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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
101 to 125 of 1425 Research Studies DisplayedLee AH, McEvoy DS, Stump T
Implementation of an electronic alert to improve timeliness of second dose antibiotics for patients with suspected serious infections in the emergency department: a quasi-randomized controlled trial.
This study analyzed the influence of clinical decision support (CDS) to prevent delays in second doses of broad-spectrum antibiotics in the emergency department (ED). The authors allocated adult patients who received cefepime or piperacillin/tazobactam in 9 EDs within an integrated health care system to an electronic alert that reminded ED clinicians to reorder antibiotics at the appropriate interval vs usual care. Primary outcome was a median delay in antibiotic administration, and secondary outcomes were rates of intensive care unit (ICU) admission, hospital mortality, and hospital length of stay. A total of 1,113 ED patients treated with cefepime or piperacillin/tazobactam were enrolled in the study, of whom 420 remained under ED care when their second dose was due. The electronic alert system was associated with reduced antibiotic delays, but there were no differences in ICU transfers, inpatient mortality, or hospital length of stay.
AHRQ-funded; HS027170.
Citation: Lee AH, McEvoy DS, Stump T .
Implementation of an electronic alert to improve timeliness of second dose antibiotics for patients with suspected serious infections in the emergency department: a quasi-randomized controlled trial.
Ann Emerg Med 2023 Apr;81(4):485-91. doi: 10.1016/j.annemergmed.2022.10.022.
Keywords: Antibiotics, Medication, Emergency Department, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT)
AA Payán, DD Brown, TT
AHRQ Author: Tierney
Telehealth use, care continuity, and quality: diabetes and hypertension care in community health centers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a cohort study, researchers examined the association of care continuity with diabetes and hypertension care quality in community health centers (CHCs) before and during COVID-19, and the mediating effect of telehealth. Patients with diabetes and/or hypertension with at least 2 encounters per year during 2019 and 2020 were identified via electronic health record data from 166 CHCs; multivariable logistic regression models estimated the association of care continuity with telehealth use and care processes. The results showed that higher care continuity was associated with telehealth use and A1c testing, and lower A1c and blood pressure. The researchers concluded that care continuity might facilitate telehealth use and resilient performance on process measures.
AHRQ-funded; HS022241.
Citation: AA Payán, DD Brown, TT .
Telehealth use, care continuity, and quality: diabetes and hypertension care in community health centers before and during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Med Care 2023 Apr 1;61(Suppl 1):S62-s69. doi: 10.1097/mlr.0000000000001811.
Keywords: COVID-19, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Diabetes, Blood Pressure, Community-Based Practice, Public Health
Roddy MK, Chen P, Jeffery AD
Telemental health in emergency care settings: a qualitative analysis of considerations for sustainability and spread.
The purpose of this study was to explore barriers and facilitators for the spread and sustainability of telemental health video (TMH-V) as precaution policies from the pandemic declined. The researchers conducted a qualitative study using semistructured interviews and observations guided by RE-AIM. Local clinicians, facility leadership, Veterans, and external partners were asked about barriers and facilitators impacting patient willingness to engage in telemental health video (TMH-V) (reach), quality of care (effectiveness), barriers and facilitators impacting provider uptake (adoption), possible adaptations to TMH-V (implementation), and possibilities for long-term use of TMH-V (maintenance). The researchers also observed TMH-V encounters in one emergency department (ED) and one urgent care (UC) to understand how clinicians and Veterans engaged with the technology. The study found that in 10 observations, all interviewees were satisfied with the TMH-V program, and interviewees emphasized greater comfort discussing difficult topics for Veterans (reach). Clinicians indicated that TMH-V provided cross-coverage across sites as well as greater safety and flexibility for clinicians (adoption). Opportunities for improvement include reducing technological responsibilities for on-site staff, electronic health record (EHR) adaptations to correctly depict workload and modality (telehealth vs. in-person), and standardizing protocols to improve efficiency in communication between on-site and remote clinical staff (implementation). Participants supported its dissemination to other sites (maintenance) and indicated there was significant possibility for expanding the service.
AHRQ-funded; HS026395.
Citation: Roddy MK, Chen P, Jeffery AD .
