Thesis (M. Communication Pathology)--University of Pretoria, 2008. / Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Sydney, 2008. / Title from title screen (viewed Nov. 26, 2008) Includes questionnaires. Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy to the Discipline of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine. Includes bibliography. Also available in print form.

Introduction: There is an increased acceptance and demand for online and mobile health (mHealth) interventions to support physical and mental health problems. However, the uptake and engagement of these interventions is relatively low and the evidence base for these interventions requires continual updating in line with technological advances. A systematic review was conducted, focusing on anxiety and depression, to explore the existing evidence base of both physical health and mental health mobile applications. The first research paper explores the acceptability of mHealth interventions for both mental health and physical health problems. The final research paper explores use and strategies when searching for mental health information online. Additionally, perceived quality, sentiment and barriers to online health information was explored. Methods: Studies were identified by searching for articles published between January 2008 and January 2016. Databases included: PsycINFO, MEDLINE, CINAHL PLUS and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials for 2016. In the research articles, 218 people completed an online survey in January 2016 exploring, online health seeking for mental health and physical health problems, and acceptability of mHealth interventions. Sentiment of online health resources was explored by extracting 432 individual tweets from Twitter. Results: The systematic review revealed twenty-seven studies for inclusion; 10 with a physical health focus and 17 with a mental health focus. Targeted depression applications have the superior evidence base; however, no firm conclusions can be made regarding interventions that targeted physical health, or those measuring anxiety. The first research paper found that face-to-face therapy would more likely meet expectations for treatment of both physical and mental health problems compared to mHealth interventions. Computerised interventions were more likely to meet expectations than mobile applications. Expectations of treatment were higher for the treatment of mental health problems than physical health problems. The second research paper found that a large proportion of the public use the internet to search for information on mental health, with half citing it as their primary source for mental health information. The online survey found that the quality of mental health information available on the internet was rated favourably, compared to mobile applications. Overall, the sentiment towards specific online mental health resources was generally positive. Conclusions: Research into online and mHealth interventions has developed considerably in recent years in line with advances in technology. These interventions have the potential to be an effective treatment of common mental health problems. The systematic review highlighted that depression applications are more established and effective than applications targeting anxiety. The first research paper suggests that mHealth interventions fall short of public expectations for treatment of health problems. The final research paper reflects that the perceived quality of online mental health information is rated favourably. However, many barriers still limit uptake. Future research could focus on continually developing and evaluating evidence based online and mHealth interventions and the outcome of this study suggests that incorporating them more widely into existing care systems, alongside face to face interventions could increase the public’s confidence in these interventions.

Neste estudo, minha proposta foi dirigir-me às pessoas portadoras de neoplasias em seu domicílio, buscando em um primeiro momento apreender o significado para os doentes de seu sendo-no-mundo com câncer, e a partir dessa compreensão, projetar novas possibilidades de cuidado a esses seres. A fenomenologia existencial de Martin Heidegger permitiu-me uma aproximação da existencialidade do doente, contemplando suas vivências com a doença. Para tal, realizei várias visitas aos sujeitos, antes e após a entrevista. A partir dos discursos e de minhas observações feitas durante as visitas, conduzi-me a uma compreensão das percepções dos pacientes sobre o estar-no-mundo com câncer. Da análise compreensiva emergiram duas categorias: A temporalidade do existir com câncer e o Ser-com-ooutro inautêntico no convívio com o câncer, as quais interpretei apropriando-me de algumas idéias de Martin Heidegger. E, finalmente, retomando o caminho percorrido, reflito sobre a assistência dispensada aos doentes e a importância de buscar novos caminhos para contemplar as reais necessidades de cuidados da pessoa com neoplasia. / In this study, my proposal was to direct myself to people who carry neoplasia at their dwellings, aiming, in the first instance, to understand the meaning of the being in world with cancer to the ill, and from this comprehension, to project new care possibilities to these beings. Martin Heidegger’s existential phenomenology allowed me to approximate myself to the ill person’s existentiality, contemplating his experience with the disease. For that, I accomplished several visits to individuals, before and after the interview. From the speeches and my observations fulfilled during the visits, I conducted myself to A comprehension of the ill perceptions of being in the world with cancer. From the comprehensive analysis, two categories emerged: The temporality of being with cancer and the inauthentic being-with the other in living together with cancer, which I interpreted adopting some Martin Heidegger’s ideas. Finally, recapturing the coursed path, I reflect on the exempt assistance to the ill and the importance of searching new to contemplate the real care necessities of the person with neoplasia.

