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Stefania Di Gangi, Oliver Senn, Andreas Plate Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandCorrespondence: Stefania Di Gangi, Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital of Zurich, Pestalozzistrasse 24, Zürich, 8091, Switzerland, Email stefania.digangi@usz.chIntroduction: Improving the quality of teaching placements in family medicine practice (FMP) could help to address the shortage of primary care physicians. This study aims to investigate students’ evaluations of first-exposure FMP placements, to identify clusters of FMPs that might need to improve their placement quality, and to analyze students’ perceptions of the FMP as a learning environment.Methods: The design was a cross-sectional survey study, including all fourth-year undergraduate medical students at the University of Zurich, Switzerland, who completed a mandatory placement in FMP during 2019– 2022. The placements consisted of individual teaching and training in the same FMP for 8 half days within an academic year. The primary outcome was the student Likert scale rating of the 14 key questions as indicators of teaching placement quality. Based on these indicators, cluster analysis was used to identify groups of FMPs with the potential for quality improvement. A framework analysis was used to analyze the students’ perceptions.Results: A total of 713 students (response rate 81%) and 249 FMPs (median [interquartile range]: 2 [1,4] students per FMP) were included. Overall, 86% of the students were satisfied with the placement, and 95% reported that the placement gave them realistic insight into FMP work. A cluster of 25 (10%) FMPs that may improve placement quality was identified. Students most liked the opportunity to gain FMP skills, insight into FMP work, and establishment of patient relationships.Conclusion: Our study described students’ experiences with FMP and a method for teaching evaluation to identify FMPs that may benefit from interventions to improve their learning environment. This could upgrade the medical education offered and increase the interest in family medicine as a response to the shortage of primary care physicians.Keywords: family medicine practice, undergraduate medical education, teaching placement, student perception, quality evaluation

Dario Kohlbrenner,1 Noriane A Sievi,1 Oliver Senn,2 Malcolm Kohler,1 Christian F Clarenbach1 1Department of Pulmonology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland; 2Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, SwitzerlandCorrespondence: Christian F ClarenbachDepartment of Pulmonology, University Hospital Zurich, Raemistrasse 100, Zurich 8091, SwitzerlandTel +41 44 255 17 12Email christian.clarenbach@usz.chBackground and Objective: Limited evidence on long-term effects of physical activity programs in COPD is available. The aim of the study was to investigate the effects of a three-month program combining physical activity counselling and pedometer-based feedback in addition to usual care, followed by a nine-month unsupervised observation period as compared to usual care in participants with severe to very severe COPD.Methods: Participants were randomized to either a control group receiving usual care or an intervention group receiving motivational support, an activity diary with an individual step count goal (ie, an increase of ≥ 15% from baseline) and a pedometer in addition to usual care. The intervention ended after three months and an unsupervised observational period followed until twelve months. Primary outcome was daily step count after one year.Results: Seventy-four participants were included, 61 (82%) completed the study. Linear regression modelling, adjusted for baseline step count, showed no significant difference in change in step count after 12 months between the groups (&Bgr; = 547.33, 95% CI = − 243.55/1338.20).Conclusion: A three-month program combining physical activity counselling and pedometer-based feedback in addition to usual care does not attenuate the declining course of physical activity in participants with severe and very severe COPD during a long term follow-up of one year as compared to usual care. This result was primarily determined by the low intervention response rates to the combined program.Clinical Trial Registration: www.ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03114241.Keywords: physical activity, COPD, counselling program, randomized controlled trial, long-term follow-up

Nahara Anani Martínez-González, Andreas Plate, Stefan Markun, Oliver Senn, Thomas Rosemann, Stefan Neuner-JehleInstitute of Primary Care, University of Zurich and University Hospital of Zurich, Zurich CH-8091, SwitzerlandAims: To synthesize the empirical evidence on the effectiveness of shared decision making (SDM) compared to usual care for prostate cancer (PC) treatment.Methods and results: A systematic review of academic (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, CINHAL, PsychINFO, and Scopus) and grey (clinicaltrials.gov, WHO trial search, meta-Register ISRCTN, Google Scholar, opengrey, and ohri.ca) literature, also identified from contacting authors and hand-searching bibliographies. We included randomized controlled trials (RCTs): 1) comparing SDM to usual care for decisions about PC treatment, 2) conducted in primary or specialized care, 3) fulfilling the key SDM features, and 4) reporting quantitative outcome data. Four RCTs from Canada (n=3) and the USA were included and comprised 1,065 randomized men, most (89.8%) of whom were in PC stage T1-T2. The studies reported 24 outcome measures. In 62.5% study estimates, SDM was similar to usual care at improving patient satisfaction and mood, and at reducing decisional conflict and decisional regret. In 37.5% study estimates, SDM significantly improved knowledge, perception of being informed and patient-perceived quality of life (QoL) at four weeks. There was a dearth of outcome data, particularly on the adherence to treatment and on patient-important and clinically relevant health outcomes such as symptoms and mortality.Conclusion: SDM may positively influence men’s knowledge and may have a positive but short-term effect on patient-perceived QoL. The (long-term) effects of SDM on patient-related outcomes for decisions about PC treatment are unclear. Future research needs consensus about the interventions and outcomes needed to evaluate SDM and should address the absence of evidence on health outcomes.Keywords: systematic review, shared decision making, prostate cancer, treatment, controlled clinical trials, urology

Stefan Markun,1,* Daniel P Franzen,2,* Kaba Dalla Lana,1 Swantje Beyer,3 Stephan Wieser,4 Thomas Hess,3 Malcolm Kohler,2 Thomas Rosemann,1 Oliver Senn,1 Claudia Steurer-Stey1,5 1Institute of Primary Care, 2Department of Pneumology, University Hospital Zurich, University of Zurich, Zurich, 3Department of Pneumology, Cantonal Hospital of Winterthur, Winterthur, 4Department of Pneumology, City Hospital Waid, 5MediX Group Practice Ltd, Zurich, Switzerland *These authors contributed equally to this work Introduction: Hospitalizations because of acute exacerbated COPD (AECOPD) are a major burden to patients and the health care system. Interventions during acute and post-acute hospital care exist not only to improve short-term outcomes but also to prevent future exacerbations and disease progression. We aimed at measuring the implementation rates of acute and post-acute hospital care interventions for AECOPD.Methods: We performed 24 months (January 1, 2012, to December 31, 2013) retrospective medical chart review of consecutive cases hospitalized to one of three public hospitals in the canton of Zurich due to AECOPD. Implementation rates of five acute care and seven post-acute care interventions were assessed.Results: Data from 263 hospitalizations (61% male, mean age 68.5 years, 47% active smokers) were analyzed. The median length of stay was 9 days (interquartile range [IQR] 6–12 days). In all, 32% of hospitalizations were caused by individuals with previous hospitalizations because of AECOPD. Implementation rates of four acute care interventions were >75% (lowest was appropriate antibiotic therapy with 56%). Compared to this, implementation rates of five post-acute care interventions were

Stefan Neuner-Jehle, Stefan Zechmann, Daniela Grundmann Maissen, Thomas Rosemann, Oliver Senn Institute of Primary Care, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Background: Multiple chronic health conditions are leading to multiple treatment procedures and polypharmacy. Prioritizing treatment according to patients’ needs and preferences may be helpful for deprescribing. Thus, for improving health care, it is crucial for general practitioners (GPs) to perceive the chief complaints (CCs) of patients. The primary aim of this study was to investigate the patient–provider concordance of CCs and the secondary aim was to investigate the concordance between CCs and diagnosis, in a sample of Swiss multimorbid patients. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional analysis based on a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) among 46 GPs, recruited between March 2015 to July 2016, and 334 multimorbid patients (≥60 years taking ≥5 drugs for at least 6 months) in Northern Switzerland was performed. CCs listed by GPs and by patients (n=128) were classified according to the International Classification of Primary Care, version 2 (ICPC-2) coding system on chapter and component level and defined as concordant if ICPC-2 codes of patients and GPs were identical. Concordance was classified into full, moderate or low, depending on the ranking of patients’ CCs on GPs’ list. As secondary outcome, we compared patients’ CCs to GPs’ diagnosis. Statistics included descriptive measures and a multivariate regression analysis of factors that are modifying concordance. Results: The mean age of patients was 76.9 (SD 8.1) years, where 38% were male, taking 7.9 (SD 2.6) drugs on the long term. The most frequent complaint was pain. Concordance of the CC was given in 101/128 (78.9%) on the ICPC-2 chapter level, whereby 86/128 (67.2%) showed full, 8/128 (6.3%) moderate and 7/128 (5.5%) low concordance; 27/128 (21.1%) were discordant. Concordance between CCs and diagnosis was 53.6%. Concordance increased with the intensity of the CC rated by patients (OR 1.48, CI 1.13–1.94, P

