Background: Veterans with primary hyperparathyroidism are under diagnosed and undertreated. We report the results of a pilot study to address this problem.
Methods: We implemented a stakeholder-driven, multi-component intervention to increase rates of diagnosis and treatment for primary hyperparathyroidism at a single VA hospital. Intervention effects were evaluated using an interrupted time series analysis.
Results: The mean age of Veterans affected by the intervention was 67 years (SD 12.1) and 84 % were men. Compared to the pre-intervention period, the intervention doubled the proportion of Veterans who were appropriately evaluated for hyperparathyroidism (absolute difference 25 %, 95 % CI 11 %-38 %, p < 0.001) and increased referrals for treatment by 27 % (95 % CI 7 %-47 %, p < 0.012).
Conclusion: Our pilot study suggests it is feasible to address the underdiagnosis and undertreatment of primary hyperparathyroidism among Veterans.
Keywords: Diagnosis; Hypercalcemia; Primary hyperparathyroidism; Referral; Veteran.
Published by Elsevier Inc.