Patient-reported predictors of postdischarge mortality after cardiac hospitalization.

BACKGROUND: Adults hospitalized for cardiovascular events are at high risk for postdischarge mortality. Screening of psychosocial risk is prioritized by the Joint Commission. We tested whether key patient-reported psychosocial and behavioral measures could predict posthospitalization mortality in a cohort of adults hospitalized for a cardiovascular event. METHODS: We conducted a prospective cohort study to test the prognostic utility of validated patient-reported measures, including health literacy, social support, health behaviors and disease management, and socioeconomic status. Cox survival analyses of mortality were conducted over a median of 3.5 years. RESULTS: Among 2977 adults hospitalized for either acute coronary syndrome or acute decompensated heart failure, the mean age was 53 years, and 60% were male. After adjusting for demographic, clinical, and other psychosocial factors, mortality risk was greatest among patients who reported being unemployed (hazard ratio [HR]: 1.99, 95% confidence interval [CI]): 1.30-3.06), retired (HR: 2.14, 95% CI: 1.60-2.87), or unable to work due to disability (HR: 2.36, 95% CI: 1.73-3.21), as compared to those who were employed. Patient-reported perceived health competence (PHCS-2) and exercise frequency were also associated with mortality risk after adjusting for all other variables (HR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.73-1.00 per four-point increase in PHCS-2; HR: 0.86, 95% CI: 0.77-0.96 per 3-day increase in exercise frequency, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Patient-reported measures of employment status, perceived health competence, and exercise frequency independently predict mortality after a cardiac hospitalization. Incorporating these brief, valid measures into hospital-based screening may help with prognostication and targeting patients for resources during post-discharge transitions of care.

Patient-reported predictors of post-discharge mortality after cardiac hospitalization.

Background: Adults hospitalized for cardiovascular events are at high risk for post-discharge mortality. Hospital-based screening of health-related psychosocial risk factors is now prioritized by the Joint Commission and the National Quality Forum to achieve equitable, high-quality care. We tested our hypothesis that key patient-reported psychosocial and behavioral measures could predict post-hospitalization mortality in a cohort of adults hospitalized for a cardiovascular event. Methods: This was a prospective cohort of adults hospitalized at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Validated patient-reported measures of health literacy, social support, disease self-management, and socioeconomic status were used as predictors of interest. Cox survival analyses of mortality were conducted over a median 3.5-year follow-up (range: 1.25 - 5.5 years). Results: Among 2,977 adults, 1,874 (63%) were hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome and 1,103 (37%) were hospitalized for acute decompensated heart failure; 60% were male; and the mean age was 53 years. After adjusting for demographic, clinical, and other psychosocial factors, mortality risk was greatest among patients who reported being unable to work due to disability (Hazard Ratio (HR) 2.36, 95% Confidence Interval (CI): 1.73-3.21), who were retired (HR 2.14, 95% CI 1.60-2.87), and who reported unemployment (HR 1.99, 95% CI 1.30-3.06) as compared to those who were employed. Patient-reported measures of disease self-management, perceived health competence and exercise frequency, were also associated with mortality risk after full covariate adjustment (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.73-1.00 per four-point increase), (HR 0.86, 95% CI 0.77-0.96 per three-day change), respectively. Conclusions: Patient-reported measures of employment status independently predict post-discharge mortality after a cardiac hospitalization. Measure of disease self-management also have prognostic modest utility. Hospital-based screening of psychosocial risk is increasingly prioritized in legislative policy. Incorporating brief, valid measures of employment status and disease self-management factors may help target patients for psychosocial, financial, and rehabilitative resources during post-discharge transitions of care.

Disparities in Research Participation by Level of Health Literacy.

OBJECTIVE: To determine at which phase in the recruitment process for participation in clinical research studies do health literacy and other patient characteristics influence recruitment outcomes. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Using a sample of 5872 patients hospitalized with cardiovascular disease approached for participation in the Vanderbilt Inpatient Cohort Study from October 2011 through December 2015, we examined the independent association of patients' health literacy with two steps in their research participation decision-making process: (1) research interest - willingness to hear more about a research study; and (2) research participation - the decision to enroll after an informed consent discussion. Best practices for effective health communication were implemented in recruitment approaches and informed consent processes. Using logistic regression models, we determined patient characteristics independently associated with patients' willingness to hear about and participate in the study. RESULTS: In unadjusted analyses, participants with higher health literacy, and those who were younger, female, or had more education had higher levels of both research interest and research participation. Health literacy remained independently associated with both outcomes in multivariable models, after adjustment for sociodemographic factors. CONCLUSION: Because identical variables predicted both research interest and eventual consent, efforts to recruit broad populations must include acceptable methods of approaching potential participants as well as explaining study materials.