Telemental health in emergency care settings: a qualitative analysis of considerations for sustainability and spread.
Acad Emerg Med 2023 Apr; 30(4):368-78. doi: 10.1111/acem.14682..
Keywords: Emergency Department, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT)
McClellan C, Mitchell E, Anderson J
AHRQ Author: McClellan C, Mitchell E, Anderson J, Zuvekas S
Using machine-learning algorithms to improve imputation in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
This AHRQ-authored study’s aim was to assess the feasibility of applying machine-learning (ML) methods to imputation in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), using all data from the 2016-2017 survey. The authors examined five alternatives to linear regression: Gradient Boosting, Random Forests, Extreme Random Forests, Deep Neural Networks, and a Stacked Ensemble approach. Additionally, they introduced an alternative matching scheme which matches on a vector of predicted expenditures by sources of payment instead of a single total expenditure prediction to generate potentially superior matches. Their principal findings were that ML algorithms perform better at both prediction and matching imputation than Ordinary Least Squares (OLS), the most common prediction algorithm used in predictive mean matching (PMM). On average, the Stacked Ensemble approach that combines all the ML algorithms performs best, improving expenditure prediction R(2) by 108% and final imputation R(2) by 227%. There was also an improvement on alignment of sources of payments between donor and recipient events by matching on a prediction vector.
AHRQ-authored.
Citation: McClellan C, Mitchell E, Anderson J .
Using machine-learning algorithms to improve imputation in the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey.
Health Serv Res 2023 Apr;58(2):423-32. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.14115.
Keywords: Medical Expenditure Panel Survey (MEPS), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Bell SK, Dong ZJ, Desroches CM
Partnering with patients and families living with chronic conditions to coproduce diagnostic safety through OurDX: a previsit online engagement tool.
Involving patients and their families in the diagnostic process is crucial, but there is a lack of methods for consistent engagement. The implementation of policies providing patients with access to electronic health records offers new possibilities. The researchers evaluated a novel online tool ("OurDX"), co-created with patients and families, to examine the nature and frequency of potential safety issues identified by patients and their families with chronic health conditions and whether these insights were incorporated into visit notes. At two US healthcare facilities, patients and their families were encouraged to participate via an online pre-visit questionnaire, which covered: (1) visit priorities, (2) recent medical history and symptoms, and (3) potential diagnostic concerns. Two physicians assessed patient-reported diagnostic issues to validate and classify diagnostic safety opportunities (DSOs). The researchers performed a chart review to determine if patient inputs were integrated into the visit note. Descriptive statistics were employed to report implementation outcomes, DSO verification, and chart review findings. The study found that OurDX reports were completed in 7075 of 18,129 (39%) eligible pediatric subspecialty visits (site 1) and 460 of 706 (65%) eligible adult primary care visits (site 2). Of the patients expressing diagnostic concerns, 63% were confirmed as probable DSOs. Overall, 7.5% of pediatric and adult patients and their families with chronic health conditions identified probable DSOs. The most frequent DSO types included patients and families feeling unheard; issues or delays in tests or referrals; and complications or delays in clarification or subsequent steps. The chart review revealed that most clinician notes incorporated all or some of the patient or family priorities and patient-reported histories.
AHRQ-funded; HS027367
Citation: Bell SK, Dong ZJ, Desroches CM .
Partnering with patients and families living with chronic conditions to coproduce diagnostic safety through OurDX: a previsit online engagement tool.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2023 Mar 16;30(4):692-702. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocad003.
Keywords: Chronic Conditions, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Health Information Technology (HIT), Patient and Family Engagement, Healthcare Delivery
Lane S, Fitzsimmons E, Zelefsky A
Assessing electronic health literacy at an urban academic hospital.
