Claims data analysis of provider-to-provider tele-mentoring program impact on opioid prescribing in Missouri.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to assess opioid prescribing patterns of primary care providers (PCPs) participating in a virtual tele-mentoring program for patients with chronic pain as compared to nonparticipants. DESIGN: We utilized Missouri Medicaid claims from 2013 to 2021 to compare opioid prescription dosages and daily supply of opioids prescribed by PCPs. Participants and nonparticipants were matched using propensity score matching. SETTING: Missouri Medicaid data were received through partnership with the Center for Health Policy's MO HealthNet Data Project, the state's leading provider of Medicaid data. PARTICIPANTS: Missouri-based prescribers. INTERVENTION: Show-Me Project Extension for Community Healthcare Outcomes (ECHO), an evidence-based provider-to-provider telehealth intervention that connects PCPs with a team of specialists. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We compared the rate of prescription opioid >50 morphine milligram equivalents (MMEs), mean MMEs/day, and mean number of daily supply to understand the impact of the ECHO model on providers' opioid prescribing. RESULTS: Patients treated by ECHO providers have 33 percent lower odds of being prescribed opioid dose >50 MME/day (p < 0.001) compared to non-ECHO providers. There is also a 14 percent reduction in the average opioid dose prescribed to patients of ECHO providers (p < 0.001). We observed a 3 percent (p < 0.001) reduction in average daily supply of opioids among patients of ECHO providers compared to the comparison group. CONCLUSIONS: Pain Management ECHO supports PCPs with needed education and skills to provide specialty care in the management of pain conditions and safe prescribing of opioid medications.

Analysis of Healthy Coping Feedback Messages from Diabetes Mobile Apps: Validation Against an Evidence-Based Framework.

BACKGROUND: In this study, we focused on Healthy Coping, a key principle of ADCES7 Self-Care Behaviors® (ADCES7®) that enables people with diabetes to achieve health goals for self-care. We aimed to validate Healthy Coping-related feedback messages from diabetes mobile apps against the framework based on behavioral change theories. METHODS: We searched apps using the search terms: "diabetes," "blood sugar," "glucose," and "mood" from iTunes and Google Play stores. We entered a range of values on 3 Healthy Coping domains: (1) diabetes-related measures including blood glucose, blood pressure, HbA1c, weight, (2) physical exercise/activity, and (3) mood to generate feedback messages. We used a framework by adopting validated behavioral change theory-based models to evaluate the feedback messages against 3 dimensions of timing, intention, and content (feedback purpose and feedback response). The feedback purposes in this study were categorized into 7 purposes; warning, suggestion, self-monitoring, acknowledging, reinforcement, goal setting, and behavior contract. RESULTS: We identified 1,749 apps from which 156 diabetes mobile apps were eligible and generated 473 feedback messages. The majority of generated feedback messages were related to blood sugar measurement. Only feedback messages on blood sugar under diabetes-related measures and mood domains encompassed all 7 feedback purposes under the content dimension. CONCLUSIONS: Many feedback messages neither supported Healthy Coping domains nor followed the behavioral theory-based framework. It is important that feedback messages be structured around the dimensions of the behavioral theory-based framework to promote behavior change. Furthermore, our framework had the generalizability that can be used in other clinical areas.

COVID-19 vaccine equity and health equity conversations on Twitter.

This study used social network analysis and trending hashtags on Twitter to identify trends related to health and vaccine equity during the Omicron wave. The analysis was conducted using consumer-friendly platforms/tools such as the Healthcare Hashtag Project and NodeXL. The study found that during the Omicron wave, there was a higher volume of tweets related to the more specific hashtag #VaccineEquity, as compared to the more general topic of #HealthEquity. The study also identified the top influencers for these hashtags and how they changed over time. The study proposes a combination of existing tools and approaches, including ontological surveillance and social network analysis, to develop proactive strategies that respond to public opinion in a timely manner. Social network analysis tools could also be useful for healthcare organizations and providers in training their staff involved in social media management to develop better social media communication strategies.

