CCM

Intermittent fasting is a form of time restricted eating (typically 16 h fasting and 8 h eating), which has gained popularity in recent years and shows promise as a possible new paradigm in the approach to weight loss and the reduction of inflammation, and has many potential long term health benefits. In this review, the authors will incorporate many aspects of fasting, mainly focusing on its effects on the cardiovascular system, involving atherosclerosis progression, benefits for diabetes mellitus type 2, lowering of blood pressure, and exploring other cardiovascular risk factors (such as lipid profile and inflammation)...

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Background: Little is known about how physician time is allocated in ambulatory care. Objective: To describe how physician time is spent in ambulatory practice. Design: Quantitative direct observational time and motion study (during office hours) and self-reported diary (after hours). Setting: U.S. ambulatory care in 4 specialties in 4 states (Illinois, New Hampshire, Virginia, and Washington). Participants: 57 U...

BACKGROUND: Primary care professionals are presumed to play a central role in delivering long-term condition management. However the value of their contribution relative to other sources of support in the life worlds of patients has been less acknowledged. Here we explore the value of primary care professionals in people's personal communities of support for long-term condition management. METHODS: A mixed methods survey with nested qualitative study designed to identify relationships and social network member's (SNM) contributions to the support work of managing a long-term condition conducted in 2010 in the North West of England...

BACKGROUND: Medical home initiatives encourage primary care practices to invest in new structural capabilities such as patient registries and information technology, but little is known about the costs of these investments. OBJECTIVES: To estimate costs of transformation incurred by primary care practices participating in a medical home pilot. DESIGN: We interviewed practice leaders in order to identify changes practices had undertaken due to medical home transformation...

BACKGROUND: Self-management interventions have been found to reduce healthcare utilisation in people with long-term conditions, but further work is needed to identify which components of these interventions are most effective. Self-monitoring is one such component and is associated with significant clinical benefits. The aim of this systematic review of reviews is to assess the impact of self-monitoring interventions on healthcare utilisation across a range of chronic illnesses. METHODS: An overview of published systematic reviews and meta-analyses...

According to demographic projections, a significant increase in the proportion of the elderly population is anticipated worldwide. This aging of the population will lead to an increase in the prevalence of chronic diseases and functional impairment. This expected increase will result in growing use of the health care system that societies are largely unprepared to address. General practitioners (GPs) are at the front line of this huge epidemiological challenge, but appropriate tools to diagnose and manage elderly patients in routine general practice are lacking...

African Americans and Hispanics have disproportionate rates of uncontrolled essential hypertension (EH) compared to Non-Hispanic Whites. Medication non-adherence (MNA) is the leading modifiable behavior to improved blood pressure (BP) control. The Smartphone Medication Adherence Stops Hypertension (SMASH) program was developed using a patient-centered, theory-guided, iterative design process. Electronic medication trays provided reminder signals, and Short Message Service [SMS] messaging reminded subjects to monitor BP with Bluetooth-enabled monitors...

AIMS: To develop consensus-based recommendations for the management of chronic complex patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus using a two round Delphi technique. METHODS: Experts from the Diabetes and Obesity Working Group (DOWG) of the Spanish Society of Internal Medicine (SEMI) reviewed MEDLINE, PubMed, SCOPUS and Cochrane Library databases up to September 2014 to gather information on organization and health care management, stratification of therapeutic targets and therapeutic approach for glucose control in chronic complex patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus...

Today's health care systems are faced with challenges to transform health care delivery and provide quality and valued services for the heart failure population. These challenges require collaboration and the development of strategic processes that will redefine best practices. Implementing a multidimensional nurse navigator transition program is one approach to facilitating cross-continuum of care. Such a program has been proven to significantly reduce 30-day all-cause hospital readmissions, enhanced self-management skills, and improved follow-up compliance...

PURPOSE: Although case management (CM) is increasingly being implemented to address the complex needs of vulnerable clienteles, few studies have examined the patient experience of CM. This study aimed to examine the experience of patients and their family members with care integration as part of a primary care CM intervention. Patients in the study were frequent users of health care services who had chronic diseases. METHODS: A descriptive, qualitative approach was conducted involving 25 patients and 8 of their family members...

Improving the management of people with long-term conditions is a key priority of the UK National Health Service. Whilst the coexistence of two or more long-term conditions in one person is increasingly the norm in primary care, guidelines and delivery of care remain focused on single disease management.Anxiety, depression and osteoarthritis are frequently comorbid with other long-term conditions and with each other, with up to 70 % of people with anxiety and depression also suffering from chronic pain. The relationships between anxiety, depression and pain are reciprocal, with each predicting and worsening the outcome of the others...

Obesity and being overweight could be real chronic conditions above all if there are other complications such as type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension, dyslipidemia, hypercholesterolemia, cancer, and various psychosocial and psychopathological disorders. Due to the multifactorial etiology of obesity, evidence-based interventions to improve weight loss, maintain a healthy weight, and reduce related comorbidities combine different treatment approaches: dietetic, nutritional, physical, behavioral, psychological, and, in some situations, pharmacological and surgical...

BACKGROUND: Clinical practice guidelines are underutilized in the outpatient management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We hypothesize that a structured approach using the electronic medical record (EMR) will improve compliance with clinical practice guidelines for the evaluation and management of patients with stable COPD. METHODS: Clinical records were evaluated in a pre- and post-intervention analysis of patients with COPD seen in our pulmonary clinics at a single tertiary care academic setting...

BACKGROUND: Integrated care models aim to solve the problem of fragmented and poorly coordinated care in current healthcare systems. These models aim to be patient-centered by providing continuous and coordinated care and by considering the needs and preferences of patients. The objective of this study was to evaluate the opinions and experiences of community-living older adults with regard to integrated care and support, along with the extent to which it meets their health and social needs...