scholarly journals Feasibility of an Interactive Coaching App to Enhance Post-concussion Outpatient Care

2021 ◽  
Vol 3 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dorothyann Curran ◽  
Julia Lauzon ◽  
Deanna Quon ◽  
Shawn Marshall

Objectives: To determine the feasibility of patients to use a web-based health app for management of post-concussion (mTBI) symptoms in an out-patient setting.Participants: Seven (7) patients who were referred to an outpatient specialist clinic (physiatry) with persisting symptoms following a concussion. Participants had to be 18 years of age or older and more than 3 months post injury.Design: This was a prospective cohort study using a web-based platform for chronic disease management to guide patients in managing symptoms based on individual clinical recommendations. Each patient received weekly Symptom Management Plans created by a health coach and a physician specialist, designed to reinforce positive progress with clinical recommendations.Main Measures: Adherence to tracking daily recommendations and symptoms (data collected through the web-interface), The Rivermead Post-Concussion Questionnaire (self report) and a Satisfaction Questionnaire (self report).Results: Adherence to assigned clinical recommendations was close to 100%. Pre-post results on the patient reported outcome measure (Rivermead Post Concussion Tool) showed improvement for most patients in their experience of symptoms. The Satisfaction Questionnaire showed high rates of satisfaction with the App and the intervention in general.Conclusions: Use of a web-based health app with a health coach is feasible in this patient population from both the patient and clinician perspective based on high adherence. There is also some evidence of improvement of symptoms with this intervention over time. Further exploration of the use of this type of intervention with post-concussion patients could potentially impact long-term outcomes.

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael Lang ◽  
Martin Mayr ◽  
Stefan Ringbauer ◽  
Lukas Cepek

UNSTRUCTURED Background: Adherence constitutes a great challenge for disease management, particularly when treating chronically ill patients facing an extensive, complex and long-term therapy. Earlier studies emphasize the relevance of adherence for improving therapy benefits. Besides the positive impact of increased patient support, the use of mobile health applications has gained importance in disease management. Objective: We aimed to develop a software application providing innovative features to simplify the contact between patients and treating physicians in order to overcome adherence barriers, to implement risk management plans and to collect patient reported outcome data. Methods: A novel software application ensuring data security was developed. Various innovative modules have been implemented, enabling bidirectional communication between treating physicians and patients, supporting therapy monitoring and management and allowing the collection of large sets of anonymous patient data. Results: The PatientConcept app is freely available for download and is tested since 2016, with more than 1800 generated patient IDs and 279 patients documenting health data according to risk management plans online in 2017. The impact on adherence issues is currently tested in larger patient populations. Conclusion: This innovative app provides a feasible and cost-optimized possibility to intensify and simplify the communication between patients and their treating physicians across indications, thus promising an exceptional benefit to both. It may not only support chronically ill patients in managing their daily life and improving adherence, but can also facilitate the implementation of risk management plans through automated monitoring, thus supporting physicians in their daily routine. Furthermore, patient reported outcome data can be collected. Importantly, a secure ID-associated data management ensures patient anonymity complying with highest data safety standards.


2021 ◽  
Vol 108 (Supplement_6) ◽  
Author(s):  
R Mistry

Abstract Introduction Paediatric burns are a common presentation to a plastic surgery unit. The long-term scar outcomes in paediatric burns patients are relatively unknown as most are discharged after 6 weeks follow up. We aimed to determine whether the long-term scarring outcomes are significantly different in those who had surgical treatment with Versajetâ debridement and Biobraneâ, versus those treated conservatively with non-adherent dressings, in a cohort of paediatric burns patients. Method The parents of all paediatric burns patients admitted to Stoke Mandeville Hospital from October 2014 to September 2017 were contacted by telephone to fill in the Brisbane Burn Scar Impact Profile (BBSIP), a patient reported outcome measure specifically aimed at children. The results from the questionnaires underwent statistical analysis to see if there was a significant difference in questionnaire scores between children treated surgically versus those treated conservatively. Results A total of 107 children were admitted in the timeframe, responses were received from 34 patients with 13 having been treated surgically and 21 having been treated conservatively. In all 58 questions that make up the BBSIP, there was no statistically significant difference observed in the scores of those treated surgically versus those treated conservatively. For 31 questions on the BBSIP, the lowest score indicating the best outcome was observed in all patients in both groups. Conclusions We found no statistically significant difference in the long-term scar outcomes as assessed by the BBSIP in paediatric burn patients treated with Versajetâ debridement and Biobraneâ, versus those treated conservatively with non-adherent dressings.


