Awareness Of Primary Care Providers Research Articles

Exploring Factors Influencing Cervical Cancer Screening Participation among Singaporean Women: A Social Ecological Approach

Background/Objectives: Cervical cancer screening uptake in Singapore remains suboptimal. This study employed the Social Ecological Model (SEM) to investigate factors influencing cervical cancer screening participation among Singaporean women. Methods: The study included 665 women, aged 25–69 years, who reported awareness of cancer screening and no personal cancer history. Data were collected through a previously described online survey. Hierarchical logistic regression analysis was conducted to identify significant factors influencing screening participation. Results: Only 30% of participants reported cervical cancer screening participation. Women aged 25–29 years (OR = 0.33; 95% CI = 0.12–0.77), Malay women (OR = 0.42; 95% CI = 0.20–0.83), and unmarried women (OR = 0.30; 95% CI = 0.18–0.48) were less likely to be screened. Positive associations with screening participation were observed with good cervical cancer screening knowledge (OR = 2.90; 95% CI = 1.96–4.32), awareness of primary care providers’ role in delivering screening services (OR = 1.94; 95% CI = 1.24–3.10), cancer information seeking behavior (OR = 1.59; 95% CI = 1.07–2.39), and acceptance of self-sampling options (OR = 1.81; 95% CI = 1.22–2.70). Conclusions: Our study highlights the cumulative impact of factors at various SEM levels on screening participation and underscores the necessity for more targeted and multi-pronged strategies to improve cervical cancer screening uptake in Singapore.

Providing Survivorship Care for a Young Adult With a History of Blood Cancer

Adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with a history of cancer are at an increased risk for late effects from their cancer treatment and have higher rates of long-term morbidity and mortality compared to their age-matched peers. As a result, this vulnerable population needs attentive follow-up care, end-organ surveillance, and secondary cancer screening; however, a history of cancer can often become buried on a problem list or not addressed at all. This case report illustrates an AYA survivor of classic Hodgkin lymphoma who relocates to a new city and establishes care with a new primary care provider (PCP). The PCP's awareness of a prior cancer diagnosis and the previous treatment regimen is a critical component in providing comprehensive care. In this case, the PCP's first step is to reach out and collaborate with oncology providers to gather an accurate treatment summary and then consult evidence-based guidelines to develop a plan of care. Based on the patient's previous treatment with chemotherapy adriamycin, bleomycin, vinblastine, and dacarbazine, the PCP orders recommended testing, reviews results, and provides subsequent counseling on health promotion and psychosocial wellness. This case illustrates strategies healthcare providers can use to provide coordinated, evidence-based care for AYA cancer survivors.

Perceptions of provider awareness of traditional and cultural treatments among Indigenous people who use unregulated drugs in Vancouver, Canada

IntroductionIndigenous people who use unregulated drugs (IPWUD) face significant barriers to care, including sparse availability of culturally safe health services. Integrating Indigenous traditional and cultural treatments (TCT) into health service delivery is one way to enhance culturally safe care. In a Canadian setting that implemented cultural safety reforms, we sought to examine the prevalence and correlates of client perceptions of primary care provider awareness of TCT among IPWUD.MethodsData were derived from two prospective cohort studies of PWUD in Vancouver, Canada between December 2017 and March 2020. A generalized linear mixed model with logit-link function was used to identify longitudinal factors associated with perceived provider awareness of TCT.ResultsAmong a sample of 507 IPWUD who provided 1200 survey responses, a majority (n = 285, 56%) reported their primary care provider was aware of TCT. In multiple regression analyses, involvement in treatment decisions always (Adjusted Odds Ratio [AOR] = 3.6; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.6–7.8), involvement in treatment decisions most or some of the time (AOR = 3.3; 95% CI: 1.4–7.7), comfort with provider or clinic (AOR = 2.7; 95% CI: 1.5–5.0), and receiving care from a social support worker (AOR = 1.5; 95% CI: 1.0–2.1) were positively associated with provider awareness of TCT.ConclusionWe found high levels of perceived provider awareness of TCT and other domains of culturally safe care within a cohort of urban IPWUD. However, targeted initiatives that advance culturally safe care are required to improve healthcare and health outcomes for IPWUD, who continue to bear a disproportionate burden of substance use harms.

