scholarly journals Using Electronic Data Collection Platforms to Assess Complementary and Integrative Health Patient-Reported Outcomes: Feasibility Project

10.2196/15609 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 8 (6) ◽  
pp. e15609
Author(s):  
Jolie N Haun ◽  
Amy C Alman ◽  
Christine Melillo ◽  
Maisha Standifer ◽  
Julie McMahon-Grenz ◽  
...  

Background The Veteran Administration (VA) Office of Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Transformation is invested in improving veteran health through a whole-person approach while taking advantage of the electronic resources suite available through the VA. Currently, there is no standardized process to collect and integrate electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) of complementary and integrative health (CIH) into clinical care using a web-based survey platform. This quality improvement project enrolled veterans attending CIH appointments within a VA facility and used web-based technologies to collect ePROs. Objective This study aimed to (1) determine a practical process for collecting ePROs using patient email services and a web-based survey platform and (2) conduct analyses of survey data using repeated measures to estimate the effects of CIH on patient outcomes. Methods In total, 100 veterans from one VA facility, comprising 11 cohorts, agreed to participate. The VA patient email services (Secure Messaging) were used to manually send links to a 16-item web-based survey stored on a secure web-based survey storage platform (Qualtrics). Each survey included questions about patient outcomes from CIH programs. Each cohort was sent survey links via Secure Messaging (SM) at 6 time points: weeks 1 through 4, week 8, and week 12. Process evaluation interviews were conducted with five primary care providers to assess barriers and facilitators to using the patient-reported outcome survey in usual care. Results This quality improvement project demonstrated the usability of SM and Qualtrics for ePRO collection. However, SM for ePROs was labor intensive for providers. Descriptive statistics on health competence (2-item Perceived Health Competence Scale), physical and mental health (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Global-10), and stress (4-item Perceived Stress Scale) indicated that scores did not significantly change over time. Survey response rates varied (18/100, 18.0%-42/100, 42.0%) across each of the 12 weekly survey periods. In total, 74 of 100 participants provided ≥1 survey, and 90% (66/74) were female. The majority, 62% (33/53) of participants, who reported the use of any CIH modality, reported the use of two or more unique modalities. Primary care providers highlighted specific challenges with SM and offered solutions regarding staff involvement in survey implementation. Conclusions This quality improvement project informs our understanding of the processes currently available for using SM and web-based data platforms to collect ePROs. The study results indicate that although it is possible to use SM and web-based survey platforms for ePROs, automating scheduled administration will be necessary to reduce provider burden. The lack of significant change in ePROs may be due to standard measures taking a biomedical approach to wellness. Future work should focus on identifying ideal ePRO processes that would include standardized, whole-person measures of wellness.

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jolie N Haun ◽  
Amy C Alman ◽  
Christine Melillo ◽  
Maisha Standifer ◽  
Julie McMahon-Grenz ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND The Veteran Administration (VA) Office of Patient-Centered Care and Cultural Transformation is invested in improving veteran health through a whole-person approach while taking advantage of the electronic resources suite available through the VA. Currently, there is no standardized process to collect and integrate electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) of complementary and integrative health (CIH) into clinical care using a web-based survey platform. This quality improvement project enrolled veterans attending CIH appointments within a VA facility and used web-based technologies to collect ePROs. OBJECTIVE This study aimed to (1) determine a practical process for collecting ePROs using patient email services and a web-based survey platform and (2) conduct analyses of survey data using repeated measures to estimate the effects of CIH on patient outcomes. METHODS In total, 100 veterans from one VA facility, comprising 11 cohorts, agreed to participate. The VA patient email services (Secure Messaging) were used to manually send links to a 16-item web-based survey stored on a secure web-based survey storage platform (Qualtrics). Each survey included questions about patient outcomes from CIH programs. Each cohort was sent survey links via Secure Messaging (SM) at 6 time points: weeks 1 through 4, week 8, and week 12. Process evaluation interviews were conducted with five primary care providers to assess barriers and facilitators to using the patient-reported outcome survey in usual care. RESULTS This quality improvement project demonstrated the usability of SM and Qualtrics for ePRO collection. However, SM for ePROs was labor intensive for providers. Descriptive statistics on health competence (2-item Perceived Health Competence Scale), physical and mental health (Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Global-10), and stress (4-item Perceived Stress Scale) indicated that scores did not significantly change over time. Survey response rates varied (18/100, 18.0%-42/100, 42.0%) across each of the 12 weekly survey periods. In total, 74 of 100 participants provided ≥1 survey, and 90% (66/74) were female. The majority, 62% (33/53) of participants, who reported the use of any CIH modality, reported the use of two or more unique modalities. Primary care providers highlighted specific challenges with SM and offered solutions regarding staff involvement in survey implementation. CONCLUSIONS This quality improvement project informs our understanding of the processes currently available for using SM and web-based data platforms to collect ePROs. The study results indicate that although it is possible to use SM and web-based survey platforms for ePROs, automating scheduled administration will be necessary to reduce provider burden. The lack of significant change in ePROs may be due to standard measures taking a biomedical approach to wellness. Future work should focus on identifying ideal ePRO processes that would include standardized, whole-person measures of wellness.