2021 ◽  
pp. 933-943
Author(s):  
Tal Sella ◽  
Craig Snow ◽  
Hannah Freeman ◽  
Philip D. Poorvu ◽  
Shoshana M. Rosenberg ◽  
...  

PURPOSE Patient-centered digital interventions may help empower young women to self-manage symptoms and psychosocial concerns and support informational needs often unaddressed in clinic. METHODS Young, Empowered and Strong (YES) is an interactive web-based intervention designed to engage young women with personalized education and symptom self-management resources on the basis of responses to patient-reported outcome–based questionnaires. We piloted YES among young women (< 45 years) with newly diagnosed early breast cancer (EBC) or metastatic breast cancer (MBC) and breast cancer survivors (BCSs). Assessments were deployed weekly (EBC and MBC) or every 4 weeks (BCSs) over 12 weeks. At study completion, use, feasibility, and acceptability of YES were evaluated via a survey and semistructured interview. RESULTS Thirty women were enrolled between April and June 2019: 10 EBC, 10 BCSs, and 10 MBC. The mean age at diagnosis and enrollment was 36 (range 25-44) and 39 (range 31-44) years, respectively. Most participants were actively treated (96%, 27 of 28) with endocrine therapy (54%, 15 of 28) or chemotherapy (43%, 12 of 28). Overall, 61% (180 of 296) of assessments were completed (EBC: 70%, BCSs: 63%, and MBC: 52%). Of 37 patient-reported outcome and need domains, the most frequently triggered were sexual health (EBC: 90%, BCSs: 90%, and MBC: 90%), anxiety (EBC: 80%, BCSs: 90%, and MBC: 90%), stress and mindfulness (EBC: 80%, BCSs: 90%, and MBC: 90%), and fatigue (EBC: 90%, BCSs: 80%, and MBC: 90%). On postpilot survey, participants reported that YES helped them to learn (50%, 7 of 14), monitor (43%, 6 of 14), and manage (57%, 8 of 14) their symptoms. CONCLUSION YES is a feasible and acceptable digital intervention to support young women across the breast cancer care continuum. The nearly universal triggering of sexual and mental health needs suggests suboptimal management in the clinical setting and the potential for self-management through a digital platform.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hongfan Yu ◽  
Qingsong Yu ◽  
Yuxian Nie ◽  
Wei Xu ◽  
Yang Pu ◽  
...  

