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Topics
- Caregiving (1)
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AHRQ Research Studies
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Research Studies is a compilation of published research articles funded by AHRQ or authored by AHRQ researchers.
Results
1 to 22 of 22 Research Studies DisplayedScharp D, Hobensack M, Davoudi A
Natural language processing applied to clinical documentation in post-acute care settings: a scoping review.
The purpose of this scoping review was to assess the scope of the application of natural language processing to free-text clinical notes in post-acute care and provide a foundation for future natural language processing-based research in the same settings. The researchers searched PubMed, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature, and Embase in February 2023. Twenty-one eligible studies. Almost all of which were conducted in home health care settings, had quantitative designs that utilized natural language processing applied to clinical documentation in post-acute care settings. Most studies extracted data from electronic health records to explore the risk for negative outcomes, including acute care utilization, medication errors, and suicide mortality. About half of the studies did not report age, sex, race, or ethnicity data or utilize standardized terminologies. Only 8 studies included variables from socio-behavioral domains. Most studies fulfilled all quality appraisal indicators.
AHRQ-funded; HS027742.
Citation: Scharp D, Hobensack M, Davoudi A .
Natural language processing applied to clinical documentation in post-acute care settings: a scoping review.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2024 Jan; 25(1):69-83. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2023.09.006..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Home Healthcare
Hobensack M, Song J, Chae S
Capturing concerns about patient deterioration in narrative documentation in home healthcare.
This study aimed to build machine learning algorithms to identify “concerning” narrative notes of home healthcare (HHC) patients and identify emergency themes to support early identification of patients at risk for deterioration. Six algorithms were applied to 4000 narrative notes from a HHC agency to classify notes as either "concerning" or "not concerning." Emerging themes were identified using Latent Dirichlet Allocation bag of words topic modeling. Emerging themes of concern included patient-clinician communication, HHC services provided, gait challenges, mobility concerns, wounds, and caregivers. Most of these themes had already been identified in previous literature as increasing risk for adverse events.
AHRQ-funded; HS027742.
Citation: Hobensack M, Song J, Chae S .
Capturing concerns about patient deterioration in narrative documentation in home healthcare.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2023 Apr 29; 2022:552-59..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Hobensack M, Song J, Scharp D
Machine learning applied to electronic health record data in home healthcare: a scoping review.
This literature review aimed to synthesize and appraise the literature describing the application of machine learning to predict adverse outcomes (e.g., hospitalization, mortality) using electronic health record (EHR) data in the home healthcare (HHC) setting. The secondary aim was to evaluate the comprehensiveness of predictors used in the machine learning algorithms guided by the Biopsychosocial Model. Studies were included if they 1) described services provided in the HHC setting, 2) applied machine learning algorithms to predict adverse outcomes, defined as outcomes related to patient deterioration, 3) used EHR data and, 4) focused on the adult population. Predictors were mapped to the Biopsychosocial Model. The final sample included 20 studies, of which 18 used predictors from standardized assessments integrated in the EHR. The most common outcome was hospitalization (55%), followed by mortality (25%). About 35% of studies excluded psychological predictors. Most studies (75%) demonstrated high or unclear risk of bias with tree based algorithms most frequently applied (75%).
AHRQ-funded; HS027742.
Citation: Hobensack M, Song J, Scharp D .
Machine learning applied to electronic health record data in home healthcare: a scoping review.
Int J Med Inform 2023 Feb; 170:104978. doi: 10.1016/j.ijmedinf.2022.104978..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Hobensack M, Ojo M, Barrón Y
Documentation of hospitalization risk factors in electronic health records (EHRs): a qualitative study with home healthcare clinicians.