SEE-diabetes, a patient-centered diabetes self-management education and support for older adults: Findings and information needs from providers' perspectives.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) can improve clinical and health outcomes of people with diabetes. However, DSMES has been underutilized because of many barriers. We aimed to develop a patient-centered educational aid, SEE-Diabetes (Support-Engage-Empower-Diabetes), that facilitates shared decision-making about DSMES between patient and provider during the follow-up visit. We investigated the information needs to inform the design of the SEE-Diabetes from the providers' perspective. METHODS: We conducted an online survey (N = 42) and three focus groups (N = 13) involving providers who have experience managing diabetes in older patients. Survey collected demographics and assessed knowledge of DSMES. During the subsequent focus groups, participants evaluated the Assessment and Plan section of three clinic notes of older people with diabetes. We also demonstrated the potential workflow of DSMES documentation using SEE-Diabetes during clinical practice. RESULTS: The survey showed 60% of providers were familiar with DSMES. Focus group findings showed clinic notes should convey concise information at an appropriate reading level, numbered problems, and less medical jargon to improve the readability of clinic notes. Application of SMART (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals was suggested to deliver effective diabetes self-care information. CONCLUSIONS: Providers should consider adopting validated DSMES guidelines along with goal-setting strategies to provide patient-centered care. The research team will integrate the provider recommendations when we develop SEE-Diabetes.

Who Influences Cancer Conversations on Twitter?: A Comparative Surveillance of Cancer Communications.

In this study, we used social network analysis to compare the Twitter social networks of top five cancers in the United States (as ranked by the CDC) to determine the key influencers in cancer-related conversations. We find that organizations and groups geared toward patients that provide patient support, promote cancer awareness, cancer prevention and cancer management comprised up to 40% of influencers. Researchers (24%) and physicians (14%) were also found to be influential participants; the extent of influence varying by each cancer, being as high as 40% research influence for colorectal cancer. Notably, scientific organizations (JAMA, CDC_cancer, AACR) played a key role in conversations about colorectal cancer whereas patient-focused organizations played a greater influencing role in conversations about prostate cancer and skin cancer. This study shows that Twitter data can be a valuable source of cancer surveillance data, and has potential to influence policies, strategies, and research directions around each cancer.

SEE-Diabetes, a patient-centered diabetes self-management education and support for older adults: Findings and information needs from patients' perspectives.

AIMS: This study identified the information needs of people with diabetes aged 65 and older through surveys and focus groups to inform the development of a patient-centered educational decision aid for diabetes care, SEE-Diabetes (Support-Engage-Empower-Diabetes). METHODS: We conducted survey (N = 37) and three focus groups (N = 9). The survey collected demographics, diabetes duration, insulin usage, and clinic notes accessibility through a patient portal. In focus groups, participants evaluated the Assessment and Plan section of three selected deidentified clinic notes to assess readability and helpfulness for diabetes care. RESULTS: The mean age of participants was 66 (24-82, SD = 12), and 22 were female (60%). The mean diabetes duration was 20.9 years (1-63, SD=15). Most participants (80%) read their clinical notes via patient portal. In the focus groups, the readability of clinic notes was noted as a primary concern because of medical abbreviations and poor formatting. Participants found the helpfulness of clinic notes was negatively impacted by vague or insufficient self-care information. CONCLUSIONS: We found the high use of patient portal for reading clinic notes, which offers a use case opportunity for the proposed SEE-Diabetes educational aid. Feedback about the readability and helpfulness of clinic notes will be considered during the design process.

Transforming AADE7 for Use in an Evaluation Framework for Health Information Technology in Diabetes Mellitus.

There is no validated framework to evaluate health information technology (HIT) for diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES). AADE7 Self-Care Behaviors is a patient-centered DSMES designed by the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE). We developed a codebook based on the AADE7 Self-Care Behaviors principles as an evaluation framework. In this commentary, we demonstrate the real-life applications of this codebook through three diabetes research studies. The first study analyzed features of mobile diabetes applications. The second study evaluated provider documentation patterns in electronic health records (EHRs) to deliver ongoing patient-centered DSMES. The third study analyzed feedback messages from diabetes apps. We found that this codebook, based on AADE7, can be instrumental as a framework for research, as well as real-life use in HIT for DSMES principles.

Correction: Non-Hispanic White Mothers' Willingness to Share Personal Health Data With Researchers: Survey Results From an Opt-in Panel.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.2196/14062.].

Non-Hispanic White Mothers' Willingness to Share Personal Health Data With Researchers: Survey Results From an Opt-in Panel.

