Alcohol prevention in Swedish occupational health care

BACKGROUND

Occupational health care (OHC) was part of the Swedish Risk Drinking Project, a government-supported continuing professional education (CPE) endeavour for health professionals, 2004-10.

AIMS

To investigate OHC professionals' perceived knowledge concerning patient counselling on alcohol, perceived efficiency in achieving patient changes, use of questionnaires and biomarkers, amount and content of their alcohol-related CPE, their reasons for participating in this CPE and improvements experienced in addressing alcohol issues in the last 3 years.

METHODS

Baseline 2005 and follow-up 2008 data were collected by means of anonymous questionnaires to all physicians and nurses in OHC.

RESULTS

Response rates ranged from 53 to 80%. The share of nurses and physicians who had taken part in ≥ 3 days training on risk drinking issues rose from 10 to 59% and from 7 to 59%, respectively. The OHC professionals' perceived knowledge and efficiency concerning lifestyle counselling improved from 2005 to 2008, considerably more so for alcohol than the other lifestyle issues. The most competent nurses and physicians were more likely to have participated in training lasting ≥ 3 days. The most competent nurses and physicians had become better at initiating conversations about alcohol and at informing, providing advice and discussing alcohol with their clients.

CONCLUSIONS

There were major improvements in the OHC professionals' perceived knowledge concerning alcohol counselling and efficiency in influencing patients' alcohol habits after participation in a comprehensive CPE project. Overall, the nurses achieved more improvements than the physicians.

Implementing brief interventions in health care: lessons learned from the Swedish Risk Drinking Project

The Risk Drinking Project was a national implementation endeavour in Sweden, carried out from 2004 to 2010, based on a government initiative to give alcohol issues a more prominent place in routine primary, child, maternity and occupational health care. The article describes and analyses the project. Critical factors that were important for the results are identified. The magnitude of the project contributed to its reach and impact in terms of providers' awareness of the project goals and key messages. The timing of the project was appropriate. The increase in alcohol consumption in Sweden and diminished opportunities for primary prevention strategies since entry to the European Union in 1995 have led to increased expectations for health care providers to become more actively involved in alcohol prevention. This awareness provided favourable conditions for this project. A multifaceted approach was used in the project. Most educational courses were held in workshops and seminars to encourage learning-by-doing. Motivational interviewing was an integral aspect. The concept of risk drinking was promoted in all the activities. Subprojects were tailored to the specific conditions of each respective setting, building on the skills the providers already had to modify existing work practices. Nurses were afforded a key role in the project.

A systematic review of motivational interviewing training for general health care practitioners

OBJECTIVE

This article systematically reviews empirical studies that have evaluated different aspects of motivational interviewing (MI) training for general health care professionals.

METHODS

Studies were obtained from several databases. To be included, the MI training had to be provided specifically for general health care practitioners for use in their regular face-to-face counselling. The training outcomes had to be linked to the MI training.

RESULTS

Ten studies were found. The median length of the training was 9h. The most commonly addressed training elements were basic MI skills, the MI spirit, recognizing and reinforcing change talk, and rolling with resistance. Most studies involved follow-up training sessions. The study quality varied considerably. Five studies assessed training outcomes at a single point in time, which yields low internal validity. Four studies used random assignment of practitioners to the MI training and comparison conditions. The training generated positive outcomes overall and had a significant effect on many aspects of the participants' daily practice, but the results must be interpreted with caution due to the inconsistent study quality.

CONCLUSIONS

The generally favourable training outcomes suggest that MI can be used to improve client communication and counselling concerning lifestyle-related issues in general health care. However, the results must be interpreted with caution due to inconsistent methodological quality of the studies.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

This review suggests that MI training outcomes are generally favourable, but more high-quality research is needed to help identify the best practices for training in MI.

Hazardous drinking concepts, limits and methods: low levels of awareness, knowledge and use in the Swedish population

AIMS

To investigate the awareness and knowledge of hazardous drinking limits among the general population in Sweden and the extent to which people estimate their alcohol consumption in standard drinks to assess their level of drinking.

METHODS

A population-based study involving 6000 individuals selected from the total Swedish population was performed. Data were collected by means of a postal questionnaire. The mail survey response rate was 54.3% (n = 3200) of the net sample of 5891 persons.

RESULTS

With regard to drinking patterns, 10% of the respondents were abstainers, 59% were sensible drinkers and 31% were classified as hazardous drinkers. Most of the abstainers (80%), sensible drinkers (64%) and hazardous drinkers (56%) stated that they had never heard about the standard drink method. Familiarity with the hazardous drinking concept also differed between the three categories although ∼61% of sensible and hazardous drinkers expressed awareness of the concept (46% of the abstainers). Knowledge about the limits for sensible drinking was very poor. Between 94 and 97% in the three categories did not know the limit. There was a statistically significant association between having visited health care within the last 12 months and being aware of the standard drink method and the hazardous drinking concept, but not with knowing the hazardous drinking limits. Similarly, there was a significant association between having had at least one alcohol conversation in health care within the last 12 months and being aware of the standard drink method and the hazardous drinking concept, but not with knowing the hazardous drinking limits.

CONCLUSION

The results can be seen as a major challenge for the health-care system and public health authorities because they imply that a large proportion of the Swedish population does not know when alcohol consumption becomes a threat to their health. The current strategy to disseminate knowledge about sensible drinking limits to the population through the health-care system seems to have failed and new means of informing the population are warranted.

Receiving an alcohol enquiry from a physician in routine health care in Sweden: a population-based study of gender differences and predictors

Research has shown that the provision of brief interventions in the health care system is effective for reducing hazardous drinking. Using a telephone-administered questionnaire, this study provides a population-based investigation on the extent to which physicians address patients' alcohol habits in the Swedish health care system, whether there are gender differences in the extent to which patients receive questions about alcohol, and predictors for receiving such questions. Data were obtained from monthly telephone surveys with around 72,000 people in 2006-2009. Having received an alcohol enquiry was defined as having been asked about one's drinking habits by a physician in any health care visit in the last 12 months. Fourteen percent of the total population had received an alcohol enquiry, but there were considerable gender differences: for hazardous drinkers, 13% of the women and 17% of the men had received an alcohol enquiry; among those with sensible alcohol consumption, 10% of women and 15% of men had received an alcohol enquiry. Patients were more likely to have received an alcohol enquiry if they had self-reported alcohol-related problems, were hazardous drinkers and/or daily smokers. Some of the alcohol enquiry predictors differed by gender; social class was an important predictor for women but not for men.

Applying the RE-AIM framework to evaluate two implementation strategies used to introduce a tool for lifestyle intervention in Swedish primary health care

The aim of this study was to evaluate two implementation strategies for the introduction of a lifestyle intervention tool in primary health care (PHC), applying the RE-AIM framework to assess outcome. A computer-based tool for lifestyle intervention was introduced in PHC. A theory-based, explicit, implementation strategy was used at three centers, and an implicit strategy with a minimum of implementation efforts at three others. After 9 months a questionnaire was sent to staff members (n= 159) and data from a test database and county council registers were collected. The RE-AIM framework was applied to evaluate outcome in terms of reach, effectiveness, adoption and implementation. The response rate for the questionnaire was 73%. Significant differences in outcome were found between the strategies regarding reach, effectiveness and adoption, in favor of the explicit implementation strategy. Regarding the dimension implementation, no differences were found according to the implementation strategy. A theory-based implementation strategy including a testing period before using a new tool in daily practice seemed to be more successful than a strategy in which the tool was introduced and immediately used for patients.

The importance of organizational climate and implementation strategy at the introduction of a new working tool in primary health care

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

The transmission of research findings into routine care is a slow and unpredictable process. Important factors predicting receptivity for innovations within organizations have been identified, but there is a need for further research in this area. The aim of this study was to describe contextual factors and evaluate if organizational climate and implementation strategy influenced outcome, when a computer-based concept for lifestyle intervention was introduced in primary health care (PHC).

METHOD

The study was conducted using a prospective intervention design. The computer-based concept was implemented at six PHC units. Contextual factors in terms of size, leadership, organizational climate and political environment at the units included in the study were assessed before implementation. Organizational climate was measured using the Creative Climate Questionnaire (CCQ). Two different implementation strategies were used: one explicit strategy, based on Rogers' theories about the innovation-decision process, and one implicit strategy. After 6 months, implementation outcome in terms of the proportion of patients who had been referred to the test, was measured.

RESULTS

The CCQ questionnaire response rates among staff ranged from 67% to 91% at the six units. Organizational climate differed substantially between the units. Managers scored higher on CCQ than staff at the same unit. A combination of high CCQ scores and explicit implementation strategy was associated with a positive implementation outcome.

CONCLUSIONS

Organizational climate varies substantially between different PHC units. High CCQ scores in combination with an explicit implementation strategy predict a positive implementation outcome when a new working tool is introduced in PHC.

The attitudes to CPAP treatment inventory: development and initial validation of a new tool for measuring attitudes to CPAP treatment

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is the treatment of choice for obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome (OSAS), but low adherence rates are common. The aim was to develop the attitudes to CPAP treatment inventory (ACTI), and to investigate the validity and reliability of the instrument among patients with OSAS. ACTI was developed on the basis of: (i) in-depth interviews with 23 patients; (ii) examination of the scientific literature; and (iii) consensus agreement of a multi-professional expert panel. This yielded five different types of attitudes to CPAP treatment. A prospective longitudinal design was used. Two-hundred and eighty-nine patients with OSAS were recruited at three different CPAP centres. Data were collected with ACTI and obtained from medical records. The homogeneity and internal consistency reliability were satisfactorily reflected by the item-total correlations (0.59-0.81) and Cronbach's alpha (0.89), respectively. Construct validity was confirmed with factor analysis (principal component analysis with orthogonal rotation; PCF). The PCF based on baseline data resulted in a one single-factor solution explaining 69% of the total variance. A confirmatory factor analysis was performed 2 weeks after CPAP initiation, resulting in the same factor solution. No indication of uniform differential item functioning was found. The predictive validity was tested with receiver operating characteristic analyses, and a cut-off of 10 on the ACTI gave a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 44% for CPAP termination within 6 months. The satisfactory measurement properties of this new pragmatic instrument are promising and indicate that ACTI can be useful in clinical practice to reliably measure attitudes to CPAP treatment.

Key factors influencing adoption of an innovation in primary health care: a qualitative study based on implementation theory

Background

Bridging the knowledge-to-practice gap in health care is an important issue that has gained interest in recent years. Implementing new methods, guidelines or tools into routine care, however, is a slow and unpredictable process, and the factors that play a role in the change process are not yet fully understood. There is a number of theories concerned with factors predicting successful implementation in various settings, however, this issue is insufficiently studied in primary health care (PHC). The objective of this article was to apply implementation theory to identify key factors influencing the adoption of an innovation being introduced in PHC in Sweden.

Methods

A qualitative study was carried out with staff at six PHC units in Sweden where a computer-based test for lifestyle intervention had been implemented. Two different implementation strategies, implicit or explicit, were used. Sixteen focus group interviews and two individual interviews were performed. In the analysis a theoretical framework based on studies of implementation in health service organizations, was applied to identify key factors influencing adoption.

Results

The theoretical framework proved to be relevant for studies in PHC. Adoption was positively influenced by positive expectations at the unit, perceptions of the innovation being compatible with existing routines and perceived advantages. An explicit implementation strategy and positive opinions on change and innovation were also associated with adoption. Organizational changes and staff shortages coinciding with implementation seemed to be obstacles for the adoption process.

Conclusion

When implementation theory obtained from studies in other areas was applied in PHC it proved to be relevant for this particular setting. Based on our results, factors to be taken into account in the planning of the implementation of a new tool in PHC should include assessment of staff expectations, assessment of the perceived need for the innovation to be implemented, and of its potential compatibility with existing routines. Regarding context, we suggest that implementation concurrent with other major organizational changes should be avoided. The choice of implementation strategy should be given thorough consideration.

Brief alcohol intervention--where to from here? Challenges remain for research and practice

Brief intervention (BI) is intended as an early intervention for non-treatment-seeking, non-alcohol-dependent, hazardous and harmful drinkers. This text provides a brief summary of key BI research findings from the last three decades and discusses a number of knowledge gaps that need to be addressed. Five areas are described: patient intervention efficacy and effectiveness; barriers to BI implementation by health professionals; individual-level factors that impact on BI implementation; organization-level factors that impact on BI implementation; and society-level factors that impact on BI implementation. BI research has focused largely upon the individual patient and health professional levels, with the main focus upon primary health care research, and studies are lacking in other settings. However, research must, to a larger degree, take into account the organizational and wider context in which BI occurs, as well as interaction between factors at different levels, in order to advance the understanding of how wider implementation of BI can be achieved in various settings and how different population groups can be reached. It is also important to expand BI research beyond its current parameters to investigate more ambitious long-term educational programmes and new organizational models. More widespread implementation of BI will require many different interventions (efforts, actions, initiatives, etc.) at different interlinked levels, from implementation interventions targeting individual health professionals' knowledge, skills, attitudes and behaviours concerning alcohol issues, BI and behaviour change counselling to efforts at the organizational and societal levels that influence the conditions for delivering BI as part of routine health care.

Factors associated with patients self-reported adherence to prescribed physical activity in routine primary health care

Background

Written prescriptions of physical activity have increased in popularity. Such schemes have mostly been evaluated in terms of efficacy in clinical trials. This study reports on a physical activity prescription referral scheme implemented in routine primary health care (PHC) in Sweden. The aim of this study was to evaluate patients' self-reported adherence to physical activity prescriptions at 3 and 12 months and to analyse different characteristics associated with adherence to these prescriptions.

Methods

Prospective prescription data were obtained for the general population in 37 of 42 PHC centres in Östergötland County, during 2004. The study population consisted of 3300.

Results

The average adherence rate to the prescribed activity was 56% at 3 months and 50% at 12 months. In the multiple logistic regression models, higher adherence was associated with higher activity level at baseline and with prescriptions including home-based activities.

Conclusions

Prescription from ordinary PHC staff yielded adherence in half of the patients in this PAR scheme follow-up.

Is Sweden still a role model for safety? An overview of unintentional injury data over the past two decades

This study investigates injury-related mortality and hospitalisations, during 1987-2007 in Sweden. Injuries were classified according to International Classification of Diseases (ICD)--8 for pre-1987 injuries, ICD-9 for 1987-1996 injuries and ICD-10 for injuries occurring in 1997 and later. Data on mortality from injuries during 1987-2007 were collected from Sweden's national Cause-of-Death Register, while data concerning injury diagnoses leading to hospitalisation stays of at least 24 h, occurring during 1987-2007, were obtained from the national Patient Register. Crude rates were derived for injury-related deaths and injury-related hospitalisations for age-gender groups, using population data from Statistics Sweden. Our results showed a mixed picture of injury-related hospitalisations and deaths over the study period. Absolute numbers of injury-related deaths and injury-related hospitalisations decreased over time for the population as a whole and for many, but not all, age-gender groups. When assessing crude injury-related death rates and crude injury-related hospitalisation rates over time, as categorised by gender and age groupings, we also found unchanging or increased risks for injury-related deaths and/or hospitalisations for several age-gender groups. While Sweden has made remarkable progress in reducing injury-related deaths and hospitalisations, there are clear differences in risk that remain.

Alcohol consumption and motivation to reduce drinking among emergency care patients in Sweden

This study compares the alcohol consumption and motivation to reduce drinking among injured and non injured patients in a Swedish emergency department (ED). Patients aged 18-69 registered at the ED triage room were requested to answer alcohol-related questions on a touch-screen computer. Injury patients drank alcohol significantly more often than patients without injuries and in a significantly higher typical quantity than non-injury patients, yielding a significantly larger average weekly consumption. However, there were no significant differences between injury and non-injury patients with regard to heavy episodic drinking. As a consequence of injury patients being younger and more often male in comparison with non-injury patients nearly all differences between the two patient groups disappeared when controlling for age and sex. There were no significant differences in motivation to reduce drinking between injury and non-injury patients. There were small differences in the drinking variables and motivation to reduce drinking between injury patients and non-injury patients.

Is there a demand for physical activity interventions provided by the health care sector? Findings from a population survey

Background

Health care providers in many countries have delivered interventions to improve physical activity levels among their patients. Thus far, less is known about the population's interest to increase their physical activity levels and their opinion about the health care provider's role in physical activity promotion. The aims of this paper were to investigate the self-reported physical activity levels of the population and intention to increase physical activity levels, self-perceived need for support, and opinions about the responsibilities of both individuals and health care providers to promote physical activity.

Methods

A regional public health survey was mailed to 13 440 adults (aged 18-84 years) living in Östergötland County (Sweden) in 2006. The survey was part of the regular effort by the regional Health Authorities.

Results

About 25% of the population was categorised as physically active, 38% as moderately active, 27% as somewhat active, and 11% as low active. More than one-third (37%) had no intentions to increase their physical activity levels, 36% had thought about change, while 27% were determined to change. Lower intention to change was mainly associated with increased age and lower education levels. 28% answered that physical activity was the most important health-related behaviour to change "right now" and 15% of those answered that they wanted or needed support to make this change. Of respondents who might be assumed to be in greatest need of increased activity (i.e. respondents reporting poor general health, BMI>30, and inactivity) more than one-quarter wanted support to make improvements to their health. About half of the respondents who wanted support to increase their physical activity levels listed health care providers as a primary source for support.

Conclusions

These findings suggest that there is considerable need for physical activity interventions in this population. Adults feel great responsibility for their own physical activity levels, but also attribute responsibility for promoting increased physical activity to health care practitioners.

Feasibility of using motivational interviewing in a Swedish pharmacy setting

Objectives

Motivational interviewing (MI) is widely established as an effective counselling approach for many lifestyle issues, but is largely untested in pharmacy settings. The aim of this study was to identify factors that impact on the feasibility of using MI with pharmacy clients in routine community pharmacy work in Sweden.

Methods

Interviews were conducted with 15 pharmacists at two pharmacies after they had participated in manual-based MI skills training and used MI with clients for 6 months. The pharmacists were offered hands-on training from ‘pilot pharmacists’ who had received more MI training and were involved in assembling the manual that adapted MI for use in pharmacies. Three focus groups with the pharmacists and five individual interviews with pharmacists in leading positions were conducted. Data were interpreted from a phenomenological perspective.

Key findings

Pharmacists who had previously participated in education that included elements similar to MI felt this facilitated their use of MI. Pharmacists experienced many difficulties associated with the practical application of MI, including initiating and concluding client conversations. The opportunity to decide on appropriate clients and/or health-related behaviours for counselling was an important facilitator. The pharmacists believed the physical environment of the pharmacies was favourable for MI use, but they experienced time limitations when there were many clients on the premises. The organisational context in which MI was applied affected the pharmacists' attitudes to using MI.

Conclusions

There are several factors to take into consideration in the implementation of MI in pharmacies.

Putative facilitators and barriers for adherence to CPAP treatment in patients with obstructive sleep apnea syndrome: a qualitative content analysis

INTRODUCTION

Effective treatment of obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) can reduce morbidity and mortality, but adherence rates are low without a clear consensus of causes.

OBJECTIVE

To explore the experiences of adherence to CPAP treatment in patients with OSAS.

METHODS

A qualitative content analysis was employed. Data were collected by in-depth interviews with 23 purposively selected patients.

RESULTS

Adherence to CPAP treatment was summarized according to "facilitators" and "barriers" to CPAP treatment. Facilitators for adherence, as described by the patients were a desire to avoid symptoms, knowledge about the risk for medical consequences, fear of negative social consequences and disturbing the sleep of significant others. Other facilitators were a positive attitude to CPAP treatment, trust in healthcare personnel, a sense of engagement from the spouse and a feeling of physical improvement. Barriers included experiencing practical problems, negative psychological effects of the equipment, and negative attitudes to the treatment. Other barriers were side-effects as well as insufficient support from healthcare personnel and the spouse.

CONCLUSION

Adherence to CPAP treatment is a multifaceted problem including patient, treatment, condition, social and healthcare related factors. Knowledge about facilitators and barriers for adherence to CPAP treatment can be used in interventional strategies.

Feasibility of using motivational interviewing in a Swedish pharmacy setting

OBJECTIVES

Motivational interviewing (MI) is widely established as an effective counselling approach for many lifestyle issues, but is largely untested in pharmacy settings. The aim of this study was to identify factors that impact on the feasibility of using MI with pharmacy clients in routine community pharmacy work in Sweden.

METHODS

Interviews were conducted with 15 pharmacists at two pharmacies after they had participated in manual-based MI skills training and used MI with clients for 6 months. The pharmacists were offered hands-on training from 'pilot pharmacists' who had received more MI training and were involved in assembling the manual that adapted MI for use in pharmacies. Three focus groups with the pharmacists and five individual interviews with pharmacists in leading positions were conducted. Data were interpreted from a phenomenological perspective.

KEY FINDINGS

Pharmacists who had previously participated in education that included elements similar to MI felt this facilitated their use of MI. Pharmacists experienced many difficulties associated with the practical application of MI, including initiating and concluding client conversations. The opportunity to decide on appropriate clients and/or health-related behaviours for counselling was an important facilitator. The pharmacists believed the physical environment of the pharmacies was favourable for MI use, but they experienced time limitations when there were many clients on the premises. The organisational context in which MI was applied affected the pharmacists' attitudes to using MI.

CONCLUSIONS

There are several factors to take into consideration in the implementation of MI in pharmacies.

Applying motivational interviewing to counselling overweight and obese children

The aim of this study was to identify barriers and facilitators to nurses' application of motivational interviewing (MI) to counselling overweight and obese children aged 5 and 7 years, accompanied by their parents. Ten welfare centre and school health service nurses trained and practiced MI for 6 months, then participated in focus group interviews concerning their experiences with applying MI to counselling overweight and obese children. Important barriers were nurses' lack of recognition that overweight and obesity among children constitute a health problem, problem ambivalence among nurses who felt that children's weight might be a problem although there was no immediate motivation to do anything and parents who the nurses believed were unmotivated to deal with their children's weight problem. Facilitators included nurses' recognition of the advantages of MI, parents who were cooperative and aware of the health problem and working with obese children rather than those who were overweight.

Computerized lifestyle intervention in routine primary health care: evaluation of usage on provider and responder levels

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to evaluate the use of a computerized concept for lifestyle intervention in routine primary health care (PHC).

METHODS

Nine PHC units were equipped with computers providing a lifestyle test and tailored printed advice regarding alcohol consumption and physical activity. Patients were referred by staff, and performed the test anonymously. Data were collected over a period of 1 year.