CoordenaÃÃo de AperfeiÃoamento de Pessoal de NÃvel Superior / A arte tem sido utilizada como estratÃgia e recurso de promoÃÃo à saÃde que vai ao encontro das prÃticas desinstitucionalizadas. Por outro lado, verifica-se que a utilizaÃÃo deste recurso, algumas vezes, desmerece as pessoas com transtorno mental. Este estudo tem como objetivo geral compreender os sentidos de arte no cuidado em saÃde mental, atribuÃdos por pessoas com transtornos mentais acompanhadas pelo Movimento de SaÃde Mental ComunitÃria do Bom Jardim (MSMCBJ), em Fortaleza, CearÃ, que desenvolve atividades na Ãrea de saÃde mental e tem uma cogestÃo com a Prefeitura Municipal de Fortaleza para administraÃÃo do Centro de AtenÃÃo Psicossocial (CAPS) no acompanhamento dos participantes da pesquisa. Tal experiÃncia suscita questionamentos que norteiam esta investigaÃÃo pois este Movimento foge de prÃticas tradicionais pinelianas, ainda fortemente veiculadas ao tratamento em saÃde que utilizam eminentemente a medicaÃÃo como tratamento. Neste contexto, a arte surge como instrumento e via de promoÃÃo em saÃde como, dentre outros tipos de recursos. Para compreender como esta estratÃgia tem reverberado na saÃde dos usuÃrios a partir de seus prÃprios pontos de vista, foi utilizado como suporte teÃrico Rotelli, Merhy, Amarante, Duarte Junior, Dimenstein e Boff no que diz respeito à temÃtica da saÃde e prÃticas de cuidado. Em relaÃÃo à arte, esta pesquisa teve como base teÃrica as ideias de Paz, Ostrower e Vygotsky. Na perspectiva histÃrico-cultural, Vygotsky, Pino, Lane, Molon, Aguiar e Namura foram abordados. Metodologicamente, foram utilizadas a pesquisa qualitativa e a abordagem histÃrico-cultural, em um estudo de caso do Movimento de SaÃde Mental ComunitÃria do Bom Jardim (MSMCBJ). No decorrer da pesquisa foram criados dois grupos focais com usuÃrios dos serviÃos de saÃde do MSMCBJ. O primeiro ocorreu em agosto e o segundo em outubro de 2009. O primeiro grupo foi constituÃdo por nove pessoas e teve como temÃtica o cuidado em saÃde mental; e o segundo, com seis pessoas, utilizou a temÃtica da arte como cuidado. Em ambos os momentos uma das pessoas era acompanhante de um dos participantes da pesquisa. A anÃlise de conteÃdo foi utilizada como mÃtodo examinatÃrio dos dados deste estudo. Os resultados apontaram para uma perspectiva dos usuÃrios de valorizaÃÃo de uma prÃtica de cuidado cuja forma de acolhimento pedia determinadas especificidades para a construÃÃo das relaÃÃes entre profissionais e pacientes as quais foram relatadas como: exercÃcio de liberdade de expressÃo, prÃtica de autonomia, exercÃcio de valorizaÃÃo de si mesmo e interaÃÃo com outros sujeitos, com o consequente desenvolvimento dos participantes como sujeitos sociais. A utilizaÃÃo da arte no cuidado em saÃde mental mostrou fundamental importÃncia na significaÃÃo deste cuidado em saÃde mental. As caracterÃsticas do contexto de trabalho com arte aparecem como facilitadoras de relaÃÃes saudÃveis entre os usuÃrios e profissionais. / The art has been adopted as strategy and resource to health promotion that meets the practice of deinstitutionalization. On the other hand, it appears that the use of such resource sometimes disparage people with mental disorders. This study has as overall objective understand the meaning of art in mental health care given by people with mental disorder, accompanied by the Bom Jardimâs Communitarian Mental Health Care Movement (MSMCBJ) in Fortaleza, Ceara, acting jointly with the Municipality of Fortaleza through the Center for Psychosocial Care (CAPS) in the monitoring of this studyâs participants. Such experience raises questions that guide this research because this Movement aims beyond the traditional pinelians practices still strongly conveyed to health treatment which uses essentially the medication as treatment. In this matter, art arises as a tool and way of health promoting, among other features. To understand how this strategy has reverberated in the health of users of health services from their own points of view, it was used as theoretical support Rotelli, Merhy, Amarante, Duarte Junior, Dimenstein