Evaluation of self-measured blood pressure monitoring in a southern rural West Virginia health system.

INTRODUCTION: At the time of the 2021 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System survey, an estimated 32.3% of adults in the US and nearly half (43.4%, 776 000) of adults in West Virginia (WV) had hypertension. Further, the Interactive Atlas of Heart Disease and Stroke estimates an increase in the percentage of adults with hypertension in the US from 32.3% to 47.0%, with hypertension rates in WV rising as high as 58.7%, indicating a significant public health concern in the community. Hypertension increases the risk of several negative health outcomes, including heart disease and stroke, and leads to increased economic and chronic disease burden. Although certain unmodifiable factors (sex, age, race, ethnicity, and family history) increase the risk of developing hypertension, a healthy lifestyle - including a nutritious diet, maintaining a healthy weight, avoiding nicotine products, and participating in regular moderate physical activity - can decrease the risk of developing hypertension. Self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring, or home BP monitoring, when integrated with a provider's clinical management approach, is linked to improvements in BP management and control. This study represents a mid-point assessment of a remote SMBP monitoring program implemented by Cabin Creek Health Systems (CCHS), a federally qualified health center, and its impact on BP control. METHODS: CCHS implemented SMBP programming in March 2020 as one element of a developing comprehensive program aimed at reducing uncontrolled hypertension, and therefore chronic disease burden, in its service area and patient population. The project, funded by the Health Resources and Services Administration, continued to February 2023. This report represents a mid-point analysis and was based on the retrospective analysis of de-identified data collected for 234 patients to June 2022, who were assessed for changes in BP between the date of enrollment and the most recently available BP measurement. Patients were enrolled in the SMBP program if they exhibited current or previous indicators of uncontrolled hypertension (systolic ≥140 mmHg and/or diastolic ≥90 mmHg), at the discretion of their provider, and were equipped with an iBloodPressure cellular connected home BP monitoring system, manufactured by Smart Meter. Their BP readings were documented in the integration software TimeDoc Health and electronic health record athenahealth. RESULTS: At the time of enrollment, 201 (86.0%) patients had uncontrolled hypertension, with 116 (49.6%) patients having both uncontrolled systolic (≥140 mmHg) and diastolic (≥90 mmHg) values. At follow-up, the number of patients with uncontrolled hypertension decreased from 201 to 98 (41.9%), with only 36 (15.4%) patients having both uncontrolled systolic and diastolic values. Additionally, 26 (11.1%) patients were in hypertensive crisis at the time of enrollment, and no patients remained in crisis at the time of follow-up. The number of patients with BP values in the controlled range (systolic <140 mmHg and diastolic <90 mmHg) increased from 33 (14.1%) at enrollment to 136 (58.1%) at follow-up. Overall, there was a 44.0% increase in the number of patients with BP values in the controlled range at follow-up, and a concomitant 44.1% decrease in the number of patients in the uncontrolled range. These observations were consistent across multiple demographic indicators, including clinic location, three-digit zip code, and patient sex. CONCLUSION: Systematic implementation of remote BP monitoring, when integrated into clinician workflows, was associated with a substantial reduction in the number of patients with uncontrolled hypertension in this rural federally qualified health center. Further, CCHS was successful in implementing a remote SMBP monitoring program in a community challenged with transportation insecurity, and poor cellular and broadband access, of which lessons learned are applicable to other health systems interested in pursuing comparable efforts.

Relational interventions for organizational learning: An experience report.

INTRODUCTION: Quality improvement and implementation science practitioners identify relational issues as important obstacles to success. Relational interventions may be important for successful performance improvement and fostering Learning Health Systems. METHODS: This case report describes the experience and lessons learned from implementing a relational approach to organizational change, informed by Relational Coordination Theory, in a health system. Structured interviews were used to obtain qualitative participant feedback. Relational Coordination was measured serially using a validated seven-item survey. RESULTS: An initial, relational intervention on one unit promoted increased participant engagement, self-efficacy, and motivation that led to the spontaneous, emergent dissemination of relational change, and learning into other parts of the health system. Staff involved in the intervention reported increased systems thinking, enhanced focus on communication and relationships as key drivers for improvement and learning, and greater awareness of organizational change as something co-created by staff and executives. CONCLUSIONS: This experience supports the hypothesis that relational interventions are important for fostering the development of Learning Health Systems.

