Lisa Reider

The Effects of Guided Care on the Perceived Quality of Health Care for Multi-morbid Older Persons: 18-Month Outcomes from a Cluster-Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUNDThe quality of health care for older Americans with chronic conditions is suboptimal.OBJECTIVETo evaluate the effects of “Guided Care” on patient-reported quality of chronic illness care.DESIGNCluster-randomized controlled trial of Guided Care in 14 primary care teams.PARTICIPANTSOlder patients of these teams were eligible to participate if, based on analysis of their recent insurance claims, they were at risk for incurring high health-care costs during the coming year. Small teams of physicians and their at-risk older patients were randomized to receive either Guided Care (GC) or usual care (UC).INTERVENTION“Guided Care” is designed to enhance the quality of health care by integrating a registered nurse, trained in chronic care, into a primary care practice to work with 2–5 physicians in providing comprehensive chronic care to 50–60 multi-morbid older patients.MEASUREMENTSEighteen months after baseline, interviewers blinded to group assignment administered the Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC) survey by telephone. Logistic and linear regression was used to evaluate the effect of the intervention on patient-reported quality of chronic illness care.RESULTSOf the 13,534 older patients screened, 2,391 (17.7%) were eligible to participate in the study, of which 904 (37.8%) gave informed consent and were cluster-randomized. After 18 months, 95.3% and 92.2% of the GC and UC recipients who remained alive and eligible completed interviews. Compared to UC recipients, GC recipients had twice greater odds of rating their chronic care highly (aOR = 2.13, 95% CI = 1.30–3.50, p = 0.003).CONCLUSIONGuided Care improves self-reported quality of chronic health care for multi-morbid older persons.

Psychometric Properties of the Patient Activation Measure among Multimorbid Older Adults

OBJECTIVES The Patient Activation Measure (PAM) quantifies the extent to which people are informed about and involved in their health care. Objectives were to determine the psychometric properties of PAM among multimorbid older adults and evaluate a theoretical, four-stage model of patient activation. Methods. A cross-sectional analysis was used to assess the psychometric properties of PAM. Internal consistency was assessed using Cronbach α. Construct validity was evaluated using general linear modeling to compute associations between PAM scores and health-related behaviors, functional status, and health care quality. Latent class analysis was used to evaluate the theoretical four-stage structure of patient activation. STUDY SETTING Participants in a randomized trial of Guided Care (N = 855), a model of comprehensive health care for older adults with chronic conditions that put them at risk of using health services heavily during the coming year. PRINCIPAL FINDINGS Higher PAM activation scores and stage were positively associated with higher functional status, health care quality, and adherence to some health behaviors. Latent class analysis supported the multistage theory of patient activation. CONCLUSIONS The PAM is a reliable, valid, and potentially clinically useful measure of patient activation for multimorbid older adults.

Physician Satisfaction with Chronic Care Processes: A Cluster-Randomized Trial of Guided Care

PURPOSE Chronically ill older patients with multiple conditions are challenging to care for, and new models of care for this population are needed. This study evaluates the effect of the Guided Care model on primary care physicians’ impressions of processes of care for chronically ill older patients. METHODS In Guided Care a specially educated registered nurse works at the practice with 2 to 5 primary care physicians, performing 8 clinical activities for 50 to 60 chronically ill older patients. The care model was tested in a cluster-randomized controlled trial between 2006 and 2009. All eligible primary care physicians in 14 pods (teams of physicians and their chronically ill older patients) agreed to participate (n = 49). Pods were randomly assigned to provide either Guided Care or usual care. Physicians were surveyed at baseline and 1 year later. We assessed the effects of Guided Care using responses from 38 physicians who completed both survey questionnaires. We measured physicians’ satisfaction with chronic care processes, time spent on chronic care, knowledge of their chronically ill older patients, and care coordination provided by physicians and office staff. RESULTS Compared with the physicians in the control group, those in the Guided Care group rated their satisfaction with patient/family communication and their knowledge of the clinical characteristics of their chronically ill older patients significantly higher (ρ<0.05 in linear regression models). Other differences did not reach statistical significance. CONCLUSIONS Based on physician report, Guided Care provides important benefits to physicians by improving communication with chronically ill older patients and their families and in physicians’ knowledge of their patients’ clinical conditions.

Healthcare task difficulty among older adults with multimorbidity.

