Alene Toulany

Quasi-Experimental designs for quality improvement research

Presentation Quality Improvement (QI) research may be defined as “the design, development and evaluation of complex interventions aimed at the re-design of health care systems to produce improved outcomes”. The challenge of QI lies in bridging the gap between knowing what needs to happen at an individual patient level and implementing this at a systems level. The inherent complexity of systems poses challenges in terms of implementation, but also presents the researcher with circumstances for which conventional research methods may not prove useful. Explanatory trials are designed to answer the question “does this intervention work under ideal circumstances?” Patient and system variability are typically rigorously controlled. Pragmatic trials seek to answer how well an intervention works in usual practice [1]. It is important to contend with variation (e.g., in patient volume or complexity) and not control for it. Consider the analogy of water sampled from a pond versus a river [2]. If one takes random samples of water from a still pool of water one can draw inference about the pond as aw hole, as it is relatively static and unchanging. This is the principle we are using in attempting to extrapolate the findings of a randomized controlled trial to a population. The real world however, behaves far more like a river where the water changes from second to second, influenced by innumerable complex interacting factors such as the season, rain, construction. In QI research it is important to understand the changing nature of the river (i.e. causes of system variation) in order to be able to predict how to make an intervention work under all the conditions in which it will be expected to perform. QI research should focus therefore on robust, sequential experimentation. Too often, quality improvement investigators seek to proceed to clinical trials before sufficient exploration, investigation, and understanding of the complex system and its interactions have been achieved. Campbell et al present a trajectory for QI research required to build requisite knowledge [3]. The design and testing of complex interventions in care delivery proceeds through a series of planned stages. One begins by developing a concept or theory and then progresses to designing a prototype. Next, an intervention is piloted on a small scale before performing a detailed test and finally disseminating the ideas generated. A variety of study designs may be used as learning proceeds across this trajectory of understanding. Research methods that address issues of internal validity without randomization of individuals are referred to as “quasi-experimental” designs and include time-series, equivalent time series, multiple baseline and factorial design.

Primary care interventions to improve transition of youth with chronic health conditions from paediatric to adult healthcare: a systematic review

Objective To determine effective interventions to improve primary care provider involvement in transitioning youth with chronic conditions from paediatric to adult care. Design Systematic review. Multiple electronic databases were searched including Ovid MEDLINE, EMBASE and Web of Science (from 1 January 1947 to 5 August 2015). Evidence quality was assessed using a 36-point scoring system for disparate study designs. Setting Studies with paediatric-to-adult transition programmes and interventions involving primary care providers or in primary care settings. Participants Youth aged 16 years and over. Outcomes Relevant outcomes were grouped into 3 main domains based on the Triple Aim Framework: experience of care, population health, cost. Results A total of 1888 unique citations were identified, yielding 3 studies for inclusion. Overall, primary care provider roles were not well defined. 2 studies used case managers to facilitate referrals to primary care, and the remaining study was the only 1 situated in a primary care setting. None of the studies examined transition in all 3 Triple Aim Framework domains. The most commonly reported outcomes were in the cost domain. Conclusions There is limited empiric evidence to guide primary care interventions to improve transition outcomes for youth with chronic conditions. Future research and policy should focus on developing and evaluating coordinated transition interventions to better integrate primary care for high need populations.

Cost analysis of inpatient treatment of anorexia nervosa in adolescents: hospital and caregiver perspectives

BACKGROUND Admission to hospital is the treatment of choice for anorexia nervosa in adolescent patients who are medically unstable; however, stays are often prolonged and frequently disrupt normal adolescent development, family functioning, school and work productivity. We sought to determine the costs of inpatient treatment in this population from a hospital and caregiver perspective, and to identify determinants of such costs. METHODS We used micro-costing methods for this cohort study involving all adolescent patients (age 12-18 yr) admitted for treatment of anorexia nervosa at a tertiary care child and adolescent eating disorder program in Toronto, between Sept. 1, 2011, and Mar. 31, 2013. We used hospital administrative data and Canadian census data to calculate hospital and caregiver costs. RESULTS We included 73 adolescents in our cohort for cost-analysis. We determined a mean total hospital cost in 2013 Canadian dollars of

Health Care Use During Transfer to Adult Care Among Youth With Chronic Conditions

51 349 (standard deviation [SD]

A Qualitative Study on the Experiences of Young Adults With Eating Disorders Transferring From Pediatric to Adult Care

26 598) and a mean total societal cost of

A Qualitative Study on the Challenges Associated With Accepting Familial Support From the Perspective of Transition-Age Youth With Eating Disorders

54 932 (SD

Chicken or the Egg: Anorexia Nervosa and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus in Children and Adolescents

27 864) per admission, based on a mean length of stay of 37.9 days (SD 19.7 d). We found patient body mass index (BMI) to be the only significant negative predictor of hospital cost (p < 0.001). For every unit increase in BMI, we saw a 15.7% decrease in hospital cost. In addition, we found higher BMI (p < 0.001) and younger age (p < 0.05) to be significant negative predictors of caregiver costs. INTERPRETATION The economic burden of inpatient treatment for adolescents with anorexia nervosa on hospitals and caregivers is substantial, especially among younger patients and those with lower BMI. Recognizing the symptoms of eating disorders early may preclude the need for admission to hospital altogether or result in admissions at higher BMIs, thereby potentially reducing these costs.

Facilitators and Barriers to Positive Airway Pressure Adherence for Adolescents. A Qualitative Study

OBJECTIVE: To compare health care use and costs for youth with chronic health conditions before and after transfer from pediatric to adult health care services. METHODS: Youth born in Ontario, Canada, between April 1, 1989, and April 1, 1993, were assigned to 11 mutually exclusive, hierarchically arranged clinical groupings, including “complex” chronic conditions (CCCs), non-complex chronic conditions (N-CCCs), and chronic mental health conditions (CMHCs). Outcomes were compared between 2-year periods before and after transfer of pediatric services, the subjects’ 18th birthday. RESULTS: Among 104 497 youth, mortality was highest in those with CCCs, but did not increase after transfer (1.3% vs 1.5%, P = .55). Costs were highest among youth with CCCs and decreased after transfer (before and after median [interquartile range]:

From under-eating to overindulgence – clinician perspectives on caring for adolescents with eating disorders

4626 [1253–21 435] vs

Optimizing Physician Handover Through the Creation of a Comprehensive Minimum Data Set

3733 [950–16 841], P < .001);Costs increased slightly for N-CCCs (