Integrating a Patient Decision Aid into the Electronic Health Record: A Case Report on the Implementation of BREASTChoice at 2 Sites.

Patient decision aids can support shared decision making and improve decision quality. However, decision aids are not widely used in clinical practice due to multiple barriers. Integrating patient decision aids into the electronic health record (EHR) can increase their use by making them more clinically relevant, personalized, and actionable. In this article, we describe the procedures and considerations for integrating a patient decision aid into the EHR, based on the example of BREASTChoice, a decision aid for breast reconstruction after mastectomy. BREASTChoice's unique features include 1) personalized risk prediction using clinical data from the EHR, 2) clinician- and patient-facing components, and 3) an interactive format. Integrating a decision aid with patient- and clinician-facing components plus interactive sections presents unique deployment issues. Based on this experience, we outline 5 key implementation recommendations: 1) engage all relevant stakeholders, including patients, clinicians, and informatics experts; 2) explicitly and continually map all persons and processes; 3) actively seek out pertinent institutional policies and procedures; 4) plan for integration to take longer than development of a stand-alone decision aid or one with static components; and 5) transfer knowledge about the software programming from one institution to another but expect local and context-specific changes. Integration of patient decision aids into the EHR is feasible and scalable but requires preparation for specific challenges and a flexible mindset focused on implementation. Highlights: Integrating an interactive decision aid with patient- and clinician-facing components into the electronic health record could advance shared decision making but presents unique implementation challenges.We successfully integrated a decision aid for breast reconstruction after mastectomy called BREASTChoice into the electronic health record.Based on this experience, we offer these implementation recommendations: 1) engage relevant stakeholders, 2) explicitly and continually map persons and processes, 3) seek out institutional policies and procedures, 4) plan for it to take longer than for a stand-alone decision aid, and 5) transfer software programming from one site to another but expect local changes.

Effect of In-Person vs Video Training and Access to All Functions vs a Limited Subset of Functions on Portal Use Among Inpatients: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Inpatient portals provide patients with clinical data and information about their care and have the potential to influence patient engagement and experience. Although significant resources have been devoted to implementing these portals, evaluation of their effects has been limited. Objective: To assess the effects of patient training and portal functionality on use of an inpatient portal and on patient satisfaction and involvement with care. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted from December 15, 2016, to August 31, 2019, at 6 noncancer hospitals that were part of a single health care system. Patients who were at least 18 years of age, identified English as their preferred language, were not involuntarily confined or detained, and agreed to be provided a tablet to access the inpatient portal during their stay were eligible for participation. Data were analyzed from May 1, 2019, to March 15, 2021. Interventions: A 2 × 2 factorial intervention design was used to compare 2 levels of a training intervention (touch intervention, consisting of in-person training vs built-in video tutorial) and 2 levels of portal function availability (tech intervention) within an inpatient portal (all functions operational vs a limited subset of functions). Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were inpatient portal use, measured by frequency and comprehensiveness of use, and patients' satisfaction and involvement with their care. Results: Of 2892 participants, 1641 were women (56.7%) with a median age of 47.0 (95% CI, 46.0-48.0) years. Most patients were White (2221 [76.8%]). The median Charlson Comorbidity Index was 1 (95% CI, 1-1) and the median length of stay was 6 (95% CI, 6-7) days. Notably, the in-person training intervention was found to significantly increase inpatient portal use (incidence rate ratio, 1.34 [95% CI, 1.25-1.44]) compared with the video tutorial. Patients who received in-person training had significantly higher odds of being comprehensive portal users than those who received the video tutorial (odds ratio, 20.75 [95% CI, 16.49-26.10]). Among patients who received the full-tech intervention, those who also received the in-person intervention used the portal more frequently (incidence rate ratio, 1.36 [95% CI, 1.25-1.48]) and more comprehensively (odds ratio, 22.52; [95% CI, 17.13-29.62]) than those who received the video tutorial. Patients who received in-person training had higher odds (OR, 2.01 [95% CI, 1.16-3.50]) of reporting being satisfied in the 6-month postdischarge survey. Similarly, patients who received the full-tech intervention had higher odds (OR, 2.06 [95%CI, 1.42-2.99]) of reporting being satisfied in the 6-month postdischarge survey. Conclusions and Relevance: Providing in-person training or robust portal functionality increased inpatient engagement with the portal during the hospital stay. The effects of the training intervention suggest that providing personalized training to support use of this health information technology can be a powerful approach to increase patient engagement via portals. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02943109.

