Experiences of Older Adults with Heart Failure Using Telemedicine During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study.

Background: Telemedicine (TM) usage increased rapidly during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study is part of a larger mixed-methods study comparing TM and in-person visits of older adults with heart failure (HF) and describes patient's TM experiences during the pandemic. Methods: This study employed qualitative design using survey responses and individual interviews. Study eligibility requirements included >55 years old, HF diagnosis, and TM visit between September 1, 2020 and May 31, 2021, at one of two participating health systems in the southern United States. Results: Twenty-two TM recipients completed qualitative interviews, and 91 of 125 online survey respondents answered open-ended questions. Data were gathered, sorted, and revealed five themes. Discussion: Interview respondents identified benefits, e.g., convenience, inclusion, decreased exposure, and problems, e.g., connectivity issues, inadequate equipment, and medical conditions impacting use. Recommendations included allocating sufficient appointment time, tailoring visits, and increasing written communication. This study was part of a larger clinical trial registered at ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT04304833.

A Case Report on the Effectiveness of Virtual Monitoring of Postdischarge COVID-19 Positive Patients in a Rural Hospital Setting: A Retrospective Review.

Objective: The pandemic has pushed hospital system to re-evaluate the ways they provide care. West Tennessee Healthcare (WTH) developed a remote patient monitoring (RPM) program to monitor positive COVID-19 patients after being discharged from the hospital for any worsening symptomatology and preemptively mitigate the potential of readmission. Methods: We sought to compare the readmission rates of individuals placed on our remote monitoring protocol with individuals not included in the program. We selected remotely monitored individuals discharged from WTH from October 2020 to December 2020 and compared these data points with a control group. Results: We analyzed 1,351 patients with 241 patients receiving no RPM intervention, 969 patients receiving standard monitoring, and 141 patients enrolled in our 24-h remote monitoring. Our lowest all cause readmission rate was 4.96% (p = 0.37) in our 24-h remote monitoring group. We also collected 641 surveys from the monitored patients with two statistically significant answers. Discussion: The low readmission rate noted in our 24-h remotely monitored cohort signifies a potential opportunity that a program of this nature can create for a health care system struggling during a resource-limited time to continue to provide quality care. Conclusion: The program allowed the allocation of hospital resources for individuals with more acute states and monitored less critical patients without using personal protective equipment. The novel program was able to offer an avenue to improve resource utilization and provide care for a health system in a rural area. Further investigation is needed; however, significant opportunities can be seen with data obtained during the study.

A Framework for the Virtual Medical Interview Process: Considerations for the Applicant and the Interviewer.

Background: Videoconferencing platforms are being used for the purposes of interviewing in academic medicine because of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic. We present considerations applicable to interviewers and interviewees in the virtual space, with a focus on medical school and residency applicants. Methods: We reviewed the literature regarding the virtual interview process for medical school and residency by searching PubMed using the following keywords and terms: "interview," "academic medicine," "medical school application," "residency application," "virtual interviews," and "videoconferencing." Our search identified 701 results, from which we selected 36 articles for review. Results: The garnered information focuses on strategies for optimizing the virtual interview process from the standpoint of both the interviewer and the interviewee. We discuss the advantages and disadvantages of the virtual interview process and present recommendations. Conclusion: While the future of the interview process for medical school and residency is uncertain, virtual interviewing is a common and growing practice that will continue to be at least part of the medical interview process for years to come. Interviewers and interviewees should prepare to adapt to the evolving changes in the process.

The Association of Broadband Internet Access and Telemedicine Utilization in rural Western Tennessee: an observational study.

BACKGROUND: Broadband access has been highlighted as a national policy priority to improve access to care in rural communities. OBJECTIVE: To determine whether broadband internet availability was associated with telemedicine adoption among a rural patient population in western Tennessee. METHODS: Observational study using electronic medical record data from March 13th, 2019 to March 13th, 2021. Multivariable logistic regression incorporating individual-level characteristics with broadband availability, income, educational attainment, and primary care physician supply at the zip code level, and rural status as determined at the county level. SETTING: Single health system in western Tennessee. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients with one or more in-person or remote encounter in a health system in western Tennessee and residing in western Tennessee between March 13th, 2019 and March 13th, 2021 (N = 54,688). OUTCOME MEASURES: Completion of one or more video encounters in the year following March 13th, 2020 (N = 3199; 7%). Our primary characteristic of interest was the proportion of residents in each zip code with access to the internet meeting the Federal Communications Commission definition of broadband access, adjusting for age, gender, race, income, educational attainment, insurance type, rural status, and primary care provider supply. RESULTS: Patients in a rural western Tennessee health system were predominantly white (79%), residing in rural zip codes (73%) with median household incomes ($52,085) less than state and national averages. Patients residing in a zip code where there is 80 to 100% broadband access compared to 0 to 20% were more likely in the year following March 13th, 2020 to have completed both telemedicine and in-person visits ([OR; 95% CI] 1.57; 1.29, 1.94), completed only telemedicine visits (2.26; 1.71, 2.97), less likely to have only completed in-person visits (0.81; 0.74, 0.89), but no more or less likely to have accessed no care (1.07; 0.97, 1.18). DISCUSSION: The availability of broadband internet was shown to be one of many factors associated with the utilization of telemedicine for a rural, working-class community after March 13th, 2020. CONCLUSIONS: Access to broadband internet is a determinant of access to telemedicine for patients in rural communities and should be a priority for policymakers interested in improving health and access to care for rural patients.