Lessons Learned from Efforts to Reduce Overuse of Cardiac Telemetry Monitoring.

BACKGROUND: Inappropriate use of telemetry monitoring is common, increasing costs, false alarms, and length of stay. The Society of Hospital Medicine and Choosing Wisely encourage the use of discontinuation protocols. METHODS: This quality improvement initiative measured the impact of an educational intervention and distribution of performance reports for physicians and residents on the general medicine service. The intervention group received a 15-minute didactic session on appropriate indications for telemetry followed by weekly performance reports for 78 weeks. A segmented linear regression model and Student's t-test were used to determine intervention effects on percentage of patients on telemetry and telemetry orders lasting more than 48 hours. RESULTS: Prior to the intervention, 4.8% of patients received telemetry monitoring; 13.4% of telemetry orders exceeded 48 hours. The control service had a baseline telemetry utilization of 2.4%; 1.2% of telemetry orders exceeded 48 hours. After the intervention, 3.9% of patients received telemetry monitoring; 10.6% of telemetry orders exceeded 48 hours. The control service had a postintervention telemetry utilization of 2.1%; 1.1% of telemetry orders exceeded 48 hours. The Student's t-test showed a statistically significant (p = 0.002) decrease in telemetry ordering rate on the intervention service and no significant change in the control group. However, when using segmented linear regression analysis, these changes could not be attributed to the intervention nor were there any significant changes in balancing metrics. CONCLUSION: Education and weekly performance feedback did not significantly impact telemetry according to segmented linear regression results. Segmented linear regression analysis of an interrupted time series yielded significantly different results from a pre-post comparison using Student's t-test. Rigorous evaluation is vital to decreasing unnecessary care and successful reduction in unnecessary care may require interventions that capitalize on systems-level change.

Enhancing organizational health literacy in a rural Missouri clinic: a qualitative case study.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this paper is to evaluate a collaborative effort between a health care organization and academic institution to strengthen organizational health literacy. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: The intervention took place at a rural, federally qualified health clinic in Missouri between May 2009 and April 2011. Qualitative interviews of key informants were conducted before (n=35) and after (n=23) the intervention to examine program implementation and success in effecting organizational change. FINDINGS: Intervention activities helped establish a comprehensive understanding of health literacy. The project achieved moderate, fundamental and sustainable organizational change. The program successfully integrated health literacy practices into clinic systems and garnered leadership and organizational commitment, helped the workforce improve interpersonal communication and embedded practices making health education materials more accessible. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The study points to programmatic, conceptual and methodological challenges that must be addressed for organizations to improve health literacy practices, and suggests change management strategies to advance organizational health literacy.

Development of the Initial Surveys for the All of Us Research Program.

BACKGROUND: The All of Us Research Program is building a national longitudinal cohort and collecting data from multiple information sources (e.g., biospecimens, electronic health records, and mobile/wearable technologies) to advance precision medicine. Participant-provided information, collected via surveys, will complement and augment these information sources. We report the process used to develop and refine the initial three surveys for this program. METHODS: The All of Us survey development process included: (1) prioritization of domains for scientific needs, (2) examination of existing validated instruments, (3) content creation, (4) evaluation and refinement via cognitive interviews and online testing, (5) content review by key stakeholders, and (6) launch in the All of Us electronic participant portal. All content was translated into Spanish. RESULTS: We conducted cognitive interviews in English and Spanish with 169 participants, and 573 individuals completed online testing. Feedback led to over 40 item content changes. Lessons learned included: (1) validated survey instruments performed well in diverse populations reflective of All of Us; (2) parallel evaluation of multiple languages can ensure optimal survey deployment; (3) recruitment challenges in diverse populations required multiple strategies; and (4) key stakeholders improved integration of surveys into larger Program context. CONCLUSIONS: This efficient, iterative process led to successful testing, refinement, and launch of three All of Us surveys. Reuse of All of Us surveys, available at http://researchallofus.org, may facilitate large consortia targeting diverse populations in English and Spanish to capture participant-provided information to supplement other data, such as genetic, physical measurements, or data from electronic health records.

