Telephone Counseling Research Articles

FEASIBILITY OF THE MULTIMODAL SMOKING CESSATION INTERVENTION DURING HOSPITALIZATION WITH SIX-MONTH FOLLOW-UP POST-DISCHARGE: A PILOT STUDY.

The main aim of this pilot project was to introduce multimodal smoking cessation intervention in the hospital setting and to analyze users' satisfaction and efficacy of the intervention within six months post-discharge. Multimodal intervention for smoking cessation was used and it consisted of the "5 A's" model (Ask, Advice, Assess, Assist, Arrange) for behavior change, printed self-help materials for smoking cessation, and telephone counseling (one, three and six months after discharge from the hospital). The main outcome of the study was smoking status at six months. A total of 103 participants were included in this pilot project. At six-month follow-up, 49% of participants self-reported continuous non-smoking. Among the remaining participants, 20 reported smoking reduction, 19 were still smoking, and 16 participants were unable to make contact with. In the logistic regression, among all analyzed variables, only two of them were positively associated with smoking cessation after six months: participants' response that they would like to quit smoking within the next six months (B=4.688; p=0.018) and answering that they did not smoke when they were ill and bed-ridden due to illness (B=3.253; p=0.020). Satisfaction with the intervention was very high; 70% of participants rated the intervention as 'excellent'. Therefore, multimodal smoking cessation intervention can be successfully introduced at hospital setting yielding high smoking abstinence rates at six months post-discharge and high level of user satisfaction. Healthcare workers who work in hospitals should be educated so they can provide such intervention on a regular basis.

Effect of Telephone Counseling on Self-Efficacy in Self-Care Behaviors of Patients with COVID-19

Effect of Telephone Counseling on Self-Efficacy in Self-Care Behaviors of Patients with COVID-19

The risk of developing colorectal cancer in individuals aged 50-70 years and behavioral changes in high-risk individuals regarding a fecal occult blood test

Background/Aim: The prognosis of colorectal cancer (CRC) is highly associated with its stage; therefore, it is important to determine the risk factors. Risk determination tools such as CRC-PRO are patient-friendly since they are non-invasive, and highly successful in predicting the cancer risk. This study aimed to determine the risks of getting CRC in individuals aged 50-70 years and the early diagnosis behaviors of individuals, who were deemed at high risk based on a Fecal Occult Blood Test (FOBT). Methods: This single-group quasi-experimental follow-up study was conducted in a family health center in Turkey between December 2016-December 2017. The data were collected using the “CRC Predicted Risk Online (CRC-PRO)” and “stages of change form.” The patients were educated at the risk determination stage. Along with telephone counseling conducted with individuals in the first and sixth months, the changes in FOBT were noted. Results: The CRC-PRO mean risk scores of the males and females were 1.37 (0.74), and 0.79 (0.40), respectively. Among them, 33.5% of males and 25.8% of females had a risk of CRC. After they were educated for FOBT, their behaviors positively and significantly changed from the risk determination stage until the 6th-month follow-up. Conclusion: With the use of risk determination tools, individuals' lifestyle characteristics can be determined, and health education can be provided to change them.

Evidence and consensus-based clinical practice guidelines for management of overweight and obesity in midlife women: An AIIMS-DST initiative.

Evidence and consensus-based clinical practice guidelines for management of overweight and obesity in midlife women: An AIIMS-DST initiative.

Does telephone counselling improve clinic adherence Findings from a randomised controlled trial in a tertiary centre in Nigeria

Does telephone counselling improve clinic adherence Findings from a randomised controlled trial in a tertiary centre in Nigeria

Analysis of Telephone Counseling of Patients in Chemotherapy Using Text Mining Technique

Analysis of Telephone Counseling of Patients in Chemotherapy Using Text Mining Technique

Does telephone counselling improve clinic adherence Findings from a randomised controlled trial in a tertiary centre in Nigeria

Does telephone counselling improve clinic adherence Findings from a randomised controlled trial in a tertiary centre in Nigeria

Evaluation of the Efficacy of a Smoking Cessation Intervention for Cervical Cancer Survivors and Women With High-Grade Cervical Dysplasia: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial.