Advancing Antimicrobial Stewardship in Outpatient Dialysis Centers Using the Positive Deviance Process.

Antimicrobial resistance is a major growing problem fueled by inappropriate use of antimicrobials. Patients requiring maintenance hemodialysis are at especially high risk for infections caused by antimicrobial-resistant bacteria. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has recommended development and implementation of antimicrobial stewardship programs to combat the spread of resistant pathogens. This article describes in detail a multifaceted antimicrobial stewardship intervention that featured staff education and a behavioral change process, Positive Deviance, and its implementation in six outpatient hemodialysis units. Results of the intervention demonstrated a 6% month-to-month reduction in antimicrobial doses/100 patient months over the course of the 12 months intervention, with a decrease in mean antimicrobial doses from 22.6/100 to 10.5/100 patient months from the beginning to the end of the intervention period. These results demonstrate the effectiveness of this multifaceted intervention in engaging staff and improving antimicrobial prescribing patterns.

Diffusing an Innovation: Clinician Perceptions of Continuous Predictive Analytics Monitoring in Intensive Care.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this article is to describe neonatal intensive care unit clinician perceptions of a continuous predictive analytics technology and how those perceptions influenced clinician adoption. Adopting and integrating new technology into care is notoriously slow and difficult; realizing expected gains remain a challenge. METHODS: Semistructured interviews from a cross-section of neonatal physicians (n = 14) and nurses (n = 8) from a single U.S. medical center were collected 18 months following the conclusion of the predictive monitoring technology randomized control trial. Following qualitative descriptive analysis, innovation attributes from Diffusion of Innovation Theory-guided thematic development. RESULTS: Results suggest that the combination of physical location as well as lack of integration into work flow or methods of using data in care decisionmaking may have delayed clinicians from routinely paying attention to the data. Once data were routinely collected, documented, and reported during patient rounds and patient handoffs, clinicians came to view data as another vital sign. Through clinicians' observation of senior physicians and nurses, and ongoing dialogue about data trends and patient status, clinicians learned how to integrate these data in care decision making (e.g., differential diagnosis) and came to value the technology as beneficial to care delivery. DISCUSSION: The use of newly created predictive technologies that provide early warning of illness may require implementation strategies that acknowledge the risk-benefit of treatment clinicians must balance and take advantage of existing clinician training methods.

The positive effects of an antimicrobial stewardship program targeting outpatient hemodialysis facilities.

BACKGROUND: Antimicrobial stewardship programs are effective in optimizing antimicrobial prescribing patterns and decreasing the negative outcomes of antimicrobial exposure, including the emergence of multidrug-resistant organisms. In dialysis facilities, 30%-35% of antimicrobials are either not indicated or the type of antimicrobial is not optimal. Although antimicrobial stewardship programs are now implemented nationwide in hospital settings, programs specific to the maintenance dialysis facilities have not been developed. OBJECTIVE: To quantify the effect of an antimicrobial stewardship program in reducing antimicrobial prescribing.Study design and settingAn interrupted time-series study in 6 outpatient hemodialysis facilities was conducted in which mean monthly antimicrobial doses per 100 patient months during the 12 months prior to the program were compared to those in the 12-month intervention period. RESULTS: Implementation of the antimicrobial stewardship program was associated with a 6% monthly reduction in antimicrobial doses per 100 patient months during the intervention period (P=.02). The initial mean of 22.6 antimicrobial doses per 100 patient months decreased to a mean of 10.5 antimicrobial doses per 100 patient months at the end of the intervention. There were no significant changes in antimicrobial use by type, including vancomycin. Antimicrobial adjustments were recommended for 30 of 145 antimicrobial courses (20.6%) for which there were sufficient clinical data. The most frequent reasons for adjustment included de-escalation from vancomycin to cefazolin for methicillin-susceptible Staphylococcus aureus infections and discontinuation of antimicrobials when criteria for presumed infection were not met. CONCLUSIONS: Within 6 hemodialysis facilities, implementation of an antimicrobial stewardship was associated with a decline in antimicrobial prescribing with no negative effects.

