by diabetes have been shown to improve glycemic control; however, its effects on other cardiovascular disease risk factors in adults with diabetes are unknown. We aimed to estimate the effect of peer support interventions on cardiovascular disease risk factors other than glycemic control in adults with diabetes. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials comparing peer support interventions to a control condition in adults affected by diabetes that measured any cardiovascular disease risk factors [Body Mass Index, smoking, diet, physical activity, cholesterol level, glucose control and blood pressure]. Quality was assessed by Cochrane's risk of bias tool. We calculated standardized mean difference effect sizes using random effects models. RESULTS: We retrieved 438 citations from multiple databases including OVID MEDLINE, Cochrane database and Scopus, and author searches. Of 233 abstracts reviewed, 16 articles met inclusion criteria. A random effects model in a total of 3243 participants showed a positive effect of peer support interventions on systolic BP with a pooled effect size of 2.07 mmHg (CI 0.35 mmHg to 3.79 mmHg, p = 0.02); baseline pooled systolic blood pressure was 137 mmHg. There was a non-significant effect of peer support interventions on diastolic blood pressure, cholesterol, body mass index, diet and physical activity. Cardiovascular disease risk factors other than glycemic control outcomes were secondary outcomes in most studies and baseline values were normal or mildly elevated. Only one study reported smoking outcomes. CONCLUSIONS: We found a small (2 mmHg) positive effect of peer support interventions on systolic blood pressure in adults with diabetes whose baseline blood pressure was on average minimally elevated. Additional studies need to be conducted to further understand the effect of peer support interventions on high-risk cardiovascular disease risk factors in adults with diabetes.

Peer Support Interventions for Adults With Diabetes: A Meta-Analysis of Hemoglobin A1c Outcomes.

PURPOSE: Peer support intervention trials have shown varying effects on glycemic control. We aimed to estimate the effect of peer support interventions delivered by people affected by diabetes (those with the disease or a caregiver) on hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels in adults. METHODS: We searched multiple databases from 1960 to November 2015, including Ovid MEDLINE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, CINAHL, and Scopus. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of adults with diabetes receiving peer support interventions compared with otherwise similar care. Seventeen of 205 retrieved studies were eligible for inclusion. Quality was assessed with the Cochrane risk of bias tool. We calculated the standardized mean difference (SMD) of change in HbA1c level from baseline between groups using a random effects model. Subgroup analyses were predefined. RESULTS: Seventeen studies (3 cluster RCTs, 14 RCTs) with 4,715 participants showed an improvement in pooled HbA1c level with an SMD of 0.121 (95% CI, 0.026-0.217; P = .01; I2 = 60.66%) in the peer support intervention group compared with the control group; this difference translated to an improvement in HbA1c level of 0.24% (95% CI, 0.05%-0.43%). Peer support interventions showed an HbA1c improvement of 0.48% (95% CI, 0.25%-0.70%; P <.001; I2 = 17.12%) in the subset of studies with predominantly Hispanic participants and 0.53% (95% CI, 0.32%-0.73%; P <.001; I2 = 9.24%) in the subset of studies with predominantly minority participants; both were clinically relevant. In sensitivity analysis excluding cluster RCTs, the overall effect size changed little. CONCLUSIONS: Peer support interventions for diabetes overall achieved a statistically significant but minor improvement in HbA1c levels. These interventions may, however, be particularly effective in improving glycemic control for people from minority groups, especially those of Hispanic ethnicity.

Intentions of older homebound women to reduce the risk of falling again.

PURPOSE: Researchers have tested interventions to prevent recurrent falls for older people without exploring their intentions to prevent another fall. Lack of knowledge about such intentions is an impediment to intervention effectiveness. The purpose was to describe intentions to prevent another fall as discerned during a study with older homebound women. METHODS: Data were obtained during a series of four in-home interviews over 18 months with monthly telephone contacts between interviews; fall history was updated at each contact. A descriptive phenomenological method was used to analyze data. FINDINGS: Of the 40 women, 36 (aged 85 to 98 years) had fallen at home at least once before enrolling in the study, or had a subsequent or initial fall during the study. The overall intention was reducing my risk of falling again at home, with its components figuring out the reason that I fell and changing my ways to reduce my risk of falling again at home. Most women explained reasons for a fall and voiced intentions to prevent a similar fall. Women who viewed falls as unexpected events were uncertain that they could prevent a fall or felt unable to do so and voiced few preventive intentions. A few women voiced generalized preventive intentions to change health-related behaviors or habits. CONCLUSIONS: Most intentions were tied directly to the situation in which a fall had occurred. Such specificity could limit effectiveness of personal efforts to prevent falls in other situations. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: Practitioners should converse with older women who have fallen about their intentions to prevent another fall and weigh the need to help them generalize both the risk of falling again and their risk reduction intentions.

