ABSTRACT
The objectives of this study are to describe the implementation process of the Women's Health Assessment Tool/Clinical Decision Support toolkit and summarize patients' and clinicians' perceptions of the toolkit. The Women's Health Assessment Tool/Clinical Decision Support toolkit was piloted at three clinical sites over a 4-month period in Washington State to evaluate health outcomes among mid-life women. The implementation involved a multistep process and engagement of multiple stakeholders over 18 months. Two-thirds of patients (n = 76/110) and clinicians (n = 8/12) participating in pilot completed feedback surveys; five clinicians participated in qualitative interviews. Most patients felt more prepared for their annual visit (69.7%) and that quality of care improved (68.4%) while clinicians reported streamlined patient visits and improved communication with patients. The Women's Health Assessment Tool/Clinical Decision Support toolkit offers a unique approach to introduce and address some of the key health issues that affect mid-life women.
Subject(s)
Decision Support Systems, Clinical , Patient Satisfaction , Primary Health Care , Women's Health , Attitude of Health Personnel , Attitude to Health , Female , Humans , Middle Aged , Pilot Projects , Quality Improvement , Quality of Health Care , Surveys and QuestionnairesABSTRACT
AIM: To evaluate outcomes after implementing the women's health assessment tool (WHAT) and clinical decision support toolkit during annual well-women visits. METHODS: An observational project involved women aged 45-64 years attending one of three medical sites in Washington (WA, USA). Responses to the WHAT questionnaire and patients' health resource utilization prepost toolkit implementation were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 110 women completed the WHAT questionnaire. Majority of women were postmenopausal (77.3%) and experienced depressive mood (63.6%), hot flashes (61.8%) or anxiety (60.9%) in the last 3 months. There was a 72.2% increase in the number of diagnoses made during the annual visit versus the previous 12 months. CONCLUSION: The WHAT/clinical decision support toolkit helped identify conditions relevant to mid-life women.