and Boff with regard to the issue of health care practices. In relation to art, this survey was based on the theoretical support ideas from Paz, Ostrower and Vygotsky. In the historical-cultural perspective, Vygotsky, Pino, Lane, Molon, Aguiar and Namura were addressed. Methodologically, it was utilized qualitative research and cultural-historical approach in a case study of the Bom Jardimâs Communitarian Health Care Movement (MSMCBJ). The frame time of the survey was developed two focal groups. The first occurred in August 2009 and the second in October 2009. The two focal groups were conducted with the participation of users of the health service of MSMCB. The first focal group was conducted with nine people. This groupâs theme was mental health care; and the second group, with six people, used the theme of art as care. In both moments only one of them was accompanying a researchâs participant. Content analysis was used as a method of data analysis in this study. The results pointed to a userâs perspective of valuation of a care practice that asked certain specific key to building relationships between professionals and patients which were reported as the exercise of freedom of expression, practice autonomy, exercise of valuing oneself and interacting with other individuals, with the consequent development of the participants as social subjects. The use of art in mental health care showed the significance of this fundamental part of mental health care. The characteristics of the context of working with art appeared as facilitators of healthy relationships between users and professionals.

A problemÃtica alimentar e nutricional na contemporaneidade, o perfil epidemiolÃgico e nutricional brasileiro, a assunÃÃo da SeguranÃa Alimentar e Nutricional e do Direito Humano à AlimentaÃÃo Adequada como prioridade de Estado e a necessidade do fortalecimento das aÃÃes de atenÃÃo nutricional na ESF, como parte essencial do cuidado integral em saÃde nas RAS, sÃo os principais fundamentos que justificam a inclusÃo da Ãrea estratÃgica de alimentaÃÃo e nutriÃÃo na proposta NASF. A inserÃÃo do nutricionista nesta proposta intenta contribuir para a qualificaÃÃo das aÃÃes neste Ãmbito de atenÃÃo, mediante a realizaÃÃo de um trabalho interdisciplinar, compartilhando prÃticas e saberes com as equipes de SF. O objetivo deste estudo foi compreender percepÃÃes dos nutricionistas atuantes nos NÃcleo de Apoio à SaÃde da FamÃlia de Fortaleza acerca de sua inserÃÃo na EstratÃgia SaÃde da FamÃlia. Trata-se de uma investigaÃÃo orientada pela abordagem qualitativa, ancorada em fundamentos epistemolÃgicos da fenomenologia e hermenÃutica. Com o intuito de acessar a produÃÃo subjetiva dos nutricionistas utilizamos a entrevista em profundidade, elegendo, na medida do possÃvel, o procedimento nÃo diretivo. A categorizaÃÃo do material empÃrico nos conduziu a trÃs eixos centrais: 1) InserÃÃo na ESF; 2) PercepÃÃes acerca do contexto; 3) O Nutricionista na ESF. Cada eixo foi desdobrado em diferentes dimensÃes. Os achados revelaram que o NASF configura-se como mais uma oportunidade de emprego surgida, no qual as profissionais tem estruturado seu processo de trabalho assumindo majoritariamente uma prÃtica individualizante e tecnicista, com escassa reflexÃo acerca de sua atuaÃÃo. O SUS e a ESF apresentam-se como serviÃos de saÃde restritos para pobres, revelando o quÃo pouco està disseminada a discussÃo sobre a polÃtica de saÃde entre os trabalhadores que a operacionalizam. Nesse contexto, a realizaÃÃo de atividades em Ãmbito coletivo intentando prevenir doenÃas à considerada a principal atribuiÃÃo do NASF. Os achados permitem concluir que o NASF tem organizado seu fazer majoritariamente a partir da assistÃncia direta ao usuÃrio, realizando um trabalho desarticulado da equipe de SF. As interfaces percebidas entre NASF e ESF relacionam-se à prevenÃÃo de doenÃas, sendo quase ausente a menÃÃo ao suporte pedagÃgico Ãs equipes de SF. IndustrializaÃÃo, padronizaÃÃo, desterritorializaÃÃo do comer, armadilhas da indÃstria de alimentos na publicidade e incoerÃncias entre modos de vida vendidos pela mÃdia e as