Clinical Decision Support for Surgery: A Mixed Methods Study on Design and Implementation Perspectives from Urologists.

OBJECTIVES: To assess urologist attitudes toward clinical decision support embedded into the electronic health record and define design needs to facilitate implementation and impact. With recent advances in big data and artificial intelligence, enthusiasm for personalized, data-driven tools to improve surgical decision-making has grown, but the impact of current tools remains limited. METHODS: A sequential explanatory mixed methods study from 2019-2020 was performed. First, survey responses from the 2019 American Urological Association annual census evaluated attitudes toward an automatic clinical decision support tool that would display risk/benefit data. This was followed by the purposeful sampling of 25 urologists and qualitative interviews assessing perspectives on clinical decision support impact and design needs. Bivariable, multivariable, and coding-based thematic analysis were applied and integrated. RESULTS: Among a weighted sample of 12,366 practicing urologists, the majority agreed clinical decision support would help decision-making (70.9%, 95% CI 68.7-73.2%), aid patient counseling (78.5%, 95% CI 76.5-80.5%), save time (58.1%, 95% CI 55.7-60.5%), and improve patient outcomes (42.9%, 95% CI 40.5-45.4%). More years in practice was negatively associated with agreement (p<0.001). Urologists described how clinical decision support could bolster evidence-based care, personalized medicine, resource utilization, and patient experience. They also identified multiple implementation barriers and provided suggestions on form, functionality, and visual design to improve usefulness and ease of use. CONCLUSIONS: Urologists have favorable attitudes toward the potential for clinical decision support in the electronic health record. Smart design will be critical to ensure effective implementation and impact.

Women's professional development programs for emergency physicians: A scoping review.

Background: Gender disparities in emergency medicine (EM) persist, with women underrepresented in leadership positions and faced with unique challenges, such as gender discrimination and harassment. To address these issues, professional development programs for women have been recommended. Objectives: The purpose of this scoping review was to examine current women's professional development programs for EM and develop a collection of program characteristics, meeting topics, and tips for success that can be useful to new or existing women's professional development programs. Methods: The authors systematically searched research databases for literature detailing current women's professional development programs for EM physicians. Studies detailing professional development programs for female physicians in EM were included. Results: After 149 unique articles were screened, 11 studies met inclusion criteria, describing 10 professional development programs for women in EM. The most commonly cited program objectives included providing mentors and role models (n = 9, 90%), offering career advice and promoting professional advancement and leadership skills (n = 5, 50%), increasing academic recognition for women (n = 4, 40%), and promoting work-life balance and integration (n = 2, 20%). The most common topics covered in program sessions included mentorship and coaching, compensation and/or negotiation, leadership skills, and career advancement and promotion. Challenges and barriers to the success of these programs included a lack of funding and support, difficulty in recruiting participants, lack of institutional recognition and support, lack of time, and difficulty in sustaining the program over time. Conclusions: The study's findings can inform the development of programs that promote gender equity and support the advancement of women in EM.

Program director longevity in emergency medicine residencies: A 40-year analysis.

Objective: We sought to assess trends in emergency medicine residency program director (PD) length of service over the past 40 years and evaluate relationships between duration of service and important factors such as PD start year, geographic region, and year of program initial accreditation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed program data from the American Medical Association Graduate Medical Education Directory and Emergency Medicine Residents' Association Match database. We calculated descriptive statistics and used linear regression to assess the impact of PD start year, region, and year of program initial accreditation on PD duration of service. Results: We gathered data on 783 unique PDs between 1983 and 2023. The overall mean ± SD PD duration of service was 6.19 ± 4.72 years (range 1-29 years). The mean duration of service by decade of start date was 6.49 years in the 1980s, 7.39 years in the 1990s, 5.92 years in the 2000s, 4.08 years in the 2010s, and 2 years in the 2020s. Both PD start year (p = 0.002) and program initial accreditation year (p = 0.001) significantly predicted duration of PD service. Region did not significantly predict duration of PD service (p = 0.225). Conclusions: Duration of service as a PD is decreasing in recent decades. Both PD start year and year of initial program accreditation significantly predict duration of service as PD. Future research must be done to better understand this phenomenon and uncover strategies to promote PD longevity.