2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (2) ◽  
pp. e001367
Author(s):  
Elisabeth Doran ◽  
Enda Barron ◽  
Laura Healy ◽  
Lorraine O'Connor ◽  
Cara Synnott ◽  
...  

Homelessness is associated with significant psychosocial and health disparities. The rate of epilepsy among this cohort is eight times greater than that in the settled population, and the associated morbidity is higher due to lack of integrated care, difficulties with treatment adherence, substance abuse and poor social circumstances. There is a high rate of seizure-related death in homeless patients. Seizures are one of the most common neurological cause for emergency department presentation among this population. The aim of this quality improvement project was to use a multistakeholder co-production approach to design a new pathway of care for homeless patients with epilepsy to improve access to specialist epilepsy care and to strengthen the links between hospital and community teams who manage this population. After several years of observation, stakeholder engagement and numerous tests of change, we have created a new care pathway and developed bespoke tools for primary care providers and for physicians working in the emergency department to enable them to assess and manage patients as they present, as well as provide access to remote epilepsy specialist support.


BJPsych Open ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (S1) ◽  
pp. S209-S209
Author(s):  
Lily Mohamed

AimsDischarge summaries are vital documents that communicate information from hospital to primary care providers. The documents contain description of the patient's diagnostic findings, hospital management, laboratory results, medications list and arrangements for post-discharge follow-up. Ineffective communications between healthcare providers in the form of delayed or poor quality discharge summary may adversely affect patient care and safety.The setting of this project is Gwent Specialist Substance Misuse Service (GSSMS) which is the statutory specialist addictions service within Aneurin Bevan University Health Board (ABUHB). GSSMS has been arranging and managing inpatient alcohol detoxes for many years. One of the issues highlighted by an inpatient alcohol detox audit in 2017 was discharge summaries were not being completed for every patient who was admitted with a compliance rate of only 57.7%. A quality improvement project was initiated following the presentation of the audit on a Staff Education Day.The aim of the project is to increase the discharge summary completion rate from 57.7% to 80% by June 2019.MethodA discharge summary process map was developed to understand the possible causes of delay then Plan, Do, Study, Act (PDSA) methodology was utilised. The result of the original audit was taken as the baseline measurement and benchmarking activities and PDSA cycle were performed. Interventions included root cause analysis by way of brainstorming, education, communication and constructing a checklist.ResultThere has been significant improvement with the compliance rate following the PDSA cycle. It went up to 100% before tapering off to 85% by the end of the project.ConclusionAwareness building, continuous monitoring and engagement of teams alongside regular feedback were shown to be the important factors to achieve and sustain the improvement.


2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (3) ◽  
pp. 176-182
Author(s):  
Balasundaram Bharathi ◽  
Phua June ◽  
Tan Lay Ling ◽  
Peh Lai Huat ◽  
Selvaraj Ashvini ◽  
...  

