Simon de Lusignan

Compliance and effectiveness of 1 year's home telemonitoring. The report of a pilot study of patients with chronic heart failure.

Patients with a diagnosis of heart failure, registered at the study practice, were recruited into the study. First, they had a cardiologists assessment. They were then randomised into telemonitored patients who measured pulse, BP, weight and video consulted, and controls.

Epigenome-wide association of DNA methylation markers in peripheral blood from Indian Asians and Europeans with incident type 2 diabetes: a nested case-control study.

BACKGROUND Indian Asians, who make up a quarter of the worlds population, are at high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. We investigated whether DNA methylation is associated with future type 2 diabetes incidence in Indian Asians and whether differences in methylation patterns between Indian Asians and Europeans are associated with, and could be used to predict, differences in the magnitude of risk of developing type 2 diabetes. METHODS We did a nested case-control study of DNA methylation in Indian Asians and Europeans with incident type 2 diabetes who were identified from the 8-year follow-up of 25 372 participants in the London Life Sciences Prospective Population (LOLIPOP) study. Patients were recruited between May 1, 2002, and Sept 12, 2008. We did epigenome-wide association analysis using samples from Indian Asians with incident type 2 diabetes and age-matched and sex-matched Indian Asian controls, followed by replication testing of top-ranking signals in Europeans. For both discovery and replication, DNA methylation was measured in the baseline blood sample, which was collected before the onset of type 2 diabetes. Epigenome-wide significance was set at p<1 × 10(-7). We compared methylation levels between Indian Asian and European controls without type 2 diabetes at baseline to estimate the potential contribution of DNA methylation to increased risk of future type 2 diabetes incidence among Indian Asians. FINDINGS 1608 (11·9%) of 13 535 Indian Asians and 306 (4·3%) of 7066 Europeans developed type 2 diabetes over a mean of 8·5 years (SD 1·8) of follow-up. The age-adjusted and sex-adjusted incidence of type 2 diabetes was 3·1 times (95% CI 2·8-3·6; p<0·0001) higher among Indian Asians than among Europeans, and remained 2·5 times (2·1-2·9; p<0·0001) higher after adjustment for adiposity, physical activity, family history of type 2 diabetes, and baseline glycaemic measures. The mean absolute difference in methylation level between type 2 diabetes cases and controls ranged from 0·5% (SD 0·1) to 1·1% (0·2). Methylation markers at five loci were associated with future type 2 diabetes incidence; the relative risk per 1% increase in methylation was 1·09 (95% CI 1·07-1·11; p=1·3 × 10(-17)) for ABCG1, 0·94 (0·92-0·95; p=4·2 × 10(-11)) for PHOSPHO1, 0·94 (0·92-0·96; p=1·4 × 10(-9)) for SOCS3, 1·07 (1·04-1·09; p=2·1 × 10(-10)) for SREBF1, and 0·92 (0·90-0·94; p=1·2 × 10(-17)) for TXNIP. A methylation score combining results for the five loci was associated with future type 2 diabetes incidence (relative risk quartile 4 vs quartile 1 3·51, 95% CI 2·79-4·42; p=1·3 × 10(-26)), and was independent of established risk factors. Methylation score was higher among Indian Asians than Europeans (p=1 × 10(-34)). INTERPRETATION DNA methylation might provide new insights into the pathways underlying type 2 diabetes and offer new opportunities for risk stratification and prevention of type 2 diabetes among Indian Asians. FUNDING The European Union, the UK National Institute for Health Research, the Wellcome Trust, the UK Medical Research Council, Action on Hearing Loss, the UK Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Oak Foundation, the Economic and Social Research Council, Helmholtz Zentrum Munchen, the German Research Center for Environmental Health, the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research, the German Center for Diabetes Research, the Munich Center for Health Sciences, the Ministry of Science and Research of the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, and the German Federal Ministry of Health.

e-Prescribing, Efficiency, Quality: Lessons from the Computerization of UK Family Practice

Nearly all general practice physicians (GPs) in the United Kingdom (UK) have electronic health record (EHR) systems in their practices compared with perhaps 15% of primary care physicians in the United States (U.S.). Based on interviews of 13 general GPs and review of current literature, the authors argue that the historical experience of widespread electronic health record uptake in the UK provides insight into features that might motivate broad adoption in the United States. These features include electronic prescribing, improved quality and consistency of care, practice efficiencies that have both timesaving and revenue generating effects, and potential shielding from malpractice claims.

Creatinine fluctuation has a greater effect than the formula to estimate glomerular filtration rate on the prevalence of chronic kidney disease.

