Implementation of the eira 3 intervention by targeting primary health care practitioners: Effectiveness in increasing physical activity

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimated that physical inactivity (PI) is responsible for 20 to 30% of all non-communicable diseases. We aimed to analyze the effectiveness of a multiple health behavior change (MHBC) intervention to increase physical activity (PA) in patients 45 to 75 years old who had at least 2 of 3 unhealthy behaviors (tobacco use, reduced fruit and vegetable consumption, and insufficient PA). The MHBC intervention is based on the Transtheoretical Model and the conceptual framework of the “5 A’s” and includes an individually tailored intervention, group sessions, and the use of community resources. We included 3062 participants, 1481 in the intervention group and 1581 in the control group. After 12 months, there were no differences in PA intensity measured by metabolic_equivalent_of_task_minutes/week (adjusted mean difference: 284.093, 95% CI: -298.24, 866.42) nor in the proportion of participants who increased PA levels to moderate or high (OR: 1.02, 95% CI: 0.85, 1.23; p = 0.822), and no differences in blood pressure, weight loss, or waist circumference. We found an increased proportion of patients in the intervention group who followed the WHO recommendations for PA (OR: 1.29; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.60; p = 0.02). We concluded that the intervention did not lead to a significant increase in PA. © 2021 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland

Cost-effectiveness analysis of a multiple health behaviour change intervention in people aged between 45 and 75 years: a cluster randomized controlled trial in primary care (EIRA study)

Background: Multiple health behaviour change (MHBC) interventions that promote healthy lifestyles may be an efficient approach in the prevention or treatment of chronic diseases in primary care. This study aims to evaluate the cost-utility and cost-effectiveness of the health promotion EIRA intervention in terms of MHBC and cardiovascular reduction. Methods: An economic evaluation alongside a 12-month cluster-randomised (1:1) controlled trial conducted between 2017 and 2018 in 25 primary healthcare centres from seven Spanish regions. The study took societal and healthcare provider perspectives. Patients included were between 45 and 75 years old and had any two of these three behaviours: smoking, insufficient physical activity or low adherence to Mediterranean dietary pattern. Intervention duration was 12 months and combined three action levels (individual, group and community). MHBC, defined as a change in at least two health risk behaviours, and cardiovascular risk (expressed in % points) were the outcomes used to calculate incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER). Quality-adjusted life-years (QALYs) were estimated and used to calculate incremental cost-utility ratios (ICUR). Missing data was imputed and bootstrapping with 1000 replications was used to handle uncertainty in the modelling results. Results: The study included 3062 participants. Intervention costs were €295 higher than usual care costs. Five per-cent additional patients in the intervention group did a MHBC compared to usual care patients. Differences in QALYS or cardiovascular risk between-group were close to 0 (- 0.01 and 0.04 respectively). The ICER was €5598 per extra health behaviour change in one patient and €6926 per one-point reduction in cardiovascular risk from a societal perspective. The cost-utility analysis showed that the intervention increased costs and has no effect, in terms of QALYs, compared to usual care from a societal perspective. Cost-utility planes showed high uncertainty surrounding the ICUR. Sensitivity analysis showed results in line with the main analysis. Conclusion: The efficiency of EIRA intervention cannot be fully established and its recommendation should be conditioned by results on medium-long term effects. Trial registration: Clinicaltrials.gov NCT03136211. Registered 02 May 2017 – Retrospectively registered © 2021, The Author(s)

Multiple health behaviour change primary care intervention for smoking cessation, physical activity and healthy diet in adults 45 to 75 years old (EIRA study): a hybrid effectiveness-implementation cluster randomised trial

Background: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a) a Multiple Health Behaviour Change (MHBC) intervention on reducing smoking, increasing physical activity and adherence to a Mediterranean dietary pattern in people aged 45–75 years compared to usual care; and b) an implementation strategy. Methods: A cluster randomised effectiveness-implementation hybrid trial-type 2 with two parallel groups was conducted in 25 Spanish Primary Health Care (PHC) centres (3062 participants): 12 centres (1481 participants) were randomised to the intervention and 13 (1581 participants) to the control group (usual care). The intervention was based on the Transtheoretical Model and focused on all target behaviours using individual, group and community approaches. PHC professionals made it during routine care. The implementation strategy was based on the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR). Data were analysed using generalised linear mixed models, accounting for clustering. A mixed-methods data analysis was used to evaluate implementation outcomes (adoption, acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility and fidelity) and determinants of implementation success. Results: 14.5% of participants in the intervention group and 8.9% in the usual care group showed a positive change in two or all the target behaviours. Intervention was more effective in promoting dietary behaviour change (31.9% vs 21.4%). The overall adoption rate by professionals was 48.7%. Early and final appropriateness were perceived by professionals as moderate. Early acceptability was high, whereas final acceptability was only moderate. Initial and final acceptability as perceived by the participants was high, and appropriateness moderate. Consent and recruitment rates were 82.0% and 65.5%, respectively, intervention uptake was 89.5% and completion rate 74.7%. The global value of the percentage of approaches with fidelity =50% was 16.7%. Eight CFIR constructs distinguished between high and low implementation, five corresponding to the Inner Setting domain. Conclusions: Compared to usual care, the EIRA intervention was more effective in promoting MHBC and dietary behaviour change. Implementation outcomes were satisfactory except for the fidelity to the planned intervention, which was low. The organisational and structural contexts of the centres proved to be significant determinants of implementation effectiveness. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03136211. Registered 2 May 2017, “retrospectively registered”. © 2021, The Author(s)