BACKGROUND: Advances in information communication technology provide researchers with the opportunity to access and collect continuous and granular data from enrolled participants. However, recruiting study participants who are willing to disclose their health data has been challenging for researchers. These challenges can be related to socioeconomic status, the source of data, and privacy concerns about sharing health information, which affect data-sharing behaviors. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to assess healthy non-Hispanic white mothers' attitudes in five areas: motivation to share data, concern with data use, desire to keep health information anonymous, use of patient portal and willingness to share anonymous data with researchers. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on 622 healthy non-Hispanic white mothers raising healthy children. From a Web-based survey with 51 questions, we selected 15 questions for further analysis. These questions focused on attitudes and beliefs toward data sharing, internet use, interest in future research, and sociodemographic and health questions about mothers and their children. Data analysis was performed using multivariate logistic regressions to investigate the factors that influence mothers' willingness to share their personal health data, their utilization of a patient portal, and their interests in keeping their health information anonymous. RESULTS: The results of the study showed that the majority of mothers surveyed wanted to keep their data anonymous (440/622, 70.7%) and use patient portals (394/622, 63.3%) and were willing to share their data from Web-based surveys (509/622, 81.8%) and from mobile phones (423/622, 68.0%). However, 36.0% (224/622) and 40.5% (252/622) of mothers were less willing to share their medical record data and their locations with researchers, respectively. We found that the utilization of patient portals, their attitude toward keeping data anonymous, and their willingness to share different data sources were dependent on the mothers' health care provider status, their motivation, and their privacy concerns. Mothers' concerns about the misuse of personal health information had a negative impact on their willingness to share sensitive data (ie, electronic medical record: adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.43, 95% CI 0.25-0.73; GPS: aOR 0.4, 95% CI 0.27-0.60). In contrast, mothers' motivation to share their data had a positive impact on disclosing their data via Web-based surveys (aOR 5.94, 95% CI 3.15-11.2), apps and devices designed for health (aOR 5.3, 95% CI 2.32-12.1), and a patient portal (aOR 4.3, 95% CI 2.06-8.99). CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that mothers' privacy concerns affect their decisions to share sensitive data. However, mothers' access to the internet and the utilization of patient portals did not have a significant effect on their willingness to disclose their medical record data. Finally, researchers can use our findings to better address their study subjects concerns and gain their subjects trust to disclose data.

Using the RE-AIM framework to evaluate internal and external validity of mobile phone-based interventions in diabetes self-management education and support.

OBJECTIVE: We evaluated the extent to which studies that tested short message service (SMS)- and application (app)-based interventions for diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) report on factors that inform both internal and external validity as measured by the RE-AIM (Reach, Efficacy/Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance) framework. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CINAHL (Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature), and IEEE Xplore Digital Library for articles from January 1, 2009, to February 28, 2019. We carried out a multistage screening process followed by email communications with study authors for missing or discrepant information. Two independent coders coded eligible articles using a 23-item validated data extraction tool based on the RE-AIM framework. RESULTS: Twenty studies (21 articles) were included in the analysis. The comprehensiveness of reporting on the RE-AIM criteria across the SMS- and app-based DSMES studies was low. With respect to internal validity, most interventions were well described and primary clinical or behavioral outcomes were measured and reported. However, gaps exist in areas of attrition, measures of potential negative outcomes, the extent to which the protocol was delivered as intended, and description on delivery agents. Likewise, we found limited information on external validity indicators across adoption, implementation, and maintenance domains. CONCLUSIONS: Reporting gaps were found in internal validity but more so in external validity in the current SMS- and app-based DSMES literature. Because most studies in this review were efficacy studies, the generalizability of these interventions cannot be determined. Future research should adopt the RE-AIM dimensions to improve the quality of reporting and enhance the likelihood of translating research to practice.

