title: Strategies for increasing house staff management of cholesterol with inpatients.
abstract: This study tested the effectiveness of two conceptually different chart audit-based approaches to modifying physicians' clinical practices to conform with quality-assurance standards. The objective was to increase intern utilization of cholesterol management opportunities in the inpatient setting. Using a clinical trial study design, 29 internal medicine interns were randomly assigned to four intervention groups identified by the intervention they received: control, reminder checklists (checklists), patient-specific feedback (feedback), or both interventions (combined). Over a nine-month period, intern management of high blood cholesterol levels in internal medicine inpatients (n = 459) was monitored by postdischarge chart audit. During both a baseline and subsequent intervention period, interns documented significantly more cholesterol management for inpatients with coronary artery disease (CAD) than without CAD. During baseline, 27.3%, 24.3%, 21.7%, 12.4%, 5.4%, and 2.7% of all inpatient charts had intern documentation concerning a low-fat hospital diet, cholesterol history, screening blood cholesterol level assessment, follow-up lipid profile, nutritionist consult, and preventive cardiology consult, respectively. The feedback intervention significantly increased overall intern-documented cholesterol management among inpatients with CAD. The checklists significantly decreased overall intern-documented cholesterol management. Feedback appears to be an effective approach to increasing intern cholesterol management in inpatients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community and Family Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Washington, DC 20007-2195.
authors.forename: B O
authors.initials: BO
authors.lastname: Boekeloo
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Becker
authors.forename: D M
authors.initials: DM
authors.lastname: Levine
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Belitsos
authors.forename: T A
authors.initials: TA
authors.lastname: Pearson
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood* / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D005246:Feedback; D005260:Female; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000517:prevention & control / Q000628:therapy; D007388:Internal Medicine / Q000193:education*; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008505:Medical Staff, Hospital / Q000193:education*; D010818:Practice Patterns, Physicians'; D011785:Quality Assurance, Health Care; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*
chemical_list: D002784:Cholesterol