The purpose of this study was to explore electronic health literacy (EHL) in patients at an urban, academic hospital in the Bronx, and evaluate for relationships between EHL levels and different demographic variables. The researchers designed a cross-sectional, observational study in adults 18 years or more who presented for services at the Montefiore Einstein Center for Cancer Care (MECCC) Department of Radiation Oncology or the Montefiore Department of Medicine in the Bronx. The study evaluated EHL using the existing, validated eHealth Literacy Scale (eHEALS) survey and the researchers’ newly developed eHealth Literacy Objective Scale-Scenario Based (eHeLiOS-SB) tool. The study found that there was a statistically significant relationship between age and EHL as evaluated by both eHEALS and eHeLiOS-SB, with lower EHL scores for older adults. A specific question designed to evaluate attitudes toward digital health technologies revealed that the majority of participants held a positive attitude toward those types of applications.
AHRQ-funded; HS025645.
Citation: Lane S, Fitzsimmons E, Zelefsky A .
Assessing electronic health literacy at an urban academic hospital.
Appl Clin Inform 2023 Mar; 14(2):365-73. doi: 10.1055/a-2041-4500..
Keywords: Health Literacy, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Humbert-Droz M, Izadi Z, Schmajuk G
Development of a natural language processing system for extracting rheumatoid arthritis outcomes from clinical notes using the national rheumatology informatics system for effectiveness registry.
Researchers developed and evaluated a natural language processing pipeline for extracting outcome measures in rheumatology from free-text outpatient rheumatology notes within the ACR's Rheumatology Informatics System for Effectiveness (RISE) registry. All patients in RISE from 2015 to 2018 were included. The researchers found the pipeline to have good internal and external validity and they concluded that it could facilitate measurement of clinical and patient reported outcomes for use in both research and quality measurement.
AHRQ-funded; HS025638.
Citation: Humbert-Droz M, Izadi Z, Schmajuk G .
Development of a natural language processing system for extracting rheumatoid arthritis outcomes from clinical notes using the national rheumatology informatics system for effectiveness registry.
Arthritis Care Res 2023 Mar; 75(3):608-15. doi: 10.1002/acr.24869..
Keywords: Arthritis, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Outcomes, Patient-Centered Outcomes Research, Evidence-Based Practice
Jones SA, Van Driest S, Sommer EC
Direct-to-patient telehealth equity: Reaching diverse pediatric populations in primary care.
This study’s goal was to assess disparities in direct-to-patient (DTP) telehealth experience for pediatric patients. The authors examined DTP telehealth for low-income pediatric patient-families and compared the experience of English and non-English speakers. Providers completed an electronic survey with patient feedback about the telehealth experience and their own providers for visits from April 2020 to May 2020 at a pediatric primary care clinic (80% Medicaid-insured, 40% non-English-speaking). The majority of telehealth visits were in English and English speakers had a positive experience overall. Non-English speakers had more barriers, although most telehealth visits were rated as satisfactory.
AHRQ-funded; HS026122.
Citation: Jones SA, Van Driest S, Sommer EC .
Direct-to-patient telehealth equity: Reaching diverse pediatric populations in primary care.
Fam Syst Health 2023 Mar;41(1):61-67. doi: 10.1037/fsh0000685.
Keywords: Children/Adolescents, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Disparities
Wirth AN, Cushman NA, Reilley BA
Evaluation of treatment access and scope of a multistate hepatitis C virus Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes telehealth service in the US Indian Health System, 2017-2021.
Researchers evaluated the extent to which Indian Country Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO) telehealth clinics increase access to hepatitis C virus (HCV) treatment and serve American Indians/Alaska Native (AI/AN) patients holistically. They conducted a retrospective descriptive analysis of Indian Country ECHO treatment recommendations from 2017 to 2021. Most patients received recommendations for HCV treatment by their primary care providers, along with recommendations beyond the scope of HCV. The researchers concluded that Indian Country ECHO telehealth clinic provided comprehensive recommendations to effectively integrate evidence-based HCV treatment with holistic care at the primary care level.
AHRQ-funded; HS026370.
Citation: Wirth AN, Cushman NA, Reilley BA .
Evaluation of treatment access and scope of a multistate hepatitis C virus Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes telehealth service in the US Indian Health System, 2017-2021.
J Rural Health 2023 Mar;39(2):358-66. doi: 10.1111/jrh.12733.
Keywords: Hepatitis, Access to Care, Racial and Ethnic Minorities, Community-Based Practice, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Chronic Conditions
Li D, Wong J, Li X
Imputing missing covariates in time-to-event analysis within distributed research networks: a simulation study.
