scholarly journals Utilizing the Axon Registry® for quality improvement

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 456-461 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anup D. Patel ◽  
Joseph V. Fritz ◽  
David A. Evans ◽  
Karen B. Lundgren ◽  
Katie Hentges ◽  
...  

In 2015, the American Academy of Neurology began development of a clinical quality data registry now known as the Axon Registry®. The data collected by the Axon Registry and reported back to participants include performance on a number of quality measures relevant to neurology practice. While the Axon Registry may serve any number of needs for neurology practices, the essential function of the registry is to inform neurologists regarding the quality of their care and provide them with a tool to establish not only performance baselines but progress toward improved quality of care. This article includes 2 case studies of how the Axon Registry has been implemented in neurology practices to date. In the future, implementation of patient-reported outcome data and additional outcome measures will be necessary to expand the reach and effectiveness of the Axon Registry as a quality improvement tool.

2016 ◽  
Vol 41 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-170 ◽  
Author(s):  
Allen W Heinemann ◽  
Linda Ehrlich-Jones ◽  
Lauri Connelly ◽  
Patrick Semik ◽  
Stefania Fatone

Background: Prosthetic clinics in the United States must attain accreditation in order to receive reimbursement from Medicare. The accreditation process requires clinics to establish and implement performance management plans and quality improvement activities. This report describes the experience of seven prosthetic clinics in collecting patient-reported outcome data and using it to improve quality of services. Objectives: To describe the experience of prosthetic clinics implementing outcome monitoring and quality improvement activities as part of routine patient care. Study design: Qualitative, ethnographic design. Methods: Clinics incorporated the Orthotics Prosthetics Users’ Survey into routine care for patients aged 18 years and older who received a new lower limb prosthesis or socket. Orthotics Prosthetics Users’ Survey measures lower extremity functional status, quality of life, and satisfaction with device and services. Clinics selected Orthotics Prosthetics Users’ Survey-derived indicators on which to implement quality improvement action plans. Results: Seven clinics participated, but only three were able to sustain data collection. Two clinics initiated quality improvement activities focused on improving declining satisfaction or functional scores. Conclusions: Quality improvement activities based on patient-reported outcomes require a high degree of organizational commitment and support. External facilitation can support clinics’ quality improvement activities. Clinical relevance This project illustrates the challenges of sustaining quality improvement activities using patient-reported outcome data in prosthetic clinics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (1) ◽  
pp. e000927
Author(s):  
Irushi Ratnayake ◽  
Susannah Ahern ◽  
Rasa Ruseckaite

IntroductionImprovements in the treatment of cystic fibrosis (CF) have resulted in longer survival and an increased focus on optimising daily functioning with the condition. Patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) are valuable tools in evaluating the health-related quality of life of persons with chronic diseases. PROMs may be incorporated into clinical registries to assess and provide feedback regarding the health-related quality of life of the affected population. This study uses qualitative methodology to describe the views of patients with CF, caregivers and clinicians on the usefulness and practicality of incorporating a PROM in the Australian Cystic Fibrosis Data Registry (ACFDR).MethodsWe conducted semistructured interviews with a convenience sample of patients with CF (n=5), caregivers (n=7) and clinicians (n=13) on their opinions on incorporating the Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised or the Cystic Fibrosis Quality of Life Questionnaire into the ACFDR. We analysed data into topics and subtopics using conventional content analysis.ResultsParticipants believed that PROMs could generate useful aggregate health-related quality of life data to support better understanding of the experiences of the modern CF population. Participants emphasised that implementation must be supported by processes to feedback data to patients and clinicians. Most participants preferred electronic PROMs administration for easy integration into existing systems and the potential to support feedback.ConclusionPatients, caregivers and clinicians in this study generally supported the usefulness and practicality of PROM implementation in the ACFDR.