The more things change the more they stay the same: Factors influencing emergency medicine residency selection in the virtual era.

Background: Interviews for emergency medicine (EM) residency positions largely transitioned to a virtual-only format in 2020-2021. The impact of virtual interview factors on applicants' rank of programs is unknown. Objective: We sought to assess the impact of modifiable factors in virtual interviews on applicants' rank of EM residency programs. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional mixed-methods survey of students applying to at least one of seven study authors' EM residency programs in the United States during the 2020-2021 application cycle. The survey was developed using an interactive Delphi process and piloted prior to implementation. The survey was administered from May to June 2021 with up to four email reminders. Quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics. Three authors performed a thematic qualitative analysis of free-text responses. Results: A total of 664 of 2281 (29.1%) students completed the survey, including 335 (50.5%) male, 316 (47.7%) female, and six (0.9%) nonbinary. A total of 143 (21.6%) respondents identified as underrepresented in medicine and 84 (12.7%) identified as LGBTQIA+. Respondents participated in a median of 14 interviews and ranked a median of 14 programs. Most respondents (335, 50.6%) preferred a choice of in-person or virtual, while 183 (27.6%) preferred all in-person, and 144 (21.8%) preferred all virtual. The program website and interview social were the most important factors influencing respondent ranking. Qualitative analysis revealed several positive aspects of virtual interviews including logistical ease and comfort. Negative aspects include technical issues, perceived interview hoarding, and barriers to applicant assessment and performance. Demonstrated effort by the program, effective information delivery, communication of resident culture, and a well-implemented interview day positively influenced respondents' rank of programs. Conclusions: This study identified characteristics of the virtual interview format that impact applicants' rank of programs. These results can inform future recruitment practices.

A chatbot for hypertension self-management support: user-centered design, development, and usability testing.

Objectives: Health-related chatbots have demonstrated early promise for improving self-management behaviors but have seldomly been utilized for hypertension. This research focused on the design, development, and usability evaluation of a chatbot for hypertension self-management, called "Medicagent." Materials and Methods: A user-centered design process was used to iteratively design and develop a text-based chatbot using Google Cloud's Dialogflow natural language understanding platform. Then, usability testing sessions were conducted among patients with hypertension. Each session was comprised of: (1) background questionnaires, (2) 10 representative tasks within Medicagent, (3) System Usability Scale (SUS) questionnaire, and (4) a brief semi-structured interview. Sessions were video and audio recorded using Zoom. Qualitative and quantitative analyses were used to assess effectiveness, efficiency, and satisfaction of the chatbot. Results: Participants (n = 10) completed nearly all tasks (98%, 98/100) and spent an average of 18 min (SD = 10 min) interacting with Medicagent. Only 11 (8.6%) utterances were not successfully mapped to an intent. Medicagent achieved a mean SUS score of 78.8/100, which demonstrated acceptable usability. Several participants had difficulties navigating the conversational interface without menu and back buttons, felt additional information would be useful for redirection when utterances were not recognized, and desired a health professional persona within the chatbot. Discussion: The text-based chatbot was viewed favorably for assisting with blood pressure and medication-related tasks and had good usability. Conclusion: Flexibility of interaction styles, handling unrecognized utterances gracefully, and having a credible persona were highlighted as design components that may further enrich the user experience of chatbots for hypertension self-management.

Educational Outcomes of Diversity Curricula in Graduate Medical Education.

Background: Education is an important step toward achieving equity in health care. However, there is little published literature examining the educational outcomes of curricula for resident physicians focused on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI). Objective: Our objective was to review the literature to assess the outcomes of curricula for resident physicians of all specialties focused on DEI in medical education and health care. Methods: We applied a structured approach to conducting a scoping review of the medical education literature. Studies were included for final analysis if they described a specific curricular intervention and educational outcomes. Outcomes were characterized using the Kirkpatrick Model. Results: Nineteen studies were included for final analysis. Publication dates ranged from 2000 to 2021. Internal medicine residents were the most studied. The number of learners ranged from 10 to 181. The majority of studies were from a single program. Educational methods ranged from online modules to single workshops to multiyear longitudinal curricula. Eight studies reported Level 1 outcomes, 7 studies reported Level 2 outcomes, 3 studies reported Level 3 outcomes, and only 1 study measured changes in patient perceptions due to the curricular intervention. Conclusions: We found a small number of studies of curricular interventions for resident physicians that directly address DEI in medical education and health care. These interventions employed a wide array of educational methods, demonstrated feasibility, and were positively received by learners.

