Brian McKinstry

The impact of eHealth on the quality and safety of health care: a systematic overview.

Aziz Sheikh and colleagues report the findings of their systematic overview that assessed the impact of eHealth solutions on the quality and safety of health care.

The effectiveness of self-assessment on the identification of learner needs, learner activity, and impact on clinical practice: BEME Guide no. 10

Review date: Literature search January 1990 to February 2005 (with update February 2006). Analysis completed January 2007. Background: Health professionals are increasingly expected to identify their own learning needs through a process of ongoing self-assessment. Self-assessment is integral to many appraisal systems and has been espoused as an important aspect of personal professional behaviour by several regulatory bodies and those developing learning outcomes for clinical students. In this review we considered the evidence base on self-assessment since Gordons comprehensive review in 1991. The overall aim of the present review was to determine whether specific methods of self-assessment lead to change in learning behaviour or clinical practice. Specific objectives sought evidence for effectiveness of self-assessment interventions to: a. improve perception of learning needs; b. promote change in learning activity; c. improve clinical practice; d. improve patient outcomes. Methods: The methods for this review were developed and refined in a series of workshops with input from an expert BEME systematic reviewer, and followed BEME guidance. Databases searched included Medline, CINAHL, BNI, Embase, EBM Collection, Psychlit, HMIC, ERIC, BEI, TIMElit and RDRB. Papers addressing self-assessment in all professions in clinical practice were included, covering under- and post-graduate education, with outcomes classified using an extended version of Kirkpatricks hierarchy. In addition we included outcome measures of accuracy of self-assessment and factors influencing it. 5,798 papers were retrieved, 194 abstracts were identified as potentially relevant and 103 papers coded independently by pairs using an electronic coding sheet adapted from the standard BEME form. This total included 12 papers identified by hand-searches, grey literature, cited references and updating. The identification of a further 12 papers during the writing-up process resulted in a total of 77 papers for final analysis. Results: Although a large number of papers resulted from our original search only a small proportion of these were of sufficient academic rigour to be included in our review. The majority of these focused on judging the accuracy of self-assessment against some external standard, which raises questions about assumed reliability and validity of this ‘gold standard’. No papers were found which satisfied Kirkpatricks hierarchy above level 2, or which looked at the association between self-assessment and resulting changes in either clinical practice or patient outcomes. Thus our review was largely unable to answer the specific research questions and provide a solid evidence base for effective self-assessment. Despite this, there was some evidence that the accuracy of self-assessment can be enhanced by feedback, particularly video and verbal, and by providing explicit assessment criteria and benchmarking guidance. There was also some evidence that the least competent are also the least able to self-assess accurately. Our review recommends that these areas merit future systematic research to further our understanding of self-assessment. Conclusion: As in other BEME reviews, the methodological issues emerging from this review indicate a need for more rigorous study designs. In addition, it highlights the need to consider the potential for combining qualitative and quantitative data to further our understanding of how self-assessment can improve learning and professional clinical practice. Practice points•There is no solid evidence base within the health professions’ literature which establishes the effectiveness of self-assessment in: identifying learner needs; influencing learning activity; changing clinical practice.•The accuracy of self-assessment in clinical training may be improved by increasing the learners awareness of the standard to be achieved.•There is some indication that practical skills in clinical training may be better self-assessed than knowledge-based activities.•Self-assessment needs to be used as one tool amongst other sources of feedback to provide a more complete appraisal of competence in health care practice.•Future research should address the role that self-assessment plays in the everyday practice of health care decision-making.

Effectiveness of telemonitoring integrated into existing clinical services on hospital admission for exacerbation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: researcher blind, multicentre, randomised controlled trial

