The quality of older adults'involvement in clinical communication with general practitioners:evidence from rural towns in Australia

Objective:A study was conducted about the putative links of older rural Australians'health knowledge and preparation with their quality of involvement in patient-general practitioner(GP)communication during health intake visits.Methods:It was a cross-sectional study between January 2021 and April 2022.The 32-item quality of involvement in communication scale was designed and incorporated into the SurveyGizmo software.This online survey was administered by sending an email request to the Renmark Rotary Club,which actively promoted this study across five rural towns in South Australia.121 participants completed the surveys.Mean-sum scores were calculated based on the questionnaire responses to evaluate outcomes,specifically initiation of information,active participation,and emotional expression.We employed different methods including t-tests,ANOVA,and leaner regressions to analyse data.Results:The demographic profile of participants characterised by a female predominance(58.7%,71/121),a majority falling within the 65-<70 age bracket(47.1%,57/121),and a high level of educational attainment(58.7%had completed high school or higher,71/121).Additionally,35%of the participants predominantly spoke a language other than English at home.Regarding the initiation of information with GPs,the mean sum-score was(20.5+3.7),indicating a marginally above-average level of engagement.Contrarily,the active participation was suboptimal,as suggested by a mean sum score of(35.9±6.3).Furthermore,the emotional expression was relatively low,with a mean score of(13.9±1.8).Substantial variations were discerned in the quality of patient-GP communication,contingent upon factors such as educational background,language spoken at home,health literacy,and preparatory measures for clinical visits.Participants who predominantly spoke a language other than English at home demonstrated significantly lower levels of information initiation with their GPs(P<0.o01).Higher educational attainment was positively correlated with increased active participation(P<0.001).Enhanced health literacy and thorough visit preparation were significantly associated with increased levels of active participation(P<0.001).Conclusion:Meaningful engagement through recognition,empowerment,and support(health literacy programs)for older rural adults is suggested for improving their quality of involvement in communication with GPs.

Utilising digital health to improve medication-related quality of care for hypertensive patients:An integrative literature review

BACKGROUND Hypertension or high blood pressure is considered as a significant contributor and risk factor to many serious conditions,approximately 1.13 billion people have hypertension globally.However,the integrated technologies can upscale health provisions and improve the effectiveness of the healthcare system.WHO has recommended that the digital health interventions(DHIs)and the Health System Challenges should be used in tandem in addressing health.AIM To summarise the outcomes from a range of research which investigated the use of DHI to improve the medication-related quality of care(MRQOC)for hypertensive patients.METHODS An integrative literature review was undertaken in October 2019 using the Medline,Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature,and Scopus databases for publications in English with no date limit.RESULTS In total,18433 participants were included in this review from 28 studies meeting the eligibility criteria.There were 19 DHI identified within eight countries:Australia,Canada,India,South Korea,Lebanon,Pakistan,the United Kingdom,and the United States of America.The DHI were provided as community-based,clinical-based and home-based program through mobile phone,mobile health system,short message service,and telehealth,digital medicine,and online healthcare(web-based).The mean age of participants was 59 ranging from 42 to 81 years with an average mean systolic blood pressure of 143.3 mmHg at baseline,ranging from 129.0 mmHg to 159.0 mmHg.The proportion of male participants ranged from 13.9%to 92.0%.Eighteen interventions showed evidence of reduction in blood pressure and improvement of self-management in relation to medication adherence and blood pressure control.The reduction of systolic blood pressure ranged between 1.9 mmHg and 26.0 mmHg,with a mean of 10.8 mmHg.The digital health was found positively associated with the MRQOC for hypertensive patients such as improvement in medication adherence and medication management;better blood pressure control;maintaining followups appointment and self-management;increasing access to healthcare particularly among patients living in rural area;and reducing adverse events.However,some interventions found no significant effect on hypertensive care.The follow up duration varied between 2 mo and 18 mo with an average attrition rate of 10.1%,ranging from 0.0%to 17.4%.CONCLUSION Utilising digital health innovation for hypertensive care in different settings with tailored interventions positively impacted on MRQOC leading to an improvement of patient outcomes and their quality of life.Nevertheless,inconclusive findings were found in some interventions,and inconsistent outcomes between DHI were noted.A future research and evidence-based DHI for hypertension or chronic diseases should be developed through the evidenceto-decision framework and guidelines.

Hypertension and its physio-psychosocial risks factors in elderly people:a cross-sectional study in north-eastern region of Bangladesh

Hypertension has been increasingly cited mortality cause in developing countries including Bangladesh,[1–4]and generally associated with coronary artery disease,stroke,heart failure,atrial fibrillation,peripheral vascular disease,vision loss and chronic kidney disease.

Shared decision making in rural general practices:a qualitative exploration of older rural South Australians'perceived involvement in clinical consultations with doctors

Background:Shared decision-making(SDM)implementation is a priority for Australian health systems,including general practices but it remains complex for specific groups like older rural Australians.We initiated a qualitative study with older rural Australians to explore barriers to and facilitators of SDM in local general practices.Methods:We conducted a patient-oriented research,partnering with older rural Australians,families,and health service providers in research design.Participants who visited general practices were purposively sampled from five small rural towns in South Australia.A semi-structured interview guide was used for interviews and reflexive thematic coding was conducted.Results:Telephone interviews were held with 27 participants.Four themes were identified around older rural adults’involvement in SDM:(1)Understanding of"patient involvement";(2)Positive and negative outcomes;(3)Barriers to SDM;and(4)Facilitators to SDM.Understanding of patient involvement in SDM considerably varied among participants,with some reporting their involvement was contingent on the“opportunity to ask questions”and the“treatment choices”offered to them.Alongside the opportunity for involvement,barriers such as avoidance of cultural care and a lack of continuity of care are new findings.Challenges encountered in SDM implementation also included resource constraints and time limitations in general practices.Rural knowledge of general practitioners and technology integration in consultations were viewed as potential enablers..Conclusion:Adequate resources and well-defined guidelines about the process should accompany the implementation of SDM in rural general practices of South Australia.Innovative strategies by general practitioners promoting health literacy and culturally-tailored communication approaches could increase older rural Australians'involvement in general.