Deimplementation of Routine Chest X-rays in Adult Intensive Care Units.

BACKGROUND: Choosing Wisely® is a national initiative to deimplement or reduce low-value care. However, there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of strategies to influence ordering patterns. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to describe the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce daily chest X-ray (CXR) ordering in two intensive care units (ICUs) and evaluate deimplementation strategies. DESIGN: We aimed to describe the effectiveness of an intervention to reduce daily chest X-ray (CXR) ordering in two intensive care units (ICUs) and evaluate deimplementation strategies. SETTING: The study was performed in the medical intensive care unit (MICU) and cardiovascular intensive care unit (CVICU) of an academic medical center in the United States from October 2015 to June 2016. PARTICIPANTS: The initiative included the staff of the MICU and CVICU (physicians, surgeons, nurse practitioners, fellows, residents, medical students, and X-ray technologists). INTERVENTION COMPONENTS: We utilized provider education, peer champions, and weekly data feedback of CXR ordering rates. MEASUREMENTS: We analyzed the CXR ordering rates and factors facilitating or inhibiting deimplementation. RESULTS: Segmented linear time-series analysis suggested a small but statistically significant decrease in CXR ordering rates in the CVICU (P < .001) but not in the MICU. Facilitators of deimplementation, which were more prominent in the CVICU, included engagement of peer champions, stable staffing, and regular data feedback. Barriers included the need to establish goal CXR ordering rates, insufficient intervention visibility, and waning investment among medical residents in the MICU due to frequent rotation and competing priorities. CONCLUSIONS: Intervention modestly reduced CXRs ordered in one of two ICUs evaluated. Understanding why adoption differed between the two units may inform future interventions to deimplement low-value diagnostic tests.

Opioid Prescriptions at Hospital Discharge Are Associated With More Postdischarge Healthcare Utilization.

Background Many patients use opioids for nonmalignant pain, and opioid use in the general population has been associated with poor long-term outcomes. The use of high-risk medications, including opioid analgesics, may increase the risk of unplanned healthcare utilization. Methods and Results We performed a nested evaluation in the VICS (Vanderbilt Inpatient Cohort Study) (N=3000) on patients with an admitting diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome and/or acute decompensated heart failure. Patient enrollment occurred from October 2011 until December 2015 and involved a single investigational site, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (Nashville, TN). Of the 2495 eligible patients, 501 (20%) were discharged with an opioid prescription and were predominantly white and men, with a median age of 59 (interquartile range, 53-67) years. Our primary outcome was unplanned healthcare utilization, which included emergency department presentation or readmission. Secondary outcomes included mortality and a composite of planned utilization behaviors: cardiac rehabilitation and provider follow-up within 30 days. Cox proportional hazards models did not show a statistically significant association with increased unplanned utilization (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% CI, 0.87-1.28) or mortality (adjusted hazard ratio, 1.08; 95% CI , 0.84-1.39), compared with those without opioids at discharge. Patients discharged with opioids were less likely to complete planned healthcare utilization (adjusted odds ratio, 0.69; 95% CI , 0.52-0.91). Conclusions There are decreased odds of planned healthcare utilization among patients with acute coronary syndrome and acute decompensated heart failure discharged with opioid medication. It is imperative to understand how opioid use can affect a patient's relationship with the healthcare system.

Association of Health Literacy and Numeracy with Interest in Research Participation.

BACKGROUND: There is much attention to recruitment of diverse populations in research, but little is known about the influence of health literacy and numeracy skills. OBJECTIVE: To determine if health literacy and numeracy affect individuals' interest to participate in research studies. DESIGN: Cross-sectional survey data were pooled from 3 large studies conducted in the Mid-South Clinical Data Research Network. PARTICIPANTS: Adult patients enrolled in 1 of 3 Mid-South Clinical Data Research Network studies. MAIN MEASURES: The survey domains included demographic items, the 3-item Brief Health Literacy Screen (range 3-15), and the 3-item Subjective Numeracy Scale (range 3-18). The outcome was a sum index measure of a 7-item instrument (range 7-21) assessing individuals' interest in participating in different types of research, including research that involves taking surveys, giving a blood sample, participating via phone or internet, taking an investigational medication, meeting at a local community center or school, including family, or staying overnight at a hospital. KEY RESULTS: Respondents (N = 15,973) were predominately women (65.5%), White (81.4%), and middle aged (M = 52.8 years, SD = 16.5); 32.4% previously participated in research. Self-reported health literacy was relatively high (M = 13.5 out of 15, SD = 2.1), and subjective numeracy skills were somewhat lower (M = 14.3 out of 18, SD = 3.6). After adjustment for age, gender, race, income, education, and other characteristics, lower health literacy and numeracy skills were each independently associated with less interest in research participation (p < 0.001 for each). Prior research participation was associated with greater interest in future research participation (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: After adjustment for factors known to be predictive of interest, individuals with lower health literacy or numeracy scores were less interested in participating in research. Additional work is needed to elucidate reasons for this finding and to determine strategies to engage these populations.

