Project description:BackgroundIt is not convenient or always possible to address parent requests for prescription refills after hours. The primary objective of this quality improvement study was to decrease the number of refill requests received outside of regular business hours. A secondary objective was to reduce the negative effects of call fatigue and related exhaustion for physicians taking calls.MethodsVoluntary participation in this quality improvement project was solicited from the Child Neurology Division at a single academic, tertiary, metropolitan children's hospital. Study design was developed from a project charter, fishbone diagram, process map, driver diagram, and plan-do-study-act worksheet. A peer-reviewed letter was mailed to all clinic patient families and signs were displayed in the clinic space as notification of a policy change. A peer-reviewed script was provided to the Children's Mercy Contact Center triage personnel addressing after-hours refill requests. The number of refill requests received during each after-hours call shift was recorded from April 1, 2015, to March 31, 2016, with a primary outcome measure of the monthly number of refill requests.ResultsPostintervention, the average number of refill requests after hours decreased by 39% from 21 to 11 per month (p = 0.0055).ConclusionsThis simple intervention has promise to limit prescription refill requests made after hours and improve physician quality of life. Continued data collection will help establish the sustainability of the effect made by this intervention.
Project description:ObjectiveTo examine (1) patient perceptions regarding their engagement and the engagement of their families in perioperative pain management, (2) demographic and clinical characteristics associated with perceived patient and family engagement, and (3) the association between perceived patient and family engagement and patient outcomes.DesignA prospective, observational study.SettingThe Personalized Pain Program (PPP) at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland.ParticipantsPatients having more than one visit to the PPP.Interventionsn/a.Main outcome measuresSince the inception of the PPP, patients were surveyed prior to each clinic visit to assess their pain severity and interference using the Brief Pain Inventory. Starting August 22, 2018, two additional questions were added to the survey to assess patient perceptions of their engagement and the engagement of their families in perioperative pain management. In addition, electronic medical records were reviewed to collect data on daily opioid consumption during the first and last PPP visits presurgery and post-surgery.ResultsThe final analysis included 511 survey responses from 155 patients. Perceived engagement of the patient in perioperative pain management improved over time (p < .001) and was significantly associated with reduction in prescription opioid consumption after surgery (coef = 12.7, SE = 5.8, p = .031).ConclusionsSurgical patients and their family members should be actively engaged in perioperative pain management to improve prescription opioid use and the quality and safety of perioperative care.
Project description:Prompting may promote engagement with behavior change interventions. Prompts can be delivered inexpensively via automated voice response (AVR) reminders or short message service (SMS) text messages. We examined the association between participants' characteristics and preferred reminder modality.Healthy Directions 2 is a cluster randomized controlled trial implemented in Boston, Massachusetts to promote change in multiple behavioral cancer risk factors. At baseline (2009), participants completed a survey assessing socio-demographics, health status, height/weight, and factors associated with technology. One-third of participants randomized to receive the intervention (n=598) were randomized to receive automated reminders, with participants selecting modality.28% (167/598) of participants selected SMS reminders. Controlling for clustering by primary care provider, younger participants (OR=0.97, 95% CI=(0.95, 0.99), p<0.01), those most comfortable with computers (very uncomfortable OR=0.54, 95% CI=(0.29, 1.01), p?0.05: referent group = very comfortable), and those who frequently sent/received text messages (never OR=0.09 CI=(0.04, 0.16) p<0.01; 1-3 times/month OR=0.38, 95% CI=(0.15, 0.93) p=0.04: referent group=1-5 times/week) were more likely to choose SMS.Interventions should make both modalities available to ensure that more participants can benefit from prompting. Studies examining the effect of automated reminders may have reduced effectiveness or generalizability if they employ only one modality.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Real-time adherence monitoring is now possible through medication storage devices equipped with cellular technology. We assessed the effect of triggered cell phone reminders and counseling using objective adherence data on antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence among Chinese HIV-infected patients. METHODS:We provided ART patients in Nanning, China, with a medication device (Wisepill) to monitor their ART adherence electronically. After 3 months, we randomized subjects within optimal (?95%) and suboptimal (<95%) adherence strata to intervention vs. control arms. In months 4-9, intervention subjects received individualized reminders triggered by late dose taking (no device opening by 30 minutes past dose time) and counseling using device-generated data. Controls received no reminders or data-informed counseling. We compared postintervention proportions achieving optimal adherence, mean adherence, and clinical outcomes. RESULTS:Of 120 subjects enrolled, 116 (96.7%) completed the trial. Preintervention optimal adherence was similar in intervention vs. control arms (63.5% vs. 58.9%, respectively; P = 0.60). In the last intervention month, 87.3% vs. 51.8% achieved optimal adherence [risk ratio (RR): 1.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.3 to 2.2] and mean adherence was 96.2% vs. 89.1% (P = 0.003). Among preintervention suboptimal adherers, 78.3% vs. 33.3% (RR: 2.4, CI: 1.2 to 4.5) achieved optimal adherence and mean adherence was 93.3% vs. 84.7% (P = 0.039). Proportions were 92.5% and 62.9% among optimal adherers, respectively (RR: 1.5, CI: 1.1 to 1.9) and mean adherence was 97.8% vs. 91.7% (P = 0.028). Postintervention clinical outcomes were not significant. CONCLUSIONS:Real-time reminders significantly improved ART adherence in this population. This approach seems promising for managing HIV and other chronic diseases and warrants further investigation and adaptation in other settings.
