Unnecessary Vitamin Research Articles

Doing our bit to save the planet: Identifying and abandoning low value surgery.

Doing our bit to save the planet: Identifying and abandoning low value surgery.

Health, financial and environmental impacts of unnecessary vitamin D testing: a triple bottom line assessment adapted for healthcare

ObjectiveTo undertake an assessment of the health, financial and environmental impacts of a well-recognised example of low-value care; inappropriate vitamin D testing.DesignCombination of systematic literature search, analysis of routinely collected...

MON-117 Reducing Unnecessary Repeat Vitamin D Testing at a Large Ambulatory Hospital: A Quality Improvement Initiative

Background:With the increasing interest in the importance and potential benefits of vitamin D, there has been a significant rise in unnecessary vitamin D testing.The aim of the project was to reduce unnecessary repeat vitamin D testing at Women’s College Hospital by 50% by May 30th 2020.Methods:The Model for Improvement framework was used in the design of the quality improvement project to reduce unnecessary repeat vitamin D testing. Problem characterization was conducted to design the intervention to address root causes and iterative Plan-do-Study-Act cycles were used to develop an intervention that incorporated a best practice advisory (BPA). The primary outcome measure was unnecessary vitamin D testing. Unnecessary repeat testing was defined as: repeat 25-hydroxyvitamin D testing within 3 months or repeat 25-hydroxyvitamin D testing after a normal result (>75 mmol/L) in the preceding 12 months.Secondary outcomes which included BPAs generated, as well as the number of BPAs that resulted in no test being ordered were tracked. Paper-based orders were also tracked as a balancing measure.Results:It was identified that 12.7% of vitamin D testing (n= 289/2276) between July 2017 and July 2018 was related to unnecessary repeat testing. Following our cause and effect analysis and problem characterization, it was noted that providers ordered repeat vitamin D testing due to being unaware of prior normal results, as well as due to a knowledge gap of current testing recommendations. If the 25-hydroxyvitamin D order was identified as unnecessary at the time of order entry, a BPA was generated at the point of care. The BPA was implemented on February 4th, 2019. As of August 31st, 2019 based on the analysis of the number of BPAs generated and the number of tests not ordered as a result, there has been a 26% reduction in the number of inappropriate repeat vitamin D orders.Conclusions:Based on the preliminary data, a best practice advisory alert for vitamin D testing can be an appropriate QI intervention to reduce unnecessary vitamin D testing. Ongoing data analysis will be conducted to assess the long-term impact and sustainability of this intervention. Next steps include consideration of implementation of force function to reduce inappropriate repeat vitamin D testing.

Exercise May Ameliorate the Detrimental Side Effects of High Vitamin D Supplementation on Muscle Function in Mice.

ABSTRACTVitamin D is commonly prescribed to normalize deficiencies and to treat osteoporosis. However, the effect vitamin D supplements have on skeletal muscle health is equivocal. Although vitamin D is known to play a role in the various processes that maintain muscle integrity and function, recent studies utilizing high bolus dose vitamin D supplementation has demonstrated an increased risk of falls. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of high vitamin D supplementation on skeletal muscle function with and without exercise enrichment. Four‐week old C57BL/10 mice (n = 48) were separated into either normal vitamin D (1500 IU/kg diet; unsupplemented) or high vitamin D (20,000 IU/kg diet; supplemented) treatment groups. Each dietary group was further separated into interventional subgroups where mice either remained sedentary or received exercise‐enrichment for 8 weeks in the form of voluntary running. Following the intervention period, whole body in vivo and ex vivo contractile analysis were performed. High vitamin D supplementation decreased force production in the slow‐twitch soleus muscles of sedentary mice (p < .01); however, exercise normalized this effect. Eight weeks of exercise did not improve fatigue resistance of the extensor digitorum longus (EDL) or soleus muscles in unsupplemented mice, likely due to low levels of activation in these muscles. In contrast, fatigability was improved in the EDL (p < .01) and even more so in the soleus (p < .001) in the supplemented exercise‐enriched group. Our data highlights that increasing vitamin D levels above normal reduces postural muscle force as seen in the soleus. Thus, unnecessary vitamin D supplementation may contribute to the increased risk of falls observed in some studies. Interestingly, when vitamin D supplementation was combined with exercise, force production was effectively restored, and fatigue resistance improved, even in muscles lowly activated. Regular exercise may modulate the effects of vitamin D on skeletal muscle, and be recommended for individuals receiving vitamin D supplements. © 2020 The Authors. Journal of Bone and Mineral Research published by American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.