BackgroundThe prevalence of smoking among cervical cancer survivors is strikingly high, yet no smoking cessation interventions to date have specifically targeted this population. This paper describes the study design, methods, and data analysis plans for a randomized clinical trial designed to evaluate the efficacy of a theoretically and empirically based Motivation And Problem Solving (MAPS) approach for promoting and facilitating smoking cessation among cervical cancer survivors. MAPS is a comprehensive, dynamic, and holistic intervention that incorporates empirically supported cognitive behavioral and social cognitive theory–based treatment strategies within an overarching motivational framework. MAPS is designed to be appropriate for all smokers regardless of their motivation to change and views motivation as dynamically fluctuating from moment to moment throughout the behavior change process.ObjectiveThis 2-group randomized controlled trial compares the efficacy of standard treatment to MAPS in facilitating smoking cessation among women with a history of high-grade cervical dysplasia or cervical cancer.MethodsParticipants (N=202) are current smokers with a history of high-grade cervical dysplasia or cervical cancer recruited nationally and randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions: (1) standard treatment (ST) or (2) MAPS. ST consists of repeated letters referring participants to their state’s tobacco cessation quitline, standard self-help materials, and free nicotine replacement therapy when ready to quit. MAPS has all ST components along with 6 proactive telephone counseling sessions delivered over 12 months. The primary outcome is abstinence from tobacco at 18 months. Secondary outcomes include abstinence over time across all assessment points, abstinence at other individual assessment time points, quit attempts, cigarettes per day, and use of state quitlines. Hypothesized treatment mechanisms and cost-effectiveness will also be evaluated.ResultsThis study was approved by the institutional review boards at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, and Moffitt Cancer Center. Participant enrollment concluded at Moffitt Cancer Center in January 2020, and follow-up data collection was completed in July 2021. Data analysis is ongoing.ConclusionsThis study will yield crucial information regarding the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of a MAPS approach for smoking cessation tailored to the specific needs of women with a history of high-grade cervical dysplasia or cervical cancer. Findings indicating that MAPS has substantially greater efficacy than existing evidence-based tobacco cessation treatments would have tremendous public health significance.Trial RegistrationClinicalTrials.gov NCT02157610; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02157610International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)DERR1-10.2196/34502

Impact of COVID 19 Lockdown on Ophthalmic Practices in India

Introduction: The WHO (World Health Organization) declared COVID-19, a worldwide pandemic caused by a novel variant of the corona virus 2019-nCoV, as a worldwide pandemic in 2020. As a preventative step, the Indian government imposed a countrywide lockout for 21 days, restricting people's movement. During the shutdown, a study was devised and completed to analyze the impact on eye care and patient care in India. Methods: Through various social media platforms, an online survey was sent to the practice of Indian ophthalmologists. We arranged and analyzed all of the validated responses.
 Summary: The poll received responses from 1260 ophthalmologists. 61.5 percent of respondents worked in a private clinic, whereas 14.8 percent worked in an eye institute. Due to the lockdown of those who were still evaluating patients at the time of the poll, 72.5 percent of respondents did not perceive any patients, and 82.9 percent (287/347) were only looking at emergency cases, based on their own clinical judgement. The percentage of ophthalmologists who were still examining patients in eye facilities, municipal and government hospitals (49.8%) was significantly higher (p0.0001) than in private clinics. Other procedures that were still being performed included intravitral injections, in addition to causes such as trauma, retinal detachment, and endophthalmities (81.8 percent) (9.1 percent) and cataract surgery (5.9%). Since the lockdown began, around 77.5 percent of respondents have begun telephone, e-mail, video call, or social media application counseling. Furthermore, 59.1% said that when examining patients, ophthalmologists were at a larger risk of getting COVID-19 than other disciplines. When asked when they would resume practice when once restrictions were relaxed 57.8% of respondents said they were unsure when they would resume elective surgery In addition, 62.8% percent said they were unsure of the preferred screening strategy or precautionary approach before beginning surgery and were awaiting guidelines.
 Conclusion: According to our research, most ophthalmologists in India were unable to assess patients during the COVID-19 lockdown, and many of them had to undergo elective surgery. 27.5 percent of those who responded to the emergency room were ophthalmologists. To aid patients, ophthalmologists had shifted to telephonic guidance or other forms of telemedicine. Whether the COVID-19 reduced regulations, most responding ophthalmologists were unsure when and how to resume operations. Regulatory agencies should be aware of this and give appropriate guidelines.

Efficacy and comparative effectiveness of telephone and smartphone remote continuing care interventions for alcohol use disorder: a randomized controlled trial.