Assessing research participant preferences for receiving study results.

INTRODUCTION: Dissemination of results to research participants is largely missing from the practices of most researchers. Few resources exist that describe best practices for disseminating information to this important stakeholder group. METHODS: Four focus groups were conducted with a diverse group of individuals. All participants were part of a Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute-funded survey study. Focus groups aimed to identify participants' preferences about receiving research results and their reactions to three different dissemination platforms. RESULTS: Four focus groups with 37 participants were conducted, including: (1) adults with one comorbidity, at least a college education, and high socioeconomic status (SES); (2) adults with one comorbidity, less than a college education, and lower SES; (3) adults with low health literacy and/or numeracy; and (4) Black or African American adults. Participants discussed their preferences for research results delivery and how each of the platforms met those preferences. This included information needs as they relate to content and scope, including a desire to receive both individual and aggregate results, and study summaries. Email, paper, and website were all popular avenues of presentation. Some desired a written summary, and others preferred videos or visual graphics. Importantly, participants emphasized the desire for having a choice in the timing, frequency, and types of results. CONCLUSION: Research participants prefer to receive research results, including study impact and key findings, disseminated to them in an engaging format that allows choice of when and how the information is presented. The results encourage new standards whereby research participants are considered a critical stakeholder group.

Health Literacy and 1-Year Mortality: Mechanisms of Association in Adults Hospitalized for Cardiovascular Disease.

OBJECTIVE: To test theorized patient-level mediators in the causal pathway between health literacy (HL) and 1-year mortality in adults with cardiovascular disease (CVD). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A total of 3000 adults treated at Vanderbilt University Hospital from October 11, 2011, through December 18, 2015, for acute coronary syndrome or acute decompensated heart failure (ADHF) participated in the Vanderbilt Inpatient Cohort Study. Participants completed a bedside-administered survey and consented to health record review and longitudinal follow-up. Multivariable mediation models examined the direct and indirect effects of HL (a latent variable with 4 indicators) with 1-year mortality after discharge (dichotomous). Hypothesized mediators included social support, health competence, health behavior, comorbidity index, type of CVD diagnosis, and previous-year hospitalizations. RESULTS: Of the 2977 patients discharged from the hospital (60% male; mean age, 61 years; 83% non-Hispanic white, 37% admitted for ADHF), 17% to 23% had inadequate HL depending on the measure, and 10% (n=304) died within 1 year. The total effect of lower HL on 1-year mortality (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]=1.31; 95% CI, 1.01-1.69) was decomposed into an indirect effect (AOR=1.50; 95% CI, 1.35-1.67) via the mediators and a nonsignificant direct effect (AOR=0.87; 95% CI, 0.66-1.14). Each SD decrease in HL was associated with an absolute 3.2 percentage point increase in the probability of 1-year mortality via mediators admitted for ADHF, comorbidities, health behavior, health competence, and previous-year hospitalizations (listed by contribution to indirect effect). CONCLUSION: Patient-level factors link low HL and mortality. Health competence and health behavior are modifiable mediators that could be targeted by interventions post hospitalization for CVD.

Health Literacy and Demographic Disparities in HIV Care Continuum Outcomes.