Primary care providers practice patterns regarding female pelvic floor disorders

IntroductionPelvic floor disorders (PFDs) pose substantial physical and psychological burdens for a growing number of women. Given the ubiquity of these conditions and known patient reluctance to seek care, primary...

Primary Care Provider Awareness and Attitudes Regarding Updated BRCA1/2 Screening Recommendations and Genetic Testing

Primary Care Provider Awareness and Attitudes Regarding Updated BRCA1/2 Screening Recommendations and Genetic Testing

Primary care utilization and cardiovascular screening in adult-aged survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the childhood cancer survivor study (CCSS).

e22020 Background: Among the half million survivors of childhood cancer in the US, cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading non-cancer cause of premature death. Adult survivors of childhood cancer are largely managed by community-based primary care providers (PCPs), and healthcare utilization patterns related to CVD screening and survivorship care are not well-described. Methods: Within the CCSS cohort, we conducted a randomized intervention trial (NCT03104543) focused on improving CVD risk factor control among survivors at increased risk for CVD due to prior chest radiotherapy and/or anthracycline chemotherapy. Using medical records from participants’ PCPs over the 2 years preceding trial enrollment, we ascertained the numbers of PCP and specialist visits, CVD conditions (i.e., hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes) and screening (i.e., blood pressure, lipid, diabetes testing, and cardiac testing [ECG, echocardiogram, or other imaging completed or planned]). We also abstracted acknowledgement of participants’ cancer history, cardiotoxic treatment exposures, or a survivorship care plan (SCP). Multivariable logistic regression assessed characteristics associated with having cardiac testing, retaining covariates associated with p < 0.10 in univariate testing. Results: Of 347 enrolled participants, 293 (84%) had evaluable data (median age 40y, range 22–65; 49% female; 87% non-Hispanic White; mean 31y since childhood cancer). In the prior 2y, 81% of participants had a documented PCP office visit (median 3 visits [IQR 2–5]), 22% had a subspecialty visit (4% saw cardiology), and 16% had no visits. The prevalence of blood pressure, lipid, and diabetes screening was 82%, 57%, and 63%, respectively; 29% had cardiac testing done or planned, including 22% with echocardiography. Only 68% of participants had records referencing a history of cancer. PCP documentation of prior cardiotoxic exposures was low compared with known exposures: radiotherapy (35% vs 69%; p < 0.001), anthracycline chemotherapy (9% vs 76%; p = 0.017); only 12% had any documentation noting an increased risk for CVD. Few participants’ records referenced a need for cancer-related late effects surveillance (38%), and even fewer referenced an SCP (5%). In multivariable analysis, independent predictors of cardiac testing included documentation of increased CVD risk (Odds Ratio [OR] 11.61, 95% CI 3.31–40.67), presence of a late effects surveillance plan (OR 3.71, 95% CI 1.62–8.48), and existing CVD conditions (modeled as 0, 1, or 2+ conditions; OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.41–3.47, for each additional level). Conclusions: Adult survivors of childhood cancer at increased risk of CVD had low rates of cardiac testing and documentation of risk in PCP medical records. Increasing participant and PCP awareness of CVD risks and late effects surveillance recommendations may improve screening.

Practical guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM or transthyretin cardiac amyloidosis)

This paper summarizes the data from updated international protocols and guidelines for diagnosis of transthyretin amyloid cardiomyopathy (ATTR-CM). The invasive and non-invasive diagnosis techniques and their combinations are briefly reviewed; the evidentiary foundations for each diagnostic option and tool are analyzed. The paper describes a customized algorithm for sequential diagnosis and differential diagnosis of patients with suspected ATTR-CM with allowance for the combination of clinical signs and diagnostic findings. Along with the awareness of primary care providers about the red flags of the disease and visualization criteria, as well as providing information to the patients about the possibility of performing therapy of ATTR amyloidosis and the risks of delayed diagnosis, the proposed algorithm enables timely patient routing and prescribing specific treatment.