Researchers compared two parametric algorithms to evaluate the performance of imputation for missing baseline covariate data in combination with meta-analysis for time-to-event analysis within distributed research networks (DRNs). They included one nonlinear substantive model compatible imputation model as well as two non-parametric machine learning algorithms that contained random forest and classification and regression trees through simulation studies that were motivated by a real-world data set. Their findings suggested the validity and feasibility of imputation within DRNs in the presence of missing covariate data in time-to-event analysis under various settings.
AHRQ-funded; HS026214.
Citation: Li D, Wong J, Li X .
Imputing missing covariates in time-to-event analysis within distributed research networks: a simulation study.
Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2023 Mar; 32(3):330-40. doi: 10.1002/pds.5563..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT)
Halliday TM, McFadden M, Cedillo M
Lifestyle strategies after intentional weight loss: results from the MAINTAIN-pc randomized trial.
The aim of this study was to explore the strategies related with successful long-term weight loss maintenance. Researchers analyzed data from the 24-month Maintaining Activity and Nutrition Through Technology-Assisted Innovation in Primary Care (MAINTAIN-pc) trial. MAINTAIN-pc recruited 194 adults with recent intentional weight loss and randomized participants a group using tracking tools plus coaching (i.e., coaching group) or tracking tools without coaching (i.e., tracking-only group). The participants reported the lifestyle strategies they utilized in the previous 6 months, including self-monitoring, group support, behavioral skills, and professional support. The study found that at baseline, 100% used behavioral skills, 73% used group support, 69% used self-monitoring, and 68% used professional support in the past 6 months; at 24 months, the rates were 98%, 60%, 75%, and 61%, respectively. The number of participants using individual strategies did not vary significantly over time, but the overall number of strategies participants reported decreased. A greater number of strategies were utilized at baseline and 6 months compared to 12- and 24-month follow-ups. The coaching group utilized a greater number of strategies at months 6 and 12 than the tracking-only group. Consistent utilization of professional support strategies over the 24-month study period was related with less weight regain.
AHRQ-funded; HS021162.
Citation: Halliday TM, McFadden M, Cedillo M .
Lifestyle strategies after intentional weight loss: results from the MAINTAIN-pc randomized trial.
Transl J Am Coll Sports Med 2023 Spring; 8(2). doi: 10.1249/tjx.0000000000000220..
Keywords: Lifestyle Changes, Obesity, Primary Care, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Franco MI, Staab EM, Zhu M
Pragmatic clinical trial of population health, portal-based depression screening: the PORTAL-Depression study.
Utilizing patient portals in a population health framework for depression screening presents a potentially effective method for proactively engaging and identifying individuals with depression. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a population health-based depression screening compared to in-clinic screening alone in detecting patients with depression. A practical clinical trial conducted at an urban, academic, tertiary care center's adult internal medicine outpatient clinic included a total of 2713 eligible adult patients due for depression screening with active portal accounts. Patients with known depression or bipolar disorder, and those who had been screened within the previous year were excluded. Participants were randomly allocated to receive either usual care (n = 1372) or population health care (n = 1341). In the usual care group, medical assistants screened patients during clinic visits. In the population health care group, patients were sent portal-based letters inviting them to complete an online screener, irrespective of appointment status. The Computerized Adaptive Test for Mental Health (CAT-MH™) was used for both in-clinic and portal-based screenings. The study found that the population health care group displayed a higher depression screening rate compared to the usual care group (43% (n = 578) vs. 33% (n = 459), p < 0.0001). Additionally, the rate of positive screens was greater in the population health care group than in the usual care group (10% (n = 58) vs. 4% (n = 17), p < 0.001).
AHRQ-funded; HS26151
Citation: Franco MI, Staab EM, Zhu M .
Pragmatic clinical trial of population health, portal-based depression screening: the PORTAL-Depression study.
J Gen Intern Med 2023 Mar;38(4):857-64. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07779-9.
Keywords: Depression, Behavioral Health, Screening, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Ingraham NE, Jones EK, King S
Re-aiming equity evaluation in clinical decision support: a scoping review of equity assessments in surgical decision support systems.
