Smoking cessation program preferences of individuals with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: a qualitative study.

Aim: To explore the views of tobacco-smoking chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and asthma-COPD overlap (ACO) patients on telehealth-based cessation programs and the role of e-cigarettes as an aid to quit smoking.

Background: Tobacco smoking accelerates the progression of COPD. Traditional smoking cessation programs often do not entirely address the unique needs of COPD patients, leading to suboptimal effectiveness for this population.

Primary care family physicians' experiences with clinical integration in qualitative and mixed reviews: a systematic review protocol.

Introduction: Clinical (service) integration in primary care settings describes how comprehensive care is coordinated by family physicians (FPs) over time across healthcare contexts to meet patient care needs. To improve care integration and healthcare service planning, a systematic approach to understanding its numerous influencing factors is paramount. The objective of this study is to generate a comprehensive map of FP-perceived factors influencing clinical integration across diseases and patient demographics.

Measuring skill-based health literacy in chronic airway disease patients: the development and psychometric evaluation of the Vancouver airways health literacy tool (VAHLT).

Purpose: This article describes the development of the Vancouver airways health literacy tool (VAHLT), a novel measure of skill-based health literacy specific to chronic airway diseases (CADs). Across several phases, psychometric characteristics of the VAHLT were examined and used to guide its development.

Methods: An initial pool of 46 items was developed using input from patients, clinicians, researchers, and policy-makers.

Asthma patients' perspectives on telehealth in disease management: A focus group study.

Objectives: While the effectiveness of telehealth (TH) to improve health outcomes is well established, the utility of health care among adult asthma patients, particularly in patients with limited access to specialty lung clinic services, requires further investigation. This study aimed to explore asthma patients' perceived applicability of TH in asthma self-management practices, to inform a future TH-based interventional study.

Methods: A qualitative exploratory study design was applied during virtual, patient-orientedfocus group sessions and individual telephone interviews.

Health literacy in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care: a narrative review and future directions.

Respiratory self-care places considerable demands on patients with chronic airways disease (AD), as they must obtain, understand and apply information required to follow their complex treatment plans. If clinical and lifestyle information overwhelms patients' HL capacities, it reduces their ability to self-manage. This review outlines important societal, individual, and healthcare system factors that influence disease management and outcomes among patients with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)-the two most common ADs.

Evaluation of a New Performance-Based Health Literacy Measurement Tool for Individuals With Chronic Airways Disease.

Background: Low health literacy is a global challenge. Health literacy is positively correlated with chronic airways diseas desirable outcomes. Despite the importance of health literacy in disease management, current health literacy measurement tools are suboptimal.

A risk perception model to promote smoking cessation among adult current smokers: Application of a community-based smoking cessation intervention.

Introduction: This study aims to assess the changes in cigarette consumption CO levels, and importance and self-confidence levels of quitting smoking in adult smokers after participation in a 6-month community-based smoking cessation program.

Methods: Participants were enrolled in the intervention (counseling group) or noncounseling group after completing a baseline assessment and receiving educational materials. A final assessment was completed at 6 months and at 8 months.

Exploring chronic airways disease patients' perspectives on self-management topics.

Objectives: In this study, we explored chronic airways disease (CAD) patients' responses to health literacy (HL) communication domain questions within disease self-management scenarios, as part of a larger CAD HL measurement tool development study.

Methods: Adult asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patients from specialty care respiratory clinics were initially presented with realistic disease management scenarios and asked to share information they would communicate. Participants' responses were grouped into response categories that were reviewed and verified by key informants.

An Integrated Framework to Conceptualize and Develop the Vancouver Airways Health Literacy Tool (VAHLT).

There is currently no comprehensive tool to assess the functional health literacy (HL) skills of chronic airway disease (CAD) patients. The purpose of this article is to describe the development of a new HL measure, the Vancouver Airways Health Literacy Tool (VAHLT). The tool was developed through the following phases: (1) , consisting of: (A) a systematic review (SR), (B) focus group sessions with CAD patients to understand barriers and facilitators to CAD management, (C) a survey with key-informants to obtain strategies to mitigate self-management barriers and validate patient-derived topics, and (D) respiratory physicians' review of the topics; (2) and (3) .

