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Biomedical subjects

Allen J Dietrich

Publications and source records attributed to Allen J Dietrich.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed2007

SunSafe in the Middle School Years: a community-wide intervention to change early-adolescent sun protection.

OBJECTIVE: Rising rates of skin cancer associated with early-life sun exposure make it important to improve adolescent sun-protection practices. Our study objective was to determine if a multicomponent community-wide intervention could alter the decline in sun protection that begins in early adolescence. METHODS: A randomized, controlled trial was conducted in 10 communities to assess the impact of the SunSafe in the Middle School Years program. The intervention sought to (1) educate and activate adults and peers to role model and actively promote sun-protection practices and (2) create a pro-sun protection community environment. It targeted school personnel, athletic coaches, lifeguards, and clinicians and enlisted teens as peer advocates. Annual observations of cross-sectional samples of teens at community beach/pool sites were used to assess the impact of 1 and 2 years of intervention exposure compared to grade-matched controls. The outcome was percent of body surface protected by sunscreen, clothing, or shade. RESULTS: Observers determined the sun protection level of 1927 adolescents entering 6th to 8th grades. After 2 years of intervention exposure, adolescents at the beach/pool in intervention communities were significantly better protected than those in control communities. Over 2 years, the percent of body surface area protected declined by 23% in the control arm but only 8% in intervention arm. After intervention, the average percent of body surface protected at intervention sites (66.1%) was significantly greater than control sites (56.8%). Teens in intervention communities reported sun-protection advice from more adult sources, were more likely to use sunscreen, and applied it more thoroughly than control-site teens. CONCLUSIONS: Our multicomponent model addressing adolescent sun protection shows the power of engaging teens and adults from across the community as role models and educators. This new ecological approach shows promise in changing adolescent sun protection behaviors and reducing skin cancer risks.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2006

Implementing a depression improvement intervention in five health care organizations: experience from the RESPECT-Depression trial.

A growing body of research provides strong evidence for the effectiveness of programs to improve the primary care of depression based on the chronic care model. At the same time these changes are difficult to sustain in their original research settings and more difficult to widely disseminate in primary care practice. The RESPECT-Depression trial tested an implementation and dissemination strategy by working through five community-based health care organizations (HCOs) to implement the Three Component Model (TCM) for improving depression care. This report describes the results of extensive interviews of project principals, health care program managers, depression care managers, and practicing primary care clinicians to understand the characteristics of organizations and the intervention components that were associated with implementation and dissemination of the TCM. In two of the organizations all 29 participating practices continued the TCM, while all 31 practices from the other three organizations did not. Successful continuation and dissemination appeared to be related to a broadly shared vision and commitment among all levels of the organization, clearly articulated by clinical leadership, for pursuing a systematic change strategy to improve chronic care that included, but extended beyond, depression, independent of clear evidence for cost-effectiveness of expanding depression management. Factors associated with inability to sustain the TCM included lack of a shared change strategy throughout the organization and inability to rationalize an economic model of depression care.

Depression↗
PubMed2006

Telephone care management to improve cancer screening among low-income women: a randomized, controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Minority and low-income women receive fewer cancer screenings than other women. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effect of a telephone support intervention to increase rates of breast, cervical, and colorectal cancer screening among minority and low-income women. DESIGN: Randomized, controlled trial conducted between November 2001 and April 2004. SETTING: 11 community and migrant health centers in New York City. PATIENTS: 1413 women who were overdue for cancer screening. INTERVENTION: Over 18 months, women assigned to the intervention group received an average of 4 calls from prevention care managers and women assigned to the control group received usual care. Follow-up data were available for 99% of women, and 91% of the intervention group received at least 1 call. MEASUREMENTS: Medical record documentation of mammography, Papanicolaou testing, and colorectal cancer screening according to U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. RESULTS: The proportion of women who had mammography increased from 0.58 to 0.68 with the intervention and decreased from 0.60 to 0.58 with usual care; the proportion who had Papanicolaou testing increased from 0.71 to 0.78 with the intervention and was unchanged with usual care; and the proportion who had colorectal screening increased from 0.39 to 0.63 with the intervention and from 0.39 to 0.50 with usual care. The difference in the change in screening rates between groups was 0.12 for mammography (95% CI, 0.06 to 0.19), 0.07 for Papanicolaou testing (CI, 0.01 to 0.12), and 0.13 for colorectal screening (CI, 0.07 to 0.19). The proportion of women who were up to date for 3 tests increased from 0.21 to 0.43 with the intervention. LIMITATIONS: Participants were from 1 city and had access to a regular source of care. Medical records may not have captured all cancer screenings. CONCLUSIONS: Telephone support can improve cancer screening rates among women who visit community and migrant health centers. The intervention seems to be well suited to health plans, large medical groups, and other organizations that seek to increase cancer screening rates and to address disparities in care.

