Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33555552›Full record

ArticleJournal of general internal medicine2021

Physician Assessment and Feedback During Quality Circle to Reduce Low-Value Services in Outpatients: a Pre-Post Quality Improvement Study.

Omar Kherad, Kevin Selby, Myriam Martel, Henrique da Costa, Yann Vettard, Philippe Schaller, Marc-André Raetzo

Open access · hybridAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of general internal medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
3.8field-weighted citation impact, top 7% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed, 11 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

7 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Omar KheradInternal Medicine Department, Hôpital de la Tour and University of Geneva, 1217, Geneva, Switzerland. omar.kherad@latour.ch.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-6003-0776
Kevin SelbyCenter for Primary Care and Public Health (Unisanté), Lausanne, Switzerland.
Myriam MartelDivision of Epidemiology, McGill University Health Centre, McGill University, Montréal, Québec, Canada.
Henrique da CostaRéseau Delta, HMO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Yann VettardRéseau Delta, HMO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Philippe SchallerRéseau Delta, HMO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Marc-André RaetzoRéseau Delta, HMO, Geneva, Switzerland.
Aga Khan Development Network · CHCentre universitaire de médecine générale et santé publique, Lausanne · CHMcGill University Health Centre · CAUniversity of Geneva · CH

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThe impact of the Choosing Wisely (CW) campaign is debated as recommendations alone may not modify physician behavior.

objectiveThe aim of this study was to assess whether behavioral interventions with physician assessment and feedback during quality circles (QCs) could reduce low-value services. DESIGN AND

participantsPre-post quality improvement intervention with a parallel comparison group involving outpatients followed in a Swiss-managed care network, including 700 general physicians (GPs) and 150,000 adult patients.

interventionsInterventions included performance feedback about low-value activities and comparison with peers during QCs. We assessed individual physician behavior and healthcare use from laboratory and insurance claims files between August 1, 2016, and October 31, 2018. MAIN MEASURES: Main outcomes were the change in prescription of three low-value services 6 months before and 6 months after each intervention: measurement of prostate-specific antigen (PSA) and prescription rates of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) and statins. KEY

resultsAmong primary care practices, a QC intervention with physician feedback and peer comparison resulted in lower rates of PPI prescription (pre-post mean prescriptions per GP 25.5 ± 23.7 vs 22.9 ± 21.4, p value<0.01; coefficient of variation (Cov) 93.0% vs 91.0%, p=0.49), PSA measurement (6.5 ± 8.7 vs 5.3 ± 6.9 tests per GP, p<0.01; Cov 133.5% vs 130.7%, p=0.84), as well as statins (6.1 ± 6.8 vs 5.6 ± 5.4 prescriptions per GP, p<0.01; Cov 111.5% vs 96.4%, p=0.21). Changes in prescription of low-value services among GPs who did not attend QCs were not statistically significant over this time period.

conclusionOur results demonstrate a modest but statistically significant effect of QCs with educative feedback in reducing low-value services in outpatients with low impact on coefficient of variation. Limiting overuse in medicine is very challenging and dedicated discussion and real-time review of actionable data may help.

Indexed as

General PractitionersManagement Quality CirclesAdultFeedbackHumansMaleOutpatientsPractice Patterns, Physicians'Quality ImprovementChoosing Wiselyeducative feedbacklow-value careoveruse

Identifiers

PMID33555552
PMCPMC8390713
OpenAlexW3126915029

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.