Studies evaluating the association between human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection continuum of care outcomes [antiretroviral (ART) adherence, retention in care, viral suppression] and health literacy have yielded conflicting results. Moreover, studies from the southern United States, a region of the country disproportionately affected by the HIV epidemic and low health literacy, are lacking. We conducted an observational cohort study among 575 people living with HIV (PLWH) at the Vanderbilt Comprehensive Care Clinic (Nashville, Tennessee). Health literacy was measured using the brief health literacy screen, a short tool which can be administered verbally by trained clinical personnel. Low health literacy was associated with a lack of viral suppression, but not with poor ART adherence or poor retention. Age and racial disparities in continuum of care outcomes persisted after accounting for health literacy, suggesting that factors in addition to health literacy must be addressed in order to improve outcomes for PLWH.

Numeracy, Health Literacy, Cognition, and 30-Day Readmissions among Patients with Heart Failure.

BACKGROUND: Numeracy, health literacy, and cognition are important for chronic disease management. Prior studies have found them to be associated with poorer selfcare and worse clinical outcomes, but limited data exists in the context of heart failure (HF), a condition that requires patients to monitor their weight, fluid intake, and dietary salt, especially in the posthospitalization period. OBJECTIVE: To examine the relationship between numeracy, health literacy, and cognition with 30-day readmissions among patients hospitalized for acute decompensated HF (ADHF). DESIGN, SETTING, PATIENTS: The Vanderbilt Inpatient Cohort Study is a prospective longitudinal study of adults hospitalized with acute coronary syndromes and/or ADHF. We studied 883 adults hospitalized with ADHF. MEASUREMENTS: During their hospitalization, a baseline interview was performed in which demographic characteristics, numeracy, health literacy, and cognition were assessed. Through chart review, clinical characteristics were determined. The outcome of interest was 30-day readmission to any acute care hospital. To examine the association between numeracy, health literacy, cognition, and 30-day readmissions, multivariable Poisson (log-linear) regression was used. RESULTS: Of the 883 patients admitted for ADHF, 23.8% (n = 210) were readmitted within 30 days; 33.9% of the study population had inadequate numeracy skills, 24.6% had inadequate/marginal literacy skills, and 53% had any cognitive impairment. Numeracy and cognition were not associated with 30-day readmissions. Though (objective) health literacy was associated with 30-day readmissions in unadjusted analyses, it was not in adjusted analyses. CONCLUSIONS: Numeracy, health literacy, and cognition were not associated with 30-day readmission among this sample of patients hospitalized with ADHF.

Health literacy, cognition, and urinary incontinence among geriatric inpatients discharged to skilled nursing facilities.

AIMS: To investigate the association between health literacy and cognition and nursing and patient-reported incontinence in a geriatric inpatient population transitioning to skilled nursing facilities (SNF). METHODS: Health literacy, depression, and cognition were assessed via the Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS), Geriatric Depression Scale 5-item (GDS) and Brief Interview for Mental Status (BIMS), respectively. Multivariable logistic regression assessed the association between BHLS score and incontinence by: (1) nursing-reported urinary incontinence during hospitalization; and (2) patient self-reported "bladder accidents" in the post-enrollment study interview. RESULTS: A total of 1556 hospitalized patients aged 65 and older met inclusion criteria, of whom 922 (59.3%) were women and 1480 had available BHLS scores. A total of 464 (29.8%) and 515 (33.1%) patients had nursing-reported and self-reported urinary incontinence, respectively. Nursing-reported incontinence was significantly associated with lower BHLS (ie, poorer health literacy) (aOR 0.93, 95%CI 0.89-0.99) and BIMS (ie, poorer cognition) (aOR 0.90, 95%CI 0.83-0.97) scores and need for assistance with toileting (aOR 7.08, 95%CI 2.16-23.21). Patient-reported incontinence was significantly associated with female sex (aOR 1.62, 95%CI 1.19-2.21), increased GDS score (ie, greater likelihood of depression) (aOR 1.22, 95%CI 1.10-1.36) and need for assistance with toileting (aOR 2.46, 95%CI 1.26-4.79). CONCLUSIONS: Poorer health literacy and cognition are independently associated with an increased likelihood of nursing-reported urinary incontinence among geriatric inpatients transitioning to SNF. Practitioners should consider assessment of health literacy and cognition in frail patients at risk for urinary incontinence and that patient and nursing assessment may be required to capture the diagnosis.

Association of Health Literacy With Postoperative Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Major Abdominal Surgery.