condiÃÃes de vida de grande parte dos usuÃrios e a epidemia da obesidade sÃo as principais questÃes alimentares e nutricionais presentes nos territÃrios assistidos pelas profissionais. Nesse cenÃrio, grande parte das profissionais concebe o lugar do nutricionista na prevenÃÃo e tratamento de doenÃas e agravos relacionados à alimentaÃÃo, tendo suas aÃÃes destinadas à mudanÃa de hÃbitos alimentares por meio de uma educaÃÃo nutricional voltada a trocas alimentares destinadas a racionalizar os recursos disponÃveis em prol do consumo de alimentos mais saudÃveis. Nesse sentido, os achados apontam uma postura alheia das profissionais frente ao ideÃrio do projeto da Reforma SanitÃria brasileira e aos princÃpios das polÃticas de SAN, apontando as distÃncias entre suas atuaÃÃes e as reais necessidades de saÃde da populaÃÃo assistida. / The food and nutritional problems in the contemporary world, the epidemiological and nutritional profile in Brazil, the assumption of the Food and Nutritional Security and the Human Right to Adequate Food as a priority of state and the need of strengthening actions of nutritional care in the Strategy of Family Health (FHS) as an essential part of integral health care in the Networks of Health Care, are the main reasons that justify the inclusion of the strategic area of food and nutrition in the Center for Family Health Support (CFHS) proposal. The insertion of the nutritionist in this proposal intends to contribute to the qualification of the actions in this area of care, by conducting an interdisciplinary work, sharing knowledge and practices with teams from Family Health. The aim of this work was to understand perceptions of nutritionists who work in CFHS in Fortaleza concerning its inclusion in the FHS. It is a research oriented by a qualitative approach, grounded on epistemological foundations of phenomenology and hermeneutics. In order to access the subjective production of nutritionists it was used the in-depth interview, choosing to the possible extent, the nondirective procedure. The categorization of the empirical material led us to three central axes: 1) Insertion at FHS, 2) Perceptions about the context, 3) The Nutritionist at Family Health Strategy. Each axis was split into different dimensions. The findings revealed that the CFHS appears as another job opportunity arose, in which professionals have structured their work process taking a largely individualistic and technical practice with little consideration on their performance. The Unique System of Health and FHS present themselves as health services restricted to poor people, revealing how little the discussion on health policy is widespread among the professionals who operate the services. In this context, carrying out activities in a community attempting to prevent diseases is considered the main task of the CFHS. The findings show that the CFHS has organized its doing mostly from direct assistance to the user, carrying out a work disjointed from the Family Health team. Interfaces perceived between the CFHS and FHS relate to disease prevention, being almost absent the mention to the pedagogical support to the Family Health teams. Industrialization, standardization, dispossession of eating, the traps of the food industry in advertising and inconsistencies between lifestyles sold by the media and the living conditions of most users and the epidemic of obesity are major issues present in food and nutrition territories assisted by professionals. In this scenario, most professionals conceive the place of the nutritionist in the prevention and treatment of diseases and disorders related to food, and his actions are dedicated at changing eating habits through a nutrition education focused on food exchanges aiming to rationalize the resources available in favor of consumption healthier foods. Accordingly, the findings indicate the professionals posture against the ideology of the project of Brazilian Health Reform and the principles of Food and Nutritional Safety policies, pointing out the distances between their actions and the current health needs of the population assisted.

