Identifying and Prioritizing Low Value Care in British Columbia Using Three Administrative Health Data Assets

Introduction Clinical recommendations and/or lists of low value care (i.e., health technologies that provide little to clinical benefit for certain patient groups) have garnered attention internationally through campaigns such as Choosing Wisely. However, uptake of such recommendations at the healthcare system-level remains challenging in the absence of routine, data-driven processes. Objectives and Approach The objective of this work was to develop and implement a process, leveraging administrative health data assets and lists of ‘low value’ care, to identify and prioritize technologies at the healthcare system-level for reassessment and potential disinvestment. The British Columbia (BC) healthcare system was selected as the pilot site to test the process. Three provincial administrative health databases were used to examine the extent of low value care across the system: the discharge abstract database (DAD); the Medical Service Plan (MSP) physician claims database; and the MSP laboratory database. Results Over 1300 recommendations of low value technologies (i.e., from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence “do not do” recommendations, low value technologies in the Australian Medical Benefits Schedule, and Choosing Wisely “Top 5” lists) were identified. Using appropriate coding systems for BC’s administrative health data (e.g., International Classification of Diseases), low value technologies were queried to examine frequencies and costs of technology use between fiscal years 2010/11 and 2014/15. This information was used to rank technologies based high budgetary impact, defined as total in-hospital and claims expenditures exceeding $1M in any fiscal year examined. Clinical experts reviewed the ranked technologies prior to dissemination and stakeholder action. Pilot testing resulted in the prioritization of 9 candidate technologies for reassessment in the BC healthcare system. Conclusion/Implications This work demonstrates the feasibility and strength of using administrative data to identify low value care at the healthcare system-level and prioritize candidates for reassessment. Faced with increasing pressure to control exorbitant costs, while maintaining quality of care, this process has been adopted and operationalized by the BC Ministry of Health

Interventions to reduce low-value imaging: a systematic review of interventions and outcomes

Background It is estimated that 20-50% of all radiological examinations are of low value. Many attempts have been made to reduce the use of low-value imaging. However, the comparative effectiveness of interventions to reduce low-value imaging is unclear. Thus, the objective of this systematic review was to provide an overview and evaluate the outcomes of interventions aimed at reducing low-value imaging. Methods An electronic database search was completed in Medline - Ovid, Embase-Ovid, Scopus, and Cochrane Library for citations between 2010 and 2020. The search was built from medical subject headings for Diagnostic imaging/Radiology, Health service misuse or medical overuse, and Health planning. Keywords were used for the concept of reduction and avoidance. Reference lists of included articles were also hand-searched for relevant citations. Only articles written in English, German, Danish, Norwegian, Dutch, and Swedish were included. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool was used to appraise the quality of the included articles. A narrative synthesis of the final included articles was completed. Results The search identified 15,659 records. After abstract and full-text screening, 95 studies of varying quality were included in the final analysis, containing 45 studies found through hand-searching techniques. Both controlled and uncontrolled before-and-after studies, time series, chart reviews, and cohort studies were included. Most interventions were aimed at referring physicians. Clinical practice guidelines (n = 28) and education (n = 28) were most commonly evaluated interventions, either alone or in combination with other components. Multi-component interventions were often more effective than single-component interventions showing a reduction in the use of low-value imaging in 94 and 74% of the studies, respectively. The most addressed types of imaging were musculoskeletal (n = 26), neurological (n = 23) and vascular (n = 16) imaging. Seventy-seven studies reported reduced low-value imaging, while 3 studies reported an increase. Conclusions Multi-component interventions that include education were often more effective than single-component interventions. The contextual and cultural factors in the health care systems seem to be vital for successful reduction of low-value imaging. Further research should focus on assessing the impact of the context in interventions reducing low-value imaging and how interventions can be adapted to different contexts.Analysis and support of clinical decision makin

Low-value care practice in headache: a Spanish mixed methods research study

Background Headache is one of the most prevalent diseases. The Global Burden of Disease Study ranks it as the seventh most common disease overall and the second largest neurological cause of disability in the world. The "Do Not Do" recommendations are a strategy for increasing the quality of care and reducing the cost of care for headache. This study aimed to identify specific low-value practices in headache care, determine their frequency, and estimate the cost overrun that they represent, in order to establish "Do not Do" recommendations specifically for headache by consensus and according to scientific evidence. Methods This was a mixed methods research study that combined qualitative consensus-building techniques, involving a multidisciplinary panel of experts to define the "Do Not Do" recommendations in headache care, and a retrospective observational study with review of a randomized set of patient records from the past 6 months in four hospitals, to quantify the frequency of these "Do Not Do" practices. We calculated the sum of direct costs of medical consultations, medicines, and unnecessary diagnostic tests. Results Seven "Do Not Do" recommendations were established for headache. In total, 3507 medical records were randomly reviewed. Low-value practices had a highly variable occurrence, depending on the hospital and type of headache. Overall, 34.1% of low-value practices were related to treatment, 21% were related to overuse of imaging in consultation, and 19% were related to emergency care. The estimated cost of low-value practices in the four hospitals was 203,520.47 euros per 1000 patients. Conclusions This study identified low-value headache practices that need to be eradicated and provided data on their frequency and cost overruns

Environmental Design for Dementia Care Towards more Meaningful Experiences through Design