Background:Applying disease-specific guidelines to people with multimorbidity may result in complex regimens that impose treatment burden. Objectives:To describe and validate a measure of healthcare task difficulty (HCTD) in a sample of older adults with multimorbidity. Research Design:Cross-sectional and longitudinal secondary data analysis. Subjects:Multimorbid adults aged 65 years or older from primary care clinics. Measures:We generated a scale (0–16) of self-reported difficulty with 8 HCTD and conducted factor analysis to assess its dimensionality and internal consistency. To assess predictive ability, cross-sectional associations of HCTD and number of chronic diseases, and conditions that add to health status complexity (falls, visual, and hearing impairment), patient activation, patient-reported quality of chronic illness care (Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care), mental and physical health (SF-36) were tested using statistical tests for trend (n=904). Longitudinal analyses of the effects of change in HCTD on changes in the outcomes were conducted among a subset (n=370) with ≥1 follow-up at 6 and/or 18 months. All models were adjusted for age, education, sex, race, and time. Results:Greater HCTD was associated with worse mental and physical health [Cuzick test for trend (P<0.05)], and patient-reported quality of chronic illness care (P<0.05). In longitudinal analysis, increasing patient activation was associated with declining HCTD over time (P<0.01). Increasing HCTD over time was associated with declining mental (P<0.001) and physical health (P=0.001) and patient-reported quality of chronic illness care (P<0.05). Conclusions:The findings of this study establish the construct validity of the HCTD scale.

The association between body mass index, weight loss and physical function in the year following a hip fracture.

ObjectivesTo determine whether body mass index (BMI) at the time of hospitalization or weight change in the period immediately following hospitalization predict physical function in the year after hip fracture.DesignProspective observational study.SettingTwo hospitals in Baltimore, Maryland.ParticipantsFemale hip fracture patients age 65 years or older (N=136 for BMI analysis, N=41 for analysis of weight change).MeasurementsBody mass index was calculated based on weight and height from the medical chart. Weight change was based on DXA scans at 3 and 10 days post fracture. Physical function was assessed at 2, 6 and 12 months following fracture using the Lower Extremity Gain Scale (LEGS), walking speed and grip strength.ResultsLEGS score and walking speed did not differ across BMI tertiles. However, grip strength differed significantly across BMI tertiles (p=0.029), with underweight women having lower grip strength than normal weight women at all time points. Women experiencing the most weight loss (>4.8%) had significantly lower LEGS scores at all time points, slower walking speed at 6 months, and weaker grip strength at 12 months postfracture relative to women with more modest weight loss. In adjusted models, overall differences in function and functional change across all time points were not significant. However, at 12 months post fracture,women with the most weight loss had an average grip strength 7.0kg lower than women with modest weight loss (p=0.030).ConclusionsAdjustment for confounders accounts for much of the relationships between BMI and function and weight change and function in the year after fracture. However, weight loss is associated with weakness during hip fracture recovery. Weight loss during and immediately after hospitalization appears to identify women at risk of poor function and may represent an important target for future interventions.

Women with hip fracture experience greater loss of geometric strength in the contralateral hip during the year following fracture than age-matched controls.

SummaryThis study examined femur geometry underlying previously observed decline in BMD of the contralateral hip in older women the year following hip fracture compared to non-fractured controls. Compared to controls, these women experienced a greater decline in indices of bone structural strength, potentially increasing the risk of a second fracture.IntroductionThis study examined the femur geometry underlying previously observed decline in BMD of the contralateral hip in the year following hip fracture compared to non-fractured controls.MethodsGeometry was derived from dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry scan images using hip structural analysis from women in the third cohort of the Baltimore Hip Studies and from women in the Study of Osteoporotic Fractures. Change in BMD, section modulus (SM), cross-sectional area (CSA), outer diameter, and buckling ratio (BR) at the narrow neck (NN), intertrochanteric (IT), and shaft (S) regions of the hip were compared.ResultsWider bones and reduced CSA underlie the significantly lower BMD observed in women who fractured their hip resulting in more fragile bones expressed by a lower SM and higher BR. Compared to controls, these women experienced a significantly greater decline in CSA (−2.3% vs. −0.2%NN, −3.2% vs. −0.5%IT), SM (−2.1% vs. −0.2%NN, −3.9% vs. −0.6%IT), and BMD (−3.0% vs. −0.8%NN, −3.3% vs. −0.6%IT, −2.3% vs. −0.2%S) and a greater increase in BR (5.0% vs. 2.1%NN, 6.0% vs. 1.3%IT, 4.4% vs. 1.0%S) and shaft outer diameter (0.9% vs. 0.1%).ConclusionThe contralateral femur continued to weaken during the year following fracture, potentially increasing the risk of a second fracture.

