Ontario health technology assessment series
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Ont Health Technol Assess Ser · Jan 2013
Review Meta AnalysisIn-home care for optimizing chronic disease management in the community: an evidence-based analysis.
The emerging attention on in-home care in Canada assumes that chronic disease management will be optimized if it takes place in the community as opposed to the health care setting. Both the patient and the health care system will benefit, the latter in terms of cost savings. ⋯ In summary, education-based in-home care is effective at improving outcomes of patients with a range of heart disease severity when delivered by nurses during a single home visit or on an ongoing basis. In-home visits by occupational therapists and physical therapists targeting modification of tasks and the home environment improved functional activities for community-living adults with chronic disease.
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Ont Health Technol Assess Ser · Jan 2013
Review Meta AnalysisElectronic tools for health information exchange: an evidence-based analysis.
As patients experience transitions in care, there is a need to share information between care providers in an accurate and timely manner. With the push towards electronic medical records and other electronic tools (eTools) (and away from paper-based health records) for health information exchange, there remains uncertainty around the impact of eTools as a form of communication. ⋯ Patients with chronic diseases often work with many different health care providers. To ensure smooth transitions from one setting to the next, health care providers must share information and coordinate care effectively. Electronic medical records (eTools) are being used more and more to coordinate patient care, but it is not yet known whether they are more effective than paper-based health records. In this analysis, we reviewed the evidence for the use of eTools to exchange information and coordinate care for people with chronic diseases in the community. There was some evidence that eTools reduced the number of hospital and emergency department visits, as well as patients' length of stay in the hospital, but there was no evidence that eTools improved the overall quality of patient care.
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Ont Health Technol Assess Ser · Jan 2013
ReviewTranscatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for treatment of aortic valve stenosis: an evidence update.
One-year mortality outcomes in the PARTNER trial showed that transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) was noninferior to surgical aortic valve replacement (sAVR) in patients who were eligible for sAVR (cohort A), and superior to standard treatment in patients who were ineligible for sAVR (cohort B). ⋯ The findings of the 2-year follow-up with respect to mortality and adverse events were consistent with those of the 1-year follow-up. TAVI was also associated with improvement in quality of life, although results varied by cohort. Consistent with the 2012 report, TAVI may be cost-effective for patients who are not candidates for surgery.
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Ont Health Technol Assess Ser · Jan 2013
ReviewSelf-management support interventions for persons with chronic disease: an evidence-based analysis.
Self-management support interventions such as the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP) are becoming more widespread in attempt to help individuals better self-manage chronic disease. ⋯ Self-management support interventions are becoming more common as a structured way of helping patients learn to better manage their chronic disease. To assess the effects of these support interventions, we looked at the results of 10 studies involving a total of 6,074 people with various chronic diseases, such as arthritis and chronic pain, chronic respiratory diseases, depression, diabetes, heart disease, and stroke. Most trials focused on a program called the Stanford Chronic Disease Self-Management Program (CDSMP). When compared to usual care, the CDSMP led to modest, short-term improvements in pain, disability, fatigue, depression, health distress, self-rated health, and health-related quality of life, but it is not possible to say whether these changes were clinically important. The CDSMP also increased how often people undertook aerobic exercise, how often they practiced stress/pain reduction techniques, and how often they communicated with their health care practitioners. The CDSMP did not reduce the number of primary care doctor visits, emergency department visits, the number of days in hospital, or the number of times people were hospitalized. In general, there was high uncertainty around the quality of the evidence, and more research is needed to better understand the effect of self-management support on long-term outcomes and on important clinical outcomes, as well as to better identify who could benefit most from self-management support interventions like the CDSMP.
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Ont Health Technol Assess Ser · Jan 2013
ReviewOptimizing chronic disease management mega-analysis: economic evaluation.
As Ontario's population ages, chronic diseases are becoming increasingly common. There is growing interest in services and care models designed to optimize the management of chronic disease. ⋯ Chronic diseases are the leading cause of death and disability in Ontario. They account for a third of direct health care costs across the province. This study aims to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of health care interventions that might improve the management of chronic diseases. The evaluated interventions led to lower costs and better quality of life than usual care. Offering these options could reduce costs per patient. However, the studies used in this analysis were of medium to very low quality, and the methods had many limitations.