ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Incorporating patient-reported outcome measures into routine clinical care can improve the patient experience, increase engagement, and establish a structured method for gathering adverse event (AE) data. Systematically collecting this information on a large scale can also inform new solutions for removing treatment barriers like medication nonadherence. This study evaluated whether implementing a patient-reported outcome data collection and adverse event surveillance tool would result in greater treatment continuation for patients receiving care on a telehealth platform. METHODS: We used iterative plan-study-do-act cycles to evaluate how this data collection and surveillance tool-a short prompt for patients to provide information on treatment satisfaction and side effects-impacted treatment continuation, the outcome of interest. We tested two cycles in n = 2,000 patients receiving care for erectile dysfunction on a telehealth platform as a randomized controlled trial, and accounted for incidents where true randomization was not possible during implementation. The first cycle tested the tool alone, while the second cycle tested the tool in conjunction with a messaging template system that provided standardized side effect counseling. RESULTS: Compared to patients in the control group, patients in the intervention group were more likely to refill their prescription over the duration of the study period (75% vs. 71%, Kaplan Meier log-rank test, p = 0.04). Receiving standardized counseling as part of the AE response system was positively associated with treatment continuation (p = 0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Prompting patients to report side effects and outcomes outside of routine clinical visits has the potential to improve quality of care in virtual treatment. TRIAL REGISTRATION: This trial has been retrospectively registered as a clinical trial (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT05895539, registered June 8, 2023).
Subject(s)
Patient Reported Outcome Measures , Male , Humans , Data CollectionABSTRACT
Background: The continued emergence of new COVID-19 variants highlights the importance of vaccination in the effort to reduce disease transmission and burden. The objective of this study is to evaluate the processes and outcomes associated with a novel in-home COVID-19 vaccination program aimed at vaccinating high-risk populations in New York, USA. Methods: To evaluate program processes, we described the program itself and reflected on some key lessons learned. To evaluate program outcomes, we analyzed data reported by vaccine recipients. These outcomes included the percentage of vaccine recipients that successfully received the full course of vaccinations, and the demographic and health characteristics of vaccine recipients. We additionally assessed demographic differences in motivations for receiving in-home care, using chi-squared tests to assess statistical significance. Data were collected and reported via dynamic online intake forms. Results: The median age of vaccine recipients was 79 ± SD 9.0 years. The oldest vaccine recipient was 107 years old. Of those with non-missing data, more than half of vaccine recipients were female (63%), identified as part of a racial/ethnic minority (66%), reported an annual income of < $25,000 (58%), and received a high school degree or less (68%). Most vaccine recipients reported having one or more health conditions associated with increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease (72%). Vaccine recipients were most likely to report receiving in-home vaccination because they were home-bound due to disability. Motivations for receiving in-home vaccination differed by demographic subgroup. Conclusion: The population receiving vaccinations from this in-home care delivery program comprised seniors who were mostly female and non-white, indicated socioeconomic vulnerability, and reported one or more COVID-related health conditions; this signified that the program met its goal of vaccinating those most at risk for severe COVID-19 disease.
