Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Completed
Administrative data
NCT number |
NCT03116074 |
Other study ID # |
2016P001137 |
Secondary ID |
|
Status |
Completed |
Phase |
N/A
|
First received |
|
Last updated |
|
Start date |
January 2017 |
Est. completion date |
December 2020 |
Study information
Verified date |
July 2022 |
Source |
Brigham and Women's Hospital |
Contact |
n/a |
Is FDA regulated |
No |
Health authority |
|
Study type |
Interventional
|
Clinical Trial Summary
Study 1: The goal of this study is to implement and evaluate an interactive patient-centered
discharge toolkit (PDTK) to engage patients and care partners in discharge preparation and
communication with providers after discharge. The aims of this study are to:
1. To refine and implement an interactive PDTK on a general medicine unit that patient and
caregivers can use to prepare for discharge and communicate with key providers during
the transition home.
2. To evaluate the impact of the PDTK on patient activation (primary outcome). Patient
reported self-efficacy after discharge; post-discharge healthcare resource utilization;
and perception of patient-provider communication will be measured as secondary outcomes.
3. To identify barriers and facilitators of implementation, adoption, and use of the PDTK
by patients, caregivers, and providers using qualitative and quantitative methods.
Study 2: The goal of this study is to expand the use of previously developed patient safety
dashboards and patient-centered discharge checklists to three general medicine units in an
affiliated community hospital. The safety dashboard and interactive pre-discharge checklist
are cognitive aids for clinicians and patients, respectively, that serve to facilitate early
detection of patients at risk for preventable harm, including suboptimal discharge
preparation. The aims of this study are to:
1. Enhance the safety dashboard and interactive pre-discharge checklist to include "smart"
notifications for hospital-based clinicians when patients are at high risk for adverse
events or have identified specific concerns related to discharge based on their
checklist responses.
2. Expand intervention to general medical units at our community hospital-affiliate, BWFH.
3. Evaluate impact on post-discharge AEs for patients discharged from BWFH who are at risk
for preventable harm and hospital readmission.
Description:
Study 1: The transition from the hospital is a vulnerable time for patients and stressful for
caregivers-new treatments have been initiated, conditions require close monitoring, and the
plan of care is in flux. Achieving a high-quality transition requires effective understanding
of the discharge plan by patients/caregivers as well as seamless communication with key
inpatient providers to address patients' concerns during and immediately after
hospitalization. We designed an interactive patient-centered discharge toolkit (PDTK) that is
accessible from an acute care patient portal. The PDTK allows patients and/or caregivers to
self-assess discharge preparedness via a validated, pre-discharge checklist tool and
communicate directly with key members of the care team. Information entered by the patient
regarding their discharge preparedness is presented to the unit-based care team on an
interactive safety dashboard so that providers can address any barriers prior to discharge.
After discharge, patients can communicate directly with providers about issues or concerns
that arise prior to follow-up with their ambulatory providers.
The PDTK will be implemented and evaluated for patients admitted to and discharged from
general medicine units. The RE-AIM (reach, effectiveness, adoption, implementation, and
maintenance) framework will be used to inform research questions and methods that guide
implementation and evaluation. A pre-post study will be performed in which the primary
outcome is analyzed as the proportion of patients with Patient Activation Measure (PAM)
Levels 3 or 4 at discharge. Approximately 358 patients will be enrolled to provide adequate
power to detect an improvement in the primary outcome from 72% to 84%. Quantitative and
qualitative methods will be used to assess implementation, adoption, and use of the
intervention.
Study 2: Our project proposes to address gaps in functionality of commercially available EHR
systems through evaluation of novel, EHR-integrated HIT tools. We previously designed,
developed, and implemented the patient safety dashboard and interactive pre-discharge
checklist to engage clinicians and patients in systematically addressing safety threats in
each of several domains. By integrating clinical data of several different types, these tools
serve to reduce cognitive load and improve decision-making for clinicians. In this way, these
tools represent a preventative intervention that mitigates risk in each domain by suggesting
corrective action corresponding to institutional safety guidelines.
Studying the effectiveness of these tools on post-discharge outcomes will improve knowledge,
technical capability, and clinical practice related to patient safety during transitions of
care. Specifically, our project will advance scientific knowledge by quantifying the
post-discharge impact of an intervention that changes clinical practice by enabling
hospital-based clinicians to proactively institute corrective action for "at risk" patients
who may require additional surveillance and supportive services during transitions. Also, we
will establish the technical feasibility of spreading customized, third-party digital health
applications that fill critical safety gaps in commercially available EHRs; expanding to a
community hospital has clear implications for adoption and validation of this technology in
different practice settings.