Background/Aims: Cases of chronic kidney disease (CKD) are defined by the estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR), calculated using the Modified Diet in Renal Disease (MDRD) or, more recently, the CKD Epidemiology Collaboration (CKD-EPI) formula. This study set out to promote a systematic approach to reporting CKD prevalence. Design, Setting, Participants and Measurements: The study explores the impact of the way in which eGFR is calculated on the prevalence of CKD. We took into account whether including (1) ethnicity, (2) using a single eGFR, (3) using more than 1 eGFR value or (4) using the CKD-EPI formula affected the estimates of prevalence. Sample: Of 930,997 registered patients, 36% (332,891) have their eGFR defined (63% of those aged 50–74 years, 81% >75 years). Results: The prevalence of stage 3–5 CKD is 5.41% (n = 50,331). (1) Not including ethnicity data the prevalence would be 5.49%, (2) just using the latest eGFR 6.4%, (3) excluding intermediary values 5.55% and (4) using the CKD-EPI equation 4.8%. All changes in eGFR (t test) and the proportion with CKD (χ2 test) were significant (p < 0.001). Using serum-creatinine-calculated eGFR instead of laboratory data reduced the prevalence of stage 3–5 CKD by around 0.01%. Sixty-six percent of people with stage 3–5 disease have cardiovascular disease and 4.0% significant proteinuria using the MDRD formula; the corresponding figures using CKD-EPI are 74 and 4.6%. Conclusions: A standardised approach to reporting case finding would allow a better comparison of prevalence estimates. Using a single eGFR tends to inflate the reported prevalence of CKD by ignoring creatinine fluctuation; this effect is greater than the difference between MDRD and CKD-EPI.

National electronic Library for Health (NeLH)

Modern healthcare professionals have to resolve the information paradox; they are overwhelmed with information but cannot find particular information when and where they need it.1 The internet and its associated technologies, especially the world wide web, have the potential to both exacerbate and reduce these problems. Simply providing access to the world wide web per se may exacerbate the problems of information overload, since every web browser has access to hundreds of millions of pages of information. However, the cost effective provision of access to timely, current, and high quality information is what internet technology potentially offers. Creation of the National electronic Library for Health (NeLH) should be seen as an attempt to harness internet technologies to solve this information paradox. Sir Edward Waine, regius professor of medicine in Glasgow, who invented Waines thyroid index, an early, pre-computer, decision support system, used to teach about “la maladie du petit papier.” This described the patient who, somewhat nervously, took a little bit of paper out of his jacket pocket towards the end of the consultation and used this paper to remind him of the questions that he knew he was bound to forget in the stress of the consultation. Many clinicians have now found that le maladie du petit papier is now but a fond memory as they face daily “la maladie du grand print-out,” an altogether more daunting challenge. The world wide web has blown away the walls and doors of medical libraries, which once shielded medical knowledge from the public gaze. Members of the public can now have access to almost all the information that professionals have. #### Summary points Healthcare professionals face a paradox; they are overwhelmed with information but cannot find a particular piece of information when and where they need it Creation of the National electronic Library for …

Patients' online access to their electronic health records and linked online services: a systematic interpretative review

Objectives To investigate the effect of providing patients online access to their electronic health record (EHR) and linked transactional services on the provision, quality and safety of healthcare. The objectives are also to identify and understand: barriers and facilitators for providing online access to their records and services for primary care workers; and their association with organisational/IT system issues. Setting Primary care. Participants A total of 143 studies were included. 17 were experimental in design and subject to risk of bias assessment, which is reported in a separate paper. Detailed inclusion and exclusion criteria have also been published elsewhere in the protocol. Primary and secondary outcome measures Our primary outcome measure was change in quality or safety as a result of implementation or utilisation of online records/transactional services. Results No studies reported changes in health outcomes; though eight detected medication errors and seven reported improved uptake of preventative care. Professional concerns over privacy were reported in 14 studies. 18 studies reported concern over potential increased workload; with some showing an increase workload in email or online messaging; telephone contact remaining unchanged, and face-to face contact staying the same or falling. Owing to heterogeneity in reporting overall workload change was hard to predict. 10 studies reported how online access offered convenience, primarily for more advantaged patients, who were largely highly satisfied with the process when clinician responses were prompt. Conclusions Patient online access and services offer increased convenience and satisfaction. However, professionals were concerned about impact on workload and risk to privacy. Studies correcting medication errors may improve patient safety. There may need to be a redesign of the business process to engage health professionals in online access and of the EHR to make it friendlier and provide equity of access to a wider group of patients. A1. Systematic review registration number PROSPERO CRD42012003091.

Do primary care professionals work as a team: a qualitative study.

