ABSTRACT
Automated text messaging interventions can effectively improve self-care and were used to support the U.S. Veterans Health Administration's (VHA) public health outreach during the COVID pandemic. Currently, significant gaps exist in knowledge about VHA patients' texting protocol preferences that may impact user receptivity, engagement, and effectiveness. This study qualitatively evaluated patient suggestions to improve two VHA Covid-related texting interventions and preferences for future text message protocols. We reviewed cross-sectional type-written survey responses from patients receiving either the "Coronavirus Precautions" or the "Coping During COVID" multi-week text protocols. Two team members independently and inductively coded all responses allowing for an upward abstraction of qualitative data. Nine hundred five patients (72.8% male) responded to the open-response item questions targeted by this research. An item that sought feedback to improve protocol acceptability generated thirteen distinct descriptive categories (inter-rater reliability 83.5%). Codable feedback showed, for example, that patients desired to manipulate message frequency and to have a more sophisticated interaction with messages. Patients' suggestions for future automated text messaging protocols yielded nine distinct topic areas. Patients offered suggestions that may impact receptivity and engagement of future automated text message protocols, particularly as they relate to outreach during a public health crisis. In addition, patients offered specific topics they would like to see in future text message protocols. We discuss how the findings can be used to increase engagement in current and post-pandemic public health interventions.
ABSTRACT
Widespread use of telehealth, mobile health, and remote patient monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic has given users a vision of what is possible in future healthcare worldwide. Artificial intelligence and predictive modeling capitalize on in-time, continuous data collection, and analytics to support patient and clinician decision-making. The necessary shift in health technology adoption during the pandemic has also highlighted a shift toward digital, health, and cultural literacy and the need for clinician and institutional competencies in order to maximize technology adoption and improve health outcomes. Healthcare providers and entire systems must consider necessary adjustments to financing, reimbursement, policy, training, and infrastructure. Propelled by the needs caused by the pandemic, there exists an opportunity to build on lessons learned and to create a new vision for the future of healthcare. Research is needed in the areas of user-centered design, implementation and effectiveness approach, models of care, human–computer interaction, ethical and legal issues, and economic cost analyses.
ABSTRACT
Implementation efforts to increase adoption of health technologies (e.g., telehealth, mobile health, electronic health records, patient portals) have commonly focused on increasing the adoption of specific health technologies in specific service lines. To facilitate adoption of multiple health technologies across a hospital setting, four Virtual Health Resource Centers (VHRCs) were established to provide clinical adoption support to healthcare staff and patients in four hospitals in a large healthcare system. This study spanned a 3-year period, with the first half including pre-implementation efforts, and the second half involved in implementation efforts. In order to compare sites to the national population, a binomial regression was used which allowed for adjustment of relevant covariates (e.g., differences in number of enrollees, level of complexity of facility). The pre-implementation phase and the initial year-and-a-half of the implementation phase resulted in an increase in internal facilitators' knowledge and skills of virtual care technologies, an increase in facilitator and site capacity, and high levels of adherence to implementation strategies were maintained across sites. Virtual care utilization increased across all sites and across the healthcare system during the implementation phase; however, a comparison to the increase in national level virtual care utilization metrics yielded no meaningful difference. While many implementation strategies aim to increase the adoption of a particular health technology product (e.g., a particular app or remote monitoring use case), the establishment of VHRCs may increase efficiencies in delivery of virtual care training and consultation to healthcare staff and patients, which may increase capacity and decrease barriers to adoption. However, due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the need for rapid adoption of technology and decreased in person care and services, it is not yet known the longer term impact that the establishment of VHRCs may have on the sustained adoption of health technologies.