Electronic Health Record Use and Perceptions among Urologic Surgeons.

OBJECTIVE: Electronic health records (EHRs) have become widely adopted with increasing emphasis on improving care delivery. Improvements in surgery may be limited by specialty-specific issues that impact EHR usability and engagement. Accordingly, we examined EHR use and perceptions in urology, a diverse surgical specialty. METHODS: We conducted a national, sequential explanatory mixed methods study. Through the 2019 American Urological Association Census, we surveyed urologic surgeons on EHR use and perceptions and then identified associated characteristics through bivariable and multivariable analyses. Using purposeful sampling, we interviewed 25 urologists and applied coding-based thematic analysis, which was then integrated with survey findings. RESULTS: Among 2,159 practicing urologic surgeons, 2,081 (96.4%) reported using an EHR. In the weighted sample (n = 12,366), over 90% used the EHR for charting, viewing results, and order entry with most using information exchange functions (59.0-79.6%). In contrast, only 35.8% felt the EHR increases clinical efficiency, whereas 43.1% agreed it improves patient care, which related thematically to information management, administrative burden, patient safety, and patient-surgeon interaction. Quantitatively and qualitatively, use and perceptions differed by years in practice and practice type with more use and better perceptions among more recent entrants into the urologic workforce and those in academic/multispecialty practices, who may have earlier EHR exposure, better infrastructure, and more support. CONCLUSION: Despite wide and substantive usage, EHRs engender mixed feelings, especially among longer-practicing surgeons and those in lower-resourced settings (e.g., smaller and private practices). Beyond reducing administrative burden and simplifying information management, efforts to improve care delivery through the EHR should focus on surgeon engagement, particularly in the community, to boost implementation and user experience.

Automated selection of changepoints using empirical P-values and trimming.

Objectives: One challenge that arises when analyzing mobile health (mHealth) data is that updates to the proprietary algorithms that process these data can change apparent patterns. Since the timings of these updates are not publicized, an analytic approach is necessary to determine whether changes in mHealth data are due to lifestyle behaviors or algorithmic updates. Existing methods for identifying changepoints do not consider multiple types of changepoints, may require prespecifying the number of changepoints, and often involve nonintuitive parameters. We propose a novel approach, Automated Selection of Changepoints using Empirical P-values and Trimming (ASCEPT), to select an optimal set of changepoints in mHealth data. Materials and Methods: ASCEPT involves 2 stages: (1) identification of a statistically significant set of changepoints from sequential iterations of a changepoint detection algorithm; and (2) trimming changepoints within linear and seasonal trends. ASCEPT is available at https://github.com/matthewquinn1/changepointSelect. Results: We demonstrate ASCEPT's utility using real-world mHealth data collected through the Precision VISSTA study. We also demonstrate that ASCEPT outperforms a comparable method, circular binary segmentation, and illustrate the impact when adjusting for changepoints in downstream analysis. Discussion: ASCEPT offers a practical approach for identifying changepoints in mHealth data that result from algorithmic updates. ASCEPT's only required parameters are a significance level and goodness-of-fit threshold, offering a more intuitive option compared to other approaches. Conclusion: ASCEPT provides an intuitive and useful way to identify which changepoints in mHealth data are likely the result of updates to the underlying algorithms that process the data.

Sex and race visual representation in emergency medicine textbooks and the hidden curriculum.