Advancing Continuous Predictive Analytics Monitoring: Moving from Implementation to Clinical Action in a Learning Health System.

In the intensive care unit, clinicians monitor a diverse array of data inputs to detect early signs of impending clinical demise or improvement. Continuous predictive analytics monitoring synthesizes data from a variety of inputs into a risk estimate that clinicians can observe in a streaming environment. For this to be useful, clinicians must engage with the data in a way that makes sense for their clinical workflow in the context of a learning health system (LHS). This article describes the processes needed to evoke clinical action after initiation of continuous predictive analytics monitoring in an LHS.

Using EHR audit trail logs to analyze clinical workflow: A case study from community-based ambulatory clinics.

To develop a workflow-supported clinical documentation system, it is a critical first step to understand clinical workflow. While Time and Motion studies has been regarded as the gold standard of workflow analysis, this method can be resource consuming and its data may be biased due to the cognitive limitation of human observers. In this study, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility and validity of using EHR audit trail logs to analyze clinical workflow. Specifically, we compared three known workflow changes from our previous study with the corresponding EHR audit trail logs of the study participants. The results showed that EHR audit trail logs can be a valid source for clinical workflow analysis, and can provide an objective view of clinicians' behaviors, multi-dimensional comparisons, and a highly extensible analysis framework.

Learning: Contemplating the unexamined core of Learning Health Systems.

INTRODUCTION: The current Learning Health Systems literature affords insufficient attention to the process of learning. In response, Billings Clinic focused on how to advance its learning capabilities and subsequently to contribute new insights into the process of learning to the LHS literature. METHODS: An environmental scan was conducted, including the grey literature (eg, technical reports and white papers) and peer-reviewed research publications. Semistructured interviews were also conducted with Clinic staff members to determine the motivation of their engagement in meaningful quality improvement, or learning, initiatives. RESULTS: Six learning principles emerged from the literature review and staff interviews: (1) draw on wisdom of groups and value connections; (2) embrace sensemaking over decision making in dealing with the unexpected; (3) bring diverse perspectives to complex challenges; (4) animate people, provide direction, update regularly, and interact respectfully; (5) appreciate the power and ubiquity of emergent change and the limitations of planned change; and (6) concentrate on small wins and characterize challenges as mere problems. Examples of how these principles are beginning to influence how learning and improvement are understood and approached at Billings Clinic are described and serve as illustrations of the principles in action. CONCLUSION: Becoming adept in learning is essential to realizing the vision of Learning Health Systems-to harness science, clinical research, and information generated by digital technology to inform and accelerate improvement in quality health care. This article seeks to contribute to greater understanding of this process by sharing a set of principles that are proving useful at one health care organization and to a more comprehensive conceptualization of Learning Health Systems.

Bloodstream infection rates in outpatient hemodialysis facilities participating in a collaborative prevention effort: a quality improvement report.