Background: Robust clinical documentation of side-effects communication is an integral component of good patient care, endorsed by the Singapore Medical Council Ethical Code and Ethical Guidelines and further highlighted by the Modified Montgomery Test. In addition to ensuring quality of care, good clinical documentation can help mitigate potential medico-legal risks against doctors and health-care providers. Objectives: This audit-cum-quality-improvement project aimed to enhance clinical documentation of side-effects discussion of newly prescribed medication in psychiatry outpatient clinics to 100% in a 12-month period. Methods: A baseline measurement revealed that 40% of new cases seen in general and geriatric psychiatry outpatient clinics from March to June 2017 had evidenced clinical documentation of at least one or more side effects. PDSA methodology was employed to bring about improvements and test change interventions. Results: Through three audit cycles between January and December 2018 and a fourth round of data collection in April 2019, documentation rates showed marked improvement from a baseline of 40% to 91%. The IT document tool was the most effective intervention which was successfully adopted and implemented into the standard documentation template for new case assessments. Conclusions: The project was a success overall, with improvements in documentation rates rising to 91%. Through change interventions, systemic factors rooted in patient safety have been embodied in everyday clinical practice.


2021 ◽  
Vol 3 (7) ◽  
pp. 274-280
Author(s):  
Sam Appiah-Anane

With increasing number of biologics gaining approval from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for a wide variety of both cancer and non-cancer clinical indications in secondary care, the need for accurate medicines reconciliation in primary care also increases. The risk of patient harm from incomplete medicines reconciliation is a consideration, particularly when patient data is transferred from a secondary care setting to a primary care setting. As part of a prescribing quality improvement project, a list of biologics prescribed by secondary care providers were reconciled on to patients' primary care clinical systems (EMIS) by clinical pharmacists and pharmacy technicians at a Clinical Commissioning Groups. Patients were identified by cross-referencing high cost drug reports with clinical diagnostic codes (a mixture of READ codes and SNOMED-CT terms) on primary care clinical systems. In total, 192 medicines were reconciled safely on the relevant patients' notes across 16 different GP practices A further 81 medicines had already been reconciled at the start of the quality improvement project. The purpose of this article is three-fold; to expand the awareness of biologics in the context of medicines optimisation in the primary care arena, to discuss medicines reconciliations of biologics in primary care, including the role(s) of pharmacy professionals, and to discuss the wider implications of prescribing biologics in the light of ethical considerations such as veganism.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_7) ◽  
Author(s):  
Georgios Geropoulos ◽  
Clio Kennedy ◽  
Stanley Tang ◽  
Ahmed Elhamshary ◽  
Sara Rakhshani-Moghadam ◽  
...  

Abstract Aims When clerking new admissions several critical actions must be performed in a timely and accurate way. These include reviewing referral letters, obtaining a detailed medical history and documenting the patient’s plan. This is of paramount importance, especially in high volume surgical hospitals. The aim of this quality improvement project is to evaluate a standardized electronic proforma for surgical patient clerking in an attempt to minimize missing information that can compromise peri-operative care. Methods A short questionnaire assessing the clerking process was handed out to doctors and allied health professionals. It was completed before and after the introduction of the clerking proforma. Proportion confidence intervals (95% CI) compared for each answer before and after the proforma releasing. Results Domains with a statistically significant improvement were the admission reason, management, treatment escalation and venous thromboprophylaxis plan in patients on long term anticoagulation. After introduction of the proforma, feedback still implied that the social history needed to be more extensive. Further edits to the proforma in a second cycle include prompts regarding baseline function and ADLs, as well as existing packages of care. Conclusions Overall, the introduction of the surgical patient clerking proforma lead to an improvement of the quality of the clerking as assessed by standardized questionnaires. It is noteworthy that a complete clerking is correlated with more effective handover between health care providers, less medical errors, less treatment delays and improved patient outcomes.


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