Joanne Permaul

Effectiveness of the Antenatal Psychosocial Health Assessment (ALPHA) form in detecting psychosocial concerns: a randomized controlled trial

Background: A pregnant womans psychological health is a significant predictor of postpartum outcomes. The Antenatal Psychosocial Health Assessment (ALPHA) form incorporates 15 risk factors associated with poor postpartum outcomes of woman abuse, child abuse, postpartum depression and couple dysfunction. We sought to determine whether health care providers using the ALPHA form detected more antenatal psychosocial concerns among pregnant women than providers practising usual prenatal care. Methods: A randomized controlled trial was conducted in 4 communities in Ontario. Family physicians, obstetricians and midwives who see at least 10 prenatal patients a year enrolled 5 eligible women each. Providers in the intervention group attended an educational workshop on using the ALPHA form and completed the form with enrolled women. The control group provided usual care. After the women delivered, both groups of providers identified concerns related to the 15 risk factors on the ALPHA form for each patient and rated the level of concern. The primary outcome was the number of psychosocial concerns identified. Results were controlled for clustering. Results: There were 21 (44%) providers randomly assigned to the ALPHA group and 27 (56%) to the control group. A total of 227 patients participated: 98 (43%) in the ALPHA group and 129 (57%) in the control group. ALPHA group providers were more likely than control group providers to identify psychosocial concerns (odds ratio [OR] 1.8, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–3.0; p = 0.02) and to rate the level of concern as “high” (OR 4.8, 95% CI 1.1–20.2; p = 0.03). ALPHA group providers were also more likely to detect concerns related to family violence (OR 4.8, 95% CI 1.9–12.3; p = 0.001). Interpretation: Using the ALPHA form helped health care providers detect more psychosocial risk factors for poor postpartum outcomes, especially those related to family violence. It is a useful prenatal tool, identifying women who would benefit from additional support and interventions.

Community-Acquired Antibiotic Resistance in Urinary Isolates from Adult Women in Canada

BACKGROUND There are currently limited data regarding the prevalence of antimicrobial-resistant organisms causing community-acquired urinary tract infections among adult women in Canada. Trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole (TMP-SMX) is the recommended first-line empirical antibiotic treatment, unless resistance of Escherichia coli to TMP-SMX exceeds 20%. OBJECTIVE To assess current levels of TMP-SMX-resistant E coli in community-acquired cases of urinary tract infection in adult women. METHOD Assessment of urine culture reports obtained from 21 laboratories across Canada, submitted by family physicians for women aged 16 years and older. RESULTS In 2199 adult women with a positive urine culture, 1079 (49.1%) of pathogens isolated were resistant to at least one antibiotic and 660 (30.0%) were multidrug-resistant (resistant to two or more antibiotics). TMP-SMX resistance was seen in 245 of 1613 (15.2%) E coli isolates (95% CI 13.5 to 17.0). This proportion was higher in women 50 years of age and older (155 of 863 isolates [18.0%]; P=0.001), in British Columbia (70 of 342 isolates [20.5%]) and in Ontario (62 of 370 isolates [16.8%]) when compared with eastern provinces (65 of 572 isolates [11.4%]; P=0.001). Fluoroquinolone-resistant E coli occurred in 107 of 1557 (6.9%) isolates (95% CI 5.7 to 8.2), with the highest level found in British Columbia (54 of 341 isolates [15.8%]; P=0.001). CONCLUSION TMP-SMX continues to be appropriate as first-line empirical treatment of acute cystitis in adult women in Canada, as resistance remains below 20%. However, TMP-SMX resistance is higher in older women and in some provinces. The level of fluoroquinolone-resistant E coli is highest in British Columbia.

Interactive Genetic Counseling Role-Play: A Novel Educational Strategy for Family Physicians

BackgroundFamily physicians (FPs) are increasingly involved in delivering genetic services. Familiarization with aspects of genetic counseling may enable FPs to help patients make informed choices.PurposeExploration of interactive role-play as a means to raise FPs’ awareness of the process and content of genetic counseling.MethodsFPs attending two large Canadian family medicine conferences in 2005 were eligible—93 participated. FPs discussed a case during a one-on-one session with a genetic counselor. Evaluation involved pre and post intervention questionnairesResultsFPs’ baseline genetic knowledge was self-rated as uniformly poor. Baseline confidence was highest in eliciting family history and providing psychosocial support and lowest in discussing risks/benefits of genetic testing and counseling process. Post-intervention, 80% of FPs had better appreciation of family history and 97% indicated this was an effective learning experience.ConclusionsRole-play with FPs is effective in raising awareness of the process and content of genetic counseling and may be applied to other health disciplines.

The Effect of Changes in Cervical Cancer Screening Guidelines on Chlamydia Testing

PURPOSE Many chlamydia infections are identified through screening, which is frequently offered to females concomitantly with cervical cancer screening. Recent cervical cancer screening guidelines recommend screening less frequently and starting later. We sought to evaluate the impact of the May 2012 Ontario, Canada, cervical cancer screening guideline change on Papanicolaou (Pap) and chlamydia trachomatis (chlamydia) testing and incidence. METHODS We extracted population-based physician billing claims data to identify Pap and chlamydia tests and public health surveillance data to identify chlamydia cases. We used interrupted time series analysis of quarterly data spanning 2 years before and after the guideline change and fitted segmented linear regression or rational functions to the outcomes using autoregressive integrated moving average models. Outcomes were stratified by sex and age group. RESULTS Two years after the guideline change, we observed reduced chlamydia testing in females, with the greatest relative reduction (25.5%) among those aged 15 to 19 years. We also observed decreases in reported chlamydia incidence for females aged 15 to 19 years and 20 to 24 years (relative reductions of 16.8% and 14.4%, respectively). Chlamydia incidence remained the same for males, despite increased chlamydia testing. CONCLUSIONS Recent cervical cancer screening guideline changes in Ontario were associated with reduced chlamydia testing and reported new cases of chlamydia in females. Females aged 15 to 19 years, who are at high risk for chlamydia if sexually active, and who no longer warrant cervical cancer screening, were disproportionately affected. Females should be tested for chlamydia based on risk, regardless of need for Pap testing.