scholarly journals Patient perspectives on tablet-based technology to collect risk factor information in primary care

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Kosowan ◽  
Alan Katz ◽  
Gayle Halas ◽  
Alexander Singer
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Patient Risk ◽  
Self Reflection ◽  
Primary Care Clinics ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Risk Factor Information

Abstract Background Primary care provides an opportunity to introduce prevention strategies and identify risk behaviours. Algorithmic information technology such as the Risk Factor Identification Tool (RFIT) can support primary care counseling. This study explores the integration of the tablet-based RFIT in primary care clinics to support exploration of patient risk factor information. Methods Qualitative study to explore patients’ perspectives of RFIT. RFIT was implemented in two primary care clinics in Manitoba, Canada. There were 207 patients who completed RFIT, offered to them by eight family physicians. We conducted one-on-one patient interviews with 86 patients to capture the patient’s perspective. Responses were coded and categorized into five common themes. Results RFIT had a completion rate of 86%. Clinic staff reported that very few patients declined the use of RFIT or required assistance to use the tablet. Patients reported that the tablet-based RFIT provided a user-friendly interface that enabled self-reflection while in the waiting room. Patients discussed the impact of RFIT on the patient-provider interaction, utility for the clinician, their concerns and suggested improvements for RFIT. Among the patients who used RFIT 12.1% smoked, 21.2% felt their diet could be improved, 9.3% reported high alcohol consumption, 56.4% reported less than 150 min of PA a week, and 8.2% lived in poverty. Conclusion RFIT is a user-friendly tool for the collection of patient risk behaviour information. RFIT is particularly useful for patients lacking continuity in the care they receive. Information technology can promote self-reflection while providing useful information to the primary care clinician. When combined with practical tools and resources RFIT can assist in the reduction of risk behaviours.

Using Information Technology to Assess Patient Risk Factors in Primary Care Clinics: A Pragmatic Evaluation (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Kosowan ◽  
Alan Katz ◽  
Gayle Halas ◽  
Lisa LaBine ◽  
Alexander Singer
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Patient Risk ◽  
Primary Care Clinics ◽  
Clinic Staff ◽  
Prevention Counseling ◽  
Risk Factor Information

BACKGROUND Tobacco use, physical inactivity and poor diet are associated with morbidity and premature death. Health promotion and primary prevention counseling, advice and support by a primary care provider leads to behaviour change attempts among patients. However, although physicians consider preventative health important the focus on presentation, acute care and medication review often overshadows primary prevention counseling. OBJECTIVE This study evaluates feasibility, adoption and integration of the tablet-based Risk Factor Identification Tool (RFIT) that uses algorithmic information technology to support obtainment of patient risk factor information in primary care clinics. METHODS This is a pragmatic developmental evaluation. Each clinic developed a site-specific implementation plan adapted to their workflow. RFIT was implemented in two primary care clinics located in Manitoba. Perceptions of 10 clinic staff and 8 primary care clinicians informed this evaluation. RESULTS Clinicians reported a smooth and fast transfer of RFIT responses to an EMR encounter note. There were 207 patients that used the RFIT with a completion rate of 86%. Clinic staff reported that very few patients declined the use of RFIT or required assistance to use the tablet. Among the patients that used RFIT 12.1% smoked, 21.2% felt their diet could be improved, 9.3% reported high alcohol consumption, 56.4% reported less than 150 minutes of PA a week, and 8.2% lived in poverty. Clinicians suggested that although a wide variety of patients were able to use the tablet-based RFIT, implemented surveys should be tailored to patient subgroups. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians and clinic staff positively reviewed the use of information technology in primary care. RFIT is a user-friendly tool that provides an effective method for obtaining risk factor information from patients. It is particularly useful for subsets of patients lacking continuity in the care they receive. When implemented within a context that can support practical interventions to address identified risk factors, RFIT can inform brief interventions within primary care.

scholarly journals Using Information Technology to Assess Patient Risk Factors in Primary Care Clinics: A Pragmatic Evaluation (Preprint)

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leanne Kosowan ◽  
Alan Katz ◽  
Gayle Halas ◽  
Lisa LaBine ◽  
Alexander Singer
Keyword(s):  
Risk Factors ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Risk Factor ◽  
Primary Prevention ◽  
Primary Care Clinics ◽  
Clinic Staff ◽  
Algorithmic Information ◽  
Prevention Counseling ◽  
Risk Factor Information