BACKGROUND: Bloodstream infections (BSIs) cause substantial morbidity in hemodialysis patients. In 2009, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) sponsored a collaborative project to prevent BSIs in outpatient hemodialysis facilities. We sought to assess the impact of a set of interventions on BSI and access-related BSI rates in participating facilities using data reported to the CDC's National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN). STUDY DESIGN: Quality improvement project. SETTING & PARTICIPANTS: Patients in 17 outpatient hemodialysis facilities that volunteered to participate. QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PLAN: Facilities reported monthly event and denominator data to NHSN, received guidance from the CDC, and implemented an evidence-based intervention package that included chlorhexidine use for catheter exit-site care, staff training and competency assessments focused on catheter care and aseptic technique, hand hygiene and vascular access care audits, and feedback of infection and adherence rates to staff. OUTCOMES: Crude and modeled BSI and access-related BSI rates. MEASUREMENTS: Up to 12 months of preintervention (January 2009 through December 2009) and 15 months of intervention period (January 2010 through March 2011) data from participating centers were analyzed. Segmented regression analysis was used to assess changes in BSI and access-related BSI rates during the preintervention and intervention periods. RESULTS: Most (65%) participating facilities were hospital based. Pooled mean BSI and access-related BSI rates were 1.09 and 0.73 events per 100 patient-months during the preintervention period and 0.89 and 0.42 events per 100 patient-months during the intervention period, respectively. Modeled rates decreased 32% (P = 0.01) for BSIs and 54% (P < 0.001) for access-related BSIs at the start of the intervention period. LIMITATIONS: Participating facilities were not representative of all outpatient hemodialysis centers nationally. There was no control arm to this quality improvement project. CONCLUSIONS: Facilities participating in a collaborative successfully decreased their BSI and access-related BSI rates. The decreased rates appeared to be maintained in the intervention period. These findings suggest that improved implementation of recommended practices can reduce BSIs in hemodialysis centers.

How complexity science can inform scale-up and spread in health care: understanding the role of self-organization in variation across local contexts.

Health care systems struggle to scale-up and spread effective practices across diverse settings. Failures in scale-up and spread (SUS) are often attributed to a lack of consideration for variation in local contexts among different health care delivery settings. We argue that SUS occurs within complex systems and that self-organization plays an important role in the success, or failure, of SUS. Self-organization is a process whereby local interactions give rise to patterns of organizing. These patterns may be stable or unstable, and they evolve over time. Self-organization is a major contributor to local variations across health care delivery settings. Thus, better understanding of self-organization in the context of SUS is needed. We re-examine two cases of successful SUS: 1) the application of a mobile phone short message service intervention to improve adherence to medications during HIV treatment scale up in resource-limited settings, and 2) MRSA prevention in hospital inpatient settings in the United States. Based on insights from these cases, we discuss the role of interdependencies and sensemaking in leveraging self-organization in SUS initiatives. We argue that self-organization, while not completely controllable, can be influenced, and that improving interdependencies and sensemaking among SUS stakeholders is a strategy for facilitating self-organization processes that increase the probability of spreading effective practices across diverse settings.

Embracing collaboration: a novel strategy for reducing bloodstream infections in outpatient hemodialysis centers.

BACKGROUND: The incidence of access-related bloodstream infections (AR-BSIs) in US outpatient hemodialysis centers is unacceptably high. This paper presents the implementation and results achieved from a multi-pronged strategy to reduce AR-BSIs in 1 outpatient hemodialysis center. METHODS: The intervention, which took place between 2009 and 2011, involved membership in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Hemodialysis Bloodstream Infection Prevention Collaborative, implementation of a panel of infection prevention interventions, and use of positive deviance (PD) to engage staff. Changes in the incidence of AR-BSIs and infection prevention process measures between the pre- and postintervention time periods, as well as alterations in the center's social networks, were examined to assess impact. RESULTS: The incidence of all AR-BSIs dropped from 2.04 per 100 patient-months preintervention to 0.75 (P = .03) after employing the Collaborative interventions and to 0.24 (P < .01) after augmenting the Collaborative interventions with PD. Adherence rates increased significantly in 4 of 5 infection prevention process measure categories. The dialysis center's social networks became more inclusive and connected after implementation of PD. CONCLUSION: Participating in a Collaborative, employing a panel of infection prevention strategies, and engaging employees through PD resulted in a significant decline in AR-BSIs in this facility. Other hemodialysis facilities should consider a similar approach.

Positive deviance: an elegant solution to a complex problem.

As systems evolve over time, their natural tendency is to become increasingly more complex. Studies in the field of complex systems have generated new perspectives on management in social organizations such as hospitals. Much of this research appears as a natural extension of the cross-disciplinary field of systems theory. This is the 13th in a series of articles applying complex systems science to the traditional management concepts of planning, organizing, directing, coordinating, and controlling. This article provides one example of how concepts taken from complex systems theory can be applied to real-world problems facing nurses today.