Awareness, Knowledge, and Attitudes Toward Screening and Treatment of Masked Hypertension in Primary Care.

Hypertension guidelines recommend screening and treatment for masked hypertension (MHT). Yet, few primary care providers (PCPs) screen for MHT, and little is known about PCP awareness, knowledge, and attitudes toward MHT. Three focus groups involving 30 PCPs from 3 medical centers in New York were conducted. Focus group transcripts were analyzed using thematic content analysis. Awareness of MHT varied, and only 2 providers had diagnosed MHT. There was also low knowledge about the prevalence and impact of MHT. While some PCPs were receptive to MHT screening after learning about its significance, others viewed the current evidence as insufficient to change practice. Providers were discomforted by labeling patients with nonelevated office blood pressure (BP) as hypertensive and reluctant to add another screening test to their workload without stronger evidence. There was distrust in the accuracy of home BP monitoring to screen for MHT. There was more confidence in ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) for MHT screening, but ABPM was viewed as largely inaccessible. There was broad agreement with lifestyle changes for MHT. There were concerns that antihypertensive medication lacked evidence from randomized trials and could induce harmful side effects. Limited PCP knowledge about MHT, concerns about the accuracy and accessibility of screening tests, overloaded PCPs, and insufficient evidence were major barriers to screening and treatment for MHT. Prior to broad uptake by PCPs, randomized trials demonstrating the net benefits of MHT screening and treatment may be needed, along with increased dissemination of knowledge about MHT and improved access to ABPM.

Interventional Radiology Education for Improving Primary Care Provider Awareness

To evaluate the effectiveness of a lecture series in increasing awareness and knowledge about common interventional radiology (IR) procedures amongst emergency medicine and internal medicine residents at a tertiary care academic medical center.A series of two 60-minute lectures was presented at both the Emergency and Internal Medicine weekly didactic conferences for the respective residency programs. The lectures covered the indications, contraindications, imaging, pre-procedure preparation, complications, and follow-up of common IR procedures, including both didactics as well as interactive question and answer segments. The first lecture included central venous access, IVC filters, and image-guided biopsies, and the second lecture covered biliary interventions, genitourinary interventions, and vascular embolization. Pre/post lecture assessments were given evaluating participant knowledge, and paired one-tailed t-tests were elucidated for evaluating differences in the mean scores.A total of 77 emergency and internal medicine resident physicians participated in assessments of the lecture series. There were significantly increased scores (P<0.001) after both of the lectures (36% to 82% on the first lecture and 44% to 65% on the second lecture), suggesting increased knowledge of the common IR procedures discussed in the lecture.This work demonstrated that educational initiatives such as lecture series implementation are effective methods to increase knowledge of common IR procedures and raise awareness of the specialty among referring providers.

Electronic Decision Support for Management of CKD in Primary Care: A Pragmatic Randomized Trial

