Ryan C. Outman

American College of Rheumatology 2008 Recommendations for the Use of Nonbiologic and Biologic Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs in Rheumatoid Arthritis

Guidelines and recommendations developed and/or endorsed by the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) are intended to provide guidance for particular patterns of practice and not to dictate the care of a particular patient. The ACR considers adherence to these guidelines and recommendations to be voluntary, with the ultimate determination regarding their application to be made by the physician in light of each patient’s individual circumstances. Guidelines and recommendations are intended to promote beneficial or desirable outcomes but cannot guarantee any specific outcome. Guidelines and recommendations developed or endorsed by the ACR are subject to periodic revision as warranted by the evolution of medical knowledge, technology, and practice.

Developing a provisional definition of flare in patients with established gout

OBJECTIVE Various nonvalidated criteria for disease flare have been used in studies of gout. Our objective was to develop empirical definitions for a gout flare from patient-reported features. METHODS Possible elements for flare criteria were previously reported. Data were collected from 210 gout patients at 8 international sites to evaluate potential gout flare criteria against the gold standard of an expert rheumatologist definition. Flare definitions based on the presence of the number of criteria independently associated with the flare and classification and regression tree approaches were developed. RESULTS The mean ± SD age of the study participants was 56.2 ± 15 years, 207 of them (98%) were men, and 54 of them (26%) had flares of gout. The presence of any patient-reported warm joint, any patient-reported swollen joint, patient-reported pain at rest score of >3 (0-10 scale), and patient-reported flare were independently associated with the study gold standard. The greatest discriminating power was noted for the presence of 3 or more of the above 4 criteria (sensitivity 91% and specificity 82%). Requiring all 4 criteria provided the highest specificity (96%) and positive predictive value (85%). A classification tree identified pain at rest with a score of >3, followed by patient self-reported flare, as the rule associated with the gold standard (sensitivity 83% and specificity 90%). CONCLUSION We propose definitions for a disease flare based on self-reported items in patients previously diagnosed as having gout. Patient-reported flare, joint pain at rest, warm joints, and swollen joints were most strongly associated with presence of a gout flare. These provisional definitions will next be validated in clinical trials.

Management of osteoporosis among home health and long-term care patients with a prior fracture.

Osteoporosis is a growing health concern as the number of senior adults continues to increase worldwide. Falls and fractures are very common among frail older adults requiring home health and long-term care. Preventative strategies for reducing falls have been identified and many therapies (both prescription and nonprescription) with proven efficacy for reducing fracture risk are available. However, many practitioners overlook the fact that a fragility fracture is diagnostic for osteoporosis even without knowledge of bone mineral density testing. As a result, osteoporosis is infrequently diagnosed and treated in the elderly after a fracture. Based on existing literature, we have developed an algorithm for the assessment and treatment of osteoporosis among persons with known prior fracture(s) living in long-term care facilities or receiving home health care based on the data available in the literature.

Effect of self-referral on bone mineral density testing and osteoporosis treatment

Background:Despite national guidelines recommending bone mineral density screening with dual-energy x-ray absorptiometry (DXA) in women aged 65 years and older, many women do not receive initial screening. Objective:To determine the effectiveness of health system and patient-level interventions designed to increase appropriate DXA testing and osteoporosis treatment through (1) an invitation to self-refer for DXA (self-referral); (2) self-referral plus patient educational materials; and (3) usual care (UC, physician referral). Research Design:Parallel, group-randomized, controlled trials performed at Kaiser Permanente Northwest (KPNW) and Kaiser Permanente Georgia (KPG). Subjects:Women aged 65 years and older without a DXA in past 5 years. Measures:DXA completion rates 90 days after intervention mailing and osteoporosis medication receipt 180 days after initial intervention mailing. Results:From >12,000 eligible women, those randomized to self-referral were significantly more likely to receive a DXA than UC (13.0%–24.1% self-referral vs. 4.9%–5.9% UC, P<0.05). DXA rates did not significantly increase with patient educational materials. Osteoporosis was detected in a greater proportion of self-referral women compared with UC (P<0.001). The number needed to receive an invitation to result in a DXA in KPNW and KPG regions was approximately 5 and 12, respectively. New osteoporosis prescription rates were low (0.8%–3.4%) but significantly greater among self-referral versus UC in KPNW. Conclusions:DXA rates significantly improved with a mailed invitation to schedule a scan without physician referral. Providing women the opportunity to self-refer may be an effective, low-cost strategy to increase access for recommended osteoporosis screening.

A randomized trial of a mailed intervention and self-scheduling to improve osteoporosis screening in postmenopausal women.

Guidelines recommend bone density screening with dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry (DXA) in women 65 years or older, but <30% of eligible women undergo DXA testing. There is a need to identify a systematic, effective, and generalizable way to improve osteoporosis screening. A group randomized, controlled trial of women ≥65 years old with no DXA in the past 4 years, randomized to receive intervention materials (patient osteoporosis brochure and a letter explaining how to self‐schedule a DXA scan) versus usual care (control) was undertaken. Outcome of interest was DXA completion. Of 2997 women meeting inclusion criteria, 977 were randomized to the intervention group. A total of 17.3% of women in the intervention group completed a DXA, compared to 5.2% in the control group (12.1% difference, p < 0.0001). When including only those medically appropriate, we found a difference of 19% between the two groups (p < 0.0001). DXA receipt was greater in main clinic patients compared to satellite clinic patients (20.9% main clinic versus 10.1% satellite clinic). The cost to print and mail the intervention was

Bisphosphonates and hip and nontraumatic subtrochanteric femoral fractures in the Veterans Health Administration.