Implementing a Novel Interprofessional Clinical Informatics Curriculum.

A novel interprofessional clinical informatics curriculum was developed, piloted, and implemented, using an academic medical record. Targeted learners included undergraduate, graduate, and professional students across five health science colleges. A team of educators and practitioners representing those five health science colleges was formed in 2016, to design, develop, and refine educational modules covering the essentials of clinical informatics. This innovative curriculum consists of 10 online learning modules and 18 unique imbedded exercises that use standardized patient charts and tailored user views. The exercises allow learners to adopt the role of various providers who document in EMRs. Students are exposed to the unique perspectives of an attending physician, nurse, radiological technician, and health information manager, with the goal of developing knowledge and skills necessary for efficient and effective interprofessional communication within the EMR. The campus-wide clinical informatics curriculum is online, flexible, asynchronous, and well-established within each college, allowing faculty to select and schedule content based on discipline-specific learner and course needs. Program modifications over the past 4 years have correlated with a positive impact on the students' experience.

Improved patient access and outcomes with the integration of an eConsult program (teledermatology) within a large academic medical center.

BACKGROUND: Insurance, racial, and socioeconomic health disparities continue to pose significant challenges for access to dermatologic care. Studies applying teledermatology to increase access to underinsured individuals and ethnic minorities are limited. OBJECTIVE: To determine how the implementation of a teledermatology program affects access to health care and patient outcomes. METHODS: A cross-sectional evaluation was performed of all ambulatory dermatology referrals and electronic dermatology consultations (eConsults) at Ohio State University within a 25-month period. RESULTS: Compared with ambulatory referrals, eConsults served more nonwhite patients (612 of 1698 [36.0%] vs 4040 of 16,073 [25.1%]; P < .001) and more Medicaid enrollees (459 of 1698 patients [27.0%] vs 3266 of 16,073 [20.3%]; P < .001). In addition, ambulatory referral patients were significantly less likely to attend their scheduled appointment compared with eConsult patients, as either "no-shows" (246 of 2526 [9.7%] vs 3 of 62 [4.8%]) or cancellations (742 of 2526 [29.4%] vs 8 of 62 [12.9%]; P = .003). There were fewer median days to extirpation for eConsult patients compared with ambulatory referral patients (interquartile range; 80.7 ± 79.8 vs 116.9 ± 86.6 days; P = .004). CONCLUSION: Integrating dermatologic care through a telemedicine system can result in improved access for underserved patients through improved efficiency outcomes.

Implementation of acute care patient portals: recommendations on utility and use from six early adopters.

Objective: To provide recommendations on how to most effectively implement advanced features of acute care patient portals, including: (1) patient-provider communication, (2) care plan information, (3) clinical data viewing, (4) patient education, (5) patient safety, (6) caregiver access, and (7) hospital amenities. Recommendations: We summarize the experiences of 6 organizations that have implemented acute care portals, representing a variety of settings and technologies. We discuss the considerations for and challenges of incorporating various features into an acute care patient portal, and extract the lessons learned from each institution's experience. We recommend that stakeholders in acute care patient portals should: (1) consider the benefits and challenges of generic and structured electronic care team messaging; (2) examine strategies to provide rich care plan information, such as daily schedule, problem list, care goals, discharge criteria, and post-hospitalization care plan; (3) offer increasingly comprehensive access to clinical data and medical record information; (4) develop alternative strategies for patient education that go beyond infobuttons; (5) focus on improving patient safety through explicit safety-oriented features; (6) consider strategies to engage patient caregivers through portals while remaining cognizant of potential Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) violations; (7) consider offering amenities to patients through acute care portals, such as information about navigating the hospital or electronic food ordering.

Developing a Conversational Virtual Standardized Patient to Enable Students to Practice History-Taking Skills.