Most adults with chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the United States are cared for by primary care providers (PCPs). We evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of an electronic clinical decision support system (eCDSS) within the electronic health record with or without pharmacist follow-up to improve the management of CKD in primary care. Pragmatic cluster-randomized trial. 524 adults with confirmed creatinine-based estimated glomerular filtration rates of 30 to 59mL/min/1.73m2 cared for by 80 PCPs at the University of California San Francisco. Electronic health record data were used for patient identification, intervention deployment, and outcomes ascertainment. Each PCP's eligible patients were randomly assigned as a group into 1 of 3 treatment arms: (1) usual care; (2) eCDSS: testing of creatinine, cystatin C, and urinary albumin-creatinine ratio with individually tailored guidance for PCPs on blood pressure, potassium, and proteinuria management, cardiovascular risk reduction, and patient education; or (3) eCDSS plus pharmacist counseling (eCDSS-PLUS). The primary clinical outcome was change in blood pressure over 12 months. Secondary outcomes were PCP awareness of CKD and use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor/angiotensin receptor blocker and statin therapy. All 80 eligible PCPs participated. Meanpatient age was 70 years, 47% were nonwhite, and mean estimated glomerular filtration rate was 56±0.6mL/min/1.73m2. Among patients receiving eCDSS with or without pharmacist counseling (n=336), 178 (53%) completed laboratory measurements and 138 (41%) had laboratory measurements followed by a PCP visit with eCDSS deployment. eCDSS was opened by the PCP for 102 (74%) patients, with at least 1 suggested order signed for 83 of these 102 (81%). Changes in systolic blood pressure were-2.1±1.5mm Hg with usual care,-2.8±1.8mm Hg with eCDSS, and-1.1±1.1 with eCDSS-PLUS (P=0.7). PCP awareness of CKD was 16% with usual care, 26% with eCDSS, and 32% for eCDSS-PLUS (P=0.09). In as-treated analyses, PCP awareness of CKD was significantly greater with eCDSS and eCDSS-PLUS (73% and 69%) versus usual care (47%; P=0.002). Recruitment of smaller than intended sample size and limited uptake of the testing component of the intervention. Although we were unable to demonstrate the effectiveness of eCDSS to lower blood pressure and uptake of the eCDSS was limited by low testing rates, eCDSS use was high when laboratory measurements were available and was associated with higher PCP awareness of CKD. Grants from government (National Institutes of Health) and not-for-profit (American Heart Association) entities. Registered at ClinicalTrials.gov with study number NCT02925962.

Follow-up after failed newborn hearing screening: Parental and primary care provider awareness.

The current loss to follow-up rate after failed newborn hearing screening (NBHS) is 34.4%. Previous studies have found that lack of parental and primary care provider (PCP) awareness of NBHS results are significant contributors to loss to follow-up. The objective of this study was to identify factors associated with parental and PCP awareness of NBHS results. Retrospective cohort study. A survey asking about demographics and knowledge of NBHS testing and results was offered to parents in the waiting room of an urban pediatric primary care office. Included were biological parents ≥18years of age of children ≤10years of age born in Pennsylvania. Each child's chart was reviewed for PCP documentation of NBHS results. The odds of knowing NBHS results were evaluated using logistic regression. The survey was completed by 304 parents. 74.0% were aware of their child's NBHS results. Child age ≥1year old (OR: 0.49, 95%CI[0.29, 0.82], P=0.007) and Hispanic ethnicity (OR: 0.38, 95%CI[0.16, 0.89], P=0.03) were associated with decreased odds of a parent knowing NBHS results. In addition, fewer fathers knew the results of their child's NBHS compared with mothers (OR: 0.33, 95%CI[0.18, 0.62], P<0.001). However, parental awareness was not associated with birthing facility or insurance type. 222 charts were reviewed for NBHS documentation, revealing PCP awareness in 95.5% of cases and no associations with any of the factors examined. Factors associated with parents not knowing NBHS results included being the parent of an older child, Hispanic, or the father.

THE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES OF SEAMLESS IMPLEMENTATION OF A RURAL TELEMEDICINE CLINIC

Osteoporosis is largely undetected and untreated in older men who are at-risk, with even lower rates of detection and treatment in rural communities. In this presentation we report the consequences for primary care providers (PCPs) of the implementation of an osteoporosis telemedicine clinic that targeted rural patients and is purposefully designed to minimize PCP workload. Analysis of qualitative interviews with PCPs who co-managed patients with the telemedicine clinic confirmed that implementation strategies used by the telemedicine clinic were successful at minimizing workload and had a positive impact on PCPs’ work. However, the clinic’s seamless approach may have contributed to unintended consequences of low PCP awareness of program care processes and selection criteria and a missed opportunity for PCPs to reinforce osteoporosis care goals in the primary care setting.