Introduction: In addition to formal training, informal training often occurs through a hidden curriculum. As the hidden curriculum shapes the knowledge and values held by learners, we must consider its role in implicit bias. One example is through the selection of images used in formal instruction. This study aimed to examine the representation of sex and race among images in two textbooks in emergency medicine (EM). Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of the sex and race representation of figures in Rosen's Emergency Medicine: Concepts and Clinical Practice 9th Edition and Tintinalli's Emergency Medicine: A Comprehensive Study Guide 9th Edition. Two reviewers screened all images for inclusion, with disagreements resolved by a third reviewer. Images were excluded if they did not include visualized skin. Two reviewers independently reviewed each image and assessed the sex, race, and roles in the image. A third reviewer resolved any disagreements. Results: A total of 959 images (Rosen's n = 377; Tintinalli's n = 582) met inclusion criteria. Race was estimated in 877 cases (91.3%). Of those, White individuals comprised 77.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] 75.0%-80.2%). Sex was estimated in 362 cases (37.7%). Of those images, males comprised 70.2% (95% CI 65.4%-74.9%), and females comprised 29.8% (95% CI 25.1%-34.6%). Conclusion: There is a male sex and White race predominance in visual representation among two EM textbooks. We propose a call to action for the mindful selection of images in formal education to represent diversity, equity, and inclusion and close the gap between the formal and hidden curriculum.

Incidental Radiology Findings on Computed Tomography Studies in Emergency Department Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: An incidental finding is defined as a newly discovered mass or lesion detected on imaging performed for an unrelated reason. The identification of an incidental finding may be an opportunity for the early detection of a serious medical condition, including a malignancy. However, little is known about the prevalence of incidental findings in the emergency department (ED) setting and the strategies that can be used to mitigate the risk associated with them in the ED. This study aimed to estimate the overall prevalence of incidental findings and to summarize the currently described measures to mitigate the risks associated with incidental findings. METHODS: On November 22, 2020, a systematic literature search of PubMed, EMBASE, and Scopus was performed for studies that were published in peer-reviewed journals and reported the prevalence of incidental findings in computed tomography (CT) scans in patients in the ED. Patients who received CT scans that included the head, neck, chest, or abdomen/pelvis were included. The study characteristics, overall prevalence of incidental findings, prevalence of incidental findings by body region, and prespecified subgroups were extracted. The criteria used for risk stratification within individual studies were also extracted. Pooled estimates were calculated using a random-effects meta-analysis. RESULTS: A total of 1,385 studies were identified, and 69 studies met the inclusion criteria. The included studies represented 147,763 ED encounters or radiology reports across 16 countries, and 83% of studies were observational, cross-sectional studies. A total of 35 studies (50.7%) were in trauma patients. A large degree of heterogeneity was observed across the included studies. The overall pooled prevalence estimate for any incidental finding was 31.3% (95% confidence interval 24.4% to 39.1%). We found great variation in the methods described to mitigate the risk associated with incidental findings, including a lack of standardized risk stratification, inconsistent documentation practices, and only a small subset of studies describing prospective interventions aimed at improving the recognition and management of incidental findings from the ED. CONCLUSION: In patients in the ED receiving CT scans, incidental findings are commonly encountered across a broad range of ED chief complaints. This review highlights the existence of great heterogeneity in the definitions used to classify incidental findings. Future studies are needed to determine a clinically feasible categorization standard or terminology for commonly encountered incidental findings in the ED setting to standardize classification and documentation.

Moving beyond personal factors: A national study of wellness interventions in emergency medicine residency programs.

BACKGROUND: In 2017, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) revised its Common Program Requirements to support trainees and faculty by mandating programs to provide dedicated wellness resources and education. Emergency medicine may benefit from this change due to high burnout rates within the specialty. However, the current state of wellness interventions in emergency medicine (EM) residency programs has not yet been well described. Understanding current practices is necessary to assess unmet needs and inform the development and evaluation of future interventions that aim to improve trainee wellness. OBJECTIVES: The goal of this study was to describe currently implemented wellness interventions in EM residency programs. METHODS: This descriptive study surveyed 250 ACGME-accredited EM residency programs between March 1 and June 1, 2020, regarding wellness interventions. The survey included demographic questions; structured multiple-choice questions about cost, frequency, and champions; and free-text response options to briefly describe interventions. Respondents were also asked to classify the interventions according to the seven factors described in the National Academy of Medicine Model of Clinician Well-Being and Resilience. RESULTS: Ninety of 250 (36% response rate) residency programs participated, describing 162 unique wellness interventions. Respondents classified the majority of interventions (n = 136) as targeting personal factors according to the National Academy of Medicine model. Qualitative analysis revealed five major themes describing the interventions: program culture, program factors, environmental and clinical factors, wellness activities and practices, and wellness resources. CONCLUSIONS: Results of this survey may help to inform a national needs assessment addressing the current state of wellness interventions in EM residency programs. Our results highlight the need for more interventions targeting external factors impacting resident wellness.