Orientador: Carlos Eduardo Leite Arieta / Tese (doutorado) - Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas / Made available in DSpace on 2018-08-23T06:27:22Z (GMT). No. of bitstreams: 1 Oliveira_DeniseFornazaride_D.pdf: 3119870 bytes, checksum: 95b8a08b4d2cee7e0526e3af36a701ab (MD5) Previous issue date: 2013 / Resumo: Realizou-se estudo transversal com o objetivo de avaliar e caracterizar o modelo de atenção em saúde ocular em municípios da região de Campinas de acordo com a organização do Sistema Único de Saúde, e oferecer subsídios para a configuração da rede temática regionalizada de atenção à saúde em oftalmologia. Foram incluídos 62 municípios, que compõem a Rede Regionalizada de Atenção à Saúde (RRAS) 15 e RRAS 16 do Estado de São Paulo, para as quais o Hospital de Clínicas da Unicamp é referência de alta complexidade. Foram avaliados os serviços públicos de saúde municipais, estaduais e parcerias presentes na região. Não foram avaliados os serviços de saúde do sistema privado. Foram consultados os funcionários das Centrais de Regulação das Secretarias de Saúde dos municípios. O instrumento utilizado foi questionário semiestruturado, desenvolvido em estudo exploratório, aplicado por entrevista. Foram avaliadas estratégias de atendimento, com variáveis que permitiram caracterizar a assistência oftalmológica quanto ao modelo de atenção adotado, serviços ambulatoriais especializados, fluxo local e regional de pacientes, capacidade resolutiva das unidades, perfil das equipes, instalações físicas, programa de assistência farmacêutica, participação em consórcios e convênios com a assistência suplementar. A região estudada tem uma população de 4.805.691de habitantes. Há serviços de atendimento em oftalmologia em 77,4% dos municípios. Na região estão instalados 5 Ambulatórios Médicos de Especialidades (AME), 2 hospitais filantrópicos, um hospital estadual e 2 hospitais universitários, com atendimento referenciado. Estão presentes 3 consórcios regionais de saúde. O acesso da população ocorre principalmente pela atenção básica (95,2% dos municípios), encaminhada pelo médico clínico (74,2%). O tempo de espera da consulta de oftalmologia está entre 30 e 60 dias. Há lista de espera para consultas em 58,0% dos municípios, de 27.159 pacientes. O volume de consultas mensais disponibilizadas pelo sistema público é de aproximadamente 21.512. São 115 oftalmologistas atuando na rede pública, 87 na RRAS 15 e 28 na RRAS 16, em 57 consultórios com equipamento básico. Os pacientes de maior complexidade são encaminhados aos serviços de referência. Não há atendimento de urgência em oftalmologia em 77,4% dos municípios, e 82,3% dos municípios não têm centro cirúrgico para procedimentos de oftalmologia. Existem filas de espera para cirurgia de catarata em 80,6% dos municípios. São 5.796 pacientes na RRAS 15 e 796 na RRAS 16. Em 13 municípios com filas (26,0%), não há dados sobre números de pacientes nas filas. A maior parte da fila (81,8%) concentra-se em 8 municípios (12,9%). Não existem dados organizados de filas para atendimento em doenças da retina. O programa de assistência farmacêutica, com os medicamentos do glaucoma, está em 79,0% dos municípios, e o transporte sanitário em 100,0%. Os municípios apresentam sistema de referência e contrarreferência de pacientes (53,2%) e a maioria (82,3%) não tem protocolos clínicos de atendimento de oftalmologia. As principais dificuldades encontradas na organização do atendimento são relacionadas ao encaminhamento de pacientes com problemas de maior complexidade (referência, cirurgias e procedimentos de retina). Tal fato corrobora a necessidade da organização do fluxo de pacientes, para que os recursos disponíveis sejam mais bem aproveitados e os investimentos sejam realizados de forma a atender as necessidades detectadas / Abstract: A cross-sectional study was conducted to evaluate and characterize the model of eye care within the Brazilian Health System (SUS) in the region of Campinas and also provide support for configuration of the regionalized health care network in ophthalmology. The study included 62 municipalities from the State of São Paulo, which comprises the Regionalized Health Care Network (RRAS) 15 and RRAS 16. The Clinical Hospital of Unicamp is the reference for high complexity in this region. Only public health services and their partners were evaluated. To perform the study, professionals from de Regulatory Section of the Health Division of the municipalities were interviewed. The instrument was a semi-structured questionnaire, developed in the exploratory study and applied by direct interview. We evaluated service strategies with variables that allow for characterization