1075 Primary Care and Specialty Physician Perspectives on Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) Screening, Diagnosis, and Referral

INTRODUCTION: Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is the most common liver disease in the developed world. It is associated with cardiovascular risks, malignancy and poor health-related quality of life. It is often under-recognized and undertreated by primary care providers (PCPs), leading to increased morbidity and mortality. Our study aims to assess PCP awareness of NAFLD risk factors, diagnosis and treatments, as well as their referral patterns to specialty care. METHODS: An anonymous provider survey was developed by 2 hepatologists, to assess PCPs’ perspectives on NAFLD disease knowledge, diagnosis, management, and referral of patients to sub-specialty care. Primary care and sub-specialty providers from Internal Medicine, Medicine-Pediatrics, Family Medicine, Geriatrics, Cardiology and Endocrinology, who spend &gt;25% of their time in adult clinical care, were included. Descriptive statistics (means for continuous data, percentages for categorical data) were used. RESULTS: A total of 438 physicians completed the survey: 83 Michigan Medicine, 18 Beaumont Health and 337 ACP physicians. 99.5% physicians reported most/some of their patients likely have NAFLD, while 19% strongly agreed to the role of screening for NAFLD. Most common associated comorbidities identified by PCPs were diabetes, obesity and hyperlipidemia. Comorbidities prompting screening most often were NAFLD family history, diabetes, and obesity. Hepatic function tests and liver ultrasound were the most frequently used screening tools. Only 22.6% of providers used non-invasive serum-based staging, and 23% used fibroscan. 67% providers referred few/none of their patients to specialists, with mainly advanced fibrosis/cirrhosis patients being referred. Most common barriers to PCP NAFLD evaluation and treatment included uncertainty of NAFLD treatments (47.3%) and low priority (30.8%). 74% providers reported no change in statin prescription. CONCLUSION: Despite the high rates of NAFLD in primary care, the rate of NAFLD screening and referral to specialty care is surprisingly low. Additionally, non-invasive tests for staging hepatic fibrosis are underutilized, which means that high-risk NAFLD patients with advanced fibrosis are likely overlooked. Important barriers to be addressed include improving NAFLD recognition, as well as disease assessment and knowledge of NAFLD treatment. Emphasis should be placed on early referral before patients reach advanced cirrhosis.

Primary Care Provider Awareness of IR: A Single-Center Analysis

To evaluate primary care provider awareness of interventional radiology (IR) services at a tertiary care academic medical center to identify areas of IR practice that require additional education and awareness initiatives. An internet-based survey was distributed via email to primary care providers, including internal medicine (IM), family medicine (FM), obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN), and hospital medicine (HM) physicians in the region. The survey consisted of 17 questions regarding provider demographics, experiences with IR in their practice, awareness of IR training, and awareness of IR procedures and services. A total of 234 of 533 invited physicians completed the survey (40% IM, 22% FM, 22% HM, and 16% OBGYN). Providers rated their knowledge of IR as poor (49, 20.3%), adequate (137, 56.9%), good (49, 20.3%), and excellent (6, 2.5%). Although 235 (97.5%) had consulted IR previously, only 141 (58.5%) had referred a patient directly to IR for an elective procedure. IR was offered as an alternative to surgical procedures never (42, 17.6%), a quarter of the time (101, 42.3%), half of the time (61, 25.5%), three-quarters of the time (27, 11.3%), and every time (8, 3.35%). Most respondents (161, 67.4%) learned the most about IR procedures during residency. Most (180, 75.3%) indicated that they would like to learn more about IR. These findings indicate that more can be done to educate providers about the potential role of IR in patient care. Provider awareness is limited regarding procedures that are increasingly popular in the IR community. This study helps to identify specific areas of IR in which awareness of can be increased.