Factors Affecting Health Literacy as Related to Asthma and COPD Management: Learning from Patient and Health Care Professional Viewpoints.

Background: Studies have identified health literacy (HL) as an important determinant of asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) management. There are, however, limited data on patients' and health care professionals (HCPs') insights about the link between HL and management of asthma and COPD.

Objective: The aim of this study was to elicit patients' and HCPs' perspectives with respect to factors affecting HL in the context of asthma and COPD management.

A conceptual model of functional health literacy to improve chronic airway disease outcomes.

Background: Current conceptual models of health literacy (HL) illustrate the link between HL and health outcomes. However, these models fail to recognize and integrate certain elements of disease management, health system factors, and socio-demographic factors into their framework. This article outlines the development of Chronic Airway Disease (CAD) Management and Health Literacy (CADMaHL) conceptual model that integrates the aforementioned elements and factors into a single framework.

Assessing factors influencing smoking and smoking cessation within Chinese communities in the Greater Vancouver Area: A qualitative exploratory study.

Introduction: The prevalence of smoking is high within Chinese-Canadian communities and there is a lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate smoking cessation resources and services. We aimed to ascertain factors affecting smoking and smoking cessation from the perspectives of current smokers and key informants.

Methods: As part of a multistage mixed-methods study taking place from January 2013 to June 2014, a qualitative exploratory study design was conducted applying a community-based participatory research approach.

Chinese- and English-speaking adult current smokers' perspectives on smoking and culturally and linguistically appropriate cessation: a qualitative analysis.

Background: A lack of culturally and linguistically appropriate smoking cessation intervention programs exist among Chinese-Canadian communities. Smoking cessation programs that are provided in Canadian mainstream culture and language have shown limited effectiveness in altering smoking behaviours of smokers from these communities. Our study aimed to explore and compare smoking patterns, knowledge, beliefs, and risk perceptions of adult current smokers between Chinese- and English-speaking Canadians participating in a culturally and linguistically tailored smoking cessation program.

Development and Pretesting of a New Functional-Based Health Literacy Measurement Tool for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Asthma Management.

Background: Health literacy (HL) is a person's ability to practically apply a wide range of cognitive and non-cognitive skills in health-related decisions. HL includes five domains: navigate/access, understand, communicate, evaluate, and use of health information and services. Currently, no tool accurately captures and measures HL in adult patients with asthma and COPD, while utilizing all 5-HL domains.

Asthma and COPD patients' perceived link between health literacy core domains and self-management of their condition.

Objective: Health literacy (HL) is a person's ability to practically apply a wide range of cognitive and non-cognitive skills, to make health-related decisions. Currently, no tool applies all HL core domains to capture necessary data to measures HL in adult asthma and COPD patients. We endeavored to develop a comprehensive, function-based tool that adequately and accurately measures HL skills of this patient population.

Patient and Professional Perspectives on Nutrition in Chronic Respiratory Disease Self-Management: Reflections on Nutrition and Food Literacies.

Background: Nutrition literacy (NL) and food literacy (FL) have emerged as distinct forms of the multifaceted concept of health literacy (HL). Despite convincing evidence that changes in dietary behavior can improve health, the role of nutrition in supporting self-management in patients with chronic respiratory disease tends to be overlooked.

Objective: This study examined patient and key informant (health care professionals, researchers, and policymakers) perspectives on nutrition in the context of self-management practices in asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease with implications for NL and FL.

A pilot randomized controlled trial on the impact of text messaging check-ins and a web-based asthma action plan versus a written action plan on asthma exacerbations.

Objective: We compared electronic asthma action plans (eAAP) supported by automated text messaging service (SMS) with written asthma action plans (AAP) on assessing acceptability and asthma control improvement. We hypothesized that the patients in eAAP group would have more improvements in their quality of life, asthma control and decreased asthma exacerbations.