Relationship between efficiency and clinical effectiveness indicators in an adjusted model of resource consumption : a cross-sectional study

Background: Adjusted clinical groups (ACG®) have been widely used to adjust resource distribution; however, the relationship with effectiveness has been questioned. The purpose of the study was to measure the relationship between efficiency assessed by ACG® and a clinical effectiveness indicator in adults attended in Primary Health Care Centres (PHCs). Methods: Research design: cross-sectional study. Subjects: 196, 593 patients aged >14 years in 13 PHCs in Catalonia (Spain). Measures: Age, sex, PHC, basic care team (BCT), visits, episodes (diagnoses), and total direct costs of PHC care and co-morbidity as measured by ACG® indicators: Efficiency indices for costs, visits, and episodes (costs EI, visits EI, episodes EI); a complexity or risk index (RI); and effectiveness measured by a general synthetic index (SI). The relationship between EI, RI, and SI in each PHC and BCT was measured by multiple correlation coefficients (r). Results: In total, 56 of the 106 defined ACG® were present in the study population, with five corresponding to 44.5% of the patients, 11 to 68.0% of patients, and 30 present in less than 0.5% of the sample. The RI in each PHC ranged from 0.9 to 1.1. Costs, visits, and episodes had similar trends for efficiency in six PHCs. There was moderate correlation between costs EI and visits EI (r = 0.59). SI correlation with episodes EI and costs EI was moderate (r = 0.48 and r = −0.34, respectively) and was r = −0.14 for visits EI. Correlation between RI and SI was r = 0.29. Conclusions: The Efficiency and Effectiveness ACG® indicators permit a comparison of primary care processes between PHCs. Acceptable correlation exists between effectiveness and indicators of efficiency in episodes and costs

COVID-19 and Precarious Employment: Consequences of the Evolving Crisis

The world of work is facing an ongoing pandemic and an economic downturn with severe effects worldwide. Workers trapped in precarious employment (PE), both formal and informal, are among those most affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Here we call attention to at least 5 critical ways that the consequences of the crisis among workers in PE will be felt globally: (a) PE will increase, (b) workers in PE will become more precarious, (c) workers in PE will face unemployment without being officially laid off, (d) workers in PE will be exposed to serious stressors and dramatic life changes that may lead to a rise in diseases of despair, and (e) PE might be a factor in deterring the control of or in generating new COVID-19 outbreaks. We conclude that what we really need is a new social contract, where the work of all workers is recognized and protected with adequate job contracts, employment security, and social protection in a new economy, both during and after the COVID-19 crisis

Variaciones en la aplicación de técnicas médicas en atención primaria Variations in the application of medical techniques in primary health care