of the eye care regarding the model of care adopted, specialized ambulatory services, local and regional flow of patients, service power of resolution, professional profile, pharmaceutical assistance programs, participation in consortia and partnerships with other health institutions. The study area has a population of 4.805.691 inhabitants. There are services in ophthalmology in 77.4% of the municipalities. There are 5 AMEs in the region, two philanthropic hospitals, a state hospital and two university hospitals with referenced assistance. There are presently three regional health consortia in the region. The entrance of patients into the system for eye care occurs mainly by primary care services (95.2% of municipalities) and clinician referral (74.2%). Waiting time for ophthalmology consultation is between 30 and 60 days. There is a waiting list for appointments in 58.0% of the municipalities totaling 27,159 patients. The total number of consultations available is approximately 21,512 a month. There are 115 ophthalmologists acting in the public service: 87 in RRAS 15 and 28 in RRAS 16. There are 57 offices with basic ophthalmologic equipment. Patients of greater complexity are referred to appropriate services. There is no emergency assistance in ophthalmology, and 82.3% of the municipalities do not have operating room facilities for ophthalmology. There are waiting lists for cataract surgery in 80.6% of the municipalities (5,796 patients in RRAS 15 and 796 in RRAS 16). In 13 municipalities with waiting lists (26.0%), there are no data regarding the number of patients. The majority of queues (81.8%) are concentrated in 8 cities (12.9%) and there are no data regarding queues for diseases of the retina. The pharmaceutical assistance program for glaucoma medications is present in 79.0% of the municipalities, and medical transportation in 100.0%. There is a system for reference and counter reference of patients in 53.2% of the municipalities and the majority (82.3%) does not have clinical protocols for ophthalmology. The main difficulties found in the organization of care are related to flow of patients with more complex problems (referral, surgeries and procedures of retina). This study corroborates the necessity of organizing flow patient so that the available resources are better placed and investments can be made in order to attend the identified needs / Doutorado / Oftalmologia / Doutora em Ciências Médicas

Dentists have traditionally been the sole gatekeepers to the delivery of primary care dental services. Direct Access, a measure that allows Dental Care Professionals to see patients without a referral from a Dentist, is a fundamental change to this long-standing principle. This thesis systematically explores the attitudes of stakeholders across the micro, meso and macro levels of dentistry towards Direct Access in two distinct health care systems, the Netherlands and the UK.Direct Access was introduced in the Netherlands in 2006 and subsequently introduced in the UK in 2013. This study uses a qualitative approach to explore the attitudes towards the introduction of Direct Access in both of these states. It presents the results of semi-structured interviews with 74 participants (individually or as part of a group) including Students, Dental Care Professionals and Dentists at the micro-level, representatives of Professional Associations, Insurers and Dental Schools at the meso-level and Policy Makers at the macro-level. The results of this study show a significant range of attitudes towards Direct Access, but reveal a degree of consensus within individual stakeholder groups towards the reform’s introduction and impact. Dental Care Professionals interpret the introduction of Direct Access as recognition of their capabilities and expect it to primarily benefit patients through access to care and expertise. Dentists were more likely to view the introduction of Direct Access in terms of competition or professional persecution, with the impacts considered from a professional or financial viewpoint. Policy Makers saw potential for Direct Access to realign dental workforces and services to contemporary care needs. Attitudes at the meso level demonstrated the greatest variety and were more influenced by the idiosyncrasies of their respective health care system. In comparing the attitudes towards Direct Access in the Netherlands and the UK there were several differences, such as in the support of the Direct Access by Principal Dentists, however many of these can be explained by differences in healthcare funding and the time difference between the two reforms. Despite these differences stakeholders in both states felt that while Direct Access had the potential to create significant impacts on a range of issues (including professional competition, patient access to care, the reduction of care costs to patients and the state, the redistribution of dental tasks and the remodelling of the dental workforce) it was unlikely to do so in either the Netherlands or the UK. Flaws in the Direct Access regulations, legal obstructions to crucial procedures and imbalances in street-level professional power were perceived to obstruct Direct Access. Rather than revolutionising dental services Direct Access has been implemented selectively in the interest of dental practices.