BACKGROUND Tobacco use, physical inactivity and poor diet are associated with morbidity and premature death. Health promotion and primary prevention counseling, advice and support by a primary care provider leads to behaviour change attempts among patients. However, although physicians consider preventative health important the focus on symptoms presentation, acute care and medication review often overshadows primary prevention counseling. OBJECTIVE This study evaluates feasibility, adoption and integration of the tablet-based Risk Factor Identification Tool (RFIT) that uses algorithmic information technology to support obtainment of patient risk factor information in primary care clinics. METHODS This is a pragmatic developmental evaluation. Each clinic developed a site-specific implementation plan adapted to their workflow. RFIT was implemented in two primary care clinics located in Manitoba. Perceptions of 10 clinic staff and 8 primary care clinicians informed this evaluation. RESULTS Clinicians reported a smooth and fast transfer of RFIT responses to an EMR encounter note. Two hundred seven patients used the RFIT with a completion rate of 86%. Clinic staff reported that very few patients declined the use of RFIT or required assistance to use the tablet. Among the patients that used RFIT 12.1% smoked, 21.2% felt their diet could be improved, 9.3% reported high alcohol consumption, 56.4% reported less than 150 minutes of PA a week, and 8.2% lived in poverty. Clinicians suggested that although a wide variety of patients were able to use the tablet-based RFIT, implemented surveys should be tailored to patient subgroups. CONCLUSIONS Clinicians and clinic staff positively reviewed the use of information technology in primary care. Algorithmic information technology can collect, organize and synthesize individual health information to inform and tailor primary care counseling to the patients’ context and readiness to change. RFIT is a user-friendly tool that provides an effective method for obtaining risk factor information from patients. It is particularly useful for subsets of patients lacking continuity in the care they receive. When implemented within a context that can support practical interventions to address identified risk factors, RFIT can inform brief interventions within primary care.

Towards a User- Friendly Future: The Impact of Information Technology within Primary Health Care

1989 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
John D. Harvey
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Information Technology ◽  
Present Situation ◽  
The United Kingdom ◽  
Primary Health ◽  
Effective Development ◽  
Technology Benefits ◽  
User Friendly ◽  
The Impact

The use of computers in primary care in the United Kingdom has developed without coordination. The present situation is described. The proposal is that policies for improving primary care will be enhanced by appropriate application of information technology. Benefits and obstacles are identified; practical proposals for effective development are listed.

A randomized trial of computer-based reminders and audit and feedback to improve HIV screening in a primary care setting

2009 ◽  
Vol 20 (8) ◽  
pp. 527-533 ◽  
Author(s):  
V Sundaram ◽  
L C Lazzeroni ◽  
L R Douglass ◽  
G D Sanders ◽  
P Tempio ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Risk Assessment ◽  
Primary Care ◽  
Health Care ◽  
Hiv Testing ◽  
Health Care System ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Hiv Screening ◽  
Risk Behaviours ◽  
Primary Care Clinics ◽  
Computer Based

Despite recommendations for voluntary HIV screening, few medical centres have implemented screening programmes. The objective of the study was to determine whether an intervention with computer-based reminders and feedback would increase screening for HIV in a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) health-care system. The design of the study was a randomized controlled trial at five primary care clinics at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. All primary care providers were eligible to participate in the study. The study intervention was computer-based reminders to either assess HIV risk behaviours or to offer HIV testing; feedback on adherence to reminders was provided. The main outcome measure was the difference in HIV testing rates between intervention and control group providers. The control group providers tested 1.0% ( n = 67) and 1.4% ( n = 106) of patients in the preintervention and intervention period, respectively; intervention providers tested 1.8% ( n = 98) and 1.9% ( n = 114), respectively ( P = 0.75). In our random sample of 753 untested patients, 204 (27%) had documented risk behaviours. Providers were more likely to adhere to reminders to test rather than with reminders to perform risk assessment (11% versus 5%, P < 0.01). Sixty-one percent of providers felt that lack of time prevented risk assessment. In conclusion, in primary care clinics in our setting, HIV testing rates were low. Providers were unaware of the high rates of risky behaviour in their patient population and perceived important barriers to testing. Low-intensity clinical reminders and feedback did not increase rates of screening.

scholarly journals Impact of Availability of Telehealth Programs on Documented HIV Viral Suppression: A Cluster-Randomized Program Evaluation in the Veterans Health Administration

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael E Ohl ◽  
Kelly Richardson ◽  
Maria C Rodriguez-Barradas ◽  
Roger Bedimo ◽  
Vincent Marconi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Viral Suppression ◽  
Veterans Health ◽  
Health Administration ◽  
Primary Care Clinics ◽  
Intention To Treat ◽  
Service Areas ◽  
Hiv Viral Suppression ◽  
Cluster Randomized ◽  
The Impact

