Abstract Background To date, little is known about the sustainability and scalability of MyDiabetesPlan , an eHealth innovation designed to facilitate shared decision-making within diabetes care. To avoid the possibility of its short-lived implementation and promote wider adoption so as to promote patient-centred diabetes care, it is critical to understand MyDiabetesPlan’ s sustainability and scalability in order to ensure its long-term impact at a greater scale. We sought to identify the sustainability and scalability potential of MyDiabetesPlan and its limiting factors. Methods Using a concurrent triangulation mixed-methods approach, data were collected from 20 individuals involved in the development and implementation of MyDiabetesPlan . The National Health Services Sustainability Model (NHSSM) and the Innovation Scalability Self-administered Questionnaire (ISSaQ) were administered using a ‘think-aloud’ approach and subsequently, short semi-structured interviews were conducted. Mean aggregate scores and stakeholder-specific scores were generated for the NHSSM and ISSaQ, to quantitatively determine facilitating and limiting factors to sustainability and scalability. Content analysis occurred iteratively with qualitative data, to examine commonalities and differences with the quantitative findings. Results The top facilitating factor to sustaining MyDiabetesPlan was “Staff involvement and training to sustain the process.”, whereas the top limiting factors were: “Adaptability of Improved Process”, “Senior Leadership Engagement” and “Infrastructure for Sustainability”. The top three facilitating factors for scale-up were “Acceptability”, “Development with Theory” and “Consistency with Policy Directives.” Conversely, the top three limiting factors were “Financial and Human Resources”, “Achievable Adoption” and “Broad Reach”. Qualitative findings corroborated the limiting/facilitating factors identified. Conclusions Addressing staff involvement throughout the dynamic care contexts, and resource constraints impacting scale-up can enhance the sustainability and scalability of MyDiabetesPlan . As such, future plans will focus on garnering organizational leadership buy-in and support, which may address the resource constraints associated with sustainability and scalability and improve the capacity for adequate staff involvement. eHealth researchers will be able to prioritize these limiting factors from the outset of their tool development to purposefully optimize its sustainability and scalability performance.
Background: Health technology has increasingly moved toward adopting a "user-centred design" approach to include the user/patient throughout the innovation and design process; however, few studies have evaluated the patient's experience of such an engagement.Objective: The aim of this study was to explore the role of patient engagement (PE) within e-health innovation research.Method: Using qualitative descriptive methodology, semistructured interviews were conducted with eight participants (patient partners and research/development team members).Findings: Key themes were centred on enablers of, challenges to and methods of improving PE.Conclusion: PE must be prioritized from study conception, explicitly programmed into study conduct and valued by integrating patient partner input.* Lead co-authors.P = Patient, caregiver and knowledge user. Key Points •This study provided a multi-stakeholder perspective on patient engagement (PE), revealing that stakeholders' perspectives differed and must be considered separately when planning for engagement.• This study identified strategies to improve PE during the development of an e-health tool, including providing support for patients throughout the process, ensuring thorough team communication, making patients feel valued for their contributions and fostering a positive research environment.• Overall, PE helped ensure the relevance, usability and appropriateness of an e-health tool for different patient demographics; however, the process of PE should pay special attention to recruiting representative patient populations.
Effective mentorship is an important contributor to academic success. Given the critical role of leadership in fostering mentorship, this study sought to explore the perspectives of departmental leadership regarding 1) current departmental mentorship processes; and 2) crucial components of a mentorship program that would enhance the effectiveness of mentorship.