RESULTS

During the study period 3,065 tests were completed, representing 5.7% of the individuals visiting the PHC units during the period. There were great differences between the units in the number of tests performed and in the proportion of patients referred. One-fifth of the respondents scored for hazardous alcohol consumption, and one-fourth reported low levels of physical activity. The majority of respondents found the test easy to perform, and a majority of those referred to the test found referral positive.

CONCLUSION

The computerized test can be used for screening and intervention regarding lifestyle behaviours in PHC. Responders are positive to the test and to referral.

PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS

A more widespread implementation of computerized lifestyle tests could be a beneficial complement to face-to-face interventions in PHC.

Approaches to assessment of alcohol intake during pregnancy in Swedish maternity care--a national-based investigation into midwives' alcohol-related education, knowledge and practice

OBJECTIVE

to evaluate how much education midwives in Sweden have undertaken to help them assess alcohol intake during pregnancy, and what tools they use to identify women who may be at risk of drinking during pregnancy.

DESIGN

a national survey was conducted in March 2006, using a questionnaire constructed by a Swedish team of researchers and clinicians.

SETTING

maternity health-care centres in Sweden.

PARTICIPANT

2106 midwives.

FINDINGS

nearly all midwives stated that they had excellent or good knowledge concerning the risks associated with drinking during pregnancy. They considered themselves less knowledgeable about detecting pregnant women with risky alcohol consumption before pregnancy. The majority of the midwives had participated in some education in handling risky drinking. Almost half of the midwives assessed women's alcohol intake before pregnancy. Important facilitators for increased activity concerned recommendations and decisions at different levels (national, local and management) on how to address alcohol with expectant parents and work with risky drinkers.

KEY CONCLUSIONS

more education was associated with more common use of a questionnaire for assessment of women's alcohol intake before pregnancy, and more frequent counselling when identifying a pregnant woman whose pre-pregnancy consumption was risky.

Physical activity referrals in Swedish primary health care - prescriber and patient characteristics, reasons for prescriptions, and prescribed activities

BACKGROUND

Over the past decade, practitioners in primary health care (PHC) settings in many countries have issued written prescriptions to patients to promote increased physical activity or exercise. The aim of this study is to describe and analyse a comprehensive physical activity referral (PAR) scheme implemented in a routine PHC setting in Ostergötland County. The study examines characteristics of the PARs recipients and referral practitioners, identifies reasons why practitioners opted to use PARs with their clients, and discusses prescribed activities and prescriptions in relation to PHC registries.

METHODS

Prospective prescription data were obtained for 90% of the primary health care centres in Ostergötland County, Sweden, in 2004 and 2005. The study population consisted of patients who were issued PARs after they were deemed likely to benefit from increased physical activity, as assessed by PHC staff.

RESULTS

During the two-year period, a total of 6,300 patients received PARs. Two-thirds of the patients were female and half of the patients were 45-64 years. Half of the patients (50.8%) who received PARs were recommended a home-based activity, such as walking. One third (33%) of the patients issued PARs were totally inactive, reporting no days of physical activity that lasted for 30 minutes, and 29% stated that they reached this level 1-2 days per week. The number of PARs prescribed per year in relation to the number of unique individuals that visited primary health care during one year was 1.4% in 2004 and 1.2% in 2005. Two-thirds of the combined prescriptions were issued by physicians (38%) and nurses (31%). Physiotherapists and behavioural scientists issued the highest relative number of prescriptions. The most common reasons for issuing PARs were musculoskeletal disorders (39.1%) and overweight (35.4%), followed by high blood pressure (23.3%) and diabetes (23.2%).

CONCLUSION

Ostergötland County's PAR scheme reached a relatively high proportion of physically inactive people visiting local PHC centres for other health reasons. PAR-related statistics, including PAR-rates by individual PHC centres and PAR- rates per health professional category, show differences in prescribing activities, both by patient categories, and by prescribing professionals.