ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Near real-time patient experience feedback (NRTPEF) can enable a patient-centric, immediate service recovery but has not been widely used in inpatient rehabilitation. We 1) assess the utility, feasibility, and acceptability of implementing a new NRTPEF, perceived by patients and providers; and 2) understand how the NRTPEF became embedded into routine provider practices. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mixed methods process evaluation of the 8-month implementation of an innovative NRTPEF in an inpatient rehabilitation unit, using interviews and focus groups with all the service-unit leaders and interviews with a randomised sample of patients. Beyond descriptive statistics and content analysis, the Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) informed a framework analysis. RESULTS: Patients and service-unit leaders perceived high utility in the NRTPEF (median: 9 for both; 0-10 scale) and qualitative comments emphasised the value of providing/obtaining timely feedback. The system was found feasible and acceptable for patients (median: 9.5), but with an improvement margin for providers (median: 7.3). Suggestions include strengthening the data-relay format. Even in the pilot form, providers found the NRTPEF became embedded into practice (median 10; average: 8.6). The analysis based on the NPT shows how providers saw differential value, engaged with, and used the patient feedback into reconfigured practices. CONCLUSION: An innovative NRTPEF was found useful, feasible and acceptable, but with refinement opportunities before scale-up.
ABSTRACT
A project with the goal of implementing electronic health record (EHR)-based patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) into a large inpatient spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation program took twice as long as expected. This report details the lessons learned from the barriers, successes, and unexpected issues that arose during this prolonged, but now successful, project. The goals of this implementation project were to (1) identify barriers and supports to the use of PROMs; (2) develop an implementation strategy to incorporate the use of PROMs into inpatient rehabilitation; and (3) implement the strategy and evaluate its effects on team communication. In brief, we conducted an initial pilot phase outside of the EHR and used our findings to guide procedural and EHR incorporation during a demonstration phase. We encountered multiple barriers. Procedural issues were significant; although grant funding covered the cost of writing the code for integration of the PROMs into the EHR, our institution's competing priorities slowed progress. Institutional inertia was reflected in the reluctance of some clinical staff members to assume new duties that would take away from direct patient care responsibilities. Therefore, we needed to obtain additional staffing. Detailed planning upfront, guided by changes when necessary; cooperation and interaction with our institution's Information Systems department; and identification of key players and Implementation Champions proved essential to our success. We now have an up-and-running system and are sharing our experience, observations, and recommendations to assist other health care organizations incorporate PROMs into their EHRs.
Subject(s)
Electronic Health Records , Inpatients , Communication , Humans , Patient Reported Outcome MeasuresABSTRACT
Context/objective: This study describes a development strategy for integrating the Spinal Cord Injury - Quality of Life (SCI-QOL) item banks into inpatient spinal cord injury (SCI) rehabilitation and recommendations for protocol implementation.Design: We adopted an implementation science approach to develop a strategy for adapting and contextualizing SCI-QOL use during SCI rehabilitation. We conducted focus groups and stakeholder meetings with clinical assessment champions to (1) identify barriers and supports to SCI-QOL adoption; (2) reduce barriers and emphasize supports; (3) evaluate and select relevant SCI-QOL domains and item banks; (4) develop administration and reporting guidelines; and (5) identify hospital roles to alert with SCI-QOL results.Setting: A regional inpatient rehabilitation hospital. This study focuses on clinicians providing inpatient rehabilitation to patients with SCI.Participants: Fifty-nine clinicians, including physicians, speech language pathologists, occupational and physical therapists, nurses, and social workers providing care to SCI inpatients.Interventions: N/A.Outcome measures: N/A.Results: Clinicians identified the SCI-QOL domains that were most relevant to inpatient care; when SCI-QOL should be administered; what hospital roles were best suited for administering SCI-QOL; how results should be displayed in the electronic medical record; and which clinical roles needed notification of SCI-QOL results.Conclusions: Clinicians acknowledge the value of patient-reported outcome measures in inpatient SCI rehabilitation, but noted barriers to adoption. Engaging clinicians in the decision-making process for developing an implementation and administration protocol can inform strategies to overcome barriers and emphasize supports.