Abstract Background MyDiabetesPlan is a web-based, interactive patient decision aid that facilitates patient-centred, diabetes-specific, goal-setting and shared decision-making (SDM) with interprofessional health care teams. Objective Assess the feasibility of (1) conducting a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT) and (2) integrating MyDiabetesPlan into interprofessional primary care clinics. Methods We conducted a cluster RCT in 10 interprofessional primary care clinics with patients living with diabetes and at least two other comorbidities; half of the clinics were assigned to MyDiabetesPlan and half were assigned to usual care. To assess recruitment, retention, and resource use, we used RCT conduct logs and financial account summaries. To assess intervention fidelity, we used RCT conduct logs and website usage logs. To identify barriers and facilitators to integration of MyDiabetesPlan into clinical care across the IP team, we used audiotapes of clinical encounters in the intervention groups. Results One thousand five hundred and ninety-seven potentially eligible patients were identified through searches of electronic medical records, of which 1113 patients met the eligibility criteria upon detailed chart review. A total of 425 patients were randomly selected; of these, 213 were able to participate and were allocated (intervention: n = 102; control: n = 111), for a recruitment rate of 50.1%. One hundred and fifty-one patients completed the study, for a retention rate of 70.9%. A total of 5745 personnel-hours and $6104 CAD were attributed to recruitment and retention activities. A total of 179 appointments occurred (out of 204 expected appointments—two per participant over the 12-month study period; 87.7%). Forty (36%), 25 (23%), and 32 (29%) patients completed MyDiabetesPlan at least twice, once, and zero times, respectively. Mean time for completion of MyDiabetesPlan by the clinician and the patient during initial appointments was 37 min. From the clinical encounter transcripts, we identified diverse strategies used by clinicians and patients to integrate MyDiabetesPlan into the appointment, characterized by rapport building and individualization. Barriers to use included clinician-related, patient-related, and technical factors. Conclusion An interprofessional approach to SDM using a decision aid was feasible. Lower than expected numbers of diabetes-specific appointments and use of MyDiabetesPlan were observed. Addressing facilitators and barriers identified in this study will promote more seamless integration into clinical care. Trial registration Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02379078. Date of Registration: February 11, 2015. Protocol version: Version 1; February 26, 2015.
BACKGROUND We previously developed MyDiabetesPlan, an evidence-based, online, interactive patient decision-aid to facilitate patient-centred, diabetes-specific goal-setting and action-planning, using shared decision making (SDM) with interprofessional (IP) healthcare teams. OBJECTIVE The aim of this study is to assess the feasibility of (1) integrating MyDiabetesPlan into routine workflows in IP primary care clinics, and (2) conducting a cluster randomized controlled trial (RCT). METHODS We conducted a pilot cluster-RCT in 10 IP primary care clinics with patients living with diabetes and 2+ other comorbidities; half of the clinics were assigned to the MyDiabetesPlan intervention and the remainder were assigned to usual care. For Objective 1, we used RCT conduct logs and financial account summaries to assess recruitment, retention metrics, and resource use. For Objective 2, we used RCT conduct logs and website usage logs to assess intervention fidelity and resource usage. We used audiotapes of clinical encounters in the intervention groups to identify barriers and facilitators to integration of MyDiabetesPlan into clinical care across the IP team. RESULTS Objective 1: 1597 potentially eligible patients were identified through electronic medical record-based searches, of which 1113 patients met eligibility criteria upon detailed chart review. A total of 425 patients were randomly selected; of these, 213 were able to participate and were allocated (intervention: n=102; control: n=111), for a recruitment rate of 50.1%. 151 patients completed the study, for a retention rate of 70.9%. A total of 5745 personnel-hours and $6104 CAD were attributed to recruitment and retention activities. Objective 2: A total of 179 appointments occurred (out of a total of 204 expected appointments - 2 per participant over the 12-month study period; 87.7%). Forty (36%), 25 (23%) and 32 (29%) patients completed MyDiabetesPlan at least twice, once, and zero times respectively. Mean time for completion of MyDiabetesPlan by the clinician and the patient during initial appointments was 37 minutes. From the clinical encounter transcripts, we identified diverse strategies used by health care providers and patients to integrate MyDiabetesPlan into the appointment, characterized by rapport-building and individualization. Barriers to use included MyDiabetesPlan-related factors (e.g. limited selection of potential diabetes management strategies), clinician-related factors (e.g. discomfort with asking certain questions), and patient-related factors (e.g. computer literacy). CONCLUSIONS We evaluated the feasibility of an IPSDM approach using decision aids to help establish treatment priorities in patients with diabetes and found that it would be feasible. A total of 151 (70.9%) patients were retained for 12 months, which required 38 personnel hours and $40.42 CAD per participant who completed the study. Lower than expected numbers of diabetes-specific appointments were observed, and only 39% of patients completed MyDiabetