Financial incentives may be effective in changing healthcare professional practice .
We found no evidence from review s that examined the effect of financial incentives on patient outcomes
BACKGROUND There is considerable interest in the effectiveness of financial incentives in the delivery of health care .
Incentives may be used in an attempt to increase the use of evidence -based treatments among healthcare professionals or to stimulate health professionals to change their clinical behaviour with respect to preventive , diagnostic and treatment decisions , or both .
Financial incentives are an extrinsic source of motivation and exist when an individual can expect a monetary transfer which is made conditional on acting in a particular way .
Since there are numerous review s performed within the healthcare area describing the effects of various types of financial incentives , it is important to summarise the effectiveness of these in an overview to discern which are most effective in changing health professionals ' behaviour and patient outcomes .
OBJECTIVES To conduct an overview of systematic review s that evaluates the impact of financial incentives on healthcare professional behaviour and patient outcomes .
Knowledge transfer for the management of dementia: a cluster-randomised trial of blended learning in general practice
Background The implementation of new medical knowledge into general practice is a complex process . Blended learning may offer an effective and efficient educational intervention to reduce the knowledge-to- practice gap . The aim of this study was to compare knowledge acquisition about dementia management between a blended learning approach using online modules in addition to quality circles ( QCs ) and QCs alone . Methods In this cluster-r and omised trial with QCs as clusters and general practitioners ( GPs ) as participants , 389 GPs from 26 QCs in the western part of Germany were invited to participate . Data on the GPs ' knowledge were obtained at three points in time by means of a question naire survey . Primary outcome was the knowledge gain before and after the interventions . A subgroup analysis of the users of the online modules was performed . Results 166 GPs were available for analysis and filled out a knowledge test at least two times . A significant increase of knowledge was found in both groups that indicated positive learning effects of both approaches . However , there was no significant difference between the groups . A subgroup analysis of the GPs who self-reported that they had actually used the online modules showed that they had a significant increase in their knowledge scores . Conclusion A blended learning approach was not superior to a QCs approach for improving knowledge about dementia management . However , a subgroup of GPs who were motivated to actually use the online modules had a gain in knowledge . Trial registration Current Controlled Trials IS RCT N36550981
Financial incentives may be effective in changing healthcare professional practice .
We found no evidence from review s that examined the effect of financial incentives on patient outcomes
BACKGROUND There is considerable interest in the effectiveness of financial incentives in the delivery of health care .
Incentives may be used in an attempt to increase the use of evidence -based treatments among healthcare professionals or to stimulate health professionals to change their clinical behaviour with respect to preventive , diagnostic and treatment decisions , or both .
Financial incentives are an extrinsic source of motivation and exist when an individual can expect a monetary transfer which is made conditional on acting in a particular way .
Since there are numerous review s performed within the healthcare area describing the effects of various types of financial incentives , it is important to summarise the effectiveness of these in an overview to discern which are most effective in changing health professionals ' behaviour and patient outcomes .
OBJECTIVES To conduct an overview of systematic review s that evaluates the impact of financial incentives on healthcare professional behaviour and patient outcomes .