Electronic patient-reported outcomes monitoring during lung cancer chemotherapy: A nested cohort within the PRO-TECT pragmatic trial (AFT-39).

OBJECTIVES: Patients with lung cancer have high symptom burden and diminished quality of life. Electronic patient-reported outcome (PRO) platforms deliver repeated longitudinal surveys via web or telephone to patients and alert clinicians about concerning symptoms. This study aims to determine feasibility of electronic PRO monitoring in lung cancer patients receiving treatment in community settings. METHODS: Adults receiving treatment for advanced or metastatic lung cancer at 26 community sites were invited to participate in a prospective trial of weekly electronic PRO symptom monitoring for 12 months (NCT03249090). Surveys assessing patients' satisfaction with the electronic PRO system were administered at 3 months. Descriptive statistics were generated for demographics, survey completion rates, symptom occurrence, and provider PRO alert management approaches. Pairwise relationships between symptom items were evaluated using intra-individual repeated-measures correlation coefficients. RESULTS: Lung cancer patients (n = 118) participating in electronic PROs were older (mean 64.4 vs 61.9 years, p = 0.03), had worse performance status (p = 0.002), more comorbidities (p = 0.02), and less technology experience than patients with other cancers. Of delivered weekly PRO surveys over 12 months, 91% were completed. Nearly all (97%) patients reported concerning (i.e., severe or worsening) symptoms during participation, with 33% of surveys including concerning symptoms. Pain was the most frequent and longest lasting symptom and was associated with reduced activity level. More than half of alerts to clinicians for concerning symptoms led to intervention. The majority (87%) would recommend using electronic PRO monitoring to other lung cancer patients. CONCLUSIONS: Remote longitudinal weekly monitoring of patients with lung cancer using validated electronic PRO surveys was feasible in a multicenter, community-based pragmatic study. A high symptom burden specific to lung cancer was detected and clinician outreach in response to alerts was frequent, suggesting electronic PROs may be a beneficial strategy for identifying actionable symptoms and allow opportunities to optimize well-being in this population.

Factors influencing emergency medicine residency choice: Diversity, community, and recruitment red flags.

BACKGROUND: Emergency medicine (EM) applicants consider many factors when selecting residency programs. Prior studies have demonstrated that applicants consider geography as well as modifiable/nonmodifiable program factors. Less attention, however, has been paid to underrepresented groups. Additionally, the prevalence and characteristics of "red flags," or factors that may lead an applicant to lower a program's rank or not rank it at all, remain unknown in EM. Our objective was to describe the factors that influence current EM-bound medical students' residency selection focusing on underrepresented applicants and red flags encountered during the recruitment process. METHODS: We conducted a mixed-methods survey study of EM-bound graduates from U.S. medical schools in the 2020 application cycle. Quantitative analysis included descriptive statistics, measures of central tendency, 95% confidence intervals (CIs), nonparametric tests for ordinal data, and logistic regression. For the qualitative portion of the study, two independent reviewers performed a thematic analysis of the red flag free-text responses. Discrepancies were addressed via consensus with third-party oversight. RESULTS: Our survey response rate was 49%, and most applicants considered both geographic and program factors. Underrepresented applicants prioritized program diversity, program commitment to the underserved, neighborhood/community, and patient population. Of all respondents, 71% reported red flags. Women had a significantly higher odds of encountering red flags (odds ratio = 1.64, 95% CI = 1.25 to 2.18). Red flags included seven key themes: violations of regulatory standards, program characteristics, interview day experience, program culture, interpersonal interactions, lack of fit, and quality of life; subthemes included lack of diversity and racism. CONCLUSIONS: Modifiable/nonmodifiable program factors and geography continue to influence EM-bound applicants' residency choices. Underrepresented applicants place a higher value on diversity, community, and patients served. Residency programs should consider modifiable factors and self-assess for red flags to successfully recruit the next generation of EM physicians.