Online conferencing software in radiology: Recent trends and utility.

Videoconferencing platforms have recently gained wide attention due to the COVID-19 pandemic, both within and outside of the medical community. This article reviews various applications of online meeting technology to the radiologic community, not only in response to the recent pandemic but also thereafter. Various platform features are outlined and discussed, specifically with respect to collaboration, training, and patient care. Platforms reviewed are GoToMeeting, Microsoft Teams, Skype, WebEx, and Zoom.

Diagnosis in a snap: a pilot study using Snapchat in radiologic didactics.

PURPOSE: To evaluate Snapchat, an image-based social media platform, as a tool for emergency radiologic didactics comparing image interpretation on mobile devices with conventional analysis on a classroom screen. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Seven radiology residents (4 juniors, 3 seniors;4 males, 3 females; 28.4 years old, ± 1.7 years) were shown 5 emergent radiologic cases using Snapchat and 5 cases of similar content and duration on a classroom projector over 4 weeks. All images depicted diagnoses requiring immediate communication to ordering physicians. Performance was scored 0-2 (0 = complete miss, 1 = major finding, but missed the diagnosis, 2 = correct diagnosis) by two attending radiologists in consensus. RESULTS: All residents performed better on Snapchat each week. In weeks 1-4, juniors scored 21/40 (52.5%), 23/40 (57.5%), 19/40 (47.5%), and 18/40 (45%) points using Snapchat compared with 13/40 (32.5%), 23/40 (57.5%), 14/40 (35%), and 13/40 (32.5%), respectively, each week by projector, while seniors scored 19/30 (63.3%), 21/30 (70%), 27/30 (90%), and 21/30 (70%) on Snapchat versus 16/30 (53.3%), 19/30 (63.3%), 20/30 (66.7%), and 20/30 (66.7%) on projector. Four-week totals showed juniors scoring 81/160 (50.6%) on Snapchat and 63/160 (39.4%) by projector compared with seniors scoring 88/120 (73.3%) and 75/120 (62.5%), respectively. Performance on Snapchat was statistically, significantly better than via projector during weeks 1 and 3 (p values 0.0019 and 0.0031). CONCLUSION: Radiology residents interpreting emergency cases via Snapchat showed higher accuracy compared with using a traditional classroom screen. This pilot study suggests that Snapchat may have a role in the digital radiologic classroom's evolution.

Using a custom mobile application for change management in an electronic health record implementation.

OBJECTIVES: Institutions cite managing the modification in infrastructure, technical support, and process change as substantial barriers to a successful electronic health record (EHR) implementation. In an effort to organize and centralize the complex scheduling, task completion and communication needs of a "big-bang" EHR go-live, we developed a unified communication system with the goal of improving implementation process efficiency. Our goal was to create a platform that would work across the medical enterprise. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We employed an agile process to design the application, called Hubbl, based on initial requirements and iteratively obtained stakeholder user. The final feature set included role-specific organization, integrated communication, task and content management tooling, and embedded project information retrieval, all embedded into the end user's day to day activities. RESULTS: User enrollment continually increased from launch in February of 2017 through go-live day. During the pre-go-live period, usage increased from an average of 7.37 events/user/day to 18.65 events/user/day with over 97 communications sent across all periods. 5400 unique users accessed tip sheets and information retrieval tools averaged 28.84 searches/user/day during the go-live period with an average high of 46.33 searches/user/day 5 days post-go-live. User access during go-live and post-go-live averaged 12.82 accesses/user/day and decreased from 20.42 average accesses on day one of go live to 14.07 averaged accesses on day 60 of post-go-live with over 727 tasks monitored to completion during all periods. CONCLUSION: Hubbl was an essential component of our communication, task coordination, and change management strategy, for our EHR go live. Institutions that choose a unified mobile and web-based platform during a substantial IT (information technology) implementation can feasibly ensure task completion, project coordination, and timely information dissemination.