0.79 per patient, per mailing. The number of women to whom intervention needed to be mailed to yield one extra DXA performed was 9, at a cost of

An Internet-based Controlled Trial Aimed to Improve Osteoporosis Prevention among Chronic Glucocorticoid Users

7.11. DXA scan completion was significantly improved through use of a mailed osteoporosis brochure and the availability for patients to self‐schedule. This simple approach may be an effective component of a multifaceted quality improvement program to increase rates of osteoporosis screening.

Improving osteoporosis care in high-risk home health patients through a high-intensity intervention

PurposeSubtrochanteric femoral shaft fractures after little or no trauma have been reported in long-term users of bisphosphonates, but risks relative to hip fracture protective effects and among men are not clear. We examined associations between bisphosphonate use and nontraumatic subtrochanteric (NTST) femoral fractures and hip fractures in the Veterans Health Administration. MethodsThis retrospective cohort study was conducted using 1998–2007 Veterans Health Administration electronic medical records data on 78,155 individuals who had a fragility fracture at age 45 years or older. Time-to-event analysis examined associations of bisphosphonates with risk of NTST femoral fracture and, separately, hip fracture, controlling for sociodemographics, medications, and comorbid medical conditions. ResultsThe cohort had a mean age 66.5 years (32.5% were ≥75 years old) at the time of their first fracture, and 69.3% were observed for 6 or more years; only 11.8% were prescribed bisphosphonates during observation. During follow-up, 408 had an NTST femoral second fracture, and 1584 had a hip second fracture. Compared with those never on bisphosphonates, the adjusted hazard ratio for NTST femoral second fracture among patients on 4 years of therapy or longer was 0.40 (95% confidence interval, 0.16–0.97) and for hip second fracture was 0.38 (95% confidence interval, 0.24–0.61). ConclusionsBisphosphonate treatment in this high-risk cohort was infrequent with few long-term users, limiting power to assess long-term effects. Nontraumatic subtrochanteric femoral fractures were uncommon, and longer bisphosphonate use was associated with lower (not higher) risk. In men, risks of NTST femoral fractures associated with bisphosphonate treatment may be low in contrast to substantial protective benefits for hip fracture.

Evaluating the effectiveness of a patient storytelling DVD intervention to encourage physician-patient communication about nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) use.

Objective. To address the low prevention and treatment rates for those at risk of glucocorticoid-induced osteoporosis (GIOP), we evaluated the influence of a direct-to-patient, Internet-based educational video intervention using “storytelling” on rates of antiosteoporosis medication use among chronic glucocorticoid users who were members of an online pharmacy refill service. Methods. We identified members who refilled ≥ 5 mg/day of prednisone (or equivalent) for 90 contiguous days and had no GIOP therapy for ≥ 12 months. Using patient stories, we developed an online video addressing risk factors and treatment options, and delivered it to members refilling a glucocorticoid prescription. The intervention consisted of two 45-day “Video ON” periods, during which the video automatically appeared at the time of refill, and two 45-day “Video OFF” periods, during which there was no video. Members could also “self-initiate” watching the video by going to the video link. We used an interrupted time series design to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention on GIOP prescription therapies over 6 months. Results. Among 3017 members (64.8%) exposed to the intervention, 59% had measurable video viewing time, of which 3% “self-initiated” the video. The GIOP prescription rate in the “Video ON” group was 2.9% versus 2.7% for the “Video OFF” group. There was a nonsignificant trend toward greater GIOP prescription in members who self-initiated the video versus automated viewing (5.7% vs 2.9%, p = 0.1). Conclusion. Among adults at high risk of GIOP, prescription rates were not significantly affected by an online educational video presented at the time of glucocorticoid refill. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01378689.

Evaluation of a Multimodal, Direct‐to‐Patient Educational Intervention Targeting Barriers to Osteoporosis Care: A Randomized Clinical Trial

PURPOSE We developed and tested a multi-modal intervention, delivered in the home health care setting, aimed at increasing osteoporosis treatment rates to prevent fractures. MATERIAL AND METHODS The intervention focused on home health nurses. Key components included: nursing education; development of a nursing care plan; patient teaching materials and creation of physician materials. Nursing education consisted of a lecture covering osteoporosis, fracture risks and prevention, and the effectiveness of anti-osteoporosis treatment options. Patients received education materials concerning osteoporosis and anti-osteoporosis medications. A pocket-sized treatment algorithm card and standardized order sets were prepared for physicians. Focus groups of physicians and nurses were conducted to obtain feedback on the materials and methods to facilitate effective nurse-physician communication. Successful application required nurses to identify patients with a fracture history, initiate the care plan, prompt physicians on risk status, and provide patient education. The intervention was piloted in one field office. RESULTS In the year prior to the intervention, home health patients (n=92) with a fracture history were identified in the pilot field office and only 20 (22%) received osteoporosis prescription therapy. In the three months following the intervention, 21 newly enrolled patients were identified and 9 (43%) had received osteoporosis prescription medications. CONCLUSIONS Home health care provides a venue where patients and physicians can be informed by nurses about osteoporosis and fracture risks and, consequently, initiate appropriate therapy. This multi-modal intervention is easily transportable to other home health agencies and adaptable to other medical conditions and settings.