Transplant recipient, care partner, and clinician perceptions of medication adherence monitoring technology: A mixed methods study.

Medication nonadherence is a leading cause of graft loss. Adherence monitoring technologies-reminder texts, smart bottles, video-observed ingestion, and digestion-activated signaling pills-may support adherence. However, patient, care partner, and clinician perceptions of these tools are not well studied. We conducted qualitative individual semistructured interviews and focus groups among 97 participants at a single center: kidney and liver transplant recipients 2 weeks to 18 months posttransplant, their care partners, and transplant clinicians. We assessed adherence practices, reactions to monitoring technologies, and opportunities for care integration. One-size-fits-all approaches were deemed infeasible. Interviewees considered text messages the most acceptable approach; live video checks were the least acceptable and raised the most concerns for inconvenience and invasiveness. Digestion-activated signaling technology produced both excitement and apprehension. Patients and care partners generally aligned in perceptions of adherence monitoring integration into clinical care. Key themes were importance of routine, ease of use, leveraging technology for actionable medication changes, and aversion to surveillance. Transplant clinicians similarly considered text messages most acceptable and video checks least acceptable. Clinicians reported that early posttransplant use and real-time adherence tracking with patient feedback may facilitate successful implementation. The study provides initial insights that may inform future adherence technology implementation.

Engaging Stakeholders to Improve Care for Adults with Complex Health and Social Needs during a Public Health Emergency.

A public health emergency such as the COVID-19 pandemic exacerbates the already challenging environment facing adults with complex health and social needs (ACHSN) and the systems of care that support them. Between September 2020 and April 2021, 51 participants representing six different stakeholder groups were engaged using interviews, asynchronous Delphi surveys, and a virtual stakeholder meeting to learn from their perspectives about the greatest needs and possible solutions affecting ACHSN populations during the COVID-19 pandemic and to develop a prioritized research agenda to improve care for ACHSN populations. Mental health and financial concerns were strongly and consistently endorsed as the most important issues. Future research priorities identified included both macro systems research such as testing alternative state-level models of payment for physical and mental health care and research that could be conducted at a local level (such as identifying needs for patient care navigation services and testing models of care navigation).

Patients' Perspectives on Life and Recovery 1 Year After COVID-19 Hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: Many patients hospitalized for COVID-19 experience prolonged symptoms months after discharge. Little is known abou t patients' personal experiences recovering from COVID-19 in the United States (US), where medically underserved populations are at particular risk of adverse outcomes. OBJECTIVE: To explore patients' perspectives on the impact of COVID-19 hospitalization and barriers to and facilitators of recovery 1 year after hospital discharge in a predominantly Black American study population with high neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage. DESIGN: Qualitative study utilizing individual, semi-structured interviews. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients hospitalized for COVID-19 approximately 1 year after discharge home who were engaged in a COVID-19 longitudinal cohort study. APPROACH: The interview guide was developed and piloted by a multidisciplinary team. Interviews were audio-recorded and transcribed. Data were coded and organized into discrete themes using qualitative content analysis with constant comparison techniques. KEY RESULTS: Of 24 participants, 17 (71%) self-identified as Black, and 13 (54%) resided in neighborhoods with the most severe neighborhood-level socioeconomic disadvantage. One year after discharge, participants described persistent deficits in physical, cognitive, or psychological health that impacted their current lives. Repercussions included financial suffering and a loss of identity. Participants reported that clinicians often focused on physical health over cognitive and psychological health, an emphasis that posed a barrier to recovering holistically. Facilitators of recovery included robust financial or social support systems and personal agency in health maintenance. Spirituality and gratitude were common coping mechanisms. CONCLUSIONS: Persistent health deficits after COVID-19 resulted in downstream consequences in participants' lives. Though participants received adequate care to address physical needs, many described persistent unmet cognitive and psychological needs. A more comprehensive understanding of barriers and facilitators for COVID-19 recovery, contextualized by specific healthcare and socioeconomic needs related to socioeconomic disadvantage, is needed to better inform intervention delivery to patients that experience long-term sequelae of COVID-19 hospitalization.

An Assessment of Faculty Perceptions of Wellness Needs and Strategies to Optimize Engagement With Wellness Resources in Academic Medicine.