A Simple Bedside Screening Tool for Spasticity Referral.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Spasticity is common in long-term care facilities; however, this often-disabling condition is largely underdiagnosed in this setting and therefore left untreated. This study aimed to test the ability of a three-question flowchart used at the bedside by primary care providers in the long-term care setting to identify residents in need of referral to a specialist for spasticity consultation. METHODS: All residents of a single long-term care facility were approached for participation in this cross-sectional, observational study. Spasticity diagnostic evaluations by a movement disorders specialist neurologist (reference standard) were compared with referral determinations made by two primary care providers [a primary care physician (PCP) and a nurse practitioner (NP)] using the simple flowchart. RESULTS: The analysis included 49 residents (80% male, age 78.2±9.0 years) who were evaluated by the reference standard neurologist and at least one primary care provider. The bedside referral tool demonstrated high sensitivity and moderate specificity when used by the PCP (92% and 78%, respectively; AUC=0.84) and NP (80% and 53%, respectively; AUC=0.67). CONCLUSION: This simple tool may be useful for primary care providers to identify residents to be referred to a specialist for evaluation and treatment of spasticity. These results warrant further investigation of the potential utility of this screening tool across multiple long-term care facilities and various types of care providers.

Physician Perspectives on Training for an EHR Implementation.

In 2017, a US academic medical center switched to a commercial EHR system using the "specialist training the specialist" model, which combines peer-to-peer training, classroom based training, and web-based training. We conducted semi-structured interviews with physicians at multiple training levels to investigate the impact of this EHR switch and to explore the training experience of physicians and their perception of the training quality pre and post Go-Live. Our team used Grounded Theory methodology to classify the interview information. Themes that emerged from the interviews included stress and anxiety, the desire for more realistic training environments tailored to specialty needs, and concerns about the duration of time between training and implementation. In future implementations, we recommend more data-rich test patients and the demonstration of real-world workflows during training.

Electronic Health Record Interactions through Voice: A Review.

BACKGROUND: Usability problems in the electronic health record (EHR) lead to workflow inefficiencies when navigating charts and entering or retrieving data using standard keyboard and mouse interfaces. Voice input technology has been used to overcome some of the challenges associated with conventional interfaces and continues to evolve as a promising way to interact with the EHR. OBJECTIVE: This article reviews the literature and evidence on voice input technology used to facilitate work in the EHR. It also reviews the benefits and challenges of implementation and use of voice technologies, and discusses emerging opportunities with voice assistant technology. METHODS: We performed a systematic review of the literature to identify articles that discuss the use of voice technology to facilitate health care work. We searched MEDLINE and the Google search engine to identify relevant articles. We evaluated articles that discussed the strengths and limitations of voice technology to facilitate health care work. Consumer articles from leading technology publications addressing emerging use of voice assistants were reviewed to ascertain functionalities in existing consumer applications. RESULTS: Using a MEDLINE search, we identified 683 articles that were reviewed for inclusion eligibility. The references of included articles were also reviewed. Sixty-one papers that discussed the use of voice tools in health care were included, of which 32 detailed the use of voice technologies in production environments. Articles were organized into three domains: Voice for (1) documentation, (2) commands, and (3) interactive response and navigation for patients. Of 31 articles that discussed usability attributes of consumer voice assistant technology, 12 were included in the review. CONCLUSION: We highlight the successes and challenges of voice input technologies in health care and discuss opportunities to incorporate emerging voice assistant technologies used in the consumer domain.

Utility of the 6-minute walk test following lung transplantation.

BACKGROUND: The 6-minute walk test (6-MWT) has replaced standard cardiopulmonary exercises for the evaluation of lung disease. However, data on the utility and characteristics of the 6-MWT following lung transplant are lacking. This study aimed to determine if 6-MWT distance has a normal distribution at 6 months post-transplant and if lower 6-MWT distance was predictive of all-cause mortality. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review of 6-MWT data on all patients who were lung transplant recipients at Ochsner Medical Center between 2000 and 2005. Forty-nine lung transplant recipients completed a 6-MWT at 6 months following transplant. Of these 49 patients, 34 had completed both the 6-month and 12-month 6-MWT, and data from these were used to evaluate change in distance walked over time. RESULTS: The mean age was 46 ± 16 years, 57% were female, and 69% received a bilateral lung transplant. Normal distribution by Kolmogorov-Smirnov was demonstrated for 6-MWT distance at 6 months (P  =  0.873). Mean distance walked improved from 348 ± 15 m to 478 ±14 m at 12 months (P  =  0.0001). The 6-MWT distance at 6 months was not a predictor of survival (OR  =  1.002). CONCLUSIONS: Distance for the 6-MWT followed a normal distribution following lung transplant, and distances walked continued to improve for a year following transplant. Although 6-MWT distances are not a predictor of survival, other components of the test may strengthen the predictive value for morbidity and mortality post-transplant.