Evaluation of provider documentation patterns as a tool to deliver ongoing patient-centred diabetes education and support.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes mellitus (DM) is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. As a disease with long-term complications requiring changes in management, DM requires not only education at the time of diagnosis, but ongoing diabetes self-management education and support (DSME/S). In the United States, however, only a small proportion of people with DM receive DSME/S, although evidence supports benefits of ongoing DSME/S. The diabetes education that providers deliver during follow-up visits may be an important source for DSME/S for many people with DM. METHODS: We collected 200 clinic notes of follow-up visits for 100 adults with DM and studied the History of Present Illness (HPI) and Impression and Plan (I&P) sections. Using a codebook based on the seven principles of American Association of Diabetes Educators Self-Care Behaviors (AADE7), we conducted a multi-step deductive thematic analysis to determine the patterns of DSME/S information occurrence in clinic notes. Additionally, we used the generalised linear mixed models for investigating whether providers delivered DSME/S to people with DM based on patient characteristics. RESULTS: During follow-up visits, Monitoring was the most common self-care behaviour mentioned in both HPI and I&P sections. Being Active was the least common self-care behaviour mentioned in the HPI section and Healthy Coping was the least common self-care behaviour mentioned in the I&P section. We found providers delivered more information on Healthy Eating to men compared to women in I&P section. Generally, providers delivered DSME/S to people with DM regardless of patient characteristics. CONCLUSIONS: This study focused on the frequency distribution of information providers delivered to the people with DM during follow-up clinic visits based on the AADE7. The results may indicate a lack of patient-centred education when people with DM visit providers for ongoing management. Further studies are needed to identify the underlying reasons why providers have difficulty delivering patient-centred education.

Effect of Health Information Technologies on Cardiovascular Risk Factors among Patients with Diabetes.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: To identify a common effect of health information technologies (HIT) on the management of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors among people with type 2 diabetes (T2D) across randomized control trials (RCT). RECENT FINDINGS: CVD is the most frequent cause of morbidity and mortality among patients with diabetes. HIT are effective in reducing HbA1c; however, their effect on cardiovascular risk factor management for patients with T2D has not been evaluated. We identified 21 eligible studies (23 estimates) with measurement of SBP, 20 (22 estimates) of DBP, 14 (17 estimates) of HDL, 14 (17 estimates) of LDL, 15 (18 estimates) of triglycerides, and 10 (12 estimates) of weight across databases. We found significant reductions in SBP, DBP, LDL, and TG, and a significant improvement in HDL associated with HIT. As adjuvants to standard diabetic treatment, HIT can be effective tools for improving CVD risk factors among patients with T2D, especially in those whose CVD risk factors are not at goal.

Designing a medication timeline for patients and physicians.

Objective: Most electronic health records display historical medication information only in a data table or clinician notes. We designed a medication timeline visualization intended to improve ease of use, speed, and accuracy in the ambulatory care of chronic disease. Materials and Methods: We identified information needs for understanding a patient medication history, then applied human factors and interaction design principles to support that process. After research and analysis of existing medication lists and timelines to guide initial requirements, we hosted design workshops with multidisciplinary stakeholders to expand on our initial concepts. Subsequent core team meetings used an iterative user-centered design approach to refine our prototype. Finally, a small pilot evaluation of the design was conducted with practicing physicians. Results: We propose an open-source online prototype that incorporates user feedback from initial design workshops, and broad multidisciplinary audience feedback. We describe the applicable design principles associated with each of the prototype's key features. A pilot evaluation of the design showed improved physician performance in 5 common medication-related tasks, compared to tabular presentation of the same information. Discussion: There is industry interest in developing medication timelines based on the example prototype concepts. An open, standards-based technology platform could enable developers to create a medication timeline that could be deployable across any compatible health IT application. Conclusion: The design goal was to improve physician understanding of a patient's complex medication history, using a medication timeline visualization. Such a design could reduce temporal and cognitive load on physicians for improved and safer care.

Effect of Health Information Technologies on Glycemic Control Among Patients with Type 2 Diabetes.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: This study was to present meta-analysis findings across selected clinical trials for the effect of health information technologies (HITs) on glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes. RECENT FINDINGS: HITs may be promising in diabetes management. However, findings on effect size of glycated hemoglobin level (HbA1c) yielded from HITs varied across previous studies. This is likely due to heterogeneity in sample size, adherence to standard quantitative method, and/or searching criteria (e.g., type of HITs, type of diabetes, specification of patient population, randomized vs. nonrandomized trials). We systematically searched Medline, Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL), and the Cochrane Library for peer-reviewed randomized control trials that studied the effect of HITs on HbA1c reduction. We also used Google Scholar and a hand search to identify additional studies. Thirty-four studies (40 estimates) met the criteria and were included in the analysis. Overall, introduction of HITs to standard diabetes treatment resulted in a statistically and clinically reduced HbA1c. The bias adjusted HbA1c reduction due to the combined HIT interventions was - 0.56 [Hedges' g = - 0.56 (- 0.70, - 0.43)]. The reduction was significant across each of the four types of HIT intervention under review, with mobile phone-based approaches generating the largest effects [Hedges' g was - 0.67 (- 0.90, - 0.45)]. HITs can be an effective tool for glycemic control among patients with type 2 diabetes. Future studies should examine long-term effects of HITs and explore factors that influence their effectiveness.