BACKGROUND High-frequent patient-reported outcome (PRO) assessments are used to measure patients’ symptoms after surgery for surgical research; however, quality of those longitudinal PRO data has seldom been discussed. OBJECTIVE To describe errors, to identify factors influencing the data quality, and to profile error trajectories of data longitudinally collected via paper-and-pencil (P&P) or web-based-assessment (ePRO) after thoracic surgery. METHODS We extracted longitudinal PRO data from two prospective clinical studies. PROs were assessed by the MD Anderson Symptom Inventory Lung Cancer Module and single-item Quality of Life Scale before surgery and then daily after surgery until discharge or up to 14 days of hospitalization. Patient compliance and data error were identified and compared between P&P and ePRO. Generalized estimating equations models and two-piecewise models were used to describe trajectories of error incidence over time and to identify the risk factors. RESULTS Among 629 patients with at least 2 PRO assessments, 440 completed 3347 P&P assessments and 189 completed 1291 ePRO assessments. In total, 49.44% of patients had at least 1 error, including 1) missing items (64.69%), 2) modifications without signatures (27.99%), 3) selection of multiple options (3.02%), 4) missing patient signatures (2.54%), 5) missing researcher signatures (1.45%) and 6) missing completion dates (0.3%). ePRO patients had fewer errors than P&P patients (30.16% vs. 57.73%, p <0.0001). Compared with ePRO patients, those using P&P were older, less educated and sicker. Common risk factors of having errors were with a lower education level (P&P, OR=1.39, 95%CL=1.20-1.62, p<.0001; ePRO, OR=1.82, 95%CI=1.22-2.72, p=0.0032), treated in a provincial hospital (P&P, OR=3.34, 95%CI=2.10-5.33, p<.0001; ePRO, OR=4.73, 95%CI=2.18-10.25, p<.0001) and with severe disease (P&P, OR=1.63, 95%CI=1.33-1.99, p<.0001; ePRO, OR=2.70, 95%CI=1.53-4.75, p=0.0006). Errors peaked on postoperative day (POD) 1 for P&P, and on POD 2 for ePRO. CONCLUSIONS ePRO might be superior to P&P in terms of data quality. However, sampling bias needs to be considered for studies using longitudinal PROs as major outcomes.


2021 ◽  
Vol 103-B (6) ◽  
pp. 1063-1069
Author(s):  
Alexander Amundsen ◽  
Stig Brorson ◽  
Bo S. Olsen ◽  
Jeppe V. Rasmussen

Aims There is no consensus on the treatment of proximal humeral fractures. Hemiarthroplasty has been widely used in patients when non-surgical treatment is not possible. There is, despite extensive use, limited information about the long-term outcome. Our primary aim was to report ten-year patient-reported outcome after hemiarthroplasty for acute proximal humeral fractures. The secondary aims were to report the cumulative revision rate and risk factors for an inferior patient-reported outcome. Methods We obtained data on 1,371 hemiarthroplasties for acute proximal humeral fractures from the Danish Shoulder Arthroplasty Registry between 2006 and 2010. Of these, 549 patients (40%) were alive and available for follow-up. The Western Ontario Osteoarthritis of the Shoulder (WOOS) questionnaire was sent to all patients at nine to 14 years after primary surgery. Revision rates were calculated using the Kaplan-Meier method. Risk factors for an inferior WOOS score were analyzed using the linear regression model. Results Mean age at surgery was 67 years (24 to 90) and 445 (81%) patients were female. A complete questionnaire was returned by 364 (66%) patients at a mean follow-up of 10.6 years (8.8 to 13.8). Mean WOOS score was 64 (4.3 to 100.0). There was no correlation between WOOS scores and age, sex, arthroplasty brand, or year of surgery. The 14-year cumulative revision rate was 5.7% (confidence interval 4.1 to 7.2). Patients aged younger than 55 years and patients aged between 55 to 74 years had 5.6-times (2.0 to 9.3) and 4.3-times (1.9 to 16.7) higher risk of revision than patients aged older than 75 years, respectively. Conclusion This is the largest long-term follow-up study of acute proximal humeral fractures treated with hemiarthroplasty. We found a low revision rate and an acceptable ten-year patient-reported outcome. The patient-reported outcome should be interpreted with caution as we have no information about the patients who died or did not return a complete WOOS score. The long-term outcome and revision rate suggest that hemiarthroplasty offers a valid alternative when non-surgical treatment is not possible. Cite this article: Bone Joint J 2021;103-B(6):1063–1069.


BMC Cancer ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 21 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeeyeon Lee ◽  
Jin Hyang Jung ◽  
Wan Wook Kim ◽  
Byeongju Kang ◽  
Jungmin Woo ◽  
...  