Management of alcohol use disorder (AUD) could be enhanced by effective remote treatments. This study tested whether supplementing intensive outpatient programs (IOPs) with continuing care delivered via (1) telephone, (2) smartphone or (3) their combination improves outcomes relative to (4) IOP only. Continuing care conditions were also compared. Randomized controlled trial of four groups with 3-, 6-, 9-, 12- and 18-month follow-ups. University research center in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Participants (n= 262) met DSM-V criteria for AUD, were largely male (71%) and African American (82%). Telephone monitoring and counseling (TMC; n= 59), addiction comprehensive health enhancement support system (ACHESS; n= 68) and TMC + ACHESS (n= 70) provided for 12 months. The control condition received IOP only (TAU; n= 65). The primary outcome was percentage of days heavy drinking (PDHD) in months 1-12. Secondary outcomes were any drinking, any drug use, drinking consequences and quality of life. Mean PDHD in months 1-12 was 10.29 in TAU, 5.41 in TMC, 6.80 in ACHESS and 5.99 in TMC + ACHESS. PDHD was lower in TMC [Cohen's d = 0.35, P = 0.018, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (-1.42, -0.20)], ACHESS [d = 0.31, P = 0.031, 95% CI = (-1.27, -0.06)] and TMC + ACHESS [d = 0.36, P = 0.009, 95% CI = (-1.40, -0.20)] than in TAU. Differences between TMC + ACHESS, TMC and ACHESS were small (d ≤ 0.06) and non-significant. Findings were inconclusive as to whether or not the treatment conditions differed on PDHD at 18 months. A significant effect was obtained on any drinking, which was higher in months 1-12 in TAU than in TMC [odds ratio (OR) = 3.02, standard error (SE) = 0.43, 95% CI = (1.30, 6.99), P = 0.01] and TMC + ACHESS [OR = 2.43, SE = 0.39, 95% CI = (1.12, 5.27), P = 0.025). No other significant effects were obtained on other secondary outcomes during or after treatment. A telephone-delivered intervention and a smartphone-delivered intervention, alone and in combination, provided effective remote continuing care for alcohol use disorder. The combination of both interventions was not superior to either alone and effects did not persist post-treatment.

Effect of Counseling on Quality of Life and Self-Care Agency for Patients Who are Scheduled for Total Knee Replacement.

This study aims to determine the effect of counseling on quality of life and self-care agency for patients who are scheduled for total knee replacement (TKR). The study has a quantitative and quasi-experimental design with a control group. The patients in the control group (n = 40) received routine care. Face-to-face and telephone counseling was offered to individuals in the intervention group (n = 39). The data was collected at face-to-face interviews by using a patient characteristics form, Quality of Life Scale, and Self-Care Agency Scale. The scores for quality of life and self-care agency in the 6th to 8th and 14th to 16th weeks after surgery were very significantly higher in the intervention group than in the control group (p < .001). This study shows that counseling given by the nurse increases the quality of life and self-care agency of patients undergoing TKR.

A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol for Using an Accelerometer-Smartphone Application Intervention to Increase Physical Activity and Improve Health among Employees in a Military Workplace.

Physical activity is beneficial for improving health and reducing sick leave absences. This article describes a protocol for an intervention using an interactive accelerometer smartphone application, telephone counselling, and physical activity recordings to increase the physical activity of workers in the military and improve their health. Under the protocol, employees from six military brigades in Finland will be randomly assigned to intervention and control groups. The intervention group’s participants will use accelerometers to measure their daily physical activities and their quality of sleep for six months. They will receive feedback based on these measurements via a smartphone application. The intervention group’s participants will be encouraged to exercise for two hours per week during working hours, and to participate in telephone counselling. The control group’s participants will continue with their normal exercise routines, without the accelerometer or feedback. The participants of both groups will be measured at the baseline, after the intervention period, and six months after the end of the intervention. The measurements will include accelerometer recordings, biochemical laboratory tests, body composition measurements, physical fitness tests, and questionnaires on sociodemographic factors, physical activities, and health. The primary outcomes will indicate changes in physical activity, physical fitness, and sick leave absences. The findings will help to develop a straightforward and cost-effective model for supporting the health and working capabilities of employees in the military and other workplaces.

Using a multilevel implementation strategy to facilitate the screening and treatment of tobacco use in the outpatient urology clinic: A prospective hybrid type I study.