AMIA Board White Paper: AMIA 2017 core competencies for applied health informatics education at the master's degree level.

This White Paper presents the foundational domains with examples of key aspects of competencies (knowledge, skills, and attitudes) that are intended for curriculum development and accreditation quality assessment for graduate (master's level) education in applied health informatics. Through a deliberative process, the AMIA Accreditation Committee refined the work of a task force of the Health Informatics Accreditation Council, establishing 10 foundational domains with accompanying example statements of knowledge, skills, and attitudes that are components of competencies by which graduates from applied health informatics programs can be assessed for competence at the time of graduation. The AMIA Accreditation Committee developed the domains for application across all the subdisciplines represented by AMIA, ranging from translational bioinformatics to clinical and public health informatics, spanning the spectrum from molecular to population levels of health and biomedicine. This document will be periodically updated, as part of the responsibility of the AMIA Accreditation Committee, through continued study, education, and surveys of market trends.

An Analysis of Diabetes Mobile Applications Features Compared to AADE7™: Addressing Self-Management Behaviors in People With Diabetes.

BACKGROUND: Diabetes self-management (DSM) applications (apps) have been designed to improve knowledge of diabetes and self-management behaviors. However, few studies have systematically examined if diabetes apps followed the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) Self-Care Behaviors™ guidelines. The purpose of this study was to compare the features of current DSM apps to the AADE7™ guidelines. METHODS: In two major app stores (iTunes and Google Play), we used three search terms "diabetes," "blood sugar," and "glucose" to capture a wide range of diabetes apps. Apps were excluded based on five exclusion criteria. A multidisciplinary team analyzed and classified the features of each app based on the AADE7™. We conducted interviews with six diabetes physicians and educators for their opinions on the distribution of the features of DSM apps. RESULTS: Out of 1050 apps retrieved, 173 apps were identified as eligible during November 2015 and 137 apps during December 2017. We found an unbalanced DSM app development trend based on AADE7™ guidelines. Many apps were designed to support the behaviors of Healthy Eating (77%), Monitoring (76%), Taking Medication (58%), and Being Active (45%). On the other hand, few apps explored the behaviors of Problem Solving (31%), Healthy Coping (10%), and Reducing Risks (5%). From interviews, we identified the main reasons why only a few apps support the features related to Problem Solving, Healthy Coping, and Reducing Risks. CONCLUSIONS: Future diabetes apps should attempt to incorporate features under evidence-based guidelines such as AADE7™ to better support the self-management behavior changes of people with diabetes.

Geographic Information Systems: Usability, Perception, and Preferences of Public Health Professionals.

BACKGROUND: Analyzing and visualizing health-related databases using Geographic Information Systems (GISs) becomes essential in controlling many public health problems. OBJECTIVES: To explore the perception and preferences of public health professionals (PHPs) about the usability of GISs in public health field. METHODS: For this scoping review, the investigators searched Medline Ovid, PubMed, IEEE, Scopus, and GeoBase databases. A total of 105 articles were identified. Nine articles met the inclusion criteria. RESULTS: Iterative evaluations, training, and involvement of GIS end users are productive in GIS usability. More methodologies are needed to support the validity of GIS usability studies. The exchange of GIS technology impacts public health policy and research positively. DISCUSSION: PHPs are aware of the use of GISs in the public health field, and the exchange of visualized health data in determining inequalities and inaccessibility issues. CONCLUSION: GISs are essential to control public health problems, if the related health datasets are analyzed carefully and if the mapping reports are extensively evaluated and interpreted.

Building and launching an online quality improvement information exchange for home visiting programs in Missouri.