Importance: Low health literacy is known to adversely affect health outcomes in patients with chronic medical conditions. To our knowledge, the association of health literacy with postoperative outcomes has not been studied in-depth in a surgical patient population. Objective: To evaluate the association of health literacy with postoperative outcomes in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. Design, Setting, and Participants: From November 2010 to December 2013, 1239 patients who were undergoing elective gastric, colorectal, hepatic, and pancreatic resections for both benign and malignant disease at a single academic institution were retrospectively reviewed. Patient demographics, education, insurance status, procedure type, American Society of Anesthesiologists status, Charlson comorbidity index, and postoperative outcomes, including length of stay, emergency department visits, and hospital readmissions, were reviewed from electronic medical records. Health literacy levels were assessed using the Brief Health Literacy Screen, a validated tool that was administered by nursing staff members on hospital admission. Multivariate analysis was used to determine the association of health literacy levels on postoperative outcomes, controlling for patient demographics and clinical characteristics. Main Outcomes and Measures: The association of health literacy with postoperative 30-day emergency department visits, 90-day hospital readmissions, and index hospitalization length of stay. Results: Of the 1239 patients who participated in this study, 624 (50.4%) were women, 1083 (87.4%) where white, 96 (7.7%) were black, and 60 (4.8%) were of other race/ethnicity. The mean (SD) Brief Health Literacy Screen score was 12.9 (SD, 2.75; range, 3-15) and the median educational attainment was 13.0 years. Patients with lower health literacy levels had a longer length of stay in unadjusted (95% CI, 0.95-0.99; P = .004) and adjusted (95% CI, 0.03-0.26; P = .02) analyses. However, lower health literacy was not significantly associated with increased rates of 30-day emergency department visits or 90-day hospital readmissions. Conclusions and Relevance: Lower health literacy levels are independently associated with longer index hospitalization lengths of stay for patients who are undergoing major abdominal surgery. The role of health literacy needs to be further evaluated within surgical practices to improve health care outcomes and use.

Low Health Literacy Is Associated with Increased Transitional Care Needs in Hospitalized Patients.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association of health literacy with the number and type of transitional care needs (TCN) among patients being discharged to home. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS: A cross-sectional analysis of patients admitted to an academic medical center. MEASUREMENTS: Nurses administered the Brief Health Literacy Screen and documented TCNs along 10 domains: caregiver support, transportation, healthcare utilization, high-risk medical comorbidities, medication management, medical devices, functional status, mental health comorbidities, communication, and financial resources. RESULTS: Among the 384 patients analyzed, 113 (29%) had inadequate health literacy. Patients with inadequate health literacy had needs in more TCN domains (mean = 5.29 vs 4.36; P < 0 .001). In unadjusted analysis, patients with inadequate health literacy were significantly more likely to have TCNs in 7 out of the 10 domains. In multivariate analyses, inadequate health literacy remained significantly associated with inadequate caregiver support (odds ratio [OR], 2.61; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.37-4.99) and transportation barriers (OR, 1.69; 95% CI, 1.04-2.76). CONCLUSIONS: Among hospitalized patients, inadequate health literacy is prevalent and independently associated with other needs that place patients at a higher risk of adverse outcomes, such as hospital readmission. Screening for inadequate health literacy and associated needs may enable hospitals to address these barriers and improve postdischarge outcomes.

Know thy eHealth user: Development of biopsychosocial personas from a study of older adults with heart failure.

BACKGROUND: Personas are a canonical user-centered design method increasingly used in health informatics research. Personas-empirically-derived user archetypes-can be used by eHealth designers to gain a robust understanding of their target end users such as patients. OBJECTIVE: To develop biopsychosocial personas of older patients with heart failure using quantitative analysis of survey data. METHOD: Data were collected using standardized surveys and medical record abstraction from 32 older adults with heart failure recently hospitalized for acute heart failure exacerbation. Hierarchical cluster analysis was performed on a final dataset of n=30. Nonparametric analyses were used to identify differences between clusters on 30 clustering variables and seven outcome variables. RESULTS: Six clusters were produced, ranging in size from two to eight patients per cluster. Clusters differed significantly on these biopsychosocial domains and subdomains: demographics (age, sex); medical status (comorbid diabetes); functional status (exhaustion, household work ability, hygiene care ability, physical ability); psychological status (depression, health literacy, numeracy); technology (Internet availability); healthcare system (visit by home healthcare, trust in providers); social context (informal caregiver support, cohabitation, marital status); and economic context (employment status). Tabular and narrative persona descriptions provide an easy reference guide for informatics designers. DISCUSSION: Personas development using approaches such as clustering of structured survey data is an important tool for health informatics professionals. We describe insights from our study of patients with heart failure, then recommend a generic ten-step personas development process. Methods strengths and limitations of the study and of personas development generally are discussed.