Background: The United States health care system faces two fundamental challenges: a high growth rate of health care spending and deficiencies in quality of care. The growth rate of health care spending is the dominant driver of our nation’s long-term federal debt, while the inconsistent quality of care hinders the ability of the health care system to maximize value for patients. To address both of these challenges, public and private payers are increasingly changing the way they pay providers—moving away from fee-for-service towards global payment contracts for groups of providers coming together as accountable care organizations. This thesis evaluates the change in health care spending and in quality of care associated with moving to global payment for accountable care organizations in Massachusetts in the first 4 years. This thesis studies the Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts Alternative Quality Contract (AQC), a global payment contract that provider organizations in Massachusetts began to enter in 2009. The AQC pays provider organizations a risk-adjusted global budget for the entire continuum of care for a defined population of enrollees insured by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts. It also awards substantial pay-for-performance incentives for organizations meeting performance thresholds on quality measures. This work assesses its effect on spending and quality through the first 4 years of the contract. Methods: Enrollee-level claims data from 2006-2012 were used with a difference-in-differences design to evaluate the changes in spending and quality associated with the Alternative Quality Contract over the first 4 years. The study population consisted of enrollees in Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts plans (intervention group) and enrollees in commercial employer-sponsored plans across 5 comparison states (control group). Unadjusted and adjusted results are reported for each comparison between intervention and control. Changes in spending for all 4 AQC cohorts relative to control were evaluated. In adjusted analyses of spending, I used a multivariate linear model at the enrollee-quarter level, controlling for age, sex, risk score, indicators for intervention, quarters of the study period, the post-intervention period, and the appropriate interactions. For analyses of quality, an analogous model at the enrollee-year level was used. Process and outcome quality were evaluated. Results: Seven provider organizations joined the AQC in 2009, with a total of 490,167 individuals who were enrolled for at least 1 calendar year in the study period. The control group had 966,813 unique individuals enrolled for at least 1 year during the study period. Average age, sex, and risk scores before and after the AQC were similar between the two groups. In the 2009 cohort, claims spending grew on average $62.21 per enrollee per quarter less than control over 4 years (p<0.001), a 6.8% savings. Analogously, the 2010, 2011, and 2012 cohorts had average savings of 8.8% (p<0.001), 9.1% (p<0.001), and 5.8% (p=0.04), respectively, by the end of 2012. Savings on claims were concentrated in the outpatient facility setting, specifically procedures, imaging, and tests (8.7%, 10.9%, and 9.7%, respectively, p<0.001). Organizations with and without risk-contracting experience saw similar average savings of 6.3% and 7.7%, respectively, over 4 years (p<0.001). About 40% of savings were explained by lower volume. Pre-intervention trends were not statistically different between intervention and control (-$4.57, p=0.86), suggesting savings were not driven by inherently different trajectories of spending. No differences in coding intensity were found. In sensitivity analyses, estimates were robust to alterations in the model, variables, and sample. Notably, claims savings were exceeded by incentive payments to providers (shared savings and quality bonuses) in 2009-2011, but exceeded incentives payments in 2012, generating net savings. Improvements in