How Tailoring Led to Variation in Care Issues, Dosage, and Outcomes: Part 1: Secondary Analysis of the PREP Trial for Frail Older Adults and Family Caregivers.

In family caregiving interventions for adults with health problems, tailoring has become the norm. Studies that evaluate tailored interventions, however, have rarely included intentional variation in dosage or explored the dosage-outcome association. In this Part 1 secondary analysis, we examine dosage and outcomes in intervention families ( = 116) who participated in the Oregon Health & Science University/Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region Family Care Study.

Predicting patient follow-through on telephone nursing advice.

Although use of telephone advice nursing services continues to grow, little research has addressed factors that affect crucial call outcomes like follow-through on the advice given. This article describes aspects of the advice call process and examines predictors of caller follow-through, using a conceptual model derived from the literature and the authors' preliminary work. Calls to call centers and medical offices of a large health maintenance organization were taped, then content was coded and matched with caller questionnaire (CQ) data.

Predictors of patient satisfaction with telephone nursing services.

Patient satisfaction has been shown to be a factor in clinical outcomes, health care quality, and patient follow-through. Thus, a high level of satisfaction is a desired outcome of patient care. This article examines predictors of patient satisfaction with telephone nursing services among a sample of 1,939 respondents, using a conceptual model derived from the literature and preliminary work.

Improving services for sex partners of chlamydia-infected patients in an HMO.

Objective: To improve services for sex partners of chlamydia-infected patients (ie, chlamydia partner services [CPS]) at an HMO.

Study Design: Assessment of current CPS policy, practices, and opinions in Kaiser Permanente Northwest Region (KPNW) and in local health departments, and design, implementation, and evaluation of 4 CPS interventions.

Methods: We reviewed KPNW policy documents, conducted focus groups with KPNW clinicians, and did phone interviews with KPNW chlamydia-infected patients and health department disease intervention specialists.

The Beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial: incidence of lung cancer and cardiovascular disease mortality during 6-year follow-up after stopping beta-carotene and retinol supplements.

Background: The Beta-Carotene and Retinol Efficacy Trial (CARET) tested the effect of daily beta-carotene (30 mg) and retinyl palmitate (25,000 IU) on the incidence of lung cancer, other cancers, and death in 18,314 participants who were at high risk for lung cancer because of a history of smoking or asbestos exposure. CARET was stopped ahead of schedule in January 1996 because participants who were randomly assigned to receive the active intervention were found to have a 28% increase in incidence of lung cancer, a 17% increase in incidence of death and a higher rate of cardiovascular disease mortality compared with participants in the placebo group.

Methods: After the intervention ended, CARET participants returned the study vitamins to their study center and provided a final blood sample.