Corinne Chmiel, Oliver Senn, Thomas Rosemann, Valerio Del Prete, Claudia Steurer-Stey Institute of General Practice and Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland Background: Inadequate blood pressure (BP) control is a frequent challenge in general practice. The objective of this study was to determine whether a color-coded BP booklet using a traffic light scheme (red, >180 mmHg systolic BP and/or >110 mmHg diastolic BP; yellow, >140–180 mmHg systolic BP or >90–110 mmHg diastolic BP; green, ≤140 mmHg systolic BP and ≤90 mmHg diastolic BP) improves BP control and adherence with home BP measurement.Methods: In this two-group, randomized controlled trial, general practitioners recruited adult patients with a BP >140 mmHg systolic and/or >90 mmHg diastolic. Patients in the control group received a standard BP booklet and the intervention group used a color-coded booklet for daily home BP measurement. The main outcomes were changes in BP, BP control (treatment goal

Corinne Chmiel, Thomas Rosemann, Oliver SennInstitute of General Practice and Health Services Research, University of Zurich, Raemistrasse, Zurich, SwitzerlandBackground: To investigate characteristics of and satisfaction with psychiatric 24-hour emergency primary care performed by mandatory rotation of licensed psychiatrists as a viable baseline for possible reorganizational measures.Methods: This was a questionnaire-based cross-sectional study (November 2010–April 2011). The number of patient–psychiatrist encounters, modes of contact, and patient and psychiatrist characteristics were assessed. Diagnoses were coded with ICD-10 (International Classification of Diseases, version 10).Results: From 167 duty episodes, 74 (44%) were recorded. Of the psychiatrists (n44), 52% were female, and mean age (standard deviation) was 49.9 (5.2) years. The median number of encounters per episode was 4 (interquartile range 0–8), mainly in the evenings. Demand for “face-to-face” (direct) patient visits was significantly more common (64.0%) than practice (1.3%) or telephone consultations (34.7%). In 83.8%, psychiatrists judged the encounter as adequate at the patient’s location. A total of 43 different diagnoses were recorded: mainly schizophrenic disorders (23.9%), suicidal behavior (15.2%), and acute stress reactions (10.3%). Psychiatrists felt burdened by services (62.5%): in 39.2%, they felt threatened; and in 6.8%, violence occurred. In 32.4%, bills were not paid for. If services were optional, 45.2% would participate.Conclusion: Our findings indicate justified demand for direct mobile patient visits, suggesting that emergency care should be multifaceted, and sole provision of psychiatric care at stationed emergency facilities may not always be appropriate. Reorganization of 24-hour emergency services should carefully evaluate patient and provider’s needs before changing established structures.Keywords: primary health care, after-hours care, emergencies, satisfaction, psychiatry

Introduction Acute exacerbations (AE) of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) constitute a substantial burden for COPD patients. Characterized by a worsening of symptoms that is beyond the normal day to [...], Purpose Acute exacerbations (AE) in patients with COPD are associated with a decline in lung function, increased risk of hospitalization, and mortality. In this cross-sectional study we tested whether the level of objectively measured daily physical activity and exercise capacity are associated with the number of COPD exacerbations. Methods In 210 patients with COPD (67 % men; mean (SD) age: 63 (8) years) enrolled in The Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Outcomes Cohort of Switzerland (TOPDOCS) physical activity (PA) (steps per day, physical activity level, (PAL)), exercise capacity (6-min walking distance, (6MWD)), comorbidities, lung function, and medication were assessed. Differences between COPD patients with frequent (>2 year) and infrequent (0-1 year) exacerbations were assessed. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to investigate whether the level of objectively measured daily physical activity and exercise capacity are associated with the number of COPD exacerbations. Results Patients with frequent AE had a significantly lower [FEV.sub.1] and 6MWD compared to patients with infrequent AE. In univariate analysis, the number of exacerbations was inversely associated with [FEV.sub.1], 6MWD, BMI, and smoking status while there was a positive association with RV/TLC and combined inhaled medication. However, there was no significant association with PAL and steps per day. In multivariate analysis, [FEV.sub.1] and the use of combined inhaled medication were independently associated with the number of AE, after correction for covariates. Conclusions The findings of this study imply that [FEV.sub.1], independent of inhaled medication, is significantly associated with COPD exacerbations. Neither physical activity nor exercise capacity was independently associated with COPD exacerbations. Keywords COPD * Acute exacerbations * Objective assessment of daily physical activity * Exercise capacity