Dementia is generally considered to be one of the most pressing societal issues now and in the years to come. Although insights from different disciplines have contributed to a better understanding of dementia and the development of interventions targeting dementia symptoms, there is a lack of integration of insights from these different perspectives for the purposes of design for dementia. The aim of this paper is to show how insights from environmental psychology and advances in technology can inform a user-centred multidisciplinary design approach. To this end, first a brief meta-review of (systematic) reviews from the fields of assistive technology for dementia care and healing environments research is presented, after which gaps and opportunities for a multidisciplinary design approach are identified. To illustrate what such an approach could look like, two exploratory case studies are presented in which technology-enhanced prototypes of an experience handrail (aimed at facilitating wayfinding by providing meaningful sensory experiences) and a virtual nature installation (aimed at providing relaxation and stimulating social engagement) were implemented at a Dutch care centre for people with dementia. Preliminary evaluations indicate that these designs contribute to the wellbeing of people with dementia and confirm the fruitfulness of the design approach presented in this paper. Furthermore, this approach may not only provide a means to optimize existing environments and enhance ease of living, but may also lead to novel solutions to the challenges people with dementia face on a day-to-day basis, and improve their quality of life

A Health Technology Reassessment of Red Blood Cell Transfusions in the Intensive Care Unit

Health technology reassessment (HTR) is the systematic, evidence-based assessment of the clinical, economic, ethical, and social impacts of an existing health technology to inform its optimal use. A novel model to guide HTR processes has been proposed. The overall aim of this thesis was to test the HTR model in a real-world healthcare context with the technology of red blood cell (RBC) transfusions in the intensive care unit (ICU). This thesis is comprised of 4 studies. The first study was a retrospective observational study of RBC transfusions in 9 Alberta ICUs. Between April 1, 2014 and December 31, 2016, we found that 61% of included RBC transfusions in stable, non-bleeding ICU patients were associated with a pre-transfusion hemoglobin value of 70 g/L or more and cost an estimated $1.82M in healthcare costs. Second, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analyses to determine the effectiveness of interventions on healthcare providers’ RBC transfusion practices. We identified a large and heterogenous body of evidence. Use of any intervention was associated with reduced odds of transfusion, including inappropriate transfusions. However, there was limited understanding of why interventions were selected over others and how this may have affected outcomes. In the third study, we conducted a population-based cross-sectional survey of Alberta ICU physicians to understand their perceptions of RBC transfusions practices using the Theoretical Domains Framework. We identified self-reported facilitators and barriers to practicing a guideline-recommended restrictive RBC transfusion strategy, which could then be mapped to relevant behaviour change interventions to optimize RBC transfusions. Finally, we conducted a controlled before and after pilot study to assess the feasibility of implementing a multi-modal intervention to optimize RBC transfusions in the ICU. The intervention was theory-informed and co-designed with local clinical leaders and included group education and audit and feedback. Early and meaningful stakeholder engagement and tailoring the intervention to interdisciplinary healthcare providers were important for achieving feasibility. Overall, we uncovered critical methodological and practical considerations to advance the emerging field of HTR. With regards to optimizing RBC transfusions, we established the necessary foundation to implement, monitor, and evaluate a larger-scale HTR initiative for ICUs in Alberta

Mechanisms underlying spontaneous functional sensory changes following spinal deafferentation

Dorsal root injury (DRI) induces both pain and anatomical changes in pain-processing systems in the deafferented dorsal horn. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is also upregulated in the spinal cord following DRI and is thought to participate in nociceptive transmission and stimulation of axon outgrowth. Transection of the C7 and C8 dorsal roots (C7/8 DRI) generates cold pain in the ipsilateral forepaw which peaks at 10 days, and resolves within three weeks after injury. In this thesis I sought to investigate the influence of BDNF on cold pain behaviour following C7/8 DRI. Increased BDNF expression by Ox-42-positive microglia was observed up to 20 days post-C7/8 DRI. To determine the acute facilitatory effects of this increased BDNF on cold pain behaviour, intrathecal boli of TrkB-Fc ‘receptor bodies’ were administered following DRI and resulted in reduced peak response duration to peripheral cooling stimuli. However, long-term BDNF sequestration with continuous TrkB-Fc infusion failed to reduce cold pain and prevented the spontaneous recovery normally seen after three weeks. Prolonged BDNF sequestration also prevented the increase in serotonergic and GABAergic terminal densities which normally follows C7/8 DRI, and simultaneously stimulated sprouting of nociceptive primary afferents. These results dually implicate endogenous BDNF in modulating synaptic transmission and governing the plasticity of inhibitory circuitry in the deafferented spinal cord to, indirectly, promote the recovery from cold pain that develops following C7/8 DRI. We also investigated the effects of exogenous BDNF treatment in DRI-induced cold pain and hypothesized that at high concentrations, BDNF would have a preventative effect. Surprisingly, exogenous BDNF treatment also impeded cold pain recovery, which was not attributable to sprouting of nociceptive terminals. Exogenous BDNF did, however, increase the density of the inhibitory adrenergic/noradrenergic, dopaminergic and GABAergic terminals, whereas DRI-induced serotonergic sprouting was unaffected. BDNF also down-regulated spinal K⁺/Cl- co-transporter-2 (KCC2) expression, possibly resulting in conversion of GABAergic signaling (itself probably amplified subsequent to sprouting) from inhibitory to excitatory. These results illustrate the differential and exquisite levels of control which BDNF exerts over distinct populations of spinally-projecting axons, and the effects of exogenous BDNF on DRI-induced axonal plasticity and cold pain.Science, Faculty ofZoology, Department ofGraduat