The objectives of this study were to identify risk factors that home healthcare clinicians associate with patient deterioration and to understand clinicians’ response to and documentation of these risk factors. The authors interviewed multidisciplinary home healthcare clinicians and used directed content analysis to identify risk factors for deterioration. A total of 79 risk factors were identified by the clinicians, who responded most often by communicating with the prescribing provider or following up with patients and caregivers. Clinicians also acknowledged that social factors played a role in deterioration risk. The authors noted that, since most risk factors were documented in clinical notes, methods such as natural language processing are needed to extract them. They concluded that by providing a comprehensive list of risk factors grounded in clinician expertise and mapped to standardized terminologies, the results of their study supported the development of an early warning system for patient deterioration.
AHRQ-funded; HS027742.
Citation: Hobensack M, Ojo M, Barrón Y .
Documentation of hospitalization risk factors in electronic health records (EHRs): a qualitative study with home healthcare clinicians.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2022 Apr 13;29(5):805-12. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocac023..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Home Healthcare, Risk, Hospitalization
Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Le NB
There's a problem with the problem list: incongruence of patient problem information across the home care admission.
The purpose of this observational field study was to illustrate patterns of patient problem information received and documented across the home health care (HHC) admission process and offer practice, policy, and health information technology recommendations to improve information transfer. The investigators concluded that diagnosis or problem information transferred from the referral source or gathered during an in-home assessment did not appear in the plan of care. Because of the EHR structure, clinicians could not identify inactive problem or problem priority.
AHRQ-funded; HS024537.
Citation: Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Le NB .
There's a problem with the problem list: incongruence of patient problem information across the home care admission.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2021 May;22(5):1009-14. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2020.06.032..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Topaz M, Woo K, Ryvicker M
Home healthcare clinical notes predict patient hospitalization and emergency department visits.
About 30% of home healthcare patients are hospitalized or visit an emergency department (ED) during a home healthcare (HHC) episode. Novel data science methods are increasingly used to improve identification of patients at risk for negative outcomes. The aim of the study was to identify patients at heightened risk hospitalization or ED visits using HHC narrative data (clinical notes).
AHRQ-funded; HS027742.
Citation: Topaz M, Woo K, Ryvicker M .
Home healthcare clinical notes predict patient hospitalization and emergency department visits.
Nurs Res 2020 Nov/Dec;69(6):448-54. doi: 10.1097/nnr.0000000000000470..
Keywords: Elderly, Home Healthcare, Emergency Department, Hospitalization, Risk, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Wojciechowicz C
Incorporating home healthcare nurses' admission information needs to inform data standards.
Patient transitions into home health care (HHC) often occur without the transfer of information needed for critical clinical decisions and the plan of care. Owing to a lack of universally implemented standards, there is wide variation in information transfer. In this study, the investigators sought to characterize missing information at HHC admission. They conducted a mixed methods study with 3 diverse HHC agencies.
AHRQ-funded; HS024537.
Citation: Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Wojciechowicz C .
Incorporating home healthcare nurses' admission information needs to inform data standards.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2020 Aug;27(8):1278-86. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocaa087..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Transitions of Care, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Berridge C, Wetle TF
Why older adults and their children disagree about in-home surveillance technology, sensors, and tracking.
Researchers compared preferences of older adult women and their adult children for three remote monitoring technologies. They found that adult children preferred each technology more than their mothers did and underestimated both their mothers' ability to comprehend the functions of the technologies and the importance of engaging them fully in decision making. For both groups, privacy was the most-cited concern, and participants perceived significant overlap between values of privacy, independence, identity, and freedom. They recommended shared decision-making tools to promote remote monitoring use consistent with older adults' values and to prevent conflict and caregiver overreach.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Berridge C, Wetle TF .
Why older adults and their children disagree about in-home surveillance technology, sensors, and tracking.
Gerontologist 2020 Jul 15;60(5):926-34. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnz068..
Keywords: Elderly, Caregiving, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Home Healthcare
Kang Y, Taylor JO, Osterhage K
Home care nurses' perspectives regarding health information management among older adults.