Abstract Background Telehealth may improve care for people with HIV who live far from HIV specialty clinics. We conducted a cluster-randomized evaluation to determine the impact of availability of HIV telehealth programs on documented viral suppression in Veterans Administration clinics. Methods In 2015–2016, people who previously traveled to HIV specialty clinics were offered telehealth visits in nearby primary care clinics. Patients were cluster-randomized to immediate telehealth availability (n = 925 patients in service areas of 13 primary care clinics offering telehealth) or availability 1 year later (n = 745 patients in 12 clinics). Measures during the evaluation year included telehealth use among patients in areas where telehealth was available and documented HIV viral suppression (viral load performed and &lt;200 copies/mL). Impact of telehealth availability was determined using intention-to-treat (ITT) analyses that compared outcomes for patients in areas where telehealth was available with outcomes for patients where telehealth was not available, regardless of telehealth use. Complier average causal effects (CACEs) compared outcomes for telehealth users with outcomes for control patients with equal propensity to use telehealth, when available. Results Overall, 120 (13.0%) patients utilized telehealth when it was available. Availability of telehealth programs led to small improvements in viral suppression in ITT analyses (78.3% vs 74.1%; relative risk [RR], 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.01 to 1.11) and large improvements among telehealth users in CACE analyses (91.5% vs 80.0%; RR, 1.14; 95% CI, 1.01 to 1.30). Conclusions Availability of telehealth programs improved documented viral suppression. HIV clinics should offer telehealth visits for patients facing travel burdens.

scholarly journals 2057. Outpatient Antibiotic Stewardship “Bundles up” in Winter with Peer Comparison, URI Order Set and Education: Is It Enough to Weather the Storm?

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (Supplement_2) ◽  
pp. S693-S693
Author(s):  
Okan I Akay ◽  
Rohini Dave ◽  
Amit Khosla ◽  
CherylAnn Kraska ◽  
Brian J Hopkins ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Primary Care ◽  
Adverse Drug Events ◽  
Antibiotic Use ◽  
Outpatient Setting ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Upper Respiratory Infection ◽  
Primary Care Clinics ◽  
Ed Visits ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Order Set

Abstract Background Inappropriate antibiotic use is a growing problem in the outpatient setting. Approximately 90% of all antibiotics are prescribed in outpatient practices. Nonetheless, 30–70% of antibiotic prescriptions (ARx) are unnecessary. Outpatient antimicrobial stewardship (AS) is much needed and the best approach is unknown. We used a bundle approach to outpatient AS during the winter months, by implementing a peer comparison (PC) report, upper respiratory infection (URI) order set and broad education. Methods This is a quasi-experimental project during the period October 2018 to March 2019 (FY19) to evaluate the impact of a bundled intervention in primary care clinics at the VA Maryland Health Care System. A historical control group from the same period the previous year (FY18) was used for comparison. The intervention included an AS directed didactic and URI order set followed by an email in 1/2019 with: (1) censored PC report (ARx/1,000 encounters) with outliers defined as above 1.5 × interquartile range, (2) URI order set reminder, and (3) education. The primary outcome was total ARx per 1,000 encounters in primary care clinics. A random sampling of 200 charts was done to compare proportion of antibiotic appropriateness and number of emergency department (ED) visits and adverse drug events (ADEs) in FY19 Q1 and FY19 Q2. Poisson regression was carried out, in addition to Χ2-statistic. Results There were 3,799 vs. 3,429 ARx in FY18 and FY19, respectively, with a rate difference of 3.3 ARx per 1,000 encounters (P = 0.0056). Q1 to Q2 ARx rate increased by 7.8 and 8.0 ARx per 1,000 encounters in FY18 and FY19, respectively. Forty-eight percent (28/58) of the providers confirmed receipt of email. There were 3 and 4 outliers in FY19 Q1 and Q2, respectively. Appropriate ARx for FY19 Q1 and Q2 was found to be 45% and 35% (P = 0.44), respectively. The most common indications were URI (18% vs. 18%), urinary tract infection (13% vs. 21%). ED visits (10% vs. 6%) were uncommon and there were no ADEs. Conclusion E-mail communication with bundled approach had no effect on ARx or antibiotic appropriateness; however general AS presence and URI order set tempered some use. Removing peer censoring, providing face-to-face education and intensifying antibiotic order sets are additional interventions to be implemented. Disclosures All authors: No reported disclosures.

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