Table 1 Intervention definitions

Consumer interventions

Education

interventions informing patients about their treatment and their health (education, information provision, promotion of health)

Decision aids/shared decision-making interventions

interventions designed to assist patients make specific and deliberative choices among options by providing information on the options and outcomes relevant to a person's health status

Interactive health communication application (IHCA) interventions

interventions aimed at enabling interactions between an individual and a communication technology to access or transmit health information, to receive guidance, or to receive support

Contracts

a behavioral strategy aimed at improving patient adherence by setting out a set of rules regarding the behavior of interest and formalizing commitment to adhere to the rules

Reminder packaging

interventions aimed to facilitate safe and appropriate medication use (e.g., monitored dose symptoms, multi-compartment aids)

Multifaceted interventions

two or more interventions aimed at assisting patients with adherence to treatment/medications and improving the prescription process

Professional interventions

Educational outreach and audit and feedback

interventions whereby a trained person meets with providers in their practice setting to give information with the goal to change clinical behavior (also referred to as academic detailing) OR any summary of clinical performance (from health records, observation, computer systems) of healthcare over a specified time that may also include recommendations for clinical action

Clinical decision support systems (IT/IM/informatics)

information system interventions that provide the clinician with decision support, including critical clinical data, reminders, advice on drug or care provision, etc.

Computerized physician order entry (IT/IM/informatics)

computer-based systems for ordering medications with automated aspects to the ordering process, such as a list of possible medications for a physician to choose, drug interaction or contraindication prompts, reminders, etc.

Tracker/reminder systems (IT/IM/informatics)

specific interventions that prompt healthcare providers with information specific to the patient or the encounter that would advise on action to do or action to avoid (interventions can be verbal, paper, or electronic)

Local opinion leaders

educational leaders and influentials nominated by their colleagues

Tailored interventions

identify barriers to change and subsequent design of an intervention that addresses identified barriers

Clinical pathways

document-based tools that provide a link between best available evidence and clinical practice by providing recommendations, processes, and time-frames for the management of specific medical conditions or interventions

Guidelines for professions allied to medicine

a systematic statement aimed at assisting in decisions by providers and patients for a specific clinical condition

Discharge planning from hospital to home

interventions aimed at providing individualized plans as a patient is moved from hospital to home

Organizational interventions

Changing length of consultation

interventions designed to increase consult time between primary care provider and patient

Routine standard assessment interventions

interventions designed to improve the assessment and documentation of patients (akin to pathology checklist concept in Ontario or surgical checklist concept in various provinces)

Chronic care model interventions

interventions aimed at redesigning ambulatory care by modifying elements of the chronic care model (elements include self-management support, decision support, delivery system design, clinical information systems, healthcare organizations, and community resources)

Shared-care interventions

any type of structured system that involves continuing collaborative clinical care between primary care and specialty care in the management of patients

Shared-care tactic interventions

tactics aimed to facilitate information sharing between providers who provide care to a patient; include (i) liaison meetings--meetings between specialists and primary care teams whereby ongoing management of patients within the service is planned and discussed, (ii) shared-care record cards--a formal information-sharing arrangement where a set of data is agreed to, entered onto a record card, and usually carried by the patient, or (iii) computer-assisted shared care/email--a formal information-sharing arrangement whereby a data set is agreed to, entered onto a record card, and shared between two sectors on computer (can also include coordinated computer registration and patient recall)

Health information technology interventions

switching the format or structure of the medical record, such as computerized medical records