Hepatitis C Screening - An Outcomes-Based Analysis

Introduction: Although there have been greater attempts to increase the rate of Hepatitis C screening in the ambulatory setting, several issues remain with regards to completion and documentation of screening by providers to ensure timely follow-up and subsequent treatment of patients. The goal of our study was to identify potential barriers that may affect completion of timely Hepatitis C screening. Methods: A retrospective review was conducted of all subjects in our Internal Medicine clinics with birth years from 1945-1965 that had visited their primary care provider (PCP) from August 2012-September 2017. Through use of SPSS software, appropriate documentation by the subject's PCP of Hepatitis C screening antibody results at any point over the five-year period was noted, and statistically significant differences in rates of documentation and screening were observed through use of univariate analysis. Results: A total of 380 subjects born from 1945-1965 had scheduled primary care visits during the designated time period. One hundred and twenty-six of these subjects had successfully completed Hepatitis C screening, and of these patients fifty-nine were female (59/126). Documentation of the results of Hepatitis C antibody screening was noted to assess the PCP's awareness of lack or presence of screening. Fifty-five percent of patients that received screening had documentation of their results by his or her PCP (69/126). Females were noted to be 15% less likely to have a Hepatitis C screening Ab compared to their male counterparts (OR: 0.80, 95% CI (0.522-1.229), p < 0.05). The population was divided into two age groups (52-64 years and 65-72 years of age) with the younger cohort 1.14 times more likely to have completed Hepatitis C screening (CI: 0.981-2.066, p < 0.035). Non-white patients were 53% less likely to have Hepatitis C screening completed (OR: 0.475, 95% CI: 0.304-0.742, p < 0.001), and there were no statistically significant differences noted among ethnic groups. Conclusion: Our results indicate that further study is required to assess for potential risk factors that may affect timely screening of patients for Hepatitis C. Lack of follow-up of subjects with their primary care providers and incomplete or absent documentation by providers may affect these rates. Potential interventions such as use of simpler health care maintenance note templates or reminders on electronic health record systems may be vital in improving future rates of screening.931 Figure 1 No Caption available.

Primary Care Providers’ Prediabetes Screening, Testing, and Referral Behaviors

Introduction:Intensive behavioral counseling is effective in preventing type 2 diabetes, and insurance coverage for such interventions is increasing. Although primary care provider referrals are not required for entry to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)–recognized National Diabetes Prevention Program lifestyle change program, referral rates remain suboptimal. This study aims to assess the association between primary care provider behaviors regarding prediabetes screening, testing, and referral and awareness of the CDC-recognized lifestyle change program and the Prevent Diabetes STAT: Screen, Test, and Act Today™ toolkit. Awareness of the lifestyle change program and the STAT toolkit, use of electronic health records, and the ratio of lifestyle change program classes to primary care physicians were hypothesized to be positively associated with primary care provider prediabetes screening, testing, and referral behaviors.Methods:Responses from primary care providers (n= 1,256) who completed the 2016 DocStyles cross-sectional web-based survey were analyzed in 2017 to measure self-reported prediabetes screening, testing, and referral behaviors. Multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the effects of primary care provider awareness and practice characteristics on these behaviors, controlling for provider characteristics.Results:Overall, 38% of primary care providers were aware of the CDC-recognized lifestyle change program, and 19% were aware of the STAT toolkit; 27% screened patients for prediabetes using a risk test; 97% ordered recommended blood tests; and 23% made referrals. Awareness of the lifestyle change program and the STAT toolkit was positively associated with screening and referring patients. Primary care providers who used electronic health records were more likely to screen, test, and refer. Referring was more likely in areas with more lifestyle change program classes.Conclusions:This study highlights the importance of increasing primary care provider awareness of and referrals to the CDC-recognized lifestyle change program.

Underlying Factors Contributing to the Delay in Patients Seeking Care for Pelvic Floor Dysfunction

Objective: To investigate barriers and variables associated with the delay in seeking urogynecologic care by women with pelvic floor dysfunction. Methods: Cross sectional study of 300 new patients presenting for outpatient evaluation of pelvic floor dysfunction from August 2011 through March 2012. Patients were mailed a survey prior to initial visit. Delay in seeking care was defined as 12 months or more from symptom manifestation, persistence or recurrence after prior intervention, or being informed about the condition to time of visit. Data are presented as proportion or mean (±standard deviation). Comparisons were made using chi-square and t tests. Results: Two hundred and thirty one (77.0%) surveys were returned. Mean age was 55.9 years (± 17.4). Majority (91.3%) were Caucasian, 57.4% sexually active, and 96.1% saw a health care provider annually. Commonly reported causes were child birth (32.6%) and aging (23.4%). Delay was seen in 140 women (61.4%). Of these, 81 (57.9%) had been previously asked about symptoms by their primary care provider. The most common reason reported for delay was “Did not have time to care for myself” (19.8%). There was no statistically significant difference in level of education (p=0.86), annual health care visits (p=0.74), and sexual activity (p=0.28) between women with and without delay. However, women who delayed seeking care were more likely to report increased symptom severity (p=0.005) and to have been asked about symptoms (p=0.01). Conclusion: There is significant delay in seeking care with an urogynecologist. Additional resources are needed to promote patient and primary care provider awareness.