INTRODUCTION: Although traditional virtual patient simulations are designed to teach and assess clinical reasoning skills, few employ conversational dialogue with the patients. The virtual standardized patients (VSPs) described herein represent standardized patients that students interview using natural language. Students take histories and develop differential diagnoses of the VSPs as much as they would with standardized or actual patients. The student-VSP interactions are recorded, creating a comprehensive record of questions and the order in which they were asked, which can be analyzed to assess information-gathering skills. Students document the encounter in an electronic medical record created for the VSPs. METHODS: The VSP was developed by integrating a dialogue management system (ChatScript) with emotionally responsive 3D characters created in a high-fidelity game engine (Unity). The system was tested with medical students at the Ohio State University College of Medicine. Students are able to take a history of a VSP, develop a differential diagnosis, and document the encounter in the electronic medical record. RESULTS: Accuracy of the VSP responses ranged from 79% to 86%, depending on the complexity of the case, type of history obtained, and skill of the student. Students were able to accurately develop an appropriate differential diagnosis on the basis of the information provided by the patient during the encounter. CONCLUSIONS: The VSP enables students to practice their history-taking skills before encounters with standardized or actual patients. Future developments will focus on creating an assessment module that will automatically analyze VSP sessions and provide immediate student feedback.

Working with an Electronic Medical Record in Ambulatory Care: A Study of Patient Perceptions of Intrusiveness

OBJECTIVE: To assess patient perceptions of electronic medical record (EMR) intrusiveness during ambulatory visits to clinics associated with a large academic medical center. METHOD: We conducted a survey of patients seen at any of 98 academic medical center clinics. The survey assessed demographics, visit satisfaction, computer use, and perceived intrusiveness of the computer. RESULTS: Of 7,058 patients, slightly more than 80 percent reported that the physician had used the computer while in the room, but only 24 percent were shown results in the EMR. Most patients were very satisfied or satisfied with their visit and did not find the computer intrusive (83 percent). Younger respondents, those shown results, and those who reported that the physician used the computer were more likely to perceive the computer as intrusive. Qualitative comments suggest different perceptions related to computer intrusiveness than to EMR use more generally. DISCUSSION: Patients were generally accepting of EMRs and therefore use of computers in the exam room. However, subgroups of patients may require greater study to better understand patient perceptions related to EMR use and intrusiveness. CONCLUSION: Results suggest the need for greater focus on how physicians use computers in the exam room in a manner that facilitates maintaining good rapport with patients.

High Touch and High Tech (HT2) Proposal: Transforming Patient Engagement Throughout the Continuum of Care by Engaging Patients with Portal Technology at the Bedside.

BACKGROUND: For patients with complex care needs, engagement in disease management activities is critical. Chronic illnesses touch almost every person in the United States. The costs are real, personal, and pervasive. In response, patients often seek tools to help them manage their health. Patient portals, personal health records tethered to an electronic health record, show promise as tools that patients value and that can improve health. Although patient portals currently focus on the outpatient experience, the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center (OSUWMC) has deployed a portal designed specifically for the inpatient experience that is connected to the ambulatory patient portal available after discharge. While this inpatient technology is in active use at only one other hospital in the United States, health care facilities are currently investing in infrastructure necessary to support large-scale deployment. Times of acute crisis such as hospitalization may increase a patient's focus on his/her health. During this time, patients may be more engaged with their care and especially interested in using tools to manage their health after discharge. Evidence shows that enhanced patient self-management can lead to better control of chronic illness. Patient portals may serve as a mechanism to facilitate increased engagement. OBJECTIVE: The specific aims of our study are (1) to investigate the independent effects of providing both High Tech and High Touch interventions on patient-reported outcomes at discharge, including patients' self-efficacy for managing chronic conditions and satisfaction with care; and (2) to conduct a mixed-methods analysis to determine how providing patients with access to MyChart Bedside (MCB, High Tech) and training/education on patient portals, and MyChart Ambulatory (MCA, High Touch) will influence engagement with the patient portal and relate to longer-term outcomes. METHODS: Our proposed 4-year study uses a mixed-methods research (MMR) approach to evaluate a randomized controlled trial studying the effectiveness of a High Tech intervention (MCB, the inpatient portal), and an accompanying High Touch intervention (training patients to use the portal to manage their care and conditions) in a sample of hospitalized patients with two or more chronic conditions. This study measures how access to a patient portal tailored to the inpatient stay can improve patient experience and increase patient engagement by (1) improving patients' perceptions of the process of care while in the hospital; (2) increasing patients' self-efficacy for managing chronic conditions; and (3) facilitating continued use of a patient portal for care management after discharge. In addition, we aim to enhance patients' use of the portal available to outpatients (MCA) once they are discharged. RESULTS: This study has been funded by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Research is ongoing and expected to conclude in August 2019. CONCLUSIONS: Providing patients real-time access to health information can be a positive force for change in the way care is provided. Meaningful use policies require minimum demonstrated use of patient portal technology, most often in the ambulatory setting. However, as the technology matures to bridge the care transition, there is a greater need to understand how patient portals transform care delivery. By working in concert with patients to address and extend current technologies, our study aims to advance efforts to increase patients' engagement in their care and develop a template for how other hospitals might integrate similar technologies.