This scoping review explored surgical literature to determine frequency and rigor of clinical decision support (CDS) equity assessments and offer recommendations to improve CDS equity by appending existing frameworks. The authors performed a scoping review of PubMed and Google Scholar and identified 1,415 citations with 229 abstracts meeting criteria for review. A total of 84 papers underwent full review after 145 were excluded if they did not assess outcomes of an electronic CDS tool or have a surgical use case. Only 6% of surgical CDS systems reported equity analyses, suggesting that current methods for optimizing equity in surgical CDS are inadequate. The authors proposed revising the RE-AIM framework to include an Equity element (RE2-AIM) specifying that CDS foundational analyses and algorithms are performed or trained on balanced datasets with sociodemographic characteristics that accurately represent the CDS target population and are assessed by sensitivity analyses focused on vulnerable subpopulations.
AHRQ-funded; HS026379; HS024532.
Citation: Ingraham NE, Jones EK, King S .
Re-aiming equity evaluation in clinical decision support: a scoping review of equity assessments in surgical decision support systems.
Ann Surg 2023 Mar; 277(3):359-64. doi: 10.1097/sla.0000000000005661..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Disparities, Surgery
Cochran A, Rayo MF
Toward joint activity design: augmenting user-centered design with heuristics for supporting joint activity.
This paper discusses the development of a clinical decision support application for preventing hospital-acquired infection called GeoHAI, which has yielded positive results in early usability testing and is expected to test positively in supporting joint activity, which will be measured through the novel implementation of Joint Activity Monitoring. The design and implementation of this application will help to unify the work of Human-Centered Design and Cognitive Systems Engineering through demonstration of the possibilities and necessities. The authors are calling this unified process Joint Activity Design, which supports designing for machines to be good team players.
AHRQ-funded; HS027200.
Citation: Cochran A, Rayo MF .
Toward joint activity design: augmenting user-centered design with heuristics for supporting joint activity.
Proc Int Symp Hum Factors Ergon Healthc 2023 Mar; 12(1):19-23. doi: 10.1177/2327857923121006..
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Health Information Technology (HIT), Orthopedics
Shear K, Rice H, Garabedian PM
Usability testing of an interoperable computerized clinical decision support tool for fall risk management in primary care.
The purpose of this study was to conduct usability testing of the ASPIRE fall risk management tool for use in divergent primary care clinics. Participants recruited from two sites with different electronic health records and clinical organizations used ASPIRE across two clinical scenarios; they rated ASPIRE usability as above average, based on usability benchmarks. Time spent on tasks decreased significantly between the first and second scenarios, indicating ease of learnability. The authors conclude that ASPIRE could be integrated into diverse organizations, since it allows a tailored implementation without the need to build a new system for each organization. ASPIRE is therefore well positioned to impact the challenge of falls at scale.
AHRQ-funded; HS027557.
Citation: Shear K, Rice H, Garabedian PM .
Usability testing of an interoperable computerized clinical decision support tool for fall risk management in primary care.
Appl Clin Inform 2023 Mar;14(2):212-26. doi: 10.1055/a-2006-4936.
Keywords: Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Decision Making, Health Information Technology (HIT), Falls, Primary Care, Risk, Prevention
Schnall R, Sanabria G, Jia R, Sanabria G, Jia H
Efficacy of an mHealth self-management intervention for persons living with HIV: the WiseApp randomized clinical trial.
This study’s objective was to determine the efficacy of WiseApp, a user-centered design mHealth intervention to improve antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence and viral suppression in persons living with HIV (PLWH). This randomized case-control trial had two study arms: a randomized controlled efficacy trial arm (n = 99) and an attention control intervention arm (n = 101) among PLWH living in New York City. The authors found a significant improvement in ART adherence in the intervention arm compared to the attention control arm from day 1 (69.7% vs 48.3%) to day 59 (51.2% vs 37.2%) of the study period. From day 60 to 120, the intervention had higher but not statistically significant adherence rates. Secondary analyses showed no difference in change from baseline to 3 or 6 months between the 2 study arms.
AHRQ-funded; HS025071.
Citation: Schnall R, Sanabria G, Jia R, Sanabria G, Jia H .
