Responsibility of follow-up regarding medical recommendations in primary care and challenging patients: The perspective of doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and administrative staff.

Objective: This study examines the way healthcare staff describe challenging patients and perceive responsibility for follow-up of patients with chronic conditions.

Methods: Interviews were conducted with 46 healthcare staff (15 primary care physicians/12 nurses/15 administrative staff/4 pharmacists) at 12 clinics in Israel. They were audiotaped, transcribed, and thematically analyzed using Atlas qualitative data analysis software.

The effects of shared decision making on health outcomes, health care quality, cost, and consultation time: An umbrella review.

Objective: To review the effects of shared decision making (SDM) on health outcomes, health care quality, cost, and consultation time METHODS: We conducted an umbrella review and searched systematic reviews on SDM from PubMed, CINHAL, and Web of Science. We included reviews on SDM interventions used in a health care setting with patients. We assessed the eligibility of retrieved articles and evaluated whether the review addressed Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) characteristics.

Greater temporal regularity of primary care visits was associated with reduced hospitalizations and mortality, even after controlling for continuity of care.

Background: Previous studies have shown that more temporally regular primary care visits are associated with improved patient outcomes.

Objective: To examine the association of temporal regularity (TR) of primary care with hospitalizations and mortality in patients with chronic illnesses. Also, to identify threshold values for TR for predicting outcomes.

Patient-level predictors of temporal regularity of primary care visits.

Background: Patients with chronic diseases should meet with their primary care doctor regularly to facilitate proactive care. Little is known about what factors are associated with more regular follow-up.

Methods: We studied 70,095 patients age 40 + with one of three chronic conditions (diabetes mellitus, heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease), cared for by Leumit Health Services, an Israeli health maintenance organization.