Aged↗
PubMed2006

A fidelity measure for integrated management of depression in primary care.

BACKGROUND: Integrated models of primary care depression management improve outcomes. Subsequent dissemination efforts and their evaluation need a fidelity measure. OBJECTIVES: We sought to develop and validate a fidelity measure using data gathered during routine clinical application of the clinical model. METHODS: Longitudinal outcome data on depression severity were obtained from 224 subjects experiencing major depression or dysthymia and assigned to a 3-component model (3CM) intervention. Data on 10 essential 3CM process-of-care components were obtained from telephone logs maintained by care managers administering 3CM care. Stakeholders (n = 23), including researchers, health care administrators, and care managers, independently rated the importance of the 10 elements distributing 100 points among the elements. Mean ratings were used as weights to construct a fidelity score. Predictive validity was assessed using logistic regression for patient response and remission at 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: 3CM fidelity was high, with a mean of 74.1 at 3 months and 75.9 at 6 months. Given a large gap in the scores' distribution, subjects were classified into zero, low-, and high-fidelity groups. Logistic regressions adjusting for baseline depression found a distinct continuum. Patients that were provided high fidelity 3CM were significantly more likely to achieve treatment response and remission at 3 months. At 6 months, high-fidelity care was again significantly more likely to produce a response, but remission rate did not differ from patients provided low fidelity. CONCLUSIONS: Most patients received a substantially implemented "3CM dose." Even within this high implementation, however, a higher fidelity score was associated with better outcomes. The easily applied measure is a promising tool for monitoring the quality of implementation of integrated care.

Adult↗
PubMed2006

Brief maternal depression screening at well-child visits.

OBJECTIVES: The goals were (1) to determine the feasibility and yield of maternal depression screening during all well-child visits, (2) to understand how pediatricians and mothers respond to depression screening information, and (3) to assess the time required for discussion of screening results. METHODS: Implementation of brief depression screening of mothers at well-child visits for children of all ages was studied in 3 rural pediatric practices. Two screening trials introduced screening (1 month) and then determined whether screening could be sustained (6 months). Screening used the 2-question Patient Health Questionnaire. Practices tracked the proportions of visits screened and provided data about the screening process. RESULTS: Practices were able to screen in the majority of well-child visits (74% in trial 1 and 67% in trial 2). Of 1398 mothers screened, 17% had 1 of the depressive symptoms and 6% (n = 88) scored as being at risk for a major depressive disorder. During discussion, 5.7% of all mothers thought they might be depressed and 4.7% thought they were stressed but not depressed. Pediatric clinicians intervened with 62.4% of mothers who screened positive and 38.2% of mothers with lesser symptoms. Pediatrician actions included discussion of the impact on the child, a follow-up visit or call, and referral to an adult primary care provider, a mental health clinician, or community supports. Pediatrician time needed to discuss screening results decreased in the second trial. Prolonged discussion time was uncommon (5-10 minutes in 3% of all well-child visits and >10 minutes in 2%). CONCLUSIONS: Routine, brief, maternal depression screening conducted during well-child visits was feasible and detected mothers who were willing to discuss depression and stress issues with their pediatrician. The discussion after screening revealed additional mothers who felt depressed among those with lesser symptoms. The additional discussion time was usually brief and resulted in specific pediatrician actions.