Efficacy of an mHealth self-management intervention for persons living with HIV: the WiseApp randomized clinical trial.
J Am Med Inform Assoc 2023 Feb 16; 30(3):418-26. doi: 10.1093/jamia/ocac233..
Keywords: Telehealth, Patient Self-Management, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), Chronic Conditions, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Hakimjavadi R, Karunananthan S, Alexander G
What is the level of information technology maturity in Ontario's long-term care homes? A cross-sectional survey study protocol.
As the number of Canadians aged 75 years and older is projected to double in the next two decades, long-term care (LTC) systems will face increasing pressure. Health information technology (IT) has demonstrated its ability to enhance the quality, safety, and efficiency of care across various clinical environments and could potentially improve LTC for residents. The purpose of this cross-sectional study will be to thoroughly assess the extent of health IT adoption in Ontario's LTC homes and establish a baseline comprehension for future planning. The researchers will utilize the LTC IT Maturity Instrument to evaluate IT capabilities, the extent of IT usage, and the degree of internal/external IT integration across the domains of resident care, clinical support, and administrative activities. All LTC homes in Ontario will be invited to participate.
AHRQ-funded; HS022497.
Citation: Hakimjavadi R, Karunananthan S, Alexander G .
What is the level of information technology maturity in Ontario's long-term care homes? A cross-sectional survey study protocol.
BMJ Open 2023 Feb 10; 13(2):e064745. doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2022-064745..
Keywords: Health Information Technology (HIT), Long-Term Care, Nursing Homes
Harle CA, Wu W, Vest JR
Accuracy of electronic health record food insecurity, housing instability, and financial strain screening in adult primary care.
The objective of this study was to assess the accuracy of electronic health record–based multidomain screening questionnaires on social risk factors. Researchers used single-domain questionnaires on individual factors such as food insecurity, housing instability, and financial strain as external standards.
AHRQ-funded; HS028636.
Citation: Harle CA, Wu W, Vest JR .
Accuracy of electronic health record food insecurity, housing instability, and financial strain screening in adult primary care.
JAMA 2023 Feb 7; 329(5):423-24. doi: 10.1001/jama.2022.23631..
Keywords: Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT), Primary Care, Screening, Social Determinants of Health
Konnyu KJ, Danilack VA, Adam GP
Changes to prenatal care visit frequency and telehealth: a systematic review of qualitative evidence.
This study systematically reviewed patient, partner or family, and clinician perspectives, preferences, and experiences related to prenatal care visit schedules and televisits for routine prenatal care. This review is a subset of a larger review on both the qualitative experiences and quantitative benefits and harms of reduced prenatal care visit schedules and televisits for routine prenatal care that was produced by the Brown Evidence-based Practice Center for AHRQ. The authors synthesized barriers and facilitators to the implementation of reduced care visits or of televisits into 1 of 14 domains defined by the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) and a Best Fit Framework approach and summarized themes within TDF domains. They assessed their confidence in the summary statements using the GRADE-CERQual (Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation-Confidence in Evidence from Reviews of Qualitative research) tool. They found four studies that addressed the number of scheduled routine prenatal visits, and five studies that addressed televisits. These studies found that health care professionals believed fewer routine visits may be more convenient for patients and may increase clinic capacity to provide additional care for patients with high-risk pregnancies. But both patients and clinicians had concerns about potential lesser care with fewer visits, including concerns about quality of care and challenges with implementing new delivery-of-care models.
AHRQ-funded; 290201500002I.
Citation: Konnyu KJ, Danilack VA, Adam GP .
Changes to prenatal care visit frequency and telehealth: a systematic review of qualitative evidence.
Obstet Gynecol 2023 Feb;141(2):299-323. doi: 10.1097/aog.0000000000005046.
Keywords: Maternal Care, Pregnancy, Women, Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Hsueh L, Huang J, Millman AK
Cross-sectional association of patient language and patient-provider language concordance with video telemedicine use among patients with limited English proficiency.