Health information technology to support cancer survivorship care planning: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: The study sought to conduct a systematic review to explore the functions utilized by electronic cancer survivorship care planning interventions and assess their effects on patient and provider outcomes. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Based on PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis) guidelines, studies published from January 2000 to January 2020 were identified in PubMed, CINAHL, EMBASE, PsychINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, and the ACM Digital Library . The search combined terms for cancer, survivorship, care planning, and health information technology (HIT). Eligible studies evaluated the effects of a HIT intervention on usability, knowledge, process, or health-related outcomes. A total of 578 abstracts were reviewed, resulting in 60 manuscripts describing 40 studies. Thematic analyses were used to define meta-themes of system functions, and Fisher's exact tests were used to examine associations between functions and outcomes. RESULTS: Patients were the target end users for 18 interventions, while 12 targeted providers and 10 targeted both groups. Interventions used patient-reported outcomes collection (60%), automated content generation (58%), electronic sharing (40%), persistent engagement (28%), and communication features (20%). Overall, interventions decreased the time to create survivorship care plans (SCPs) and supported care planning knowledge and abilities, but results were mixed for effects on healthcare utilization, SCP sharing, and provoking anxiety. Persistent engagement features were associated with improvements in health or quality-of-life outcomes (17 studies, P = .003). CONCLUSIONS: Features that engaged users persistently over time were associated with better health and quality-of-life outcomes. Most systems have not capitalized on the potential of HIT to share SCPs across a care team and support care coordination.

Social Media Bridges the Training Gap Between Match Day and Internship With ACGME Milestone-based Clinical Case Curriculum.

OBJECTIVES: The objective was to bridge the relative educational gap for newly matched emergency medicine preinterns between Match Day and the start of internship by implementing an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Milestone (ACGME)-based virtual case curriculum over the social media platform Slack. METHODS: We designed a Milestone-based curriculum of 10 emergency department clinical cases and used Slack to implement it. An instructor was appointed for each participating institution to lead the discussion and encourage collaboration among preinterns. Pre- and postcurriculum surveys utilized 20 statements adapted from the eight applicable Milestones to measure the evolution of preintern self-reported perceived preparedness (PP) as well as actual clinical knowledge (CK) performance on a case-based examination. RESULTS: A total of 11 institutions collaborated and 151 preinterns were contacted, 127 of whom participated. After participating in the Slack intern curriculum (SIC), preinterns reported significant improvements in PP regarding multiple Milestone topics. They also showed improved CK regarding the airway management Milestone based on examination performance. CONCLUSIONS: Implementation of our SIC may ease the difficult transition between medical school and internship for emergency medicine preinterns. Residency leadership and medical school faculty will benefit from knowledge of preintern PP, specifically of their perceived strengths and weaknesses, because this information can guide curricular focus at the end of medical school and beginning of internship. Limitations of this study include variable participation and a high attrition rate. Further studies will address the utility of such a virtual curriculum for preinterns and for rotating medical students who have been displaced from clinical rotations during the novel coronavirus pandemic.

Information needs and perceptions of chatbots for hypertension medication self-management: a mixed methods study.

OBJECTIVE: Chatbots have potential to deliver interactive self-management interventions but have rarely been studied in the context of hypertension or medication adherence. The objective of this study was to better understand patient information needs and perceptions of chatbots to support hypertension medication self-management. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Mixed methods were used to assess self-management needs and preferences for using chatbots. We purposively sampled adults with hypertension who were prescribed at least one medication. Participants completed questionnaires on sociodemographics, health literacy, self-efficacy, and technology use. Semi-structured interviews were conducted, audio-recorded, and transcribed verbatim. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and qualitative data were analyzed using applied thematic analysis. RESULTS: Thematic saturation was met after interviewing 15 participants. Analysis revealed curiosity toward chatbots, and most perceived them as humanlike. The majority were interested in using a chatbot to help manage medications, refills, communicate with care teams, and for accountability toward self-care tasks. Despite general enthusiasm, there were concerns with chatbots providing too much information, making demands for lifestyle changes, invading privacy, and usability issues with deployment on smartphones. Those with overall positive perceptions toward chatbots were younger and taking fewer medications. DISCUSSION: Chatbot-related informational needs were consistent with existing self-management research, and many felt chatbots would be valuable if customizable and compatible with patient portals, pharmacies, or health apps. CONCLUSION: Although most were not familiar with chatbots, patients were interested in interacting with them, but this varied. This research informs future design and functionalities of conversational interfaces to support hypertension self-management.