Adult↗
PubMed2005

Results of a randomized controlled trial to increase colorectal cancer screening in a managed care health plan.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the third most common cause of cancer deaths; however, rates of regular screening for this cancer are low. A quality improvement (QI) program to increase CRC screening was developed for use in a managed care health plan. METHODS: Thirty-six provider organizations (POs) contracting with the health plan were recruited for a randomized controlled effectiveness trial testing the QI program. The intervention was delivered over a 2-year period, and its effectiveness was assessed by chart review of a random sample of patients from each PO. RESULTS: Thirty-two of the 36 POs were evaluable for outcome assessment. During the 2-year intervention period, only 26% of the eligible patients received any CRC screening test. Twenty-nine percent of patients had any CRC screening test within guidelines, with no differences between the intervention or control POs. Significant predictors of having received CRC screening within guidelines were older age (P = 0.0004), receiving care in an integrated medical group (P < 0.0001) and having had a physical examination within the past 2 years (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: A facilitated QI intervention program for CRC screening that focused on the PO did not increase rates of CRC screening. Overall CRC screening rates are low and are in need of improvement.

Aged↗
PubMed2005

Improving colorectal cancer screening by targeting office systems in primary care practices: disseminating research results into clinical practice.

BACKGROUND: Randomized trials have shown the efficacy of an office systems approach in improving colorectal cancer (CRC) screening behaviors; its feasibility in real-world primary care practices has not been well studied. METHODS: Between August 1, 2000, and December 1, 2001, we enrolled 185 primary care clinicians identified through purchased database lists. At the end of follow-up (December 31, 2002), 127 clinicians had completed preintervention and postintervention questionnaires. Trained staff from the American Cancer Society visited practices and identified areas for improvement in CRC screening. They provided clinicians with resources, tools, and support to facilitate positive change. We defined 5 clinician behavior areas related to successful CRC screening, including educating patients, identifying patients due for screening, enabling patient compliance, monitoring patient compliance, and notifying patients of their test results. We measured these areas before and after the intervention using questionnaires and data extracted from medical records. RESULTS: We demonstrated improvements in the passive use of posters and brochures about CRC screening (baseline, 20.5% and follow-up, 69.3%; P<.001) and in the monitoring of fecal occult blood tests using manual tracking systems (baseline, 20.6% and follow-up, 37.3%; P<.05). Based on medical records data among 551 patients, we found a statistically significant increase in the number of patients who became up-to-date with CRC screening recommendations and tests (P< .001 for both). CONCLUSION: Methods shown to improve CRC screening processes in protocol-driven randomized trials may be effective in community practice, and wider dissemination of these strategies shows promise to increase CRC screening.

Colorectal Neoplasms↗
PubMed2005

Two approaches to maternal depression screening during well child visits.

The US Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) has recommended depression screening for adults. Screening mothers has special importance to pediatricians because of the impact of maternal depression on children. The two screening questions endorsed by the USPSTF may allow pediatricians to screen mothers during routine well child care. This study explores the feasibility and yield of interview- and paper-based pediatric screening for maternal depression during well child visits. A structured interview script was developed to inquire about maternal depression. It included the two-question screen and required less than 1 minute to administer. An alternative paper-based screen asked the two questions after a brief written introduction providing the rationale. Four community pediatric practices in New Hampshire and Maine were trained in both screening approaches and developed plans on how to respond to positive screens (either question positive). The 11 providers at these sites tested the two approaches on two different series of mothers at well child visits. The pediatricians also reported barriers to the screening inquiries, maternal responses, and subsequent clinician actions and referrals. The pediatricians screened 250 mothers via the scripted interview. In a second trial, 223 women had paper-based depression screening. Yields from the paper-based screen were 22.9% versus 5.7% for the interview-based screener. Pediatricians also took on the new role of discussion of possible depression in about two thirds of cases. Subsequently, 7.6% of all women with paper-based screening were referred to mental health versus 1.6% with the interview-based screening. With the interview, mothers of children younger than 1 year of age were less likely to screen positive than those with older children (1.9% vs. 8.5%, p = .04). With the paper-based screener, no age differences in positive screen rates occurred. While both approaches to screening were feasible in primary care, the yield from the two different approaches differed substantially. This finding deserves exploration in future studies. With either of these screening approaches, pediatricians could enhance their detection of mothers at risk of depression. The outcomes of pediatrician screening and the best approach to follow-up care still need to be determined.

