Exploring Cancer Registrars' Perceptions of the Quality and Use of Cancer Registry Data for Care Coordination and Other Purposes.

BACKGROUND: Hospital cancer registry data are used for a variety of aspects of patient care, yet one of the lesser used purposes of cancer registry data is to improve care coordination. OBJECTIVES: The purposes of this study were to assess hospital cancer registrars' perceptions of (1) the use of and quality of hospital cancer registry data for care coordination and other purposes; (2) the availability of all needed data for complete hospital cancer registry data collection; and (3) the data collection of COVID-19 effects on cancer patients. METHODS: A survey was sent to hospital-based members of Cancer Registrars of Illinois between April and June 2020. Survey questions focused on current use and quality of hospital cancer registry data for care coordination as well as items related to COVID-19's effect on cancer patients. The focus of this study was hospital-based registrars, as they are the individuals collecting data directly from primary patient records. RESULTS: While hospital cancer registry data are being used for many purposes including continuity of care, this study found that providers are not using hospital cancer registry data to its fullest extent. It was also found that hospital cancer registrars have collected valuable data on the impact that COVID-19 has had on cancer patients. CONCLUSION: Care coordination between providers is especially important for cancer patients who may see multiple providers and visit several facilities. This study found that the hospital cancer registry database contains extremely useful data for cancer patients and practitioners. Further, it was found that the hospital cancer registry is a source of valuable information regarding the impact that COVID-19 has had on cancer patients.

Can caregivers trust information technology in the care of their patients? A systematic review.

The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) requires that healthcare providers allow patients to engage in their healthcare by allowing access to their health records. Often patients need informal caregivers including family members or others to help them with their care. This paper explores whether trust is a key factor for informal caregivers' decision to use health information technologies (HIT) including electronic health records (EHR), patient portals, mobile apps, or other devices to care for their patient. Six reviewers conducted a comprehensive search of four literature databases using terms that pertained to a caregiver and trust to investigate the role trust plays when caregivers use HIT. While trust is a key factor for the use of HIT, it the researchers only identified ten articles that met the research question thresholds. Four main topics of trust surfaced including perceived confidentiality, perceived security, technological malfunction, and trustworthiness of the information. Trust is a critical factor for informal caregivers when using HIT to assist in the care of their patient (child, loved one, parent, or acquaintance). Based on the findings, it is clear that more research on the use of HIT by caregivers is needed.

Population Health: Identifying Skill Sets and Education Alignment for HIM Professionals.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased the emphasis on population health, therefore potentially amplifying demand for healthcare workforce professionals in this area. There is an urgent need to explore and define the roles of health information management (HIM) professionals in the population health workforce. This study sought to identify the skill sets and qualifications needed, and HIM education alignment with skills necessary for HIM professionals entering the population health workforce. An intentionally broad internet search of job postings was conducted to determine skills in population health. Population health-related job descriptions and qualification requirements were abstracted and analyzed using ATLAS.ti. Three common job categories were identified: management, analytics, and coding. Skill set requirements included soft skills, problem solving, project management, research, and data analysis. The study results identified HIM educational alignment and found that HIM professionals are generally a good fit to meet the increased need in the population health workforce.

The Association of Emotional and Physical Reactions to Perceived Discrimination with Depressive Symptoms Among African American Men in the Southeast.

This study examines the association of emotional and physical reactions to perceived discrimination with depressive symptoms among a sample of African American (AA) men in the southeastern United States. Analysis of the 2010 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) data set provides an examination of demographic, perceived discrimination context, and health status differences in depressive symptoms measured by the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). The analysis also assesses individual differences among AA men related to experiencing physical symptoms and feeling emotionally upset due to perceived discrimination. A focused examination investigates the role of adverse reactions to perceived discrimination in association with depressive symptomology. Findings illuminate the significance of experiences of and reactions to perceived discrimination in relationship with depressive symptomology among AA men living in the southeastern United States. Findings also demonstrate the need for additional research focusing on perceived discrimination experiences in relation to depressive symptoms experienced among the AA male subgroup. Continued investigation of within-group differences among AA men, with health promotional strategies to foster social-emotional support, will further the improvement in health and wellness for AA men.