Reducing unnecessary vitamin testing in general practice: barriers and facilitators according to general practitioners and patients

ObjectiveThere has been an increase in testing of vitamins in patients in general practice, often based on irrational indications or for non-specific symptoms, causing increasing healthcare expenditures and medicalisation of...

Reducing Unnecessary Vitamin D Screening in an Academic Health System: What Works and When

Reducing Unnecessary Vitamin D Screening in an Academic Health System: What Works and When

Decrease in unnecessary vitamin D testing using clinical decision support tools: making it harder to do the wrong thing.

To evaluate the impact of clinical decision support (CDS) tools on rates of vitamin D testing. Screening for vitamin D deficiency has increased in recent years, spurred by studies suggesting vitamin D's clinical benefits. Such screening, however, is often unsupported by evidence and can incur unnecessary costs. We evaluated how rates of vitamin D screening changed after we implemented 3 CDS tools in the electronic health record (EHR) of a large health plan: (1) a new vitamin D screening guideline, (2) an alert that requires clinician acknowledgement of current guidelines to continue ordering the test (a "hard stop"), and (3) a modification of laboratory ordering preference lists that eliminates shortcuts. We assessed rates of overall vitamin D screening and appropriate vitamin D screening 6 months pre- and post-intervention. Vitamin D screening rates decreased from 74.0 tests to 24.2 tests per 1000 members ( P < .0001). The proportion of appropriate vitamin D screening tests increased from 56.2% to 69.7% ( P < .0001), and the proportion of inappropriate screening tests decreased from 43.8% pre-implementation to 30.3% post-implementation ( P < .0001). To our knowledge, this is the first demonstration of how CDS can reduce rates of inappropriate vitamin D screening. We used 3 straightforward, inexpensive, and replicable CDS approaches. We know of no previous research on the impact of removing options from a preference list. Similar approaches could be used to reduce unnecessary care and decrease costs without reducing quality of care.

Normal Bone Turnover in Transient Hyperphosphatasemia

Transient hyperphosphatasemia of infancy and early childhood (THI) is characterized by a temporary isolated elevation of serum alkaline phosphatase activity (ALP), predominantly its bone or liver isoform, in either sick or healthy children under 5 years of age. Return to normal ALP levels usually occurs within four months. Spontaneous rise of ALP might concern the physician, especially when treating seriously ill children. However, THI is considered a benign biochemical disorder with no clinical consequences. Some existing reports support the hypothesis that THI is a result of increased bone turnover. We present evidence of normal bone turnover in two children with THI. In a one-year-old girl and a boy of the same age, high ALP levels (31 and 109 μkat/L, respectively) were accidentally detected. The children had no signs of metabolic bone disease or of liver disease. The high ALP levels returned to normal in two months, thus fulfilling the diagnosis of THI. In both patients, serum parathyroid hormone and bone turnover markers, serum CrossLaps, and serum osteocalcin were neither elevated, nor did these markers follow the ALP dynamics, thus reflecting normal bone turnover in THI. Children with THI should be spared from extensive investigations and unnecessary vitamin D treatment. Conflict of interest:None declared.

An evidence-based approach for dietitian prescription of multiple vitamins with minerals

Dietitians working in hospitals are routinely involved in assessing energy and macronutrient (ie, protein, fat, carbohydrate) requirements of patients. However, complete nutritional therapy requires a comprehensive review of vitamin and mineral requirements. Scientific evidence for vitamin and mineral supplementation is primarily based on healthy, free-living people. This raises clinical challenges for dietitians working with patients whose vitamin and mineral requirements are impacted by various diseases, conditions, and medical treatment. Dietitians are the best-positioned health professionals to lead an evidence-based approach toward recommending vitamin and mineral supplements. The dietitians at the Toronto Rehabilitation Institute were authorized through a medical directive to prescribe multiple vitamins with minerals and to discontinue orders for unnecessary vitamin supplements. This is an ongoing, advanced practice initiative that focuses on the clinical efficacy for and safety of supplementation with multiple vitamins with minerals. It involves assessing the strength of evidence as it emerges in the literature, determining its relevance to specific patient populations in the practice setting and reevaluating clinical practices for potential applications. When dietitians assume advanced practice initiatives, they are better equipped to deliver high-quality patient care. Simultaneously, state-of-the-art dietetic practice heightens dietitian recognition as a valuable member of the health care team.