Adolescent↗
PubMed2005

Perceptions of barriers and facilitators of cancer early detection among low-income minority women in community health centers.

African-American and Hispanic women receive fewer indicated cancer early detection services than do majority women. Low rates of cancer screening may, in part, explain the disproportionately higher rates of cancer deaths in this population. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore through individual interviews the perceptions of barriers and facilitators of colorectal, cervical and breast cancer screening among 187 low-income, primarily minority women in four New-York-City-based community/migrant health centers. We identified various barriers and facilitators within each of these categories. Clinician recommendation was the most commonly cited encouragement to cancer screening. Other facilitators of cancer screening identified by patients included personal medical history, such as the presence of a symptom. The perception of screening as routine was cited as a facilitator far more commonly for mammography and Pap tests than for either of the colorectal screenings. Less commonly cited facilitators were insurance coverage and information from the media. The most common barriers were a lack of cancer screening knowledge, patients' perception of good health or absence of symptoms attributable to ill health, fear of pain from the cancer test and a lack of a clinician recommendation. Using standard qualitative techniques, patients' responses were analyzed and grouped into a taxonomy of three major categories reflecting: (1) patients' attitudes and beliefs, (2) their social network experience and (3) accessibility of services. This taxonomy may serve as a useful framework for primary care providers to educate and counsel their patients about cancer screening behaviors.

Aged↗
PubMed2004

Re-engineering systems for the treatment of depression in primary care: cluster randomised controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE: To test the effectiveness of an evidence based model for management of depression in primary care with support from quality improvement resources. DESIGN: Cluster randomised controlled trial. SETTING: Five healthcare organisations in the United States and 60 affiliated practices. PATIENTS: 405 patients, aged > or = 18 years, starting or changing treatment for depression. INTERVENTION: Care provided by clinicians, with staff providing telephone support under supervision from a psychiatrist. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Severity of depression at three and six months (Hopkins symptom checklist-20): response to treatment (> or = 50% decrease in scores) and remission (score of < 0.5). RESULTS: At six months, 60% (106 of 177) of patients in intervention practices had responded to treatment compared with 47% (68 of 146) of patients in usual care practices (P = 0.02). At six months, 37% of intervention patients showed remission compared with 27% for usual care patients (P = 0.014). 90% of intervention patients rated their depression care as good or excellent at six months compared with 75% of usual care patients (P = 0.0003). CONCLUSION: Resources such as quality improvement programmes can be used effectively in primary care to implement evidence based management of depression and improve outcomes for patients with depression.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Primary care provider perceptions of barriers to and facilitators of colorectal cancer screening in a managed care setting.

BACKGROUND: Colorectal cancer (CRC) screening tests (e.g., fecal occult blood testing [FOBT], flexible sigmoidoscopy [FS], etc.) are underused. Primary care providers (PCPs) play a critical role in screening, but barriers to and facilitators of screening as perceived by PCPs in managed care settings are poorly understood. The objectives of the current study were to describe current CRC screening practices and to explore determinants of test use by PCPs in a managed care setting. METHODS: In 2000, a self-administered survey was mailed to a stratified, random sample of 1340 PCPs in a large, network model health maintenance organization in California. RESULTS: The survey response rate was 67%. PCPs indicated that 79% of their standard-risk patients were screened for CRC. PCP-reported median rates of recommendation for the use of specific screening tests were 90% for FOBT and 70% for FS. In logistic regression models, perceived barriers to the use of FOBT and FS included patient characteristics (e.g., education) and PCP-related barriers (e.g., failure to recall that patients were due for testing). Perceived facilitators of the use of FOBT and FS included interventions targeting certain aspects of the health care system (e.g., reimbursement) and interventions targeting certain aspects of the tests themselves (e.g., provision of evidence of a test's effectiveness). Assignment of high priority to screening, integrated medical group (as opposed to independent practice association) affiliation, and the proportion of patients receiving routine health maintenance examinations were positively associated with reported test use. CONCLUSIONS: CRC screening tests appear to be underused in the managed care setting examined in the current study. The perceived barriers and facilitators that were identified can be used to guide interventions aimed at increasing recommendations for, as well as actual performance of, CRC screening.