The purpose of this qualitative study was to determine how home healthcare nurses (HCNs) obtain and provide health information, to describe the perspective of HCNs regarding older adult personal health information (PHI), and to identify the potential role of technology in older adult health information transfer. Researchers conducted and analyzed phone interviews with 17 HCNs from two home healthcare agencies. Results showed these five themes: 1) common practices of obtaining health information; 2) barriers to obtaining health information; 3) ideal ways to obtain and provide health information; 4) use of patient portals; and 5) HCNs' use of technology for health information exchange. Most HCNs reported that it would be difficult for older adult patients to update their PHI without assistance, but HCNs lack the time and resources to assist older adults in PHI management activities.
AHRQ-funded; HS022106.
Citation: Kang Y, Taylor JO, Osterhage K .
Home care nurses' perspectives regarding health information management among older adults.
Home Healthc Now 2019 Nov/Dec;37(6):319-27. doi: 10.1097/nhh.0000000000000796..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Elderly, Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Nurse, Provider
Sockolow PS, Bass EJ, Ynag Y
Availability and quality of information used by nurses while admitting patients to a rural home health care agency.
This study investigated the availability and quality of information used by nurses in a rural home health care agency during patient admission. Twelve in-home admissions were observed and the nurses were interviewed before and after the admissions process. Content and quality of documents available to the nurses was analyzed and needed documents were not uniformly present. They rarely received visit pattern or medication management information. These results show the need for a high quality electronic health record system.
AHRQ-funded; HS024537.
Citation: Sockolow PS, Bass EJ, Ynag Y .
Availability and quality of information used by nurses while admitting patients to a rural home health care agency.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2019 Aug 21;264:798-802. doi: 10.3233/shti190333..
Keywords: Rural Health, Home Healthcare, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Provider: Nurse, Provider
Yang Y, Bass EJ, Bowles KH
Impact of home care admission nurses' goals on electronic health record documentation strategies at the point of care.
The article reports on a study designed to investigate documentation strategies used by home care nurses with respect to entering electronic data during admission as well as the effect of nursing goals on the process. This was done to characterize admission nurses' practices at the point of care and to establish a basis for design recommendations for electronic health records (EHRs). Five nurses in rural Pennsylvania home care agencies were observed during the admission process. The results of the study lead the authors to recommend that EHR design and training should support the manner in which home care nurses document patient encounters.
AHRQ-funded; HS024537.
Citation: Yang Y, Bass EJ, Bowles KH .
Impact of home care admission nurses' goals on electronic health record documentation strategies at the point of care.
Comput Inform Nurs 2019 Jan;37(1):39-46. doi: 10.1097/cin.0000000000000468..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Home Healthcare, Nursing
Dowding D, Merrill JA, Barron Y
Usability evaluation of a dashboard for home care nurses.
Usability tests were conducted on a creation of a dashboard prototype for home care nurses for their patients’ electronic health records (EHRs). The prototype was created by first observing and interviewing several nurses; getting feedback on paper versions of the dashboard; and then a usability evaluation of the electronic prototype. The dashboard was positively evaluated.
AHRQ-funded; HS023855.
Citation: Dowding D, Merrill JA, Barron Y .
Usability evaluation of a dashboard for home care nurses.
Comput Inform Nurs 2019 Jan;37(1):11-19. doi: 10.1097/cin.0000000000000484..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Home Healthcare, Nursing, Provider
Yang Y, Bass EJ, Sockolow PS
Knowledge elicitation of homecare admission decision making processes via focus group, member checking and data visualization.
Researchers elicit knowledge related to expert decision-making processes to inform information technology design and related interventions. In this study, the investigators examine knowledge elicitation of homecare admission decision making processes via focus group, member checking and data visualization. The investigators concluded that the data collection and validation methodology showed promise for knowledge elicitation in time-constrained situations.
AHRQ-funded; HS024537.
Citation: Yang Y, Bass EJ, Sockolow PS .
Knowledge elicitation of homecare admission decision making processes via focus group, member checking and data visualization.
