Lawrence C. An

The impact of financial incentives and a patient registry on preventive care quality: increasing provider adherence to evidence-based smoking cessation practice guidelines.

BACKGROUNDnThis study tested the effects of two organizational support processes, the provision of financial incentives for superior clinical performance and the availability of a patient (smoker) registry and proactive telephone support system for smoking cessation, on provider adherence to accepted practice guidelines and associated patient outcomes.nnnMETHODSnForty clinics of a large multispecialty medical group practice providing primary care services were randomly allocated to study conditions. Fifteen clinics each were assigned to the experimental conditions control (distribution of printed versions of smoking cessation guidelines) and incentive (financial incentive pay-out for reaching preset clinical performance targets). Ten clinics were randomized to receive financial incentives combined with access to a centralized patient registry and intervention system (registry). Main outcome measures were adherence to smoking cessation clinical practice guidelines and patients smoking cessation behaviors.nnnRESULTSnPatients tobacco use status was statistically significant (P < 0.01) more frequently identified in clinics with the opportunity for incentives and access to a registry than in clinics in the control condition. Patients visiting registry clinics accessed counseling programs statistically significantly more often (P < 0.001) than patients receiving care in the control condition. Other endpoints did not statistically significantly differ between the experimental conditions.nnnCONCLUSIONSnThe impact of financial incentives and a patient registry/intervention system in improving smoking cessation clinical practices and patient behaviors was mixed. Additional research is needed to identify conditions under which such organizational support processes result in significant health care quality improvement and warrant the investment.

Increased reach and effectiveness of a statewide tobacco quitline after the addition of access to free nicotine replacement therapy

Background: Tobacco users receiving behavioural and pharmacological assistance are more likely to quit. Although telephone quitlines provide population access to counselling, few offer pharmacotherapy. Objective: To assess change in cessation rates and programme impact after the addition of free nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) to statewide quitline services. Design, setting, participants: An observational study of cohorts of callers to the Minnesota QUITPLANSM Helpline before (n u200a=u200a 380) and after (n u200a=u200a 373) the addition of access to free NRT. Intervention: Mailing of NRT (patch or gum) to callers enrolling in multi-session counselling. Main outcome measure: Thirty-day abstinence six months after programme registration. Results: The number of callers increased from 155 (SD 75) to 679 (180) per month pre-NRT to post-NRT (difference 524, 95% confidence interval (CI) 323 to 725). Post-NRT, the proportion of callers enrolling in multi-session counselling (23.4% v 90.1%, difference 66.6%, 95% CI 60.8% to 71.6%) and using pharmacotherapy (46.8% v 86.8%, difference 40.0%, 95% CI 31.3% to 47.9%) increased. Thirty-day abstinence at six months increased from 10.0% pre-NRT to 18.2% post-NRT (difference 8.2%, 95% CI 3.1% to 13.4%). Post-NRT the average number of new ex-smokers per month among registrants increased from 15.5 to 123.6 (difference 108.1, 95% CI 61.1 to 155.0). The cost per quit pre-NRT was

Trust in the Internet as a Health Resource Among Older Adults: Analysis of Data from a Nationally Representative Survey

1362 (SD

Patient interest in sharing personal health record information: a web-based survey.

207). The cost per quit post-NRT was

Smoker self-identification versus recent smoking among college students.

1934 (

Relationship of Attitudes Toward Fast Food and Frequency of Fast-food Intake in Adults

215) suggesting a possible increase in cost per quit (difference

The RealU online cessation intervention for college smokers : A randomized controlled trial

572, 95% CI −

Utilization of Smoking Cessation Informational, Interactive, and Online Community Resources as Predictors of Abstinence: Cohort Study

12 to

A Randomized Trial of a Pay-for-Performance Program Targeting Clinician Referral to a State Tobacco Quitline

1157). Conclusion: The addition of free NRT to a state quitline is followed by increases in participation and abstinence rates resulting in an eightfold increase in programme impact. These findings support the addition of access to pharmacological therapy as part of state quitline services.

Why assigning ongoing tobacco use is not necessarily a conservative approach to handling missing tobacco cessation outcomes.

Background Distrust in the Internet as a source of health information remains common among older adults. The influence of this distrust on Internet use for health-related purposes, however, is unclear. Objective The objective of our study was to explore how older adults’ trust in the Internet influences their online health-related activities, and to identify potential targets for improving health-related Internet resources for older adults. Methods Data were obtained from a nationally representative, random digit-dial telephone survey of 1450 adults 50 years of age and older in the United States. A model was developed to conceptualize the hypothesized relationships among individual characteristics, distrust, and avoidance of the Internet as a health resource. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between trust in online health information and use of the Internet for health-related purposes. Additional multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify the key characteristics associated with trust in online health information, adding sequentially the variables hypothesized to account for distrust among older adults: sociodemographic and health characteristics, inexperience and technical difficulties with the Internet, negative feelings toward the Internet, and lack of awareness about the sources providing the health information found online. Results The mean (SD) age of the study population was 63.7 (10.6) years. Of the 823 (56.8%) Internet users, 628 (76.3%) reported using the Internet as a health resource. Trust in the Internet as a source of health information was associated with using the Internet for a number of health activities, including searching for information about a specific health condition (adjusted OR 4.43, P < .001), purchasing prescription drugs (adjusted OR 2.61, P = .03), and talking with a health care provider about information found online (adjusted OR 2.54, P = .002). Older adults (age ≥65 years) were less likely to trust the Internet as a source of health information (OR 0.63, P = .04), even after adjusting for other sociodemographic characteristics and health and function. This age effect was only slightly attenuated (adjusted OR 0.69, P = .13) after adjusting for inexperience and technical difficulties with the Internet, but it disappeared entirely (adjusted OR 0.96, P = .91) after adjusting for other hypothesized contributors to distrust (including finding the Internet confusing because it provides “too much information,” and lacking awareness about the source providing health information found online). Conclusions Website design features that clearly identify the source and credibility of information and minimize confusion may build trust among older adults and offer an opportunity to increase the utility of the Internet as a health resource for this population.