Adult↗
PubMed2004

Training residents in problem-solving treatment of depression: a pilot feasibility and impact study.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Primary care patients with depression may prefer or require a non-pharmacological treatment such as counseling. We investigated the feasibility of teaching family medicine residents an evidence-based brief counseling intervention for depression (Problem-solving Treatment of Depression for Primary Care [PST-PC]). METHODS: Eleven residents over 3 consecutive years were provided a brief training program in PST-PC. Residents were evaluated for skill acquisition, changes in self efficacy, intentions to improve their care for depression, and post-residency integration of PST-PC into their daily practice. RESULTS: Trainees met established criteria for competency to administer PST-PC. They improved to moderate-to-high levels of self efficacy for treating depression, including for their counseling skills, and in their intentions to improve their depression management. At up to 3 years post residency, 90% indicated they were using PST-PC, often in a modified form, and also for illnesses other than depression. They indicated they would recommend the training to new residents. CONCLUSIONS: The PST-PC training program evaluated in this study is feasible in residency training and appears to influence practice post residency. These findings warrant continued investigation of this training program with a larger sample of residents and evaluation of outcomes with depressed patients treated with PST-PC in real-world practice settings.

Clinical Competence↗
PubMed2003

Sustainability of a practice-individualized preventive service delivery intervention.

BACKGROUND: The long-term effect of most interventions has not been studied. Changes due to interventions to improve patient care may revert to baseline after the intervention stimulus ends. This analysis reports the 24-month follow-up of a practice-tailored intervention to increase preventive service delivery rates. DESIGN: Group randomized clinical trial with 24-month follow-up of intervention sites. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS: Seventy-seven community family practices in northeast Ohio. INTERVENTION: Practice-individualized facilitation of implementation of tools and approaches. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Summary scores of health habit counseling, screening, and immunization services recommended by the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force that were up to date for consecutive patients during randomly selected chart review days. RESULTS: Previously reported increases in global preventive service delivery rates, health habit counseling, and screening rates at 12 months were sustained after 24 months. CONCLUSIONS: A practice-individualized approach can result in sustainable increases in rates of preventive service delivery, even 1 year after the outside intervention stimulus ends. Tailoring of approaches to the unique characteristics of each practice may result in institutionalization of changes.

Counseling↗
PubMed2003

Implementing an office system to improve primary care management of depression.

Studies have shown that many patients treated for depression in primary care settings do not achieve the outcomes demonstrated to be possible in randomized controlled trials. In general, multifaceted interventions have been more successful than single focus interventions in improving care of depression in this setting. This article reports on the implementation of such a mulitfaceted intervention in primary care practices. Part of the strategy in this case is to introduce the intervention through an intermediary organization that has a relationship with the practices and has a quality improvement infrastructure to support the implementation and help to sustain changes.

Case Management↗
PubMed2003

Depression care attitudes and practices of newer obstetrician-gynecologists: a national survey.

OBJECTIVE: The study was undertaken to assess attitudes and behavior of newer obstetricians/gynecologists in depression care. STUDY DESIGN: One thousand randomly selected physicians in their final year of training or recent practice received a survey about depression: training; related attitudes, responsibility, confidence; and self-reported care for the last depressed patient. RESULTS: Of those eligible, 437 (64%) returned the survey. Current residents reported more didactic mental health training, but practice patterns were similar to recent graduates. Overall, 94% felt responsible for recognition, whereas about half indicated asking about substance abuse, sexual abuse, or physical abuse, 37% expressed confidence in their ability to treat with medications, and 22% felt confident in their ability to manage depression overall. CONCLUSION: Residents are receiving more didactic mental health training, yet changes in training are not yet reflected in reported practice patterns or confidence. The use of antidepressant medications and assessment of contributing conditions such as abuse deserve more emphasis in training.

Adult↗