Building a clinical research network in trauma orthopaedics: The major extremity trauma research consortium (METRC)

Objectives: Lessons learned from battle have been fundamental to advancing the care of injuries that occur in civilian life. Equally important is the need to further refine these advances in civilian practice, so they are available during future conflicts. The Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium (METRC) was established to address these needs. Methods: METRC is a network of 22 core level I civilian trauma centers and 4 core military treatment centers—with the ability to expand patient recruitment to more than 30 additional satellite trauma centers for the purpose of conducting multicenter research studies relevant to the treatment and outcomes of orthopaedic trauma sustained in the military. Early measures of success of the Consortium pertain to building of an infrastructure to support the network, managing the regulatory process, and enrolling and following patients in multiple studies. Results: METRC has been successful in maintaining the engagement of several leading, high volume, level I trauma centers that form the core of METRC; together they operatively manage 15,432 major fractures annually. METRC is currently funded to conduct 18 prospective studies that address 6 priority areas. The design and implementation of these studies are managed through a single coordinating center. As of December 1, 2015, a total of 4560 participants have been enrolled. Conclusions: Success of METRC to date confirms the potential for civilian and military trauma centers to collaborate on critical research issues and leverage the strength that comes from engaging patients and providers from across multiple centers.

Who participates in chronic disease self-management (CDSM) programs? Differences between participants and nonparticipants in a population of multimorbid older adults.

Background:Self-care management is recognized as a key component of care for multimorbid older adults; however, the characteristics of those most likely to participate in Chronic Disease Self-Management (CDSM) programs and strategies to maximize participation in such programs are unknown. Objectives:To identify individual factors associated with attending CDSM programs in a sample of multimorbid older adults. Research Design:Participants in the intervention arm of a matched-pair cluster-randomized controlled trial of the Guided Care model were invited to attend a 6-session CDSM course. Logistic regression was used to identify factors independently associated with attendance. Subjects:All subjects (N=241) were aged 65 years or older, were at high risk for health care utilization, and were not homebound. Measures:Baseline information on demographics, health status, health activities, and quality of care was available for CDSM participants and nonparticipants. Participation was defined as attendance at 5 or more CDSM sessions. Results:A total of 22.8% of multimorbid older adults who were invited to CDSM courses participated in 5 or more sessions. Having better physical health (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]=2.3 [1.1–4.8]) and rating one’s physician poorly on support for patient activation (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]=2.8 [1.3–6.0]) were independently associated with attendance. Conclusions:Multimorbid older adults who are in better physical health and who are dissatisfied with their physicians’ support for patient activation are more likely to participate in CDSM courses.

Outcomes after severe distal tibia, ankle, and/or foot trauma: Comparison of limb salvage versus transtibial amputation (OUTLET)

Severe foot and ankle injuries are complex and challenging to treat, often requiring multiple operations to salvage the limb contributing to a prolonged healing period. There is some evidence to suggest that early amputation for some patients may result in better long-term outcomes than limb salvage. The challenge is to identify the regional injury burden for an individual that would suggest a better outcome with an amputation. The OUTLET study is a prospective, multicenter observational study comparing 18-month outcomes after limb salvage versus early amputation among patients aged 18-60 years with severe distal tibia, ankle, and foot injuries. This study aims to build upon the previous work of the Lower Extremity Assessment Project by identifying the injury and patient characteristics that help define a subgroup of salvage patients who will have better outcomes had they undergone a transtibial amputation.

Variation in Treatment of Displaced Geriatric Acetabular Fractures Among 15 Level-i Trauma Centers.

Objectives: To document the initial treatment of displaced acetabular fractures among older adults across multiple trauma centers and to investigate the factors that influence the decision to operate and the choice of operative procedure [open reduction internal fixation (ORIF) vs. total hip arthroplasty (THA)]. Design: Retrospective observational study. Setting: Fifteen US level-I trauma centers participating in the Major Extremity Trauma Research Consortium. Patients/Participants: Overall, 269 patients aged 60 years or older admitted for the treatment of a displaced acetabular fracture. Intervention: None. Main Outcome Measurements: Treatment. Results: Sixty percent of fractures (n = 162) were treated operatively. Younger age (<80 years), injury from high-energy mechanism, fractures with femoral head impaction, and fractures without hip congruency were significantly associated with receiving operative treatment (P < 0.05). Significant site variation in operative versus nonoperative treatment occurred even after accounting for these factors (P = 0.0044). Among operatively treated patients, 88% (n = 142) received ORIF and 12% (n = 20) received THA as the initial treatment. Women were more likely to be treated with initial THA compared with men; of the known risk factors for poor outcomes with ORIF (ie, dome or roof impaction, femoral head impaction, or posterior wall involvement), only dome impaction was significantly associated with receiving initial THA (P < 0.05). Conclusions: Currently, no treatment guidelines exist for acetabular fractures in older adults, which likely explains the significant site variation in operative versus nonoperative treatment. This study identifies patient and injury factors that drive treatment decisions, which will be important in planning and designing future trials needed to determine the best treatment for these fractures.