Detection of adverse drug events using an electronic trigger tool.

PURPOSE: Implementation and refinement of an integrated electronic "trigger tool" for detecting adverse drug events (ADEs) is described. METHODS: A three-month prospective study was conducted at a large medical center to test and improve the positive predictive value (PPV) of an electronic health record-based tool for detecting ADEs associated with use of four "trigger drugs": the reversal agents flumazenil, naloxone, phytonadione, and protamine. On administration of a trigger drug to an adult patient, an electronic message was transmitted to two pharmacists, who reviewed cases in near real time (typically, on the same day) to detect actual or potential ADEs. In phase 1 of the study, any use of a trigger drug resulted in an alert message; in subsequent phases, the alerting criteria were narrowed on the basis of clinical criteria and laboratory data with the goal of refining the trigger tool's PPV. RESULTS: A total of 87 drug administrations were reviewed during the three-month study period, with 27 ADEs detected. PPV values in phases 1, 2, and 3 were 0.33, 0.21, and 0.36, respectively. The relatively low overall PPV of the trigger tool was largely attributable to false-positive trigger messages associated with phytonadione use (such messages were reduced from 35 in phase 1 to 7 in phase 3). CONCLUSION: Evaluation and refinement of an electronic trigger tool based on detecting the use of the reversal agents flumazenil, naloxone, phytonadione, and protamine found an overall PPV of 0.31 during a three-month study period.

The journey from precontemplation to action: Transitioning between electronic medical record systems.

BACKGROUND: Health care organizations, in response to federal programs, have sought to identify electronic medical record (EMR) strategies that align well with their visions for success. Little exists in the literature discussing the transition from one EMR strategy to another. PURPOSE: The analysis and planning process used by a major academic medical center in its journey to adopt a new strategy was described in this study. We use the transtheoretical model of change to frame the five phases through which the organization transitioned from a best-of-breed system to an enterprise system. METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: We explore the five phases of change from the perspective of a maturing approach to new technology adoption. Data collection included archival retrieval and review as well as interviews with key stakeholders. FINDINGS: Although there was always a focus on some enterprise capabilities such as computerized physician order entry, the emphasis on EMR selection tended to be driven by specialty requirements. Focusing on the patient across the continuum of care, as opposed to focusing on excessive requirements by clinical specialties, was essential in forming and deploying a vision for the new EMR. PRACTICE IMPLICATIONS: This research outlines a successful pathway used by an organization that had invested heavily in EMR technology and was faced with evaluating whether to continue that investment or start with a new platform. Rather than focusing on the technology alone, efforts to reframe the discussion to one that focused on the patient resulted in less resistance to change.

Top 10 Lessons Learned from Electronic Medical Record Implementation in a Large Academic Medical Center.

Electronic medical record (EMR) implementation efforts face many challenges, including individual and organizational barriers and concerns about loss of productivity during the process. These issues may be particularly complex in large and diverse settings with multiple specialties providing inpatient and outpatient care. This case report provides an example of a successful EMR implementation that emphasizes the importance of flexibility and adaptability on the part of the implementation team. It also presents the top 10 lessons learned from this EMR implementation in a large midwestern academic medical center. Included are five overarching lessons related to leadership, initial approach, training, support, and optimization as well as five lessons related to the EMR system itself that are particularly important elements of a successful implementation.

Fundamental issues in implementing an ambulatory care electronic health record.