OBJECTIVE: Faculty at academic medical institutions are at increased risk for burnout. This study aimed to assess faculty perceptions of wellness needs and identify strategies to optimize engagement with individualized wellness resources. METHODS: Semistructured interviews were conducted with 37 faculty members in one US academic medical center. RESULTS: Participants identified significant barriers to achieving emotional health and wellness goals. Areas where participants identified needing the most support included interpersonal relationships, accountability for wellness goals, career support, financial resources, and mentorship. Most participants were unaware of all wellness resources available at their institution. Participants recommended regular marketing and emphasizing confidentiality of employer-sponsored programs. They also provided feedback on specific dissemination and marketing methods. CONCLUSIONS: This research underscores the need for wellness resources for faculty and the importance of intentional dissemination of these resources to optimize uptake.

"I Know That I Was a Part of Making a Difference": Participant Motivations for Joining a Cure-Directed HIV Trial with an Analytical Treatment Interruption.

Analytical treatment interruption (ATI), defined as a closely monitored clinical pause in antiretroviral therapy (ART), is a core component of many HIV cure-directed clinical studies. ATIs may cause significant physical and psychosocial risks for people living with HIV and, as a result, integrating participant and community perspectives into clinical trial designs that include an ATI is crucial to ensuring a successful and person-centered trial. We conducted semi-structured interviews with participants enrolling in the BEAT-2 cure-directed trial (NCT03588715). Interviews elicited participant motivations and decision-making processes for trial participation along with participants' perceptions of the ATI. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using a directed content analysis. Fourteen of 15 trial participants completed interviews. The majority were Black (79%) cisgender male (79%). Participants noted several significant motivating factors contributing to their desire to enroll in the HIV cure-directed clinical trial, the most prominent being a desire to find a cure for HIV and help others in the HIV community. HIV care teams were the most commonly identified resource for patients when making the decision to enroll in the trial, and family, friends, and romantic partners also played a significant role. Altruism was a primary motivation for participation, although participants also shared interest in learning about HIV science and research. Participants had a strong understanding of trial procedures and displayed significant trust in the study team to keep them informed and healthy during their participation. The ATI was a significant source of anxiety for participants. Their primary worry was that their prior antiretroviral therapy (ART) regimen would no longer be effective once they resumed ART. Despite these concerns, participants shared considerable excitement for continued participation in the trial and being a part of the search toward an HIV cure.

Integrating ART adherence support technologies in the care of pregnant and postpartum people with HIV: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: We have a limited understanding on how to best integrate technologies to support antiretroviral therapy (ART) adherence in routine HIV care. METHODS: We conducted semi-structured interviews with multidisciplinary providers caring for pregnant and postpartum people with HIV and asked providers about their perspectives on utilizing adherence support technologies such as text messages, video check-ins with providers or automated with facial recognition for directly-observed-therapy, signaling pill bottle, and signaling pill to support ART adherence. Each approach generated an adherence report. The interview instrument was guided by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research and included questions on the implementation climate, barriers, and facilitators to the clinical integration of the adherence approach and strategies that could be used to maximize this integration. The order of adherence support technologies was randomized to minimize bias. We used a modified grounded theory to develop the coding structure and two coders applied the codebook to the transcripts after establishing strong inter-rater reliability with 20% of interviews (kappa = 0.82). RESULTS: Between March and December 2020, we conducted 26 in-depth, semi-structured interviews with providers who weighed several factors when considering each approach, including the approach's effect on patient-provider interaction in and outside of the clinic visit, timing for and duration of the approach's utility, threat of disclosing status, and added burden to providers (e.g., needing to act on generated information) or to patients (e.g., needing to hide the signaling pills, responding to text messages). Providers' most preferred approach was text-messages, and the least preferred was the signaling pill. Barriers to acceptability varied by approach and included perceived surveillance, violation of privacy, added time demand for providers, potential inaccuracy of the adherence data generated, and negative impact on the patient-provider relationship, particularly if the approach was perceived as coercive. Payers anticipated regulatory hurdles with unfamiliar approaches, particularly the signaling pill and signaling pill bottle. Facilitators included strengthened therapeutic alliance, predictable reminder mechanisms, and options for customization according to patient preference. CONCLUSIONS: Our study elucidates barriers and facilitators to integrating technology-based adherence support approaches in clinical care to support adherence of pregnant and postpartum people with HIV.

From the Frontlines: A Qualitative Study of Staff Experiences With Clinical Event Debriefing.