The surge in telemedicine use during the COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need to address gaps in patient care, particularly for individuals with limited English proficiency. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between patient language, patient-provider language alignment, and the type of telemedicine visit (video or phone consultation). The researchers conducted a cross-sectional analysis using automated data from primary care telemedicine appointments scheduled between March 16, 2020, and October 31, 2020 within a comprehensive healthcare delivery system in Northern California. A total of 22,427 completed primary care telemedicine visits booked by 13,764 patients with limited English proficiency through the patient portal. The study examined the cross-sectional link between electronic health record-documented patient language (with Spanish as the reference) and patient-provider language concordance, considering patient demographics, technology access, and technology familiarity. RESULTS: The study found that among all scheduled appointments, 34.5% (n=7747) were video consultations. The three most common patient languages were Spanish (42.4%), Cantonese (16.9%), and Mandarin (10.3%). After adjusting for demographic and technology factors, video visit usage was higher for patients speaking Cantonese, Mandarin, or Vietnamese, compared to Spanish-speaking patients, but lower for those who spoke Punjabi. Language concordance was linked to decreased video visit utilization and influenced the relationship between speaking Spanish, Cantonese, and Korean with video visit usage. Furthermore, for all language groups, patients with prior video visit experience were more likely to use video visits again.
AHRQ-funded; HS025189
Citation: Hsueh L, Huang J, Millman AK .
Cross-sectional association of patient language and patient-provider language concordance with video telemedicine use among patients with limited English proficiency.
J Gen Intern Med 2023 Feb;38(3):633-40. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07887-6.
Keywords: Telehealth, Health Information Technology (HIT), Cultural Competence, Clinician-Patient Communication, Communication, Healthcare Delivery, COVID-19
Djulbegovic B, Hozo I, Lizarraga D
Evaluation of a fast-and-frugal clinical decision algorithm ('pathways') on clinical outcomes in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 treated with anticoagulants.
The objective of this study was to assess if delivery of anticoagulant prophylaxis according to an algorithm improved clinical outcomes in patients hospitalized with COVID-19 in comparison with anticoagulant treatment given at individual practitioners' discretion. Findings indicated that the algorithm did not reduce death, venous thromboembolism, nor major bleeding, but helped avoid longer hospital stay and admission to an intensive-care unit.
AHRQ-funded; HS024917.
Citation: Djulbegovic B, Hozo I, Lizarraga D .
Evaluation of a fast-and-frugal clinical decision algorithm ('pathways') on clinical outcomes in hospitalised patients with COVID-19 treated with anticoagulants.
J Eval Clin Pract 2023 Feb; 29(1):3-12. doi: 10.1111/jep.13780..
Keywords: COVID-19, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Blood Thinners, Medication, Evidence-Based Practice, Health Information Technology (HIT)
Coley RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L
External validation of the eRADAR risk score for detecting undiagnosed dementia in two real-world healthcare systems.
Drupal date: Feb, 2023
It is estimated that half of the individuals with dementia remain undiagnosed. The electronic health record (EHR) Risk of Alzheimer's and Dementia Assessment Rule (eRADAR) was designed to detect older adults at risk of undiagnosed dementia using routinely gathered clinical information. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to externally validate eRADAR in two real-world healthcare systems, examining its performance over time and across race/ethnicity. The study found a total of 7631 dementia diagnoses were observed at KPWA and 216 at UCSF. The area under the curve was 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.84-0.85) at KPWA and 0.79 (0.76-0.82) at UCSF. Using the 90th percentile as the cut point for identifying high-risk patients, sensitivity was 54% (53-56%) at KPWA and 44% (38-51%) at UCSF. Performance was consistent over time, including across the transition from International Classification of Diseases, version 9 (ICD-9) to ICD-10 codes, and across racial/ethnic groups (although small samples limited precision in some groups). The study concluded that eRADAR demonstrated strong external validity for identifying undiagnosed dementia in two healthcare systems with diverse patient populations and varying availability of external healthcare data for risk calculations. This study showed that eRADAR is generalizable from a research sample to real-world clinical populations, transportable across health systems, resilient to temporal changes in healthcare, and exhibits similar performance across major racial/ethnic groups.