Teamworking is a vital element in the delivery of primary healthcare. There is evidence that well organised multidisciplinary teams are more effective in developing quality of care. Personal Medical Services (PMS) is a health reform that allows general practices more autonomy and flexibility in delivering quality based primary care. Practices in the locality where this study was conducted were offered resources to employ additional staff. Such arrangements provided the opportunity to expand and develop Primary Care Teams. In this qualitative study, semi-structured interviews were conducted with primary care professionals in 21 second wave PMS practices. Some participants felt they had used PMS to build their teams and develop quality based patient care. For other practices teamworking was limited by the absence of a common goal, recruitment difficulties, inadequate communication and hierarchical structures, and prevented practices from moving forward with clear direction. The study indicates that changing the contractual arrangements does not necessarily improve teamworking. It highlights the need for more sustained educational and quality improvement initiatives to encourage greater collaboration and understanding between healthcare professionals.

The QICKD study protocol: a cluster randomised trial to compare quality improvement interventions to lower systolic BP in chronic kidney disease (CKD) in primary care

BackgroundChronic kidney disease (CKD) is a relatively newly recognised but common long-term condition affecting 5 to 10% of the population. Effective management of CKD, with emphasis on strict blood pressure (BP) control, reduces cardiovascular risk and slows the progression of CKD. There is currently an unprecedented rise in referral to specialist renal services, which are often located in tertiary centres, inconvenient for patients, and wasteful of resources. National and international CKD guidelines include quality targets for primary care. However, there have been no rigorous evaluations of strategies to implement these guidelines. This study aims to test whether quality improvement interventions improve primary care management of elevated BP in CKD, reduce cardiovascular risk, and slow renal disease progressionDesignCluster randomised controlled trial (CRT)MethodsThis three-armed CRT compares two well-established quality improvement interventions with usual practice. The two interventions comprise: provision of clinical practice guidelines with prompts and audit-based education.The study population will be all individuals with CKD from general practices in eight localities across England. Randomisation will take place at the level of the general practices. The intended sample (three arms of 25 practices) powers the study to detect a 3 mmHg difference in systolic BP between the different quality improvement interventions. An additional 10 practices per arm will receive a questionnaire to measure any change in confidence in managing CKD. Follow up will take place over two years. Outcomes will be measured using anonymised routinely collected data extracted from practice computer systems. Our primary outcome measure will be reduction of systolic BP in people with CKD and hypertension at two years. Secondary outcomes will include biomedical outcomes and markers of quality, including practitioner confidence in managing CKD.A small group of practices (n = 4) will take part in an in-depth process evaluation. We will use time series data to examine the natural history of CKD in the community. Finally, we will conduct an economic evaluation based on a comparison of the cost effectiveness of each intervention.Clinical Trials RegistrationISRCTN56023731. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier.

The development of primary care information technology in the United kingdom.

BackgroundUK primary care is highly computerized; initially led by enthusiastic general practitioners who developed their own systems. This preceded the development of a National Health Service information strategy and an ambitious National Programme for IT. ModelA 4-element model is proposed to explain the development of information technology: (1) individual clinician choice; (2) integration into the clinical task-–usually an office visit; (3) technological developments; and (4) organizational factors. ConclusionAll 4 elements of this model have been tilted in favor of the utilization of information technology; lessons from the United Kingdom may help other health systems looking to implement information technology systems in primary care.

Uptake and impact of vaccinating school age children against influenza during a season with circulation of drifted influenza A and B strains, England, 2014/15

The 2014/15 influenza season was the second season of roll-out of a live attenuated influenza vaccine (LAIV) programme for healthy children in England. During this season, besides offering LAIV to all two to four year olds, several areas piloted vaccination of primary (4-11 years) and secondary (11-13 years) age children. Influenza A(H3N2) circulated, with strains genetically and antigenically distinct from the 2014/15 A(H3N2) vaccine strain, followed by a drifted B strain. We assessed the overall and indirect impact of vaccinating school age children, comparing cumulative disease incidence in targeted and non-targeted age groups in vaccine pilot to non-pilot areas. Uptake levels were 56.8% and 49.8% in primary and secondary school pilot areas respectively. In primary school age pilot areas, cumulative primary care influenza-like consultation, emergency department respiratory attendance, respiratory swab positivity, hospitalisation and excess respiratory mortality were consistently lower in targeted and non-targeted age groups, though less for adults and more severe end-points, compared with non-pilot areas. There was no significant reduction for excess all-cause mortality. Little impact was seen in secondary school age pilot only areas compared with non-pilot areas. Vaccination of healthy primary school age children resulted in population-level impact despite circulation of drifted A and B influenza strains.