Background In a time-constrained clinical environment, physicians cannot feasibly document all aspects of an office visit in the electronic health record (EHR). This is especially true for patients with multiple chronic conditions requiring complex clinical reasoning. It is unclear how physicians prioritize the documentation of health information in the EHR.
Objective The goal of this study is to examine documentation tradeoffs made by physicians when caring for complex patients by comparing the content of office visit conversations with resulting EHR documentation.
Methods We used grounded theory method of qualitative analysis to assess emergent themes in the transcripts of 10 office visits, and then compared the themes to documentation in the EHR. Differences between discussion and subsequent documentation of social and emotional health topics and each of the other key categories were compared using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
Results The categories that emerged included “chronic conditions,” “acute/new problems,” “disease prevention,” and “social and emotional health.” We found that when social and emotional topics were discussed in the office visit, it was documented in the medical record only 30.6% of the time. Chronic conditions, acute/new problems, and disease prevention were documented in the EHR between 87.5 and 91.7% of the time after discussion. The differences between discussion and documentation of social and emotional topics were significantly greater than the differences for chronic conditions, acute/new problems, and disease prevention (all p < 0.05).
Conclusion Social and emotional factors, while extremely relevant to health management, are less likely than medical concerns to be documented after discussion in an office visit. This lack of documentation may hinder interdisciplinary communication between teams informing individualized therapeutic decisions during acute care handoffs, such as outpatient to inpatient care.
Background and Objectives
Age-associated changes can impair abilities for safe driving and the use of firearms. We sought to examine multiple perspectives on reducing access to firearms, including similarities and differences compared to reducing driving.
Research Design and Methods
Online focus groups and 1-on-1 interviews were conducted (November 2020 to May 2021) in the United States with: older adults who drove and owned firearms; family members of older adult firearm owners/drivers; professionals in aging-related agencies; and firearm retailers/instructors. Recorded sessions were transcribed, coded, and analyzed following a mixed inductive–deductive thematic analysis process.
Results
Among 104 participants (81 in focus groups, 23 in interviews), 50 (48%) were female, and 92 (88%) White. Key similarities: decisions are emotional and challenging; needs change over time; safety concerns are heightened by new impairments; prior experiences prompt future planning; tension between autonomy and reliance on trusted others; and strategies like reframing may ease transitions and avoid confrontations. Key differences: “retirement” was not an acceptable term for firearms; reducing driving may affect daily independence more, but there are few alternatives for the psychological safety conferred by firearms; and there are specific firearm-related legal concerns but more driving-related regulations, policies, and resources.
Discussion and Implications
The similarities and differences in the processes and preferences related to reducing driving or firearm access have implications for the development of resources to support planning and action. Such resources for the public and providers might empower older adults and their families to make voluntary, shared decisions, and reduce injuries and deaths.
Purpose: The purpose of this study is to characterize mothers’ experiences within a mother/infant dyad postpartum primary care program (Dyad) following gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) to inform improvements in the delivery of care. Methods: A qualitative pilot study of women (n = 10) enrolled in a mother/infant Dyad program was conducted in a primary care practice at a large, urban academic medical center. Respondents were asked a series of open-ended questions about their experience with GDM, the Dyad program, and health behaviors. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using ground theory with NVivo 12 Plus software. Results: Three key themes emerged: (1) Dyad program experience, (2) implementation of health behavior changes, and (3) acknowledgment of future GDM and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) health risks. Respondents found the Dyad program respondents felt that the program conveniently served mother and infant health care needs in a single appointment. Respondents also valued support from primary care providers when implementing health behavior changes. The Dyad program provided an opportunity for respondents to understand their current and future risk for developing GDM and T2DM. Conclusions: Postpartum women enrolled in the Dyad program received highly personalized primary care services. The results of our study will help integrate patient-centered strategies into models for GDM care to maintain patient engagement in postpartum clinical services.
Background The Translational Science Benefit Model (TSBM) was developed to broadly capture systematic measures of health and societal benefits from scientific research, beyond traditional outcome measures. We aimed to develop a systematic process for the application of the TSBM and to then provide an example of a novel application of the TSBM to an ongoing Return-to-Learn (RTL) after youth concussion project involving partnerships with community stakeholders. Methods We invited investigators, project advisory board, and participants of the RTL project to participate in a modified Delphi process. We first generated a list of potential translational benefits using the indicators of the TSBM as guideposts. We then prioritized the benefits on an adapted Eisenhower matrix. Results We invited 35 concussion care or research experts to participate, yielding 20 ranked translational benefits. Six of these recommendations were ranked high priority, six were regarded as investments, and eight were ranked as either low yield or low priority. Discussion This study found that activities such as education and training of stakeholders, development of policy and consensus statements, and innovation in dissemination, were perceived as higher priority than other activities. Our approach using a modified Delphi process and incorporating the TSBM can be replicated to generate and prioritize potential benefits to society from research studies.
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