Mayo Clinic Uses AHRQ Research to Help Patients Choose Medications

Comparative Effectiveness

2014

Researchers at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, used AHRQ's comparative effectiveness reviews on diabetes and depression to develop "decision aids" to help patients with those conditions engage in discussions to identify which medication is best suited for their preferences and needs.

Information from AHRQ's review, Comparative Effectiveness and Safety of Oral Diabetes Medications for Adults With Type 2 Diabetes, was used to develop a diabetes management decision aid. It was tested with patients at 22 clinics in Minnesota, Wisconsin, and Iowa.

Mayo Clinic researcher Nilay Shah, M.D., Ph.D., says, "Findings showed the decision aid resulted in greater patient knowledge of treatment options as well as higher levels of satisfaction for both patients and their clinicians."

More than 100 primary care clinicians used the diabetes decision aid, which consists of seven medication cards on topics such as treatment options, blood sugar testing, cost, and side effects. The clinicians used the aid to guide discussion with their patients on ways to manage their glycemic control. Patients involved in the study were treated in a diverse variety of settings—rural, suburban, safety net, and urban clinics.

Dr. Shah and fellow researchers also used an AHRQ comparative effectiveness review to develop a decision aid for patients with depression. Information from AHRQ's review, Second-Generation Antidepressants in the Pharmacologic Treatment of Adult Depression: An Update of the 2007 Comparative Effectiveness Review, was used to develop the depression aid.

"We conducted a study with clinicians at 10 diverse primary care clinics to enhance discussions between clinicians and their patients who had moderate to severe depression," Dr. Shah explains. "Results showed improved patient engagement and greater knowledge of medication-related treatment options, as well as higher satisfaction rates for both patients and physicians."

Dr. Shah notes that both the diabetes and depression management aids are unique because of their focus on facilitating discussion between patients and physicians about medication use.

"Unlike decision aids that are video-based and designed for patients to use on their own, these tools are designed to enhance the discussions between clinicians and patients during the clinical encounter about medications to treat their medical conditions," he said.

Impact Case Study Identifier: 2014-18
AHRQ Product(s): Effective Health Care Program
Topic(s): Depression, Diabetes, Disease Management, Chronic Care
Geographic Location: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa

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Page last reviewed October 2014

Internet Citation: Mayo Clinic Uses AHRQ Research to Help Patients Choose Medications. October 2014. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, Rockville, MD. http://www.ahrq.gov/policymakers/case-studies/201418.html