Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Faye Cleary, Lois Kim, David Prieto-Merino, David Wheeler, Retha Steenkamp, Richard Fluck, David Adlam, Spiros Denaxas, Kathryn Griffith, Fiona Loud, Sally Hull, Ben Caplin, Dorothea Nitsch
Summary: Higher levels of CKD coding by GP practices were associated with lower rates of cardiovascular and heart failure events, possibly driven by increased use of antihypertensives and regular albuminuria testing.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Janette Dill, Jennifer Craft Morgan, Emmeline Chuang
Summary: This study examines the use of career ladders for medical assistants (MAs) in primary care practices as a mechanism for increasing wages and career opportunity for MAs. The research found that career ladders can provide MAs with more opportunities for career advancement and result in yearly income increases ranging from $3000 to $10,000 after participating in the career ladder programs.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Eugene C. Rich, Kristanna Peris, Marlena Luhr, Arkadipta Ghosh, Linda Molinari, Ann S. O'Malley
Summary: A study found that primary care physicians with a broader range of services provided have lower utilization rates. The implications of physicians' service range on patients' outcomes need further investigation.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Aleida Ringwald, Katja Goetz, Jost Steinhaeuser, Nina Fleischmann, Alexandra Schuessler, Kristina Flaegel
Summary: The study translated and culturally adapted the Medical Home Care Coordination Survey (MHCCS) into German, and found that the German versions of the survey for patients and healthcare team members are reliable instruments in measuring care coordination in German primary care practices. The practicality of the instruments is high due to the low number of items, making them effective tools for assessing care coordination in healthcare settings.
BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Genevieve Arsenault-Lapierre, Melanie Le Berre, Laura Rojas-Rozo, Carrie McAiney, Jennifer Ingram, Linda Lee, Isabelle Vedel
Summary: This study examined the responses of clinicians, managers, and staff from eight primary care sites in Ontario, Canada, that had implemented dementia care models, to audit results and their proposed solutions for improvement. Participants discussed audit results, identified organizational and clinician factors explaining the results, and provided solutions aligned with their insights to enhance dementia care.
BMC HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
David J. Nyweide, Andrea M. Austin, Julie P. W. Bynum
Summary: The study found that older adults with diabetes who predominantly receive ambulatory care from primary care physicians instead of medical specialists show evidence of lower resource use, including lower total payer payments, lower total patient out-of-pocket payments, and lower rates of hospitalization, emergency department visits, procedures, imaging, and tests.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Ivan Wilson Hossni Dias, Alicia Matijasevich, Giuliano Russo, Mario Cesar Scheffer, Adrian Loerbroks
Summary: This study investigates the factors associated with the short tenure of primary care physicians. It finds that individual characteristics (such as age and professional experience) and organizational characteristics (such as employers and service features) are related to physician tenure. Differences between primary health care units account for 10.83% of the observed variance in tenure, while employing organizations contribute only 2.30%. The study highlights the importance of investing in primary health care infrastructure and making changes to work conditions, policies, training, and human resource policies to address this issue.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Ariadne A. Nichol, Jason N. Batten, Meghan C. Halley, Julia K. Axelrod, Pamela L. Sankar, Mildred K. Cho
Summary: This study aims to characterize MLPA healthcare products by identifying five prediction categories and describing the market landscape. The findings provide a foundation for analyzing specific ethical and regulatory challenges in using MLPA to improve healthcare efficiency.
JOURNAL OF MEDICAL INTERNET RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Public, Environmental & Occupational Health
Claire T. Than, Donna L. Washington, Dawne Vogt, Emmeline Chuang, Jack Needleman, Ismelda Canelo, Lisa S. Meredith, Elizabeth M. Yano
Summary: This study examines the relationship between gender-sensitive care and care continuity for women veterans. The findings highlight the importance of improving workforce gender sensitivity in the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to ensure continuous care for women veterans.
WOMENS HEALTH ISSUES
(2022)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Ann S. O'Malley, Eugene C. Rich, Lisa Shang, Tyler Rose, Arkadipta Ghosh, Dmitriy Poznyak, Deborah Peikes, Matt Niedzwiecki
Summary: The study developed two practice-site-level measures of comprehensiveness and found that more comprehensive primary care practices were associated with lower Medicare expenditures, hospitalization, and ED visit rates. PCP comprehensiveness varied more within practices. Both practice-site and PCP-level comprehensiveness measures had strong construct validity, but PCP-level measures were more precise.
HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Erica Barbazza, Robert A. Verheij, Lotte Ramerman, Niek Klazinga, Dionne Kringos
Summary: This study explores the availability and secondary uses of primary care prescribing data in the Dutch context, aiming to improve the quality of care. The study identifies three main sources of data: clinical data in electronic health records (EHRs), pharmacy data in community pharmacy databases, and claims data from insurers. However, the integration of these data sources is limited. The study emphasizes the importance of consolidating patient-specific data and prioritizing data linkages to enhance the actionability of prescribing data.
Article
Economics
Liping Liao, Minzhe Du, Zhongfei Chen
Summary: Using micro data from the China Family Panel Studies, this study quantifies the impact of air pollution on healthcare use and medical costs in China. Findings suggest that PM2.5 significantly increases medical care costs, hospitalization spending, and self-payment costs, with a larger effect on young individuals. The study identifies two possible pathways linking air pollution to healthcare use and hospital spending, including insufficient sleep and increased sedentary activities.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Maria del Pilar Flores-Quispe, Suele Manjourany Silva Duro, Cauane Blumenberg, Luiz Facchini, Alexsandro Behrens Zibel, Elaine Tomasi
Summary: The prevalence of good quality child care in Brazilian primary care services in the first week of life is 52.6%. Observation of breastfeeding techniques and counseling on the safest sleeping position were the least performed activities. Babies born to mothers who received a home visit from a community health worker and made a postpartum visit were more likely to receive good quality care.
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Alan Schwartz, Steven Peskin, Alan Spiro, Saul J. Weiner
Summary: The study utilized unannounced standardized patients to measure and provide feedback on care quality and fidelity of documentation, with downstream effects on reimbursement claims. Direct observation of care identified hidden deficits in practice and documentation, and improvements were seen with feedback, impacting costs.
JOURNAL OF GENERAL INTERNAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Review
Allergy
Melissa B. Gilkey, Wei Yi Kong, Kathryn L. Kennedy, Jennifer Heisler-MacKinnon, Elena Faugno, Barbara Gwinn, Ann Chen Wu, Ceila E. Loughlin, Alison A. Galbraith
Summary: Telemedicine has the potential to reduce the financial burden of asthma care, but it may also increase costs. The research highlights the importance of care coordination and communication in telemedicine.
JOURNAL OF ALLERGY AND CLINICAL IMMUNOLOGY-IN PRACTICE
(2022)
Article
Oncology
Charlotte E. M. Coleman, Jessica Pudwell, Chad McClintock, Ann Korkidakis, Michael Green, Maria P. Velez
Summary: Survival rates for adolescent and young adult patients with hematological malignancies are improving, but they report poor oncofertility care. A retrospective cohort study found missed opportunities for fertility discussions despite a slight increase in consultation rates, indicating room for improvement.
JOURNAL OF ADOLESCENT AND YOUNG ADULT ONCOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Primary Health Care
Michelle Greiver, Alys Havard, Juliana K. F. Bowles, Sumeet Kalia, Tao Chen, Babak Aliarzadeh, Rahim Moineddin, Julian Sherlock, William Hinton, Frank Sullivan, Braden O'Neill, Conrad Pow, Aashka Bhatt, Fahurrozi Rahman, Bernardo Meza-Torres, Melisa Litchfield, Simon de Lusignan
Summary: The uptake of new glucose-lowering medications among patients with type 2 diabetes in Australia, Canada, England, and Scotland was analyzed. The study found that new drugs are displacing sulfonylureas and combinations of metformin and new drug classes are increasing. Despite evidence of better outcomes, the adoption of SGLT2 inhibitors lagged behind DPP4 inhibitors.
BRITISH JOURNAL OF GENERAL PRACTICE
(2021)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Richard H. Glazier, Michael E. Green, Fangyun C. Wu, Eliot Frymire, Alexander Kopp, Tara Kiran
Summary: The study found that there was a significant shift in primary care in Ontario from office to virtual care during the early months of the COVID-19 pandemic, with a 28.0% decrease in total visits. However, total visits in rural areas increased by 6.4%. The smallest declines in visits were seen among older adults and patients with higher expected health care use. Virtual care made up a significant portion of primary care physician visits, but uptake was lower among children, rural residents, and physicians with more patients.