Urologists frequently treat patients for tobacco-related conditions but infrequently engage in evidence-based practices (EBPs) that screen for and treat tobacco use. Improving the use of EBPs will help to identify smokers, promote cessation, and improve patients' health outcomes. A prospective type I hybrid effectiveness-implementation study was performed to test the feasibility and effectiveness of using a multilevel implementation strategy to improve the use of tobacco EBPs. All urology providers at outpatient urology clinics within the Veterans Health Administration Greater Los Angeles and all patients presenting for a new urology consultation were included. The primary outcome was whether a patient was screened for tobacco use at the time of consultation. Secondary outcomes included a patient's willingness to quit, chosen quit strategy, and subsequent engagement in quit attempts. In total, 5706 consecutive veterans were seen for a new consultation during the 30-month study period. Thirty-six percent of all visits were for a tobacco-related urologic diagnosis. The percentage of visits that included tobacco use screening increased from 18% (before implementation) to 57% in the implementation phase and to 60% during the maintenance phase. There was significant provider-level variation in adherence to screening. Of all screened patients, 38% were willing to quit, and most patients chose a "cold turkey" method; 22% of the patients elected referral to a formal smoking cessation clinic, and 24% chose telephone counseling. Among those willing to quit, 39% and 49% made a formal quit attempt by 3 and 6months, respectively. A strategy that includes provider education and a customized clinical decision support tool can facilitate provider use of tobacco EBPs in a surgery subspecialty clinic.

Effectiveness of counseling methods in reducing smoking habits for patients with cardiovascular disease: A literature review

To evaluate the effectiveness of smoking cessation programs in the form of face-to-face counseling combined with telephone counseling for Cardiovascular patients. Searching of the articles used the databases such as PubMed, ScienceDirect and Wiley-Online Library with criteria: participants ≥18 years old, active smokers of at least one cigarette per day who have heart and blood vessel problems, RCT studies, published in the last ten years articles, and provided in English. This study identified five articles that fit the criteria. The five studies show that face-to-face counseling combined with telephone counseling is effective in reducing smoking behavior. Moreover, it decreased urinary nicotine levels, increased self-efficacy, improved dietary habits, and increased physical activity scores, and stress management. This study revealed that smoking cessation programs in the form of face-to-face counseling combined with telephone counseling could reduce smoking habits in cardiovascular patients.

The Effect of Educational Intervention on Care Dependency and Symptom Management After Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation: A Theory-Based Randomized Controlled Study

The objective of the research was to determine the effect of educational intervention based on Bandura’s Social Cognitive Learning Theory on care dependency and symptom management after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.&#x0D; Methods. This randomized controlled trial was conducted between January 2019 and February 2020 at the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center. All the patients were randomly divided into two groups: 53 individuals in the intervention group and 53 individuals in the control group. The sociodemographic data collection form, the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale and the Care Dependency Scale were used for data collection. Data were collected from the patients one day after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and 12 weeks later.&#x0D; Results. There were no statistically significant differences between the groups regarding the mean scores of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale and the Care Dependency Scale at baseline. Twelve weeks after intervention, there were statistically significant differences between the groups regarding the mean scores of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale and the Care Dependency Scale.&#x0D; Conclusions. Educational intervention along with telephone counseling based on Bandura’s theory was found to be an effective way to reduce symptom severity and care dependency in patients who underwent hematopoietic stem cell transplantation and is recommended for all patients after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

SAMHSA, State Leaders Describe Collaborations to Address Social Determinants of Health

SAMHSA, State Leaders Describe Collaborations to Address Social Determinants of Health

Effectiveness and equity evaluation of an insurance‐wide telephone‐counseling program for self‐management of chronic diseases: The Health Coach Study

Trajectories of chronic illnesses depend on patient socioeconomic status (SES). This study examines main and equity effects (age, gender, education, region of residence) of a brief telephone self-management intervention on self-rated health and depressive symptoms of health insurance clients with chronic illnesses. Randomized invitation design (n = 2628) with predominantly male (82%) older individuals (modal age = 65-74) with one or more chronic illnesses. Primary outcomes: Self-rated health and depressive symptoms. Intervention: Brief CBT-based telephone counseling. Propensity score matching was used to equate intervention and control groups (n = 1314 pairs). Change score models were used to analyze changes in health-related outcome measures. The intervention resulted in improvements in self-rated health (d = .37) and fewer depressive symptoms (d = .17) over 4 and 6months. There were comparable effects across education and regions, but younger and female participants profited more from the intervention compared with older and male participants. A brief telephone-based intervention led to improved self-rated health and well-being in a large sample of participants with chronic health conditions. This effect was observed over and above regular medical care. The intervention was equitable with respect to education and region, but not age and gender.