Project description:BackgroundA peripheral perfusion-targeted resuscitation during early septic shock has shown encouraging results. Capillary refill time, which has a prognostic value, was used. Adding accuracy and predictability on capillary refill time (CRT) measurement, if feasible, would benefit to peripheral perfusion-targeted resuscitation. We assessed whether a reduction of capillary refill time during passive leg raising (ΔCRT-PLR) predicted volume-induced peripheral perfusion improvement defined as a significant decrease of capillary refill time following volume expansion.MethodsThirty-four patients with acute circulatory failure were selected. Haemodynamic variables, metabolic variables (PCO2gap), and four capillary refill time measurements were recorded before and during a passive leg raising test and after a 500-mL volume expansion over 20 min. Receiver operating characteristic curves were built, and areas under the curves were calculated (ROCAUC). Confidence intervals (CI) were performed using a bootstrap analysis. We recorded mortality at day 90.ResultsThe least significant change in the capillary refill time was 25% [95% CI, 18-30]. We defined CRT responders as patients showing a reduction of at least 25% of capillary refill time after volume expansion. A decrease of 27% in ΔCRT-PLR predicted peripheral perfusion improvement with a sensitivity of 87% [95% CI, 73-100] and a specificity of 100% [95% CI, 74-100]. The ROCAUC of ΔCRT-PLR was 0.94 [95% CI, 0.87-1.0]. The ROCAUC of baseline capillary refill time was 0.73 [95% CI, 0.54-0.90] and of baseline PCO2gap was 0.79 [0.61-0.93]. Capillary refill time was significantly longer in non-survivors than in survivors at day 90.ConclusionΔCRT-PLR predicted peripheral perfusion response following volume expansion. This simple low-cost and non-invasive diagnostic method could be used in peripheral perfusion-targeted resuscitation protocols.Trial registrationCPP Lyon Sud-Est II ANSM: 2014-A01034-43 Clinicaltrial.gov, NCT02248025 , registered 13th of September 2014.
Project description:BACKGROUND:Excessive exposure to ultraviolet radiation increases the risk of skin cancer and other conditions. SMS text reminders may be a useful tool to improve sun protection habits due to its massive reach, low cost, and accessibility. OBJECTIVE:To perform a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that evaluated the effects of SMS text reminders in promoting sun protection habits. METHODS:We performed a systematic search in PubMed, Central Cochrane Library, and Scopus; following the PRISMA recommendations to perform systematic reviews. We included RCTs published up to December 2018, which evaluated the benefits and harms of SMS text reminders to improve sun protection habits. Random-effects meta-analyses were performed whenever possible. The certainty of the evidence was assessed for RCTs estimates using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42018091661). RESULTS:Five RCTs were included in this review. When pooled, the studies found no effect of SMS text reminders in "sunburn anytime during follow-up" (two studies, risk ratio: 0.93; 95% confidence interval: 0.83-1.05). Contradictory results were obtained for sunscreen use (three RCTs) and sun protection habits (two RCTs), however, they could not be meta-analyzed because outcomes were measured differently across studies. The certainty of the evidence was very low for these three outcomes according to GRADE methodology. CONCLUSIONS:RCTs that assessed effects of SMS text reminders did not find a significant benefit on objective outcomes, such as having a sunburn, sunscreen use and composite score of sun protection habits. Since certainty of the evidence was very low, future high-quality studies are needed to reach a conclusion regarding the balance of desirable and undesirable outcomes. PROTOCOL REGISTRATION NUMBER:PROSPERO (CRD42018091661).
Project description:Background. Surveillance colonoscopy 1-year after colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery effectively reduces CRC mortality, yet less than half of survivors undergo this procedure. Text message reminders can improve CRC screening and other health behaviors, but use of this strategy to address barriers to CRC surveillance has not been reported. Objectives. The goal of this qualitative study was to assess CRC survivor perspectives on barriers to colonoscopy to inform the design of a theory-based, short message service (SMS) intervention to increase surveillance colonoscopy utilization. Method. CRC survivors in Western Washington participated in one of two focus groups to explore perceived barriers to completing surveillance colonoscopy and preferences for SMS communication. Content analysis using codes representative of the health belief model and prospect theory constructs were applied to qualitative data. Results. Thirteen CRC survivors reported individual-, interpersonal-, and system-level barriers to surveillance colonoscopy completion. Participants were receptive to receiving SMS reminders to mitigate these barriers. They suggested that reminders offer supportive, loss-framed messaging; include educational content; and be personalized to communication preferences. Finally, they recommended that reminders begin no earlier than 9 months following CRC surgery and not include response prompts. Conclusions. Our study demonstrates that CRC survivors perceive SMS reminders as an acceptable, valuable tool for CRC surveillance. Furthermore, there may be value in integrating theoretical frameworks to design, implement, and evaluate SMS interventions to address barriers to CRC surveillance. As physicians play a key role in CRC surveillance, provider- and system-level interventions that could additively improve the impact of SMS interventions are also worth exploring.