2019 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-25 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melanie Field ◽  
Karen Tullett ◽  
Aurangzaib Khawaja ◽  
Robert Jones ◽  
Nicholas G Inston

Quality improvement initiatives should be aimed to enhance clinical outcomes, service delivery and quality of life for patients. For patients reliant on haemodialysis, vascular access is a lifeline. Survival differences relating to the type of vascular access are evident and many initiatives have focussed on increasing absolute rates of arteriovenous fistulas and/or decreasing central venous catheter use. While these have achieved some success quantitatively, the qualitative effects are less obvious. The aims of this review article are to explore the concepts of quality of care in vascular access. There is a paucity of studies into the effects of vascular access on the quality of life of dialysis patients, and where studies have been performed, generalised patient-reported outcome measures have been used. To facilitate the implementation of quality improvement programmes specifically for vascular access requires suitable tools. While existing patient-reported outcome measures may be applicable to vascular access, it is likely that these will require further evaluation, and the development of vascular access–specific patient-reported outcome measures may be required.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Ashley Fletcher ◽  
Marissa Lassere ◽  
Lyn March ◽  
Catherine Hill ◽  
Graeme Carroll ◽  
...  

Objectives. To describe oral complementary medicine (CM) use in people with inflammatory arthritis, associations with use, and changes in use over time. Methods. Demographic, clinical, and patient-reported outcome data from 5,630 participants with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), ankylosing spondylitis (AS), psoriatic arthritis (PsA), and juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) were extracted from the Australian Rheumatology Association Database (ARAD), a national observational database. CM use at entry into ARAD was ascertained for participants recruited between 2002 and 2018. CM was categorised according to the NIH/Cochrane schema (fatty acids, herbs, or supplements). Logistic regression was used to assess associations between demographic characteristics and CM use. Change in CM use between 2006 and 2016 was investigated using a nonparametric test for trend of rate by year. Results. 2,156 (38.3%) ARAD participants were taking CM at enrolment (RA: 1,502/3,960 (37.9%), AS: 281/736 (38.2%), PsA: 334/749 (44.6%), and JIA: 39/185 (21.1%)). CM use was more prevalent in women (OR 1.3; 95% CI: 1.13-1.50), those with tertiary education (OR 1.32; 95% CI: 1.13-1.55), private health insurance (OR 1.26; (95% CI: 1.10-1.44), drinking alcohol sometimes (OR 1.22; 95% CI: 1.05-1.43), poorer function (HAQ) (OR 1.13; 95% CI: 1.02-1.24), use of NSAID (OR 1.32; 95% CI 1.17-1.50), weak (OR 1.21; 95% CI 1.05-1.41) but not strong opioids, and less prevalent in current smokers (OR 0.76; 95%: CI 0.63-0.91). CM use was not associated with pain, disease activity, or quality of life. The most common CMs were fish oils (N=1,489 users) followed by glucosamine (N=605). Both declined in use over time between 2006 and 2016 (27.5% to 21.4%, trend p=0.85 and 15.5% to 6.4%, trend p<0.01), respectively. Conclusion. Oral CM use is common among Australians with inflammatory arthritis. Its use is greater among women and those with tertiary education. Fish oil and glucosamine, the most common CMs, both declined in use over time.


2008 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 42-50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard T. Meenan ◽  
David Feeny ◽  
David Labby ◽  
Mark Spofford ◽  
David Mosen ◽  
...  

CareOregon, an Oregon-based not-for-profit Medicaid health plan, successfully piloted a “CareSupport” model that identifies high-risk members and clinically stratifies them for intervention. Internal analyses indicate that CareSupport lowers utilization and cost; CareOregon, however, has lacked patient-reported outcome data on the health-related quality of life (HRQL) of CareSupport participants. Between September 2005 and November 2006, we conducted a pilot study in which the Health Utilities Index Mark 3 (HUI3), a generic preference-based measure of health status and HRQL, was integrated into CareOregon’s existing screening algorithm for possible admission into CareSupport. We obtained baseline data on 616 CareSupport candidates and 4-month HUI3 follow-up data on 143 candidates (104 CareSupport, 39 non-CareSupport). On a 0.00 (dead)-to-1.00 (perfect health) scale, the mean overall baseline HUI3 score for CareSupport patients was 0.18 (0.20 for non-CareSupport patients), comparable to baseline means reported elsewhere for much older patients immediately after suffering serious acute medical events, such as stroke or hip fracture. A 0.05 mean 4-month improvement in overall HRQL among CareSupport enrollees relative to non-CareSupport enrollees was clinically important but not statistically significant. A 0.10 improvement in HUI3 emotion was both statistically significant and clinically important. Study results provide good preliminary evidence of the value of patient-reported outcomes in clarifying individual illness burden and assessing intervention effectiveness.