Prehospital Management of Evolving Critical Illness by the Primary Care Provider

The factors that limit primary care providers (PCPs) from intervening for adults with evolving, acute, severe illness are less understood than the increasing frequency of management by acute care providers. Rates of prehospital patient management by a PCP and of communication with acute care teams were measured in a multicenter, cross-sectional, descriptive study conducted in all four of the adult medical ICUs of the three hospitals in central Massachusetts that provide tertiary care. Rates were measured for 390 critical care encounters, using a validated instrument to abstract the medical record and conduct telephone interviews. PCPs implemented prehospital management for eight episodes of acute illness among 300 encounters. Infrequent prehospital management by PCPs was attributed to their lack of awareness of the patient's evolving acute illness. Only 21% of PCPs were aware of the acute illness before their patient was admitted to an ICU, and 33% were not aware that their patient was in an ICU. Rates of PCP involvement were not appreciably different among provider groups or by patient age, sex, insurance status, hospital, ICU, or ICU staffing model. We identified lack of PCP awareness of patients' acute illness and high rates of PCP referral to acute care providers as the most frequent barriers to prehospital management of evolving acute illness. These findings suggest that implementing processes that encourage early patient-PCP communication and increase rates of prehospital management of infections and acute exacerbations of chronic diseases could reduce use of acute care services.

Identifying Practice Gaps to Optimize Medical Care for Patients with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is a leading cause of chronic liver disease. Primary care providers (PCPs), in contrast to gastroenterology/hepatology (GI/Hep) providers, are the first medical contact for the majority of patients with, or at risk for, NAFLD. PCP awareness of and facility with NAFLD is critical for management of these patients. The purpose of this study was to assess understanding and practice patterns of PCPs and non-GI/Hep subspecialty providers with respect to the diagnosis and management of NAFLD. We administered an online, 61-question survey to 479 providers in internal medicine, family medicine, endocrinology, cardiology, and obstetrics and gynecology (ObGyn) across three health systems: academic medical center, safety-net health system and managed care health system. There were 246 respondents (51 %), with the majority (87 %) being PCPs (internal medicine, family medicine, ObGyn). Only 31 % of providers identified NAFLD as a clinically important diagnosis in their practice. Although 65 % of providers reported some degree of facility in diagnosing NAFLD, less than half (47 %) were comfortable managing NAFLD. Only 33 % refer patients with suspected NAFLD to GI/Hep. Subspecialists in endocrinology and cardiology reported greater clinical concern over NAFLD and were more likely (67 %) to refer patients with suspected NAFLD to GI/Hep. The majority of providers do not identify NAFLD as a clinically important diagnosis and do not refer to GI/Hep. However, 83 % expressed a need for education on NAFLD. Our data reveal practice gaps within NAFLD care and identify opportunities for targeted education to guide PCPs in the evaluation and management of NAFLD.

Behavioural weight management for the primary careprovider

Primary care providers (PCPs) provide the majority of weight management care in clinical settings; however, they often lack the time or resources to apply strategies recommended in treatment guidelines. This review surveyed randomized clinical trials and prospective weight management studies from 1990 to present to identify evidence-based behavioural strategies for weight management applicable to the PCP treatment environment. Data supported, time-limited weight management strategies included self-monitoring, portion control, sleep hygiene, restaurant eating and television viewing. The current review suggests that a number of behavioural strategies are available to enhance the effectiveness of PCPs weight management interventions. Increasing PCP awareness of these evidence-based strategies may increase their attention to overweight and obesity concerns in clinical encounters and encourage more collaborative efforts with patients towards weight management goals.