quality among intervention cohorts generally exceeded New England and national comparisons. Quality performance on chronic care measures increased from 79.6% pre-intervention to 84.5% post-intervention in the 2009 cohort, compared to 79.8% to 80.8% for the HEDIS national average, a 3.9 percentage-point relative increase over the 4 years. Analogously, preventive care and pediatric care measures increased 2.7 and 2.4 percentage points relative to control, respectively. On outcome measures, achievement of hemoglobin A1c, LDL cholesterol, and blood pressure control grew by 2.1 percentage points per year in the 2009 cohort after the AQC, while HEDIS averages remained largely unchanged (Figure). Conclusion: After 4 years, physician organizations in the AQC had lower spending growth relative to control and generally outperformed national averages on quality measures. Shared savings coupled with quality bonuses can exceed savings on claims in initial years, but over time, savings on claims may outgrow incentive payments. Incentive payments themselves may serve meaningful purposes, as quality measures may protect against stinting and shared savings may help ease providers into risk contracts. Changes in utilization suggest that this payment model can help modify underlying care patterns, a likely prerequisite for sustainable reform. The AQC experience may be useful to policymakers, insurers, and providers embarking on payment reform. Combining global budgets with pay-for- performance may encourage organizations to embark on the delivery system reforms necessary to slow spending and improve quality.

Background: Primary care may be a key setting for suicide prevention as many patients visit their General Practitioner (GP) in the weeks leading up to their death. Comparatively little is known about GPs’ perspectives on risk assessment, treatment adherence, management of and interactions with suicidal patients prior to the patient’s suicide and the services available in primary care for suicide prevention. Aim: This study aimed to explore primary care data on a clinical sample of individuals who died by suicide and were in recent contact with mental health services in order to: investigate the frequency and nature of general practice consultations; examine risk assessment, treatment adherence and management in primary and secondary care; gain GPs’ views on patient non-adherence to treatment and service availability for the management of suicidal patients. Method: A mixed-methods study design including data from the National Confidential Inquiry on 336 patients who died by suicide, data from 286 patient coroner files, primary care medical notes on 291 patients and 198 semi-structured face–to-face interviews with GPs across the North West of England. We collected data on GPs' views on the treatment and management of patients in the year prior to suicide, suicide prevention generally and local mental health service provision. Quantitative data were analysed using SPSS. Interviews were transcribed verbatim and analysed using a thematic approach. Results: Overall, 91% of individuals consulted their GP on at least one occasion in the year before suicide. GPs reported concerns about their patient’s safety in 27% of cases, but only 16% of them thought that the suicide could have been prevented. The overall agreement in the rating of risk between primary and specialist care was poor (overall kappa = 0.127; p = 0.10). Non-adherence was reported for 43% of patients. The main reasons for non-adherence were lack of insight, reported side effects and multiple psychiatric diagnoses. We obtained qualitative data from GPs on their interpretations of suicide attempts or self-harm, professional isolation and GP responsibilities when managing suicidal patients. Limitations: Our findings may not be generalisable to people who died by suicide and were not under the care of specialist services. GPs recruited for the study may have had different views from GPs who have never experienced a patient suicide. Our findings may not be representative of the rest of the UK although many of the issues identified are likely to apply across services. Conclusion: Suicide prevention in primary care is challenging. Possible strategies for future suicide prevention in general practice include: increasing GP awareness of suicide-related issues and improving training and risk assessment skills; increasing awareness in primary care about why patients may not want treatments offered by focusing on each individual’s situational context; removing barriers to accessing therapies and treatments; and, better liaison and collaboration between services to improve patient outcomes.