The University of Missouri integrated residency: evaluating a 4-year curriculum.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Several approaches to merging residency training and medical school education have been attempted over the past 20 years. This study describes and evaluates an integrated family medicine residency programa 4-year program that overlaps with the final year of medical school. METHODS: We retrospectively analyzed multiple data sources, including In-Training Examination scores, patient visit profiles, resident demographics, and graduate surveys. RESULTS: Integrated residents (IRs) perform significantly better than traditional residents on In-Training Examinations at each year of residency training, with the difference in mean scores decreasing over time (67.8, 39.6, and 33.0 points better in the first, second, and third residency years). No evidence of increased patient continuity or panel size was noted. A higher proportion of IRs serve as chief residents, rate their residency experience as "excellent," and remain with the program through graduation. Practice characteristics immediately after residency do not significantly differ. Financial benefits are evident for the IRs as well as the hosting department. CONCLUSIONS: This integrated program offers several benefits for both the medical student and the residency program, and it is a potential model for academic residencies aiming to recruit and retain a higher percentage of their own schools' students.

The primary care physician's role in adult perioperative care.

Family physicians and general internists are often consulted to evaluate preoperative risk and manage postoperative complications. Essential to such consultations is a familiarity with preoperative risk assessment, potentially helpful preoperative inter-ventions, and common postoperative complications. This article reviews these issues and discusses the role of the medical consultant throughout the surgical patient's hospital stay.

Improving care at lower cost for end-stage heart and lung disease: integrating end of life planning with home care.

Patients with advanced heart and lung disease experience exacerbations resulting in hospitalizations and interventions the patient may not desire. Strategies are needed that address end of life issues, honor preferences, and improve care without increasing cost. This study examines the impact on hospitalization and care cost of an integrated system of end of life care and interdisciplinary home care for mid-Missouri veterans with advanced congestive heart failure or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Resident duty hour changes: impact in the patient-centered medical home.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Family medicine residency programs are challenged with balancing hospital-based training with a longitudinal primary care continuity experience. In response to the Preparing the Personal Physician for Practice (P4) Initiative, the University of Missouri (MU) Family Medicine Residency Program sought to increase the presence of its residents in their continuity clinic, ie, the patient-centered medical home (PCMH). While initially successful, these efforts encountered formidable barriers with the July 2011 duty hour regulations from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). METHODS: PCMH hours and visit numbers were collected and analyzed for MU residents from July 2005 through June 2012. RESULTS: Comparing the 2 years before the P4 schedule changes to the first 3 years after the P4 changes, MU first-year residents experienced a 27% increase in patient visits with a 13% increase in hours. In the subsequent 2 years, which incorporated compliance with the new ACGME regulations, first-year residents experienced a 33% decrease in visits with a 25% decrease in hours. This negated the increases seen with the previous P4 schedule changes, and residents in all years of training experienced less visits, less hours, and less visits per hour. CONCLUSIONS: New duty hour regulations not only limit the time resident physicians spend in the hospital but also their experience in the ambulatory setting. Considering the emphasis family medicine training programs place on continuity of care and the PCMH, the new regulations will have significant implications for these programs.

Elder mistreatment in the nursing home: a systematic review.

Because of their significant dependence on others for their care, nursing home residents are potentially vulnerable to abuse and/or neglect. The topic of elder mistreatment, whether in the nursing home or other living environments, received little attention from clinicians and researchers until the past 2 decades. Original research is now emerging that sheds light on the scope of the problem and the challenges to timely prevention, identification, and management. Practitioners may use this information to recognize and change factors associated with a higher likelihood of nursing home mistreatment.