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Context, automated decision support, and clinical practice guidelines: does the literature apply to the United States practice environment?

BACKGROUND: Context - the combined effect of factors such as physician type, clinical setting, and guideline characteristics - influences the ability of automated decision support (ADS) to improve physician compliance with clinical practice guidelines (CPGs). Our goal was to determine whether research about the utility of ADS for promoting CPG compliance is contextually applicable to United States physicians. METHODS: We extracted information about physicians, settings, and guidelines from all articles published in the last 10 years that describe original research about the use of ADS to promote CPG compliance. The extracted information was compared to the range of practice contexts seen in the United States. RESULTS: Nearly two-thirds (65.3%) of papers described studies conducted in an academic setting, but only 11% of physicians report academic affiliations (p<0.0001). Physician reimbursement structure is often not reported. Salaried physicians were explicitly included as subjects in 14% of articles, but make up 45% of US physicians (p<0.0001). There are little data about the generalizability of ADS research to emergency care settings (6% of articles), and nursing home or skilled nursing facilities (10% of articles). Finally, ADS has not been studied at all in several epidemiologically important disease categories. CONCLUSION: The literature does not adequately address some physician, setting, and guideline contexts. Before making policy or spending decisions based on the effectiveness of ADS, additional research is needed to determine whether ADS research can be generalized to under-represented contexts.

Decision Support Systems, Clinical↗

Frequency of pathogen occurrence and antimicrobial susceptibility among community-acquired respiratory tract infections in the respiratory surveillance program study: microbiology from the medical office practice environment.

Continuing problems of antimicrobial resistance have prompted the initiation of several surveillance programs. Few, if any, of these programs focus on community-acquired respiratory tract infections seen in routine office-based practices. The Respiratory Surveillance Program (RESP; 1999-2000) in 674 community-based physician office practices in the United States determined the frequency of potential bacterial pathogens including Streptococcus pneumoniae, Haemophilus influenzae, and Moraxella catarrhalis in patients diagnosed clinically with community-acquired pneumonia, acute exacerbations of chronic bronchitis, and sinusitis throughout all 9 US census/geographic regions. Susceptibility to the penicillins (ampicillin, penicillin), oral cephalosporins, fluoroquinolones (gatifloxacin, levofloxacin, ciprofloxacin), macrolides (erythromycin, azithromycin, clarithromycin), tetracycline, and trimethoprim/sulfamethoxazole was determined by reference methods. Patients were required to have a culturable focus of infection, and specimens were immediately sent to a reference laboratory. Among 22,689 total specimens (610 community-acquired pneumonia, 4,779 acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis, 16,213 sinusitis, 1,087 other), H influenzae was the most commonly isolated organism from patients with community-acquired pneumonia (38%) and acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis (35%) in all nine geographic regions. S pneumoniae was isolated in 18% of community-acquired pneumonia cases, 13% of acute exacerbation of chronic bronchitis cases, and 11% of sinusitis cases. M catarrhalis was most commonly isolated from the nasopharynx of patients with sinusitis (29%). High-level resistance to penicillin (2 microg/mL or greater; 16% overall) and the macrolides (32% to 35%) among S pneumoniae varied both with site of infection and with geographic region. The greatest resistance was observed among isolates from the nasopharynx of patients with sinusitis and from patients from the East South Central or South Atlantic regions of the United States. Although the susceptibility of H influenzae and M catarrhalis to the tested antimicrobials did not vary with the type of infection, beta-lactamase-mediated resistance to ampicillin among H influenzae ranged from 15% in New England to 32% in the East South Central region. The fluoroquinolones were highly active against these cultured isolates from community-acquired respiratory tract infection patients, with >99% of all S pneumoniae, H influenzae, and M catarrhalis strains susceptible to gatifloxacin (MIC(90), 0.5 microg/mL) and levofloxacin (MIC(90), 2 microg/mL). The extended-spectrum fluoroquinolones appear well suited for community-acquired respiratory tract infection therapy, including pathogens other than pneumococcus, H influenzae, and M catarrhalis.

Adolescent↗

Consultation and referral between physicians in new medical practice environments.