Continuous quality improvement initiatives (CQII) in home visiting programs have traditionally occurred within a local implementing agency (LIA), parent organization, or funding provision. In Missouri, certain LIAs participate in the Missouri Maternal, Infant, and Early Childhood Home Visiting program (MIECHV). Their CQII activities and the coordination of CQI efforts across agencies are limited to quarterly meetings to discuss barriers to service delivery and newsletters. Their designed CQI process does not include evaluation of program fidelity or assessment nor supports to assist with identifying and prioritizing areas where improvement is needed. Therefore, much of LIA CQII are often lost to the benefit of external agencies facing similar challenges. We developed a virtual environment, the Missouri MIECHV Gateway, for CQII activities. The Gateway promotes and supports quality improvement for LIAs while aligning stakeholders from seven home visiting LIAs. Development of the Gateway environment aims to complement the existing MIECHV CQI framework by: 1) adding CQI elements that are missing or ineffective, 2) adding elements for CQI identification and program evaluation, and 3) offering LIAs a network to share CQI experiences and collaborate at a distance. This web-based environment allows LIA personnel to identify program activities in need of quality improvement, and guides the planning, implementation, and evaluation of CQII. In addition, the Gateway standardizes quality improvement training, collates overlapping resources, and supports knowledge translation, thus aimed to improve capacity for measurable change in organizational initiatives. This interactive web-based portal provides the infrastructure to virtually connect and engage LIAs in CQI and stimulate sharing of ideas and best practices. This article describes the characteristics, development, build, and launch of this quality improvement practice exchange virtual environment and present results of three usability pilot tests and the site launch. Briefly, prior to deployment to 58 users, usability pilot testing of the site occurred in three stages, to three defined groups. Pilot testing results were overall positive, desirable, and vital to improving the site prior to the full-launch. The majority of reviewers stated they would access and use the learning materials (87%), use the site for completing CQII (80%), and reported that the site will benefit their work teams in addressing agency challenges (66%). The majority of reviewers also approved of the developed fidelity assessment: as, easy to use (79%), having a clear purpose (86%), providing value in self-identification of CQII (75%), and recommendations were appropriate (79%). The System Usability Scale (SUS) score increased (10%) between pilot groups 2 and 3, with a mean SUS score of 71.6, above the U.S. average of 68. The site launched to 60 invited users; the majority (67%) adopted and used the site. Site stability was remarkable (6 total minutes of downtime). The site averaged 29 page views per day.

User Satisfaction With Telehealth: Study of Patients, Providers, and Coordinators.

The aim of this study was to examine the satisfaction with telehealth technologies of all users-patients, health care providers, and telehealth presenters. As the use of videoconferencing in health care is rapidly increasing to allow adequate and timely access to care for patients from rural areas, it is important to examine how these technologies are perceived and utilized. Three separate surveys were used to collect data: patient, provider, and telehealth coordinator. Patient surveys were collected in a paper format, while provider and coordinator surveys were done using REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) application. Findings indicate high satisfaction with telehealth, as well as confidence in providing care via distance. While this is encouraging for both patients and health care organizations, further studies should be done to include urban telehealth as well as other types of health care organizations utilizing videoconferencing for clinical appointments.

Robotic Telepresence in a Medical Intensive Care Unit--Clinicians' Perceptions.

BACKGROUND: Robotic telepresence has been used for outsourcing of healthcare services for more than a decade; however, its use within an academic medical department is not yet widespread. Intensive care unit (ICU) robots can be used to increase access to off-site supervising physicians and other specialists, reducing possible wait time for difficult admissions and procedures. OBJECTIVE: To study the use of ICU robots through a pilot program in an academic hospital and examine provider attitudes toward the usability and effectiveness of an ICU robot. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study was done as a postinterventional cross-sectional seven-question survey in a medical ICU in an urban academic hospital. Participants were attending physicians, fellows, residents, nurses, and respiratory therapists. RESULTS: Users of the ICU robot reported satisfaction with communication, and improved patient care. They also reported perceived improved quality of care with the use of the robot. CONCLUSIONS: Findings show the importance of a whole-team approach to the installation and implementation of an ICU robot. The ICU robot is an effective tool when it is used to visualize and communicate with patients, bedside staff, and families. However, a number of providers are still not trained or have not been shown how to use the ICU robot, which affects the overall utilization rate.