AMIA Annu Symp Proc 2018 Dec 5;2018:1127-36..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Decision Making, Health Information Technology (HIT), Data
Dowding DW, Russell D, Onorato N
Technology solutions to support care continuity in home care: a focus group study.
The purpose of this study was to explore perceptions among home care clinicians of the barriers they face and the information they need to improve care continuity for patients with heart failure. The study highlighted areas of improvement for health information technology solutions that could support care delivery for patients with heart failure in a home care setting.
AHRQ-funded; HS023855.
Citation: Dowding DW, Russell D, Onorato N .
Technology solutions to support care continuity in home care: a focus group study.
J Healthc Qual 2018 Jul/Aug;40(4):236-46. doi: 10.1097/jhq.0000000000000104..
Keywords: Healthcare Delivery, Health Information Technology (HIT), Heart Disease and Health, Home Healthcare, Quality Improvement
Berridge C
Medicaid becomes the first third-party payer to cover passive remote monitoring for home care: policy analysis.
This study examined passive remote monitoring technologies in state Medicaid programs. Its goals were to identify which states allowed location tracking, sensor systems, and cameras, what policies were in place to track usage, what implementation processes and program monitoring mechanisms were in place, and what related insights Medicaid program stakeholders would like to learn. Interviews were conducted with state, federal, and managed care organization (MCO) Medicaid program stakeholders about the use of these technologies in state waivers that served community-dwelling older adults in 15 states. While two-thirds of the states covered location tracking and activity-monitoring sensors and one-third covered cameras, only 3 states had specific service categories that allowed tracking of when they pay for these technologies. The authors conclude that technologies that have great potential to alter the way older adults receive supportive services are often used without research on their use, social or ethical implications, or outcomes. New service categories are needed to enable oversight, and more interaction between policymakers and researchers in this field would aid in the prioritization of research aims to inform practice.
AHRQ-funded; HS000011.
Citation: Berridge C .
Medicaid becomes the first third-party payer to cover passive remote monitoring for home care: policy analysis.
J Med Internet Res 2018 Feb 21;20(2):e66. doi: 10.2196/jmir.9650..
Keywords: Elderly, Health Information Technology (HIT), Health Insurance, Healthcare Delivery, Home Healthcare, Medicaid, Policy
Garfield CF, Lee YS, Kim HN
Supporting parents of premature infants transitioning from the NICU to home: a pilot randomized control trial of a smartphone application.
This study determined whether parents of Very Low Birth Weight (VLBW) infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) transitioning home with the NICU-2-Home smartphone application have greater parenting self-efficacy, are better prepared for discharge and have shorter length of stay (LOS) than control parents. It found that a smartphone application can improve parenting self-efficacy, discharge preparedness, and LOS with improved benefits based on usage.
AHRQ-funded; HS020316.
Citation: Garfield CF, Lee YS, Kim HN .
Supporting parents of premature infants transitioning from the NICU to home: a pilot randomized control trial of a smartphone application.
Internet Interv 2016 May;4(Pt 2):131-37. doi: 10.1016/j.invent.2016.05.004.
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Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU), Health Information Technology (HIT), Home Healthcare, Hospital Discharge
Hassol A, Deitz D, Goldberg H
Health information exchange: perspectives from home healthcare.
Home health agencies (HHAs) often lack the timely and accurate patient information that they require for transition planning. The authors argue that health information exchanges (HIEs) offer information that supports timely visit scheduling, safe and appropriate care planning, coding and documentation, and HHA efficiency.
AHRQ-funded; HS018865.
Citation: Hassol A, Deitz D, Goldberg H .
Health information exchange: perspectives from home healthcare.
Comput Inform Nurs 2016 Apr;34(4):145-50. doi: 10.1097/cin.0000000000000240.
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Keywords: Health Information Exchange (HIE), Health Information Technology (HIT), Home Healthcare
Koru G, Alhuwail D, Topaz M
Investigating the challenges and opportunities in home care to facilitate effective information technology adoption.