2017 ◽  
Vol 23 (1) ◽  
pp. 57-65 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joanne Greenhalgh ◽  
Sonia Dalkin ◽  
Elizabeth Gibbons ◽  
Judy Wright ◽  
Jose Maria Valderas ◽  
...  

Objectives Internationally, there has been considerable debate about the role of data in supporting quality improvement in health care. Our objective was to understand how, why and in what circumstances the feedback of aggregated patient-reported outcome measures data improved patient care. Methods We conducted a realist synthesis. We identified three main programme theories underlying the use of patient-reported outcome measures as a quality improvement strategy and expressed them as nine ‘if then’ propositions. We identified international evidence to test these propositions through searches of electronic databases and citation tracking, and supplemented our synthesis with evidence from similar forms of performance data. We synthesized this evidence through comparing the mechanisms and impact of patient-reported outcome measures and other performance data on quality improvement in different contexts. Results Three programme theories were identified: supporting patient choice, improving accountability and enabling providers to compare their performance with others. Relevant contextual factors were extent of public disclosure, use of financial incentives, perceived credibility of the data and the practicality of the results. Available evidence suggests that patients or their agents rarely use any published performance data when selecting a provider. The perceived motivation behind public reporting is an important determinant of how providers respond. When clinicians perceived that performance indicators were not credible but were incentivized to collect them, gaming or manipulation of data occurred. Outcome data do not provide information on the cause of poor care: providers needed to integrate and interpret patient-reported outcome measures and other outcome data in the context of other data. Lack of timeliness of performance data constrains their impact. Conclusions Although there is only limited research evidence to support some widely held theories of how aggregated patient-reported outcome measures data stimulate quality improvement, several lessons emerge from interventions sharing the same programme theories to help guide the increasing use of these measures.


2012 ◽  
Vol 22 (7) ◽  
pp. 1273-1280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lisa M. Hess ◽  
Frederick B. Stehman

IntroductionHealth-related quality of life (HRQOL) has become an increasingly important focus of outcomes in cancer care with the movement toward more patient-oriented research. Quality-of-life outcomes are important in ovarian cancer, which has not yet benefitted from improved survival outcomes as have other diseases. This study was designed to systematically assess and summarize HRQOL in ovarian cancer.MethodsA systematic search strategy was initiated to identify published literature measuring HRQOL of women with a diagnosis of ovarian cancer (OC). Data were synthesized to evaluate HRQOL and patient-reported outcome data at various time points: before, during, and after chemotherapy. Data were pooled and summary statistics compared across published studies. Comparisons of means were conducted using analysis of variance.ResultsThere were 170 publications meeting all eligibility criteria, representing 139 unique studies of patients with ovarian cancer, where QOL data were collected. Within this literature, more than 90 different patient-reported outcome (PRO) instruments were administered. The most common HRQOL instruments included the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer QLQ-C30 and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy. Few studies alone demonstrated significant differences in QOL between the experimental and comparison arm or throughout the treatment period. Pooled data, however, show that baseline QOL may significantly improve, particularly after completion of chemotherapy treatment.DiscussionDespite the increase in assessment and reporting of QOL in ovarian cancer research studies during the past 15 years, there remains little consistency in the types and format of data collected. There is a need to enhance the standardized collection and reporting of HRQOL data from research involving women with ovarian cancer so that research can build on the cumulative knowledge base to improve outcomes in this patient population.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Sayma ◽  
R. Hyne ◽  
M. Sharma ◽  
L. Kyle ◽  
M. Abo Khatwa ◽  
...  

Introduction. Medical students can use systems to help improve the quality of care in a unit. Following the review of care within the ENT department at a tertiary centre a number of quality improvement projects were put in place.Methods. The following interventions were established: (1) creation of an outpatient telephone enquiry clinic, (2) development of a rhinology database, (3) introduction of operative note templates, and (4) construction of electronic discharge summary templates (eDSTs).Discussion and Outcomes. (1) Consultant telephone inquiry clinics were successfully organised and showed high levels of patient satisfaction. (2) A database to collect patient reported outcome measures was piloted within rhinology outpatients; the results suggest that such a database would be simple to introduce and yield benefits for patients and the department. (3) Operative note templates for FESS procedures were implemented with a view to improving the continuity of care onto the ward; these have become well established and further steps to integrate these into routine care are being taken. (4) eDSTs specific to FESS and septorhinoplasty procedures were introduced with a view to increasing completion speed of templates and adherence to Royal College of Physician Guidance.


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