The Impact of Health Literacy and Clinicodemographic Factors on Use of Discharge Services after Radical Cystectomy.

PURPOSE: There are few data on the relationship between health literacy and discharge disposition. We hypothesized that patient discharge needs after radical cystectomy are affected by health literacy. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We identified 504 patients who underwent radical cystectomy and completed the validated BHLS (Brief Health Literacy Screen) after November 2010. Bivariate and logistic regression analyses were performed to determine whether health literacy is associated with the use of discharge resources after radical cystectomy. RESULTS: Of patients treated with radical cystectomy 50.6% required discharge services and had lower health literacy (BHLS 11.9 vs 12.5, p = 0.016) than patients discharged home without services. On multivariable analysis older age (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.1, p = 0.002), female gender (OR 2.3, 95% CI 1.2-4.4, p = 0.019), body mass index (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.1, p = 0.034), Charlson comorbidity index score (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.2, p = 0.037) and length of stay (OR 1.1, 95% CI 1.0-1.2, p = 0.019) were significantly associated with the use of discharge resources. Patients with continent vs incontinent urinary diversion were less likely to require discharge services (OR 0.4, 95% CI 0.2-0.8, p = 0.013). CONCLUSIONS: Older age, female gender, body mass index, comorbidities, length of stay and incontinent diversion are associated with increased use of discharge resources after radical cystectomy. Low health literacy may affect patient discharge disposition but it was not significant on multivariable analysis. Factors that influence the complex self-care required of patients after cystectomy should be considered during discharge planning.

Financial strain is associated with medication nonadherence and worse self-rated health among cardiovascular patients.

Non-traditional indicators of socioeconomic status (SES; e.g., home ownership) may be just as or even more predictive of health outcomes as traditional indicators of SES (e.g., income). This study tested whether financial strain (i.e., difficulty paying monthly bills) predicted medication non-adherence and worse self-rated health. Research assistants administered surveys to 1,527 patients with acute coronary syndromes or acute decom-pensated heart failure. In adjusted models, having a higher income was associated with being more adherent (p < .001), but was non-significant when adjusted for financial strain. Education, income, less financial strain, and being employed were each associated with better self-rated health (p < .001). Financial strain was associated with less adherence (ß =-.17, p < .001) and worse self-rated health (ß = -.23, p < .001), and mediated the effect of income on adherence (coeff = .078 [BCa 95% CI: .051 to .108]). Future research should further explore the nuanced link between SES and health behaviors and outcomes.

What Patient Characteristics Influence Nurses' Assessment of Health Literacy?

Overestimation of patients' health literacy skills is common among nurses and physicians. At Vanderbilt University Hospital, nurses routinely ask patients the 3 Brief Health Literacy Screen (BHLS) questions. Data from 2 studies that recruited patients at Vanderbilt University Hospital-the Health Literacy Screening (HEALS) study and the Vanderbilt Inpatient Cohort Study (VICS)-were analyzed to compare the BHLS score recorded by nurses during clinical care with the score recorded by trained research assistants during the same hospitalization. Logistic regression models determined which patient characteristics were associated with nurses documenting higher health literacy scores than research assistants. Overall, the majority (60%) of health literacy scores were accurate, though nurses recorded meaningfully higher health literacy scores in 28.4% of HEALS patients and 35.6% of VICS patients. In the HEALS cohort, patients who were male and had less education were more likely to have higher health literacy scores recorded by nurses (odds ratio [OR] = 1.93, 95% confidence interval [CI] [1.24, 3.00]; and OR = 0.80, 95% CI [0.74, 0.88], respectively). In the VICS cohort, patients who were older, were male, and had less education were more likely to have higher health literacy scores recorded by nurses (OR = 1.01, 95% CI [1.003, 1.02]; OR = 1.49, 95% CI [1.20, 1.84]; and OR = 0.87, 95% CI [0.83, 0.90], respectively). These findings suggest that health literacy scores recorded by nurses for male patients and patients with less education could be overestimated. Thus, health care professionals should be aware of this tendency and should verify the results of routine health literacy screening tests, especially in certain patient groups.