The traditional exchange of medical expertise between physicians for patient benefit has been accomplished by referral. Physicians have traditionally decided when and to whom to refer patients. Health care "systems" now dominate medical practice, and their formats can alter spontaneous collegial interaction in referral. Institutional programs now pursue patient referrals as part of a marketing strategy to attract new patients who then become attached to the institution, rather than to a physician. Referral behavior can affect a physician's personal income in prepaid insurance programs where referrals are discouraged. The referring physician may bear legal liability for actions of the consultant. New practice arrangements and affiliations may place physicians in financial conflict-of-interest situations, challenge ethical commitments, and add new moral responsibility.

Advertising↗

Promoting a safer practice environment as related to occupational tuberculosis: a nursing care quality issue in Taiwan.

As a result of a recent cluster of tuberculosis (TB) transmission among healthcare providers in a regional teaching hospital in Taipei, Taiwan, there has been growing concern about occupational health hazards, especially of communicable diseases, faced by our nurses in practice. Tuberculosis is an invisible killer of nurses in the process of nursing care delivery. This descriptive article briefly reviews the epidemiology of TB in Taiwan, discusses the recent cluster of TB transmission in Taipei, and reviews relevant studies of occupational hazards. This article also focuses nurses' attention on relevant legislation and hospital policies related to occupational hazards in Taiwan. Suggestions and practice implications are discussed.

Cluster Analysis↗

Tackling the nursing shortage in rural America. Linking of education and service in a differentiated practice environment.

The need for solutions to the nursing shortage in rural areas, teamwork, and new ways of thinking about management and nursing education prompted the development of an innovative clinical activity in a rural hospital that utilizes a differentiated practice nursing model. The activity is part of a project titled University and Community College Partnership in Education (supported by a grant from the Fund for Improvement of Postsecondary Education). The activity links baccalaureate students at a mid-western university with associate degree students at a rural community college to study the management model in a two-day immersion clinical experience.

Attitude of Health Personnel↗

Professionalism reconsidered: physician payment in a small-practice environment.

Traditional fee-for-service health insurance rested on the assumption that doctors have primary responsibility for decisions about care. Managed competition assumed a new model based on corporate medicine, which has not materialized; also, consumers' ability to replace doctors as primary medical decisionmakers is unproven. Data on practice size show that doctors and patients continue to prefer the small-practice setting, where the doctor's role as the patient's agent is salient. The persistence of the small practice suggests that medical professionalism remains the cornerstone of the health system. If so, it may be more appropriate to pursue quality-oriented refinements of traditional payment approaches, rather than radical transformation.

Humans↗

Practice environment for nurse practitioners in California. Identifying barriers.

Barriers exist that prevent nurse practitioners from using their primary health care knowledge and skills. We present the incidence of and specific barriers experienced by nurse practitioner respondents in California, the state with the largest number of nurse practitioners in the nation. A January 1995 survey was sent to all nurse practitioners certified in California to elicit their experiences regarding legal or social barriers in their practice, with space for an open-ended response. Of an estimated 3,895 nurse practitioners in California, 2,741 (70%) returned surveys. Most nurse practitioner (65%) respondents in California are providing primary care. Perceived barriers to practice are lack of prescriptive authority, lack of support from physicians, reimbursement difficulties, and lack of public awareness. Current barriers to nurse practitioner practice in California are similar to national barriers discovered in 1992 data. The development of interprofessional dialogue and the recognition of the contributions of all primary care professionals are some of the steps that can be taken to reduce these barriers and increase the use and effectiveness of nurse practitioners in primary care.

California↗

University faculty preparation of students in using natural environment practices with young children.

155 university faculty teaching students in physical therapy, occupational therapy, speech and language pathology, early childhood special education, or multidisciplinary studies programs were surveyed to assess how the students were taught how to use everyday family and community activities as natural learning opportunities for young children. Analysis showed that the faculty provided very little training in using community activity settings as contexts for children's learning and that physical therapy faculty provided less training in using natural environments as sources of children's learning opportunities than faculty in the other disciplines.

Adult↗

Hallmarks of the professional nursing practice environment.

THE AMERICAN Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for university and 4-year college education programs in nursing. Representing more than 560 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide, AACN's educational, research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications, and other programs work to establish quality standards for bachelor's-degree and graduate-degree nursing education, assist deans and directors to implement those standards, influence the nursing profession to improve health care, and promote public support of baccalaureate and graduate nursing education, research, and practice. Task forces are appointed by the AACN Board of Directors as issues arise that require study and action. This white paper was prepared by the AACN Task Force on Hallmarks of the Professional Practice Setting.

Education, Nursing, Graduate↗