Methods: Patients with physician-diagnosed asthma having at least one asthma exacerbation in the previous 12 months were recruited.

Identifying Barriers and Facilitators of 13 mHealth Projects in North America and Africa: Protocol for a 5-Year Implementation Science Study.

Background: Although many mHealth interventions have shown efficacy in research, few have been effectively implemented and sustained in real-world health system settings. Despite this programmatic gap, there is limited conclusive evidence identifying the factors that affect the implementation and successful integration of mHealth into a health system.

Objective: The aim of this study is to examine the individual, organizational, and external level factors associated with the effective implementation of WelTel, an mHealth intervention designed to support outpatient medication adherence and engagement in care in Africa and North America.

Health literacy in chronic disease management: a matter of interaction.

Health literacy plays a crucial role in chronic disease management. To comprehensively manage chronic conditions on a daily basis, individuals must be able to assess, understand, evaluate, and use health information. Several key publications emphasize that health literacy is not merely a matter of individual skills but that it is highly dependent on the accessibility of health-care systems, the communication skills of health-care professionals, and the level of complexity of the health information.

Airway diseases and health literacy (HL) measurement tools: A systematic review to inform respiratory research and practice.

Objective: To identify and evaluate asthma/COPD measurement tools that assess any of the five health literacy (HL) domains: (1) access, (2) understand, (3) evaluate, (4) communicate, and (5) use, as well as numeracy.

Methods: MEDLINE/Embase (via Ovid) databases from 1974 to 2016 were searched and complimented by grey literature. Study selection and data extraction were conducted by two reviewers independently.

Culturally Specific Evaluation of Inhaler Techniques in Asthma.

Background: Little work has been done on identifying the impact of educational materials developed by immigrant patients themselves, along with their caregivers and health professionals in terms of inhaler use technique. The purpose of this study was to evaluate understanding of physicians' instructions on asthma management and inhaler techniques in Punjabi and Chinese subjects using educational interventions in their native languages.

Methods: Eighty-seven subjects with asthma were randomly assigned to either one of 3 experimental groups (physician-led video, subject-generated community video, or both) or a control group (educational pamphlet).

Using Exploratory Focus Groups to Inform the Development of a Peer-Supported Pulmonary Rehabilitation Program: DIRECTIONS FOR FURTHER RESEARCH.

Purpose: There has been limited research on the role of peer support in self-management for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) attending pulmonary rehabilitation (PR) programs. This research explored patient acceptability of "peer supporters" in promoting sustained self-management practices after PR and to assess their perceived self-efficacy to manage their disease.

Methods: This qualitative study used focus groups and individual interviews to identify perspectives of peer supporters and benefits of participation in a PR program.

Prevalence of HIV infection and acceptability of point-of-care testing in a Canadian inner-city emergency department.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the seroprevalence of HIV infection and the acceptability of point-of-care HIV testing in an innercity Canadian emergency department.

Methods: We conducted a prospective cohort study in an urban tertiary care emergency department between August 2009 and January 2011. Randomly selected patients were enrolled using probabilistic sampling based on patient volumes.

Assessing the effect of culturally specific audiovisual educational interventions on attaining self-management skills for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease in Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking patients: a randomized controlled trial.

Background: Patient education is a key component in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). Delivering effective education to ethnic groups with COPD is a challenge. The objective of this study was to develop and assess the effectiveness of culturally and linguistically specific audiovisual educational materials in supporting self-management practices in Mandarin- and Cantonese-speaking patients.

The application of health literacy measurement tools (collective or individual domains) in assessing chronic disease management: a systematic review protocol.

Background: The term "health literacy" (HL) was first coined in 1974, and its most common definition is currently defined as a person's ability to access, understand, evaluate, communicate, and use health information to make decisions for one's health. The previous systematic reviews assessing the effect of existing HL measurement tools on health outcomes have simply searched for the term "health literacy" only to identify measures instead of incorporating either one or more of the five domains in their search. Furthermore, as the domain "use" is fairly new, few studies have actually assessed this domain.