Abstract Purpose The incidence of depression and anxiety is higher in patients with breast cancer than in the general population. We evaluated the degree of depression and anxiety and investigated the changes in patients with breast cancer during the treatment period and short-term follow-up period. Methods Overall, 137 patients with breast cancer were evaluated using the Patient Health Questionnaire 9-item depression scale (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder scale (GAD-7). The scales were developed as a web-based electronic patient-reported outcome measure, and serial results were assessed before the operation, after the operation, in the post-treatment period, and in the 6-month follow-up period after surgery. Results The degree of depression and anxiety increased during treatment and decreased at 6-month follow-up, even if there were no statistical differences among the four periods (PHQ-9: p = 0.128; GAD-7: p = 0.786). However, daily fatigue (PHQ-9 Q4) and insomnia (PHQ-9 Q3) were the most serious problems encountered during treatment and at 6-month follow-up, respectively. In the GAD-7, worrying too much (Q3) consistently showed the highest scores during the treatment and follow-up periods. Of the patients, 7 (5.11%) and 11 (8.03%) patients had a worsened state of depression and anxiety, respectively, after treatment compared with before treatment. Conclusion Most factors associated with depression and anxiety improved after treatment. However, factors such as insomnia and worrying too much still disturbed patients with breast cancer, even at 6-month follow-up. Therefore, serial assessment of depression and anxiety is necessary for such patients.


10.2196/19685 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 22 (10) ◽  
pp. e19685
Author(s):  
Afaf Girgis ◽  
Ivana Durcinoska ◽  
Anthony Arnold ◽  
Joseph Descallar ◽  
Nasreen Kaadan ◽  
...  

Background Despite the acceptability and efficacy of e–patient-reported outcome (ePRO) systems, implementation in routine clinical care remains challenging. Objective This pragmatic trial implemented the PROMPT-Care (Patient Reported Outcome Measures for Personalized Treatment and Care) web-based system into existing clinical workflows and evaluated its effectiveness among a diverse population of patients with cancer. Methods Adult patients with solid tumors receiving active treatment or follow-up care in four cancer centers were enrolled. The PROMPT-Care intervention supported patient management through (1) monthly off-site electronic PRO physical symptom and psychosocial well-being assessments, (2) automated electronic clinical alerts notifying the care team of unresolved clinical issues following two consecutive assessments, and (3) tailored online patient self-management resources. Propensity score matching was used to match controls with intervention patients in a 4:1 ratio for patient age, sex, and treatment status. The primary outcome was a reduction in emergency department presentations. Secondary outcomes were time spent on chemotherapy and the number of allied health service referrals. Results From April 2016 to October 2018, 328 patients from four public hospitals received the intervention. Matched controls (n=1312) comprised the general population of patients with cancer, seen at the participating hospitals during the study period. Emergency department visits were significantly reduced by 33% (P=.02) among patients receiving the intervention compared with patients in the matched controls. No significant associations were found in allied health referrals or time to end of chemotherapy. At baseline, the most common patient reported outcomes (above-threshold) were fatigue (39%), tiredness (38.4%), worry (32.9%), general wellbeing (32.9%), and sleep (24.1%), aligning with the most frequently accessed self-management domain pages of physical well-being (36%) and emotional well-being (23%). The majority of clinical feedback reports were reviewed by nursing staff (729/893, 82%), largely in response to the automated clinical alerts (n=877). Conclusions Algorithm-supported web-based systems utilizing patient reported outcomes in clinical practice reduced emergency department presentations among a diverse population of patients with cancer. This study also highlighted the importance of (1) automated triggers for reviewing above-threshold results in patient reports, rather than passive manual review of patient records; (2) the instrumental role nurses play in managing alerts; and (3) providing patients with resources to support guided self-management, where appropriate. Together, these factors will inform the integration of web-based PRO systems into future models of routine cancer care. Trial Registration Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12616000615482; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=370633 International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID) RR2-10.1186/s12885-018-4729-3


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