CANADIAN MEDICAL ASSOCIATION JOURNAL
(2021)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Lynden (Lindsay) Crowshoe, Anika Sehgal, Stephanie Montesanti, Cheryl Barnabe, Andrea Kennedy, Adam Murry, Pamela Roach, Michael Green, Cara Bablitz, Esther Tailfeathers, Rita Henderson
Summary: The Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada released its Final Report in 2015 with 94 Calls to Action, some of which urged the health care sector to reform based on the principles of reconciliation. In Alberta, Canada, various initiatives have been implemented to address health legacy Calls to Action, but without a formal mechanism to connect them, resulting in limited overall improvements. Stakeholders from across Alberta gathered in 2019 to provide direction for an Indigenous Health Research network focused on primary health care and policy research.
Article
Computer Science, Interdisciplinary Applications
Christopher Meaney, Michael Escobar, Rahim Moineddin, Therese A. Stukel, Sumeet Kalia, Babak Aliarzadeh, Tao Chen, Braden O'Neill, Michelle Greiver
Summary: This study uses non-negative matrix factorization to learn a temporal topic model that characterizes the diverse effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the physical/mental/social health of residents in Toronto, Canada. Analyzing a large collection of primary care clinical notes, the study uncovers many pandemic-related effects, including direct effects on patient health and indirect effects on mental health, sleep, social dynamics, and healthcare utilization. The study also identifies changes in primary care practice patterns resulting from the pandemic, such as changes in electronic medical records and the adoption of telemedicine.
JOURNAL OF BIOMEDICAL INFORMATICS
(2022)
Article
Social Sciences, Interdisciplinary
Mylaine Breton, Melanie Ann Smithman, Sara A. Kreindler, Jalila Jbilou, Sabrina T. Wong, Emily Gard Marshall, Martin Sasseville, Jason M. Sutherland, Valorie A. Crooks, Jay Shaw, Damien Contandriopoulos, Astrid Brousselle, Michael Green
Summary: This study compares empirical evidence from a qualitative case study of CWLs for unattached patients in seven Canadian provinces to programme theory derived from a realist review on CWLs. Results identify mechanisms involved in three components of CWL design: patient registration, patient prioritization, and patient assignment to a provider for attachment. The study provides new insight into mechanisms that enable CWLs for unattached patients to work.
EVALUATION AND PROGRAM PLANNING
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Kimberly Lazare, Sumeet Kalia, Babak Aliarzadeh, Steven Bernard, Rahim Moineddin, David Eisen, Michelle Greiver, David Kaplan, David Koczerginski, Maria Muraca, Wai Lun Alan Fung, Braden O'Neill
Summary: This study utilized an integrated primary-secondary care database in Toronto to examine the utilization of hospital and primary care services among individuals with mental health conditions or addictions. The findings revealed that individuals with mental health diagnoses accessed healthcare services at higher rates compared to those without such diagnoses, and there were long wait times for specialized psychiatric care.
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Scott R. Garrison, Michael R. Kolber, G. Michael Allan, Jeffrey Bakal, Lee Green, Alexander Singer, Darryl R. Trueman, Finlay A. McAlister, Raj S. Padwal, Michael D. Hill, Braden Manns, Kimberlyn McGrail, Braden O'Neill, Michelle Greiver, Liesbeth S. Froentjes, Donna P. Manca, Dee Mangin, Sabrina T. Wong, Cathy MacLean, Jessica Em Kirkwood, Rita McCracken, James P. McCormack, Colleen Norris, Tina Korownyk
Summary: The BedMed trial aims to evaluate whether bedtime antihypertensive administration can reduce cardiovascular events. The trial will continue until 254 primary outcome events have occurred, with 3227 participants currently enrolled.
Article
Primary Health Care
Maggie Siu, Rachael Morkem, David Barber, John Queenan, Michelle Greiver
Summary: This study explored the comprehensiveness of care in patients with depression by examining the associations between a diagnosis of depression, frequency of primary care visits, and completion of Papanicolaou test. The results showed that having a diagnosis of depression was associated with a lower likelihood of completing the Pap test. However, women with depression who had more primary care visits were more likely to be screened for cervical cancer.
CANADIAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN
(2022)
Review
Medical Informatics
Christopher Meaney, Therese A. Stukel, Peter C. Austin, Rahim Moineddin, Michelle Greiver, Michael Escobar
Summary: This study reviews several methods for assessing the quality of unsupervised topic models and discusses their advantages and disadvantages. By using different metrics and human judgement, it is found that different quality indices have different impacts on model selection.
BMC MEDICAL INFORMATICS AND DECISION MAKING
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
P. Alison Paprica, Monique Crichlow, Donna Curtis Maillet, Sarah Kesselring, Conrad Pow, Thomas P. Scarnecchia, Michael J. Schull, Rosario G. Cartagena, Annabelle Cumyn, Salman Dostmohammad, Keith O. Elliston, Michelle Greiver, Amy Hawn Nelson, Sean L. Hill, Wanrudee Isaranuwatchai, Evgueni Loukipoudis, James Ted McDonald, John R. McLaughlin, Alan Rabinowitz, Fahad Razak, Stefaan G. Verhulst, Amol A. Verma, J. Charles Victor, Andrew Young, Joanna Yu, Kimberlyn McGrail
Summary: This article introduces a project conducted by an international team to test and refine the minimum specification essential requirements (min specs). Through analysis and discussion, an updated set of 15 min specs covering various categories has been integrated into a Canadian national standard. These specifications help organizations and initiatives communicate and compare their responsible and trustworthy data governance and management practices.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF POPULATION DATA SCIENCE (IJPDS)
(2023)
Article
Primary Health Care
Tu N. Nguyen, Sumeet Kalia, Peter Hanlon, Bhautesh D. Jani, Barbara I. Nicholl, Chelsea D. Christie, Babak Aliarzadeh, Rahim Moineddin, Christopher Harrison, Clara Chow, Martin Fortin, Frances S. Mair, Michelle Greiver
Summary: This study investigated the association between multimorbidity and blood pressure control in people with hypertension attending primary care in Canada. The study found that multimorbidity was associated with better blood pressure control, with conditions such as diabetes, heart failure, ischemic heart disease, schizophrenia, depression/anxiety, dementia, and osteoarthritis being associated with a lower likelihood of uncontrolled blood pressure.
JOURNAL OF PRIMARY CARE AND COMMUNITY HEALTH
(2023)
Article
Health Care Sciences & Services
Jennifer Shuldiner, Tara Kiran, Payal Agarwal, Maryam Daneshvarfard, Kirsten Eldridge, Susie Kim, Michelle Greiver, Iffat Jokhio, Noah Ivers
Summary: This study utilized A&F theory and user-centered design to develop a web-based primary care A&F dashboard. By incorporating user interview data and the team's experience, we designed a dashboard that meets the needs and goals of physicians, including addressing data skepticism, spurring action, and supporting physician engagement in quality improvement work.
JMIR HUMAN FACTORS
(2023)
Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Katrina A. D'Urzo, Itamar E. Tamari, Kenneth R. Chapman, M. Reza Maleki-Yazdi, Michelle Greiver, Ross Eg Upshur, Lana Biro, Braden O'Neill, Rahim Moineddin, Babak Aliarzadeh, Kulamakan Kulasegaram, Teresa To, Anthony D. D'Urzo
Summary: This study aims to address the poor co-ordination of care between primary care and specialist settings in managing severe asthma through the establishment of a severe asthma registry and an educational programme for primary care providers. This manuscript describes the first phase of the study, which involves establishing criteria for diagnosing severe asthma, creating a severe asthma registry, and defining a Clinician Behaviour Index (CBI) based on electronic-medical record data.
Article
Primary Health Care
Hamidreza Goodarzynejad, Christopher Meaney, Paula Brauer, Michelle Greiver, Rahim Moineddin, Alan A. Monavvari
Summary: The study reveals a modest increase in average BMI among Canadian adults between 2011 and 2016. Male patients have higher BMI on average compared to female patients, and young adults show the fastest increase in BMI compared to older adults. These findings suggest that current obesity management in primary care fails to moderate weight gain in different age and sex groups, emphasizing the need for preventive measures targeting younger individuals.
CANADIAN FAMILY PHYSICIAN
(2022)