Variation and Change Over Time in PROMIS-29 Survey Results Among Primary Care Patients With Type 2 Diabetes.

PURPOSE: We sought to describe results of patient-reported outcome measures implemented among primary care patients with diabetes and explore factors associated with changes in scores over time. METHODS: Two organizations serving diverse patient populations collected the PROMIS-29 survey at baseline and 3-month follow-up for patients with type 2 diabetes. Bayesian regression analysis was used to examine the relationship between patient characteristics and changes in PROMIS-29 scores. Exploratory analyses assessed relationships between goal-setting and changes in scores. RESULTS: The study population reported substantially more problems with physical functioning (mean: 42.5 at Site 1 and 38.9 at Site 2) and pain interference (mean: 58.0 at Site 1 and 61.1 at Site 2) compared to the general population (mean: 50; standard deviation: 10). At least 33% of patients had a clinically meaningful change (ie, at least half the standard deviation, or 5 points) in each PROMIS domain. For pain interference, 55% had no change, 22% improved by 5 or more points, and 23% worsened by 5 or more points. Bayesian regression analyses suggest that chronic conditions, insurance status, and Hispanic ethnicity are likely associated with decreased functioning over time. Exploratory analyses found that setting a mental health goal did not appear to be associated with improvement for anxiety or depression. CONCLUSIONS: Use of patient-reported outcome measures in routine clinical care identified areas of functional limitations among people with diabetes. However, changes in participants' PROMIS-29 scores over time were minimal. Research is needed to understand patterns of change in global and domain-specific functioning, particularly among racial/ethnic minorities.

Implementation of the PROMIS-29 in Routine Care for People With Diabetes: Challenges and Opportunities.

Using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in care planning has the potential to improve care, but information about routine implementation in settings serving disadvantaged groups is needed. Two primary care clinics serving populations predominantly eligible for Medicaid and diverse in race/ethnicity implemented the PROMIS-29 as part of clinical care planning. Of the target population with diabetes, 26% (n = 490) completed the PROMs; the proportion that set a goal based on the PROMs differed by site. This report describes factors influencing the PROMs process and the results of interviews with patients and members of the care team about PROMs' implementation and impact.

Perspectives of healthcare practitioners: An exploration of interprofessional communication using electronic medical records.

Contemporary state-of-the-art healthcare facilities are incorporating technology into their building design to improve communication and patient care. However, technological innovations may also have unintended consequences. This study seeks to better understand how technology influences interprofessional communication within a hospital setting based in the United States. Nine focus groups were conducted including a range of healthcare professions. The focus groups explored practitioners' experiences working on two floors of a newly designed hospital and included questions about the ways in which technology shaped communication with other healthcare professionals. All focus groups were recorded, transcribed, and coded to identify themes. Participant responses focused on the electronic medical record, and while some benefits of the electronic medical record were discussed, participants indicated use of the electronic medical record has resulted in a reduction of in-person communication. Different charting approaches resulted in barriers to communication between specialties and reduced confidence that other practitioners had received one's notes. Limitations in technology-including limited computer availability, documentation complexity, and sluggish sign-in processes-also were identified as barriers to effective and timely communication between practitioners. Given the ways in which technology shapes interprofessional communication, future research should explore how to create standardised electronic medical record use across professions at the optimal level to support communication and patient care.

The Role of the Built Environment: How Decentralized Nurse Stations Shape Communication, Patient Care Processes, and Patient Outcomes.

Increasingly, health communication scholars are attending to how hospital built environments shape communication, patient care processes, and patient outcomes. This multimethod study was conducted on two floors of a newly designed urban hospital. Nine focus groups interviews were conducted with 35 health care professionals from 10 provider groups. Seven of the groups were homogeneous by profession or level: nursing (three groups), nurse managers (two groups), and one group each of nurse care technicians ("techs") and physicians. Two mixed groups were comprised of staff from pharmacy, occupational therapy, patient care facilitators, physical therapy, social work, and pastoral care. Systematic qualitative analysis was conducted using a conceptual framework based on systems theory and prior health care design and communication research. Additionally, quantitative modeling was employed to assess walking distances in two different hospital designs. Results indicate nurses walked significantly more in the new hospital environment. Qualitative analysis revealed three insights developed in relationship to system structures, processes, and outcomes. First, decentralized nurse stations changed system interdependencies by reducing nurse-to-nurse interactions and teamwork while heightening nurse interdependencies and teamwork with other health care occupations. Second, many nursing-related processes remained centralized while nurse stations were decentralized, creating systems-based problems for nursing care. Third, nursing communities of practices were adversely affected by the new design. Implications of this study suggest that nurse station design shapes communication, patient care processes, and patient outcomes. Further, it is important to understand how the built environment, often treated as invisible in communication research, is crucial to understanding communication within complex health care systems.

Board oversight of patient care quality in large nonprofit health systems.

In hospitals and health systems, ensuring that organizational standards for patient care quality are adopted and that processes for monitoring and improving clinical services are in place are among governing boards' most important duties. A recent study examined board oversight of patient care quality in 14 of the country's 15 largest private nonprofit health systems. The findings show that 13 of the 14 boards have standing committees with oversight responsibility for patient quality and safety within their system; 11 of the 14 system boards formally adopt systemwide quality measures and standards; and all 14 regularly receive written reports on systemwide and hospital performance. In recent months, most of these boards had adopted action plans directed at improving their system's performance with respect to patient care quality.