H. Garth McKay

The RE-AIM framework for evaluating interventions: what can it tell us about approaches to chronic illness management?

BACKGROUND The RE-AIM framework is used as a method of systematically considering the strengths and weaknesses of chronic illness management interventions in order to guide program planning. METHOD The RE-AIM dimensions of Reach, Efficacy, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance are used to rate one-on-one counseling interventions, group sessions, interactive computer-mediated interventions, telephone calls, mail interventions, and health system policies. RESULTS The RE-AIM ratings suggest that, although often efficacious for those participating, traditional face-to-face intervention modalities will have limited impact if they cannot be delivered consistently to large segments of the target population. Interventions using new information technologies may have greater reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance, and thereby greater public health impact. Policy changes received high ratings across a variety of RE-AIM dimensions. CONCLUSIONS Program planners should make decisions regarding implementing and funding health services based on multiple dimensions, rather than only considering efficacy in randomized clinical trials. Doing so may improve the resulting public health impact. Directions for future chronic illness management research related to RE-AIM, and implications for decision making, are described.

Evaluation of an Internet-based smoking cessation program: Lessons learned from a pilot study

The potential contribution of the Internet to smoking cessation seems huge, given that a majority of Americans now have both computers and telephones. Despite the proliferation of Web sites offering smoking cessation support, there is little empirical evidence regarding the efficacy of Internet-delivered cessation programs. We developed a cessation Web site and conducted a short-term evaluation of it, examining recruitment approaches, Web site use patterns, alternative retention incentives and re-contact modes, satisfaction, and cessation rate. The intervention included modules on social support and cognitive-behavioral coping skills configured to take advantage of the interactive and multimedia capabilities of the Internet. Cessation and satisfaction data were obtained from a subsample of 370 subjects followed for 3 months. The program was rated as easy to use, and the social support group component was used most frequently. The cessation rate (abstinence for the previous 7 days) at 3 months was 18%, with nonrespondents (n~161) considered smokers. Among a variety of traditional and Internet-based recruitment strategies, the most successful made use of Internet user groups and search engines. Methodological and procedural issues posed in conducting research on the Internet are discussed.

Who Participates in Internet-Based Self-Management Programs? A Study Among Novice Computer Users in a Primary Care Setting:

PURPOSE the purpose of this study was to evaluate the participation rates and factors associated with nonparticipation among primary care patients who were invited to join an Internet-based self-management research program. METHODS Primary care providers invited their patients with type 2 diabetes to participate in an Internet-based diabetes self-management support program. Research staff contacted these patients by phone to assess their eligibility and interest in participating. Reasons for declining were assessed and demographic/medical status information was collected. RESULTS Of the eligible patients, 60% participated in the program. No significant differences were found between participants and decliners in gender, insulin use, computer familiarity, or computer ownership. There were significant differences in age and years since diagnosis. Participants were slightly younger and had diabetes for a fewer number of years than nonparticipants. Nonparticipation was not related to computer or Internet issues. CONCLUSIONS Most older diabetes patients without previous Internet experience will-takepart in Internet-based self-managment support programs if barriers to participation are addressed.

Comparing two web-based smoking cessation programs: randomized controlled trial.

Background Smoking cessation remains a significant public health problem. Innovative interventions that use the Internet have begun to emerge that offer great promise in reaching large numbers of participants and encouraging widespread behavior change. To date, the relatively few controlled trials of Web-based smoking cessation programs have been limited by short follow-up intervals. Objective We describe the 6-month follow-up results of a randomized controlled trial in which participants recruited online were randomly assigned to either a Web-based smoking cessation program (Quit Smoking Network; QSN) or a Web-based exercise enhancement program (Active Lives) adapted somewhat to encourage smoking cessation. Methods The study was a two-arm randomized controlled trial that compared two Web-based smoking cessation programs: (1) the QSN intervention condition presented cognitive-behavioral strategies, and (2) the Active Lives control condition provided participants with guidance in developing a physical activity program to assist them with quitting. The QSN condition provided smoking cessation information and behavior change strategies while the Active Lives condition provided participants with physical activity recommendations and goal setting. The QSN condition was designed to be more engaging (eg, it included multimedia components) and to present much greater content than is typically found in smoking cessation programs. Results Contrary to our hypotheses, no between-condition differences in smoking abstinence were found at 3- and 6-month follow-up assessments. While participants in the QSN intervention condition spent more time than controls visiting the online program, the median number of 1.0 visit in each condition and the substantial attrition (60.8% at the 6-month follow-up) indicate that participants were not as engaged as we had expected. Conclusions Contrary to our hypothesis, our test of two Web-based smoking cessation conditions, an intervention and an attention placebo control, failed to show differences at 3- and 6-month assessments. We explored possible reasons for this finding, including limited engagement of participants and simplifying program content and architecture. Future research needs to address methods to improve participant engagement in online smoking cessation programs. Possible approaches in this regard can include new informed consent procedures that better explain the roles and responsibilities of being a research participant, new program designs that add more vitality (changing content from visit to visit), and new types of reminders pushed out to participants to encourage return visits. Simplifying program content through a combination of enhanced tailoring and information architecture also merits further research attention.

Patient-physician interactions in diabetes management: consistencies and variation in the structure and content of two consultations

The structure and content of medical consultations concerning diabetes were examined in two, successive quarterly medical consultations between two physicians and their diabetes patients (N = 44). The consultations were audio-taped and coded for structure (e.g. question asking, information giving) using a modified version of the Roter Interactional Analysis System (inter-coder correlations typically exceeded 0.90 for the composite variables derived from the coding system). The tapes were also coded for content by monitoring the topics discussed (e.g. diet, medication, exercise). The majority of the interactions consisted primarily of information giving and positive talk on the part of both patients and providers. Nutrition-related issued, blood glucose monitoring, medication and exercise were addressed in the majority of interactions, but other regimen areas such as foot care, smoking habits, and alcohol were seldom discussed. There was little stability across the two consultations in terms of either structure (median test-retest correlation = 0.24) or content (majority of test-retest correlations were below 0.30). The importance of studying more than one patient-physician encounter when studying interaction style and content is discussed, as is the need for investigation of interactions between non-physician health care providers and patients with chronic disease.