Project description:Background: Telephone calls and text messages function as cues to elicit patient behavior. Objective: We tested the effect of telephone call and text message reminders on patient return to acupuncture follow-up treatment. Design: This is a randomized controlled trial. Setting and Subjects: We recruited adults visiting an acupuncture clinic for a new treatment consultation. Our sample contained 120 participants with 40 per study group. Interventions: Consenting patients were randomized to 1 of 3 study exposures: single voice call, single text message, or treatment as usual (TAU/no reminder). Exposures were sent 3 days after patient's initial treatment. Outcome Measures: Data from clinic charts were abstracted to quantify the absence/presence of a follow-up treatment return in the 30 days after initial treatment. Participants provided self-report of pain symptoms 10 and 30 days after initial treatment on the pain disability index (PDI) to measure change in PDI by return to follow-up treatment as a secondary outcome. Results: Telephone call (56%, P = 0.98) and text message (57%, P = 0.99) groups showed similar proportion of follow-up treatment returns compared with TAU group (57%). Presence of a follow-up appointment scheduled at the initial treatment predicted patient treatment return (odds ratio: 5.87, P < 0.01). Follow-up treatment return predicted reduced PDI scores at day 30 (β = -3.09, P = 0.02). Conclusions: Adding a 1-time telephone call or text message reminder to standard clinic practice did not improve patient return to acupuncture follow-up treatment within 30 days of initial treatment. Scheduling a future appointment date at initial treatment visit may improve treatment return, and return attendance appears protective of pain disability in the short term.
Project description:BackgroundCapillary refill time (CRT) is a valuable tool for triage and to guide resuscitation. However, little is known about CRT kinetics after fluid infusion.MethodsWe conducted a prospective observational study in a tertiary teaching hospital. First, we analyzed the intra-observer variability of CRT. Next, we monitored fingertip CRT in sepsis patients during volume expansion within the first 24 h of ICU admission. Fingertip CRT was measured every 2 min during 30 min following crystalloid infusion (500 mL over 15 min).ResultsFirst, the accuracy of repetitive fingertip CRT measurements was evaluated on 40 critically ill patients. Reproducibility was excellent, with an intra-class correlation coefficient of 99.5% (CI 95% [99.3, 99.8]). A CRT variation larger than 0.2 s was considered as significant. Next, variations of CRT during volume expansion were evaluated on 29 septic patients; median SOFA score was 7 [5-9], median SAPS II was 57 [45-72], and ICU mortality rate was 24%. Twenty-three patients were responders as defined by a CRT decrease > 0.2 s at 30 min after volume expansion, and 6 were non-responders. Among responders, we observed that fingertip CRT quickly improved with a significant decrease at 6-8 min after start of crystalloid infusion, the maximal improvement being observed after 10-12 min (-0.7 [-0.3;-0.9] s) and maintained at 30 min. CRT variations significantly correlated with baseline CRT measurements (R = 0.39, P = 0.05).ConclusionsCRT quickly improved during volume expansion with a significant decrease 6-8 min after start of fluid infusion and a maximal drop at 10-12 min.
Project description:BackgroundWe investigated the effectiveness of a text-message reminder to improve uptake of the English Bowel Cancer Screening programme in London.MethodsWe performed a randomised controlled trial across 141 general practices in London. Eight thousand two hundred sixty-nine screening-eligible adults (aged 60-74 years) were randomised in a 1 : 1 ratio to receive either a text-message reminder (n=4134) or no text-message reminder (n=4135) if they had not returned their faecal occult blood test kit within 8 weeks of initial invitation. The primary outcome was the proportion of adults returning a test kit at the end of an 18-week screening episode (intention-to-treat analysis). A subgroup analysis was conducted for individuals receiving an invitation for the first time.ResultsUptake was 39.9% in the control group and 40.5% in the intervention group. Uptake did not differ significantly between groups for the whole study population of older adults (adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.03, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.94-1.12; P=0.56) but did vary between the groups for first-time invitees (uptake was 34.9% in the control and 40.5% in the intervention; adjusted OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.04-1.58; P=0.02).ConclusionsAlthough text-message reminders did not significantly increase uptake of the overall population, the improvement among first-time invitees is encouraging.