OBJECTIVES: Clinical event debriefing (CED) can improve patient care and outcomes, but little is known about CED across inpatient settings, and participant experiences have not been well described. In this qualitative study, we sought to characterize and compare staff experiences with CED in 2 hospital units, with a goal of generating recommendations for a hospital-wide debriefing program. METHODS: We conducted 32 semistructured interviews with clinical staff who attended a CED in the previous week. We explored experiences with CED, with a focus on barriers and facilitators. We used content analysis with constant comparative coding to understand priorities identified by participants. We used inductive reasoning to develop a set of CED practice recommendations to match participant priorities. RESULTS: Three primary themes emerged related to CED barriers and facilitators. (1) Factors affecting attendance: most respondents voiced a need for frontline staff inclusion in CED, but they also cited competing clinical duties and scheduling conflicts as barriers. (2) Factors affecting participant engagement: respondents described factors that influence participant engagement in reflective discussion. They described that the CED leader must cultivate a psychologically safe environment in which participants feel empowered to speak up, free from judgment. (3) Factors affecting learning and systems improvement: respondents emphasized that the CED group should generate a plan for improvement with accountable stakeholders. Collectively, these priorities propose several recommendations for CED practice, including frontline staff inclusion. CONCLUSIONS: In this study, we propose recommendations for CED that are derived from first-hand participant experiences. Future study will explore implementation of CED practice recommendations.

Patient Perspectives on the Lived Experience of Acne and Its Treatment Among Adult Women With Acne: A Qualitative Study.

INTRODUCTION: Acne often persists into adulthood in women. However, few studies have specifically explored the lived experience of acne in adult populations. OBJECTIVE: To examine the lived experience of acne and its treatment among a cohort of adult women. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: A qualitative analysis was conducted from free listing and open-ended, semistructured interviews of patients at a large academic health care system (University of Pennsylvania Health System) and a private practice (Dermatologists of Southwest Ohio). Fifty women 18 to 40 years of age with moderate to severe acne participated in interviews conducted between August 30, 2019, and December 31, 2020. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES: Free-listing data from interviews were used to calculate the Smith S, a measure of saliency for each list item. Semistructured interviews were examined to detect themes about patient perspectives regarding their acne and its treatment. RESULTS: Fifty participants (mean [SD] age, 28 [5.38] years; 24 [48%] White) described acne-related concerns about their appearance that affected their social, professional, and personal lives, with many altering their behavior because of their acne. Depression, anxiety, and social isolation were commonly reported. Participants described successful treatment as having completely clear skin over time or a manageable number of blemishes. Many participants described frustration with finding a dermatologist with whom they were comfortable and with identifying effective treatments for their acne. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE: The results of this qualitative study suggest that women with acne have strong concerns about appearance and experience mental and emotional health consequences and disruption of their personal and professional lives. In addition, many patients describe challenges finding effective treatments and accessing care. Future trials to understand the optimal treatment approaches for women with acne are needed to improve outcomes in this population.

Barriers and Facilitators to Guideline-Adherent Pulse Oximetry Use in Bronchiolitis.

OBJECTIVE: Continuous pulse oximetry monitoring (cSpO2) in children with bronchiolitis does not improve clinical outcomes and has been associated with increased resource use and alarm fatigue. It is critical to understand the factors that contribute to cSpO2 overuse in order to reduce overuse and its associated harms. METHODS: This multicenter qualitative study took place in the context of the Eliminating Monitor Overuse (EMO) SpO2 study, a cross-sectional study to establish rates of cSpO2 in bronchiolitis. We conducted semistructured interviews, informed by the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research, with a purposive sample of stakeholders at sites with high and low cSpO2 use rates to identify barriers and facilitators to addressing cSpO2 overuse. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed. Analyses were conducted using an integrated approach. RESULTS: Participants (n = 56) included EMO study site principal investigators (n = 12), hospital administrators (n = 8), physicians (n = 15), nurses (n = 12), and respiratory therapists (n = 9) from 12 hospitals. Results suggest that leadership buy-in, clear authoritative guidelines for SpO2 use incorporated into electronic order sets, regular education about cSpO2 in bronchiolitis, and visual reminders may be needed to reduce cSpO2 utilization. Parental perceptions and individual clinician comfort affect cSpO2 practice. CONCLUSION: We identified barriers and facilitators to deimplementation of cSpO2 for stable patients with bronchiolitis across children's hospitals with high- and low-cSpO2 use. Based on these data, future deimplementation efforts should focus on clear protocols for cSpO2, EHR changes, and education for hospital staff on bronchiolitis features and rationale for reducing cSpO2.