Latest news with #BMCPrimaryCare
Yahoo
23-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
NEDHSA research to be published in BMC Primary Care Journal
MONROE, La., May 22, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Northeast Delta Human Services Authority's research article, "The Assessment of Mental and Physical Health Outcomes Over Time in An Integrated Care Setting," will be published in BMC Primary Care Journal. The study presents encouraging findings on integrated care models that combine behavioral and physical health services. The results demonstrate that individuals with mental health challenges experienced notable improvements in depression and anxiety symptoms over time, while maintaining stable physical health indicators such as systolic blood pressure and glycated hemoglobin. These findings underscore the value of integrated care in addressing the complex needs of patients, particularly in underserved communities. Original Article Listing by BMC Primary Care NEDHSA Executive Director Dr. Monteic A. Sizer said, "This report's publication in the BMC Primary Care Journal validates our empirical focus and overall population health improvement desires in Louisiana's Delta. We are honored to have our research featured in such a prestigious journal." Dr. Sizer said NEDHSA is committed to publishing outcome-based research on the effectiveness of the agency's integrated behavioral and primary health care model. "I established our analytics department to better help us measure the outcomes and efficiencies of our internal operations and also be able to know more about the social, environmental, psychological and primary health-care needs of the thousands of vulnerable patients we serve regionally," Dr. Sizer said. "With this data focus and our commitment to continuous improvement, we are well on our way to further transforming our region and the lives of those we serve." Dr. Dependra Bhatta, NEDHSA's Director of Behavioral and Primary Health Analytics, said, "Our study examined the impact of integrating primary care into a behavioral health setting, offering a more coordinated approach for individuals living with mental health conditions. We observed improvements in mental health outcomes and stability in key physical health indicators, such as blood pressure and blood glucose levels." Dr. Bhatta said the findings are significant because they show that when care is better coordinated, especially in communities where access to comprehensive services is limited, patients can make meaningful progress. "It speaks to the value of treating the whole person, not just individual conditions," Dr. Bhatta said. Consistent with NEDHSA's outcomes focus on behalf of vulnerable people and populations, Dr. Sizer will be establishing an evidence to practice research center to inform much-needed research around maternal health, trauma, mental illness, addiction and negative social determinants of health. "We are positioned to add significant insights into how you really understand, prevent and treat some of today's most challenging social and medical challenges," Dr. Sizer said. "With our evidence to practice center, we will be drawing down significant research and development dollars, helping to position Louisiana as a national leader in mitigating negative health outcomes associated with maternal health, mental health and addiction prevention and treatment, and the many negative social determinants of health that cause so many in our great state not to thrive and prosper." View original content to download multimedia: SOURCE Northeast Delta Human Services Authority Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Medscape
07-05-2025
- Health
- Medscape
Clinics Assist With Targeted Caregiver Support
The Caregiver Care Model , designed to provide supportive consultations for family caregivers on pertinent issues, was feasible in primary care and well received by general practitioners (GPs) and nurses. METHODOLOGY: The Caregiver Care Model was developed in 2022 and is used in primary care visits to help caregivers cope with grief while caring for a loved one with severe illness. To see if the model would work in everyday practice, researchers tested how it was used in five clinics across Denmark, involving 40 caregivers (median age, 62 years; 82% women). The caregivers were asked to complete a mandatory dialog questionnaire on their need for support related to patient's illness, their own support needs, and their past conditions such as a history of mental illness; clinicians used their answers to discuss needs during consultations. Follow-up consultations were provided in cases of more severe distress; caregivers were provided a list of local community initiatives for specialized services. TAKEAWAY: Among the 40 caregivers, 72% had more than one consultation, with an average of three consultations reported. Overall, 75% of caregivers completed the mandatory dialog questionnaire before the consultation, which healthcare providers said was useful in 74% of encounters. Staff members such as nurses conducted 58% of first consultations and 67% of follow-up consultations, whereas the remaining consultations were conducted by GPs. GPs and staff members found the dialog questionnaire helpful in guiding the first consultations toward the most relevant issues. The facilitating questions were rarely used but were found useful while the community-based initiatives were found useful in urban areas. IN PRACTICE: 'The Caregiver Care Model offers acceptable and feasible tools to support caregivers in general practice, to facilitate a standardized way of identifying needs in caregivers, and to provide targeted caregiver support,' the authors wrote. SOURCE: This study was led by Mette Kjaergaard Nielsen of the Research Unit for General Practice, Aarhus, Denmark. It was published online on May 1, 2025, in BMC Primary Care . LIMITATIONS: All participating practices were interested in caregiver interventions and aimed to make a positive impact, but this enthusiasm may have led to an overestimation of the positive attitude and acceptability of the intervention. The Danish healthcare system's unique characteristics may also limit the generalizability of results to other countries. DISCLOSURES: This study was funded by the Danish Cancer Society and the Committee for Quality Improvement and Continuing Medical Education of general practice in the Central Denmark Region. The authors declared no conflicts of interest.