Objective To test the effectiveness of telemonitoring integrated into existing clinical services such that intervention and control groups have access to the same clinical care. Design Researcher blind, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. Setting UK primary care (Lothian, Scotland). Participants Adults with at least one admission for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in the year before randomisation. We excluded people who had other significant lung disease, who were unable to provide informed consent or complete the study, or who had other significant social or clinical problems. Interventions Participants were recruited between 21 May 2009 and 28 March 2011, and centrally randomised to receive telemonitoring or conventional self monitoring. Using a touch screen, telemonitoring participants recorded a daily questionnaire about symptoms and treatment use, and monitored oxygen saturation using linked instruments. Algorithms, based on the symptom score, generated alerts if readings were omitted or breached thresholds. Both groups received similar care from existing clinical services. Main outcome measures The primary outcome was time to hospital admission due to COPD exacerbation up to one year after randomisation. Other outcomes included number and duration of admissions, and validated questionnaire assessments of health related quality of life (using St George’s respiratory questionnaire (SGRQ)), anxiety or depression (or both), self efficacy, knowledge, and adherence to treatment. Analysis was intention to treat. Results Of 256 patients completing the study, 128 patients were randomised to telemonitoring and 128 to usual care; baseline characteristics of each group were similar. The number of days to admission did not differ significantly between groups (adjusted hazard ratio 0.98, 95% confidence interval 0.66 to 1.44). Over one year, the mean number of COPD admissions was similar in both groups (telemonitoring 1.2 admissions per person (standard deviation 1.9) v control 1.1 (1.6); P=0.59). Mean duration of COPD admissions over one year was also similar between groups (9.5 days per person (standard deviation 19.1) v 8.8 days (15.9); P=0.88). The intervention had no significant effect on SGRQ scores between groups (68.2 (standard deviation 16.3) v 67.3 (17.3); adjusted mean difference 1.39 (95% confidence interval −1.57 to 4.35)), or on other questionnaire outcomes. Conclusions In participants with a history of admission for exacerbations of COPD, telemonitoring was not effective in postponing admissions and did not improve quality of life. The positive effect of telemonitoring seen in previous trials could be due to enhancement of the underpinning clinical service rather than the telemonitoring communication. Trial registration ISRCTN96634935. Funding: The trial was funded by an NHS applied research programme grant from the Chief Scientist Office of the Scottish government (ARPG/07/03). The funder had no role in study design and the collection, analysis, and interpretation of data and the writing of the article and the decision to submit it for publication. NHS Lothian supported the telemonitoring service and the clinical services.

A systematic review of interventions to improve recall of medical advice in healthcare consultations

Background In order for patients to adhere to healthcare advice, it is essential that they are able to recall this following a consultation. Although psychological research exists which highlights techniques and factors postulated to influence recall, only a limited body of work has been conducted to evaluate their effectiveness in a clinical context. Aim To carry out a systematic review of intervention trials designed to enhance recall of medical information. Methods We searched Medline (1950-April 2007); Embase (1980-April 2007); Cinahl (1982-April 2007); PsychINFO (1969-2007); and the Cochrane Library Collection. Secondary searches were made through reference to relevant journals and reference lists from relevant papers/review papers. Results From 69 papers provisionally identified, 34 papers met the inclusion criteria. Nine recall interventions had been evaluated (audio recordings, written materials, adjunct questions, prompt sheets, visual aids, cognitive strategies, rehearsal, communication styles and personalized teaching). Despite the experimental and theoretical evidence which could have informed cognitive interventions to enhance recall of healthcare advice, most studies primarily focused on the use of written and/or audio-recorded medical instructions. Although the majority of studies supported these approaches insofar as they enhanced recall, the findings were equivocal. Conclusion While written and tape-recorded instructions appear to improve recall in most situations, a dearth of interventions incorporating psychological theory was readily apparent. Further research is required in clinical settings to determine if cognitive interventions based on a more over-arching psychological model of recall are effective.

Telemonitoring based service redesign for the management of uncontrolled hypertension: multicentre randomised controlled trial.