Gender representation in U.S. biomedical informatics leadership and recognition.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to describe gender representation in leadership and recognition within the U.S. biomedical informatics community. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Data were collected from public websites or provided by American Medical Informatics Association (AMIA) personnel from 2017 to 2019, including gender of membership, directors of academic informatics programs, clinical informatics subspecialty fellowships, AMIA leadership (2014-2019), and AMIA awardees (1993-2019). Differences in gender proportions were calculated using chi-square tests. RESULTS: Men were more often in leadership positions and award recipients (P < .01). Men led 74.7% (n = 71 of 95) of academic informatics programs and 83.3% (n = 35 of 42) of clinical informatics fellowships. Within AMIA, men held 56.8% (n = 1086 of 1913) of leadership roles and received 64.1% (n = 59 of 92) of awards. DISCUSSION: As in other STEM fields, leadership and recognition in biomedical informatics is lower for women. CONCLUSIONS: Quantifying gender inequity should inform data-driven strategies to foster diversity and inclusion. Standardized collection and surveillance of demographic data within biomedical informatics is necessary.

Racial differences in user experiences and perceived value of electronic symptom monitoring in a cohort of black and white bladder and prostate cancer patients.

PURPOSE: Electronic patient-reported outcomes (ePROs) are increasingly being used for symptom monitoring during routine cancer care, but have rarely been evaluated in diverse patient populations. We assessed ePRO user experiences and perceived value among Black and White cancer patients. METHODS: We recruited 30 Black and 49 White bladder and prostate cancer patients from a single institution. Participants reported symptoms using either a web-based or automated telephone interface over 3 months and completed satisfaction surveys and qualitative interviews focused on user experiences and value. Using a narrative mixed methods approach, we evaluated overall and race-specific differences in ePRO user experiences and perceived value. RESULTS: Most participants selected the web-based system, but Blacks were more likely to use the automated telephone-based system than Whites. In satisfaction surveys, Whites more commonly reported ease in understanding and reporting symptoms compared with Blacks. Blacks more often reported that the ePRO system was helpful in facilitating symptom-related discussions with clinicians. During interviews, Blacks described how the ePRO helped them recognize symptoms, while Whites found value in better understanding and tracking symptoms longitudinally. Blacks also expressed preferences for paper-based ePRO options due to perceived ease in better understanding of symptom items. CONCLUSION: Electronic patient-reported outcomes are perceived as valuable for variable reasons by Black and White cancer populations, with greater perceived value for communicating with clinicians reported among Blacks. To optimize equitable uptake of ePROs, oncology practices should offer several ePRO options (e.g., web-based, phone-based), as well as paper-based options, and consider the e-health literacy needs of patients during implementation.

Feasibility and delivery of patient-reported outcomes in clinical practice among racially diverse bladder and prostate cancer patients.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the feasibility of enrollment and collecting patient-reported outcome (PRO) data as part of routine clinical urologic care for bladder and prostate cancer patients and examine overall patterns and racial variations in PRO use and symptom reports over time. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS AND METHODS: We recruited 76 patients (n = 29 Black and n = 47 White) with prostate or bladder cancer at a single, comprehensive cancer center. The majority of prostate cancer patients had intermediate risk (57%) disease and underwent either radiation or prostatectomy. Over half (58%) of bladder cancer patients had muscle invasive disease and underwent cystectomy. Patients were asked to complete PRO symptom surveys using their preferred mode [web- or phone-based interactive voice response (IVR)]. Symptom summary reports were shared with providers during visits. Surveys were completed at 3 time points and assessed urinary, sexual, gastrointestinal, anxiety/depression, and sleep symptoms. Feasibility of enrollment and survey completion were calculated, and linear mixed effects models estimated differences in outcomes by race and time. RESULTS: Sixty three percent of study participants completed all PRO measures at all 3 time points. Black patients were more likely to select IVR as their survey mode (40% vs. 13%, P < 0.05), and less likely to complete all surveys (55% vs. 74%, P = 0.13). Patients using IVR were also less likely to complete all surveys (41% vs. 69%, P = 0.046). CONCLUSIONS: Reported preferences for survey mode and completion rates differ by race, which may influence survey completion rates and highlight potential obstacles for equitable implementation of PROs into clinical care.