BACKGROUND: The use of a fully functional electronic health record (EHR) system is linked to improved quality measures. However, almost half of ambulatory providers with an EHR do not use the full functionality. Attempts to encourage optimal use of EHRs must address barriers associated with the need to change medical practice. METHODS: Our primary research question was, what are the fundamental issues associated with the need to change medical practice that created barriers to electronic health record (EHR) implementation and use? In this qualitative study we analyzed the data from 47 interviews with administrative and physician informants and 6 focus groups including 35 practicing physicians across 6 health care organizations that were deemed to be successful with ambulatory EHR implementation. RESULTS: Comments from informants revealed 6 fundamental issues: (1) need to change practice style; (2) threat to professionalism; (3) shift of expertise; (4) required changes to interactions with patients; (5) concern about the impact on medical education and training; and (6) concern about effects on clinical care. CONCLUSION: The physician experience must be at the forefront of efforts to increase the rate of ambulatory physician use of the full functionalities of an EHR. The issues highlighted here illuminate potential points of intervention when engaging physicians to ensure optimal use of EHRs.

Evidence-based management of ambulatory electronic health record system implementation: an assessment of conceptual support and qualitative evidence.

OBJECTIVES: While electronic health record (EHR) systems have potential to drive improvements in healthcare, a majority of EHR implementations fall short of expectations. Shortcomings in implementations are often due to organizational issues around the implementation process rather than technological problems. Evidence from both the information technology and healthcare management literature can be applied to improve the likelihood of implementation success, but the translation of this evidence into practice has not been widespread. Our objective was to comprehensively study and synthesize best practices for managing ambulatory EHR system implementation in healthcare organizations, highlighting applicable management theories and successful strategies. METHODS: We held 45 interviews with key informants in six U.S. healthcare organizations purposively selected based on reported success with ambulatory EHR implementation. We also conducted six focus groups comprised of 37 physicians. Interview and focus group transcripts were analyzed using both deductive and inductive methods to answer research questions and explore emergent themes. RESULTS: We suggest that successful management of ambulatory EHR implementation can be guided by the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) quality improvement (QI) model. While participants did not acknowledge nor emphasize use of this model, we found evidence that successful implementation practices could be framed using the PDSA model. Additionally, successful sites had three strategies in common: 1) use of evidence from published health information technology (HIT) literature emphasizing implementation facilitators; 2) focusing on workflow; and 3) incorporating critical management factors that facilitate implementation. CONCLUSIONS: Organizations seeking to improve ambulatory EHR implementation processes can use frameworks such as the PDSA QI model to guide efforts and provide a means to formally accommodate new evidence over time. Implementing formal management strategies and incorporating new evidence through the PDSA model is a key element of evidence-based management and a crucial way for organizations to position themselves to proactively address implementation and use challenges before they are exacerbated.

A journey through meaningful use at a large academic medical center: lessons of leadership, administration, and technical implementation.

Successfully reporting meaningful use of electronic health records to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services can be a challenging process, particularly for healthcare organizations with large numbers of eligible professionals. This case report describes a successful meaningful use attestation process undertaken at a major academic medical center. It identifies best practices in the areas of leadership, administration, communication, ongoing support, and technological implementation.

Osteoporosis.

Osteoporosis, as defined by the National Osteoporosis Foundation, is a disease that is characterized by low bone mass and structural deterioration of bone tissue, which leads to bone fragility and an increased susceptibility to fractures. Aging is only one factor that contributes to the development of osteoporosis. Genetics, suboptimal nutrition, deficiency of calcium and vitamin D, lifestyle, smoking, decrease in sex hormone production, and medications also contribute to skeletal fragility. Osteoporotic fractures are a frequent and important cause of disability and medical costs worldwide. Fortunately, osteoporotic fractures are preventable. Several guidelines for the prevention, screening, diagnosis, and management for osteoporosis have been established. Although some are consistent and similar, others are not.

Teaching cervical dilation measurement to family medicine residents.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Cervical dilation measurement is difficult to teach. This pilot study's objective was to determine if residents participating in an innovative workshop improved their cervical measurement accuracy when using soft cervical models in the classroom. METHODS: Resident physicians measured cervical models before and after the workshop. We compared pre-workshop and post-workshop coefficients of variation using a standard t test. CONCLUSION: Residents reduced their measurement error from 38.2% to 15.6%.