This investigation of the pressing challenges and opportunities for achieving effectiveness in IT adoption found that coordinating clinical and administrative workflows was an important challenge. Inadequate access to patients' medical history and difficulties with medication reconciliation detracted from the quality of care. Hiring, training, scheduling, and retaining qualified personnel constituted another important challenge.
AHRQ-funded; HS022352.
Citation: Koru G, Alhuwail D, Topaz M .
Investigating the challenges and opportunities in home care to facilitate effective information technology adoption.
J Am Med Dir Assoc 2016 Jan;17(1):53-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jamda.2015.10.008.
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Keywords: Home Healthcare, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality of Care
Baier RR, Cooper E, Wysocki A
Using qualitative methods to create a home health web application user interface for patients with low computer proficiency.
The researchers undertook a multi-phased approach to create a consumer-facing home health web application in Rhode Island. This included reviewing the evidence base to identify design recommendations and then creating a paper prototype and wireframe. They performed qualitative research to iteratively test their proposed user interface with two user groups, home health consumers and hospital case managers and t]hen refined their design to create the final web application.
AHRQ-funded; HS021879
Citation: Baier RR, Cooper E, Wysocki A .
Using qualitative methods to create a home health web application user interface for patients with low computer proficiency.
eGEMS. 2015 May 13;3(2):1166. doi: 10.13063/2327-9214.1166..
Keywords: Home Healthcare, Health Information Technology (HIT), Quality of Care, Education: Patient and Caregiver
Casper GR, Flatley Brennan P, Perreault JO
vizHOME--a context-based home assessment: preliminary implications for informatics.
The focus of this paper is on the first phase of the vizHOME study, specifically on the exploration and documentation of the individual’s performance of self-management tasks including such things as medication management and use of a monitoring device. The researchers learned from the participants that while the tools may perform satisfactorily in usability assessment, they may not meet the needs of many users.
AHRQ-funded; HS022548.
Citation: Casper GR, Flatley Brennan P, Perreault JO .
vizHOME--a context-based home assessment: preliminary implications for informatics.
Stud Health Technol Inform 2015;216:842-6..
Keywords: Diabetes, Patient Self-Management, Home Healthcare, Health Information Technology (HIT), Medication
Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Adelsberger MC
Challenges and facilitators to adoption of a point-of-care electronic health record in home care.
In order to identify challenges to the adoption of electronic health records (EHR) in the home care setting, the researchers assessed clinician satisfaction, informed by workflow and patient outcomes. Using a combination of surveys, observations, and interviews in an agency with 137 clinicians, the researchers found that adoption challenges included: (a) hardware problems coupled with lack of field support; (b) inadequate training; and (c) mismatch of EHR usability/functionality and workflow.
AHRQ-funded; HS021008.
Citation: Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Adelsberger MC .
Challenges and facilitators to adoption of a point-of-care electronic health record in home care.
Home Health Care Serv Q 2014;33(1):14-35. doi: 10.1080/01621424.2013.870098..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Home Healthcare
Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Adelsberger MC
Impact of homecare electronic health record on timeliness of clinical documentation, reimbursement, and patient outcomes.
The study objective was to assess the impact of attaining efficiency and health goals of a point-of-care EHR in home care. To realize this objective, the researchers compared clinical documentation workflow, financial time-to-billing and patient physiological and behavioral outcomes to evaluate its impact. The findings indicate that EHR use significantly improved the timeliness of clinical documentation and billing for reimbursement but had limited impact on improving patient outcomes.
AHRQ-funded; HS021008.
Citation: Sockolow PS, Bowles KH, Adelsberger MC .
Impact of homecare electronic health record on timeliness of clinical documentation, reimbursement, and patient outcomes.
Appl Clin Inform 2014;5(2):445-62. doi: 10.4338/aci-2013-12-ra-0106..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Home Healthcare