Objetivo: Describir la aplicación de técnicas médicas (ATM) en tres comunidades autónomas españolas (Andalucía, Cataluña y País Vasco) y analizar sus relaciones con diversas características relacionadas con los médicos de atención primaria y el centro de salud. Diseño: Estudio multicéntrico, transversal. Emplazamiento: Un total de 319 médicos generales que trabajaban en los centros de atención primaria del sector público reformado en las comunidades de Andalucía, País Vasco y Cataluña. Mediciones principales: Cuestionario estructurado y validado de 100 preguntas en cuatro apartados: características generales del profesional y centro de trabajo, perfil de actividad y satisfacción laboral. Éste fue enviado por correo al centro de trabajo (Andalucía y Euskadi) o domicilio particular (Cataluña). Para el análisis se creó una variable índice a partir de las respuestas de las preguntas de ATM. Resultados: La variable índice de ATM obtuvo un valor medio (desviación estándar [DE]) de 10,02 (4,55) y Andalucía el valor más alto (media [DE]: 11,11 [4,33]) de las tres comunidades del estudio (p = 0,012). La variable índice ATM adquiere valores significativamente más altos en relación con: el sexo masculino (muestra de tres comunidades autónomas; p = 0,046), el ámbito rural, el trabajo en equipo, la disponibilidad de equipamiento básico, el número de pacientes más reducido y menor carga asistencial. Conclusiones: Los índices de ATM en España son significativamente distintos en las tres comunidades españolas estudiadas. La calidad de la asistencia sanitaria evaluada desde la dimensión de la ATM parece estar muy relacionada con características demográficas, la disponibilidad en las consultas del material científico-técnico y el tiempo adecuado de las visitas médicas.<br>Objectives: To describe the application of medical techniques (ATM) in Spain and to analyze the relationship with diverse characteristics related to general practitioners and the center of primary health. Design: Multicenter cross-sectional study. Setting: Three hundred nineteen general practitioners working in primary care centers in the restructured public sector of the Autonomous Communities of Andalusia, Basque Country and Catalonia in Spain. Main measurements: Structured and validated questionnaire comprising 100 items in four sections: general characteristics of the physician and health center, task profile, and job satisfaction. The questionnaire was sent by mail to the health center (Andalusia and Basque Country) or to the home (Catalonia). For the analysis an index variable was created from the answers to the questions on AMT. Results: The index variable of AMT obtained a mean value of 10.02 (SD = 4.55). Andalusia obtained the highest value (median: 11.11; SD: 4.33) of the three Autonomous Communities in the study (p = .012). AMT acquired significantly higher values when associated with: masculine sex (sample from the three autonomous communities; p = .046), rural environment, teamwork, availability of basic equipment, fewer patients, and reduced work load. Conclusions: Index of ATM in Spain is significantly different in the three Spanish communities under study. The quality of the sanitary services evaluated from the dimension of the ATM seems to be much related with demographic characteristics, the readiness in the consultations of scientific-technical stuff and the appropriate time for medical consultations

Understanding the physical, social, and emotional experiences of people with uncontrolled Type 2 diabetes: a qualitative study

Anna Berenguera,1,2,* &Agrave;ngels Moll&oacute;-Inesta,1,3,4,* Manel Mata-Cases,1,4&ndash;6 Josep Franch-Nadal,1,2,6&ndash;8 Bonaventura Bol&iacute;bar,1 Esther Rubinat,1,9,10 D&iacute;dac Mauricio1,11 1Scientific Department, Institut Universitari d&rsquo;Investigaci&oacute; en Atenci&oacute; Prim&agrave;ria Jordi Gol, Cerdanyola del Vall&egrave;s, Spain; 2Primary Care Department, Universitat Aut&ograve;noma de Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain; 3Cervera Primary Health Care Centre, Ileida, Spain; 4Diabetes Association in Primary Health Care (RedGDPS), Institut Catal&agrave; de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain; 5La Mina Primary Health Care Centre, Barcelona, Spain; 6CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Barcelona, Spain; 7Raval Sud Primary Health Care Centre, Barcelona, Spain; 8Primary Health Care Department, Institut Catal&agrave; de la Salut, Barcelona, Spain; 9Nursery Department, Univeristat de Lleida, Lleida, Spain; 10Centro de Investigacion Biomedica en Red de Diabetes y Enfermedades Metabolicas Asociadas (CIBERDEM), Instituto de Salud Carlos III (ISCIII), Barcelona, Spain;&nbsp;11Endocrinology &amp; Nutrition Department, CIBER of Diabetes and Associated Metabolic Diseases (CIBERDEM), Health Sciences Research Institute and Hospital Germans Trias i Pujol, Badalona, Spain *These authors contributed equally to&nbsp;this&nbsp;work Purpose: The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions, barriers, and facilitators of self-management of Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) to determine the factors to consider when developing and implementing a person-centered intervention in patients with poor glycemic control attending primary care. Methods: This was a qualitative study conducted in 6 primary care health centers in Catalonia. Patients who had been diagnosed with T2DM and had glycated hemoglobin of 9% or more were included. The sampling method was opportunistic, accounting for gender, age, duration of diabetes, and type of treatment. Forty-three semi-structured interviews were conducted. Thematic content analysis was performed. Results: The patients perceived the diagnosis of T2DM as a threat to their health, and the diagnosis generated cognitive and emotional representations of T2DM. The emotions associated with the diagnosis included fear of the future, worry, denial, sadness, and dejection. The patients also wondered if there could have been an error in their test results because they did not present any symptoms. These representations, both cognitive and emotional, can produce specific effects in adaptation processes and require different approach strategies, specifically regarding diet, physical activity, and pharmacological treatment. Finally, specific aspects regarding the acceptability and adaptability of the implementation of a new intervention were expressed. Conclusion: Patients with T2DM and very poor glycemic control expressed difficulty achieving a balance between the needs and demands of managing and controlling T2DM because they felt it strongly interfered in their daily lives. Keywords: qualitative research, interviews as a topic, Type 2 diabetes, self-managemen