Telephone versus in-person genetic counseling for hereditary cancer risk: Patient predictors of differential outcomes

Purpose Telegenetics has become the predominant mode of cancer genetic counseling during the COVID-19 pandemic. We sought to identify potential patient-level contraindicators for telegenetic genetic counseling. Methods We analyzed post-counseling (pre-result disclosure) follow-up data from a randomized noninferiority trial of a telephone genetic counseling versus usual care genetic counseling. Among 669 randomized participants, 600 completed pre-test counseling and 568 completed a 2-week follow-up assessment before receiving test results. In this analysis, we focused on genetic counseling outcomes (knowledge, decisional conflict, and distress). In multivariate models controlling for bivariate predictors of these outcomes, we tested our a priori hypotheses that pre-counseling numeracy, perceived stress, and race/ethnicity would moderate the outcomes of telephone genetic counseling versus usual care. Results Only numeracy significantly moderated associations between mode of genetic counseling and outcomes. Higher numeracy was associated with higher post-counseling knowledge following telephone genetic counseling (p < 0.001), but not usual care (p = 0.450). Higher numeracy was also associated with lower distress following telephone genetic counseling (p = 0.009) but not usual care (p = 0.16). Neither perceived stress nor race/ethnicity exhibited differential impacts on telephone genetic counseling versus usual care (ps > 0.20). Conclusion Although high numeracy was associated with higher levels of knowledge following telegenetic counseling, we did not identify any clinically significant patient-level contraindicators for telegenetic counseling. These results lend further confidence to the broad use of telegenetics.

Effectiveness of nurse-led counselling and education on self-efficacy of patients with acute coronary syndrome: A randomized controlled trial.

AimAdherence to lifestyle recommendations, medical regimens and cardiac rehabilitation is poor among patients with acute coronary syndrome. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of nurse‐led counselling and education using a person‐centred care approach on short‐term cardiac self‐efficacy in patients with acute coronary syndrome.DesignA parallel, two‐armed, randomized controlled trial was conducted.MethodsOne hundred twenty patients who were hospitalized with diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome were selected and randomly assigned into intervention (n = 60) or control (n = 60) groups. In the intervention group, in addition to routine care, the nurse‐led counselling and education programme included two face‐to‐face sessions, two telephone counselling and education sessions, using the person‐centred care approach. Participants in the control group received only routine care. Data were collected using the cardiac self‐efficacy scale before the intervention and 1 month after discharge.ResultsAfter the intervention, we found that cardiac self‐efficacy, including the perceived self‐efficacy to control symptoms and maintain function, was statistically significantly higher in the intervention group than the control group.

Rehabilitation of executive function in chronic paediatric brain injury: a randomized controlled trial

BackgroundImpaired executive functions (EFs, i.e., purposeful, goal-directed behaviour) cause significant disability after paediatric acquired brain injury (pABI) warranting efficient interventions. Goal Management Training (GMT) is a metacognitive protocol proven effective for executive dysfunction in adults. This pre-registered, blinded, parallel-randomized controlled trial evaluated efficacy of a paediatric adaptation (pGMT) compared to a psychoeducative control (paediatric Brain Health Workshop, pBHW) to improve EF.MethodsChildren aged 10 to 17 years with pABI (e.g., traumatic brain injury, brain tumour), ≥ 1 year post-onset or ended treatment, with parent-reported EF complaints were eligible. Participants were randomized (computer-algorithm) to either group-based pGMT (n = 38) or pBHW (n = 38). The active control was tailored to keep non-specific factors constant. Thus, both treatments comprised of 7 sessions at hospitals over 3 consecutive weeks, followed by 4 weeks of telephone counselling of participants, parents, and teachers. Parent-reported daily life EF, assessed by the questionnaire Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF; Behavioral Regulation Index (BRI) and Metacognition Index (MI)), were co-primary outcomes 6 months post-intervention. Secondary outcomes included neuropsychological tests and a complex naturalistic task (Children’s Cooking Task).ResultsSeventy-three participants (96%) completed allocated interventions and 71 (93%) attended the 6-month follow-up. The results demonstrated no significant difference in effectiveness for the two interventions on parent-reported EF: For BRIEFBRI, mean (SD) raw score for pGMT was 42.7 (8.8) and 38.3 (9.3) for pBHW. Estimated difference was − 2.3 (95% CI − 5.1 to 0.6). For BRIEFMI, the corresponding results were 80.9 (20.4) for GMT and 75.5 (19.3) for pBHW. Estimated difference was − 1.4 (95% CI −8.5 to 5.8). In performance-based tests, pGMT was associated with improved inhibition and executive attention, while pBHW was associated with fewer errors in the naturalistic task.ConclusionsIn pABI, metacognitive training (pGMT) did not demonstrate additional effectiveness on parent-reported daily life EF at 6-month follow-up, when compared to a psychoeducative control. Both interventions were well-tolerated and demonstrated distinct improvements at different EF assessment levels. To conclude on pGMT efficacy, larger studies are needed, including further investigation of appropriate assessment levels and possible differences in effect related to treatment duration, developmental factors, and injury characteristics.Trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT0321534211, 11 July 2017