It is estimated that half of the individuals with dementia remain undiagnosed. The electronic health record (EHR) Risk of Alzheimer's and Dementia Assessment Rule (eRADAR) was designed to detect older adults at risk of undiagnosed dementia using routinely gathered clinical information. The purpose of this retrospective cohort study was to externally validate eRADAR in two real-world healthcare systems, examining its performance over time and across race/ethnicity. The study found a total of 7631 dementia diagnoses were observed at KPWA and 216 at UCSF. The area under the curve was 0.84 (95% confidence interval: 0.84-0.85) at KPWA and 0.79 (0.76-0.82) at UCSF. Using the 90th percentile as the cut point for identifying high-risk patients, sensitivity was 54% (53-56%) at KPWA and 44% (38-51%) at UCSF. Performance was consistent over time, including across the transition from International Classification of Diseases, version 9 (ICD-9) to ICD-10 codes, and across racial/ethnic groups (although small samples limited precision in some groups). The study concluded that eRADAR demonstrated strong external validity for identifying undiagnosed dementia in two healthcare systems with diverse patient populations and varying availability of external healthcare data for risk calculations. This study showed that eRADAR is generalizable from a research sample to real-world clinical populations, transportable across health systems, resilient to temporal changes in healthcare, and exhibits similar performance across major racial/ethnic groups.
AHRQ-funded; HS026369.
Citation: Coley RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L RY, Smith JJ, Karliner L .
External validation of the eRADAR risk score for detecting undiagnosed dementia in two real-world healthcare systems.
J Gen Intern Med 2023 Feb; 38(2):351-60. doi: 10.1007/s11606-022-07736-6..
Keywords: Dementia, Neurological Disorders, Diagnostic Safety and Quality, Electronic Health Records (EHRs), Health Information Technology (HIT)
Kman NE, Price A, Berezina-Blackburn V
First Responder Virtual Reality Simulator to train and assess emergency personnel for mass casualty response.
This paper describes the First Responder Virtual Reality Simulator, a high-fidelity, fully immersive, automated, programmable virtual reality (VR) simulation designed to train frontline responders to treat and triage victims of mass casualty incidents. First responder trainees wear a wireless VR head-mounted display linked to a compatible desktop computer. Autonomous, interactive victims who are programmed to simulate individuals with injuries consistent with an explosion in an underground space are used. The trainees are armed with a virtual medical kit, who are then tasked with triaging and treating the victims on the scene. Increased challenges can be added such as increasing the environmental chaos, adding patients, or increasing the acuity of patient injuries.
AHRQ-funded; HS025915.
Citation: Kman NE, Price A, Berezina-Blackburn V .
First Responder Virtual Reality Simulator to train and assess emergency personnel for mass casualty response.
J Am Coll Emerg Physicians Open 2023 Feb;4(1):e12903. doi: 10.1002/emp2.12903.
Keywords: Emergency Medical Services (EMS), Simulation, Health Information Technology (HIT), Training, Emergency Preparedness
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)
Gephart SM, Tolentino DA, Quinn MC
Neonatal intensive care workflow analysis informing NEC-Zero clinical decision support design.
The aim of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the current clinical workflow and sociotechnical processes of clinicians for necrotizing enterocolitis risk awareness, timely discovery of symptoms, and treatment to guide decision support design. The researchers conducted 11 focus groups in two neonatal ICUs. The study found that workflow processes were different for nurses (who observe the signs of necrotizing enterocolitis and inform providers to order diagnostic tests and treatments) and providers (who receive notification of necrotizing enterocolitis concern and then decide what actions to take). The researchers reported that clinicians wanted a necrotizing enterocolitis-relevant dashboard with: 1) nutrition tracking and recognition of necrotizing enterocolitis; 2) features to support decision-making; 3) breast milk tracking and feeding clinical decision support; 4) tools for necrotizing enterocolitis surveillance and quality reporting; and 5) general electronic health records improvements to enhance user experience.
AHRQ-funded; HS022908.
Citation: Gephart SM, Tolentino DA, Quinn MC .
Neonatal intensive care workflow analysis informing NEC-Zero clinical decision support design.
Comput Inform Nurs 2023 Feb; 41(2):94-101. doi: 10.1097/cin.0000000000000929..
Keywords: Newborns/Infants, Clinical Decision Support (CDS), Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Workflow, Health Information Technology (HIT)