Objective To determine if an intervention consisting of telemonitoring and supervision by usual primary care clinicians of home self measured blood pressure and optional patient decision support leads to clinically important reductions in daytime systolic and diastolic ambulatory blood pressure in patients with uncontrolled blood pressure. Design Multicentre randomised controlled trial. Setting 20 primary care practices in south east Scotland. Participants 401 people aged 29-95 years with uncontrolled blood pressure (mean daytime ambulatory measurement ≥135/85 mm Hg but ≤210/135 mm Hg). Intervention Self measurement and transmission of blood pressure readings to a secure website for review by the attending nurse or doctor and participant, with optional automated patient decision support by text or email for six months. Main outcome measures Blinded assessment of mean daytime systolic ambulatory blood pressure six months after randomisation. Results 200 participants were randomised to the intervention and 201 to usual care; primary outcome data were available for 90% of participants (182 and 177, respectively). The mean difference in daytime systolic ambulatory blood pressure adjusted for baseline and minimisation factors between intervention and usual care was 4.3 mm Hg (95% confidence interval 2.0 to 6.5; P=0.0002) and for daytime diastolic ambulatory blood pressure was 2.3 mm Hg (0.9 to 3.6; P=0.001), with higher values in the usual care group. The intervention was associated with a mean increase of one general practitioner (95% confidence interval 0.5 to 1.6; P=0.0002) and 0.6 (0.1 to 1.0; P=0.01) practice nurse consultations during the course of the study. Conclusions Supported self monitoring by telemonitoring is an effective method for achieving clinically important reductions in blood pressure in patients with uncontrolled hypertension in primary care settings. However, it was associated with increase in use of National Health Service resources. Further research is required to determine if the reduction in blood pressure is maintained in the longer term and if the intervention is cost effective. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN72614272.

Activity monitoring in patients with depression: A systematic review

BACKGROUND Altered physical activity is an important feature of depression. It is manifested in psychomotor retardation, agitation and withdrawal from engagement in normal activities. Modern devices for activity monitoring (actigraphs) make it possible to monitor physical activity unobtrusively but the validity of actigraphy as an indicator of mood state is uncertain. We carried out a systematic review of digital actigraphy in patients with depression to investigate the associations between measured physical activity and depression. METHODS Systematic review and meta-analysis. Studies were identified from Medline, EMBASE and Psycinfo databases and included if they were either case control or longitudinal studies of actigraphy in adults aged between 18 and 65 diagnosed with a depressive disorder. Outcomes were daytime and night-time activity and actigraphic measures of sleep. RESULTS We identified 19 eligible papers from 16 studies (412 patients). Case control studies showed less daytime activity in patients with depression (standardised mean difference -0.76, 95% confidence intervals -1.05 to -0.47). Longitudinal studies showed moderate increase in daytime activity (0.53, 0.20 to 0.87) and a reduction in night-time activity (-0.36, -0.65 to -0.06) over the course of treatment. LIMITATIONS All study participants were unblinded. Only seven papers included patients treated in the community. CONCLUSIONS Actigraphy is a potentially valuable source of additional information about patients with depression. However, there are no clear guidelines for use of actigraphy in studies of patients with depression. Further studies should investigate patients treated in the community. Additional work to develop algorithms for differentiating behaviour patterns is also needed.

A randomised controlled trial of the use of aciclovir and/or prednisolone for the early treatment of Bell’s palsy: the BELLS study

OBJECTIVE To determine whether oral prednisolone or aciclovir, used separately or in combination, early in the course of Bells palsy, improves the chances of recovery at 3 and 9 months. DESIGN A 2 x 2 factorial randomised double-blind trial. Patients were randomly assigned to treatment by an automated telephone service using a permuted block randomisation technique with block sizes of four or eight, and no stratification. SETTING Mainland Scotland, with referrals mainly from general practice to 17 hospital trial sites. PARTICIPANTS Adults (aged 16 years or older) with unilateral facial nerve weakness of no identifiable cause presenting to primary care, the emergency department or NHS24 within 72 hours of symptom onset. INTERVENTIONS Patients were randomised to receive active preparations or placebo for 10 days: (1) prednisolone (50 mg per day, 2 x 25-mg capsules) and aciclovir (2000 mg per day, 5 x 400-mg capsules); (2) prednisolone and placebo (lactose, indistinguishable); (3) aciclovir and placebo; and (4) placebo and placebo. OUTCOME MEASURES The primary outcome was recovery of facial function assessed by the House-Brackmann scale. Secondary outcomes included health status, pain, self-perceived appearance and cost-effectiveness. RESULTS Final outcomes were available for 496 patients, balanced for gender; mean age 44 years; initial facial paralysis moderate to severe. One half of patients initiated treatment within 24 hours of onset of symptoms, one-third within 24-48 hours and the remainder within 48-72 hours. Of the completed patients, 357 had recovered by 3 months and 80 at 9 months, leaving 59 with a residual deficit. There were significant differences in complete recovery at 3 months between the prednisolone comparison groups (83.0% for prednisolone, 63.6% for no prednisolone, a difference of + 19.4%; 95% confidence interval (CI): + 11.7% to + 27.1%, p < 0.001). The number needed to treat (NNT) in order to achieve one additional complete recovery was 6 (95% CI: 4 to 9). There was no significant difference between the aciclovir comparison groups (71.2% for aciclovir and 75.7% for no aciclovir). Nine-month assessments of patients recovered were 94.4% for prednisolone compared with 81.6% for no prednisolone, a difference of + 12.8% (95% CI: + 7.2% to + 18.4%, p < 0.001); the NNT was 8 (95% CI: 6 to 14). Proportions recovered at 9 months were 85.4% for aciclovir and 90.8% for no aciclovir, a difference of -5.3%. There was no significant prednisolone-aciclovir interaction at 3 months or at 9 months. Outcome differences by individual treatment (the four-arm model) showed significant differences. At 3 months the recovery rate was 86.3% in the prednisolone treatment group, 79.7% in the aciclovir-prednisolone group, 64.7% in the placebo group and 62.5% in the aciclovir group. At 9 months the recovery rates were respectively 96.1%, 92.7%, 85.3% and 78.1%. The increase in recovery rate conferred by the addition of prednisolone (both for prednisolone over placebo and for aciclovir-prednisolone over aciclovir) is highly statistically significant (p < 0.001). There were no significant differences in secondary measures apart from Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3) at 9 months in those treated with prednisolone. CONCLUSIONS This study provided robust evidence to support the early use of oral prednisolone in Bells palsy as an effective treatment which may be considered cost-effective. Treatment with aciclovir, either alone or with steroids, had no effect on outcome.

Are there too many female medical graduates? Yes.

UK universities are now producing more female doctors than male. Brian McKinstry argues we are risking future staffing problems, but Jane Dacre (doi: 10.1136/bmj.39505.566701.94) thinks there is still some way to go before we reach true equality

Piloting tele-monitoring in COPD: a mixed methods exploration of issues in design and implementation

BACKGROUND In 2008 NHS Lothian implemented a COPD tele-monitoring service incorporating a touch-screen computer for daily recording of symptoms and weekly oximetry and spirometry measurement. Data were transmitted by secure broadband link to a call centre where trained workers monitored data and contacted clinicians according to an agreed algorithm. AIMS To explore the perceptions of patients and professionals about the pilot implementation of the COPD tele-monitoring service. METHODS In-depth interviews were undertaken with patients and professionals before and after installation of the tele-monitoring equipment. Interviews were recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed. Data on use of healthcare resources were obtained from primary care records. RESULTS Twenty of the 27 patients in the pilot and 25 professionals participated. (n=55 interviews and one focus group). Patients were generally positive about the technology, which they perceived enabled earlier recognition of exacerbations and facilitated access to clinical advice. In contrast, clinicians had concerns about false positive symptom scores, difficulties in interpreting physiological data, overtreatment (reflected in a large increase in antibiotics and steroid prescribing), and an increased workload. CONCLUSIONS Tele-monitoring was perceived by patients as improving access to professional care, but raised concerns for clinicians about possible over-treatment and how best to organise services to support the technology.

The feminization of the medical work force, implications for Scottish primary care: a survey of Scottish general practitioners

BackgroundThe number of women working in general practice internationally has been steadily rising. In Scotland there have been concerns that such a change may lead to increased part-time working and subsequently to a fall in available general practice manpower despite an apparently rising overall number of general practitioners. However, there is very little information on the actual hours worked by men and women general practitioners or on the types of work they are undertaking.MethodsAnonymous workload questionnaires of all Scottish general practitioner principals and non-principalsResultsResponse rates for general practice principals and non-principals were 67.2% and 65.2% respectively. Male principals spent on average 18% more time on general medical services (GMS) and 50% more time on non-GMS activities (such as teaching, specialist sessions, administration and research) than women (both p <0.01). This difference was similar for non-principals. In no age group did the hours worked by women doctors approach that of male doctors.ConclusionWomen doctors in primary care in Scotland work fewer hours in all age groups than their male counterparts. The rapidly increasing proportion of women in general practice may lead to an increasing shortfall of medical availability in the future if current work patterns are maintained. Further longitudinal research is required to establish this and man-power planning is required now to address this. More worryingly auxiliary activities such as teaching and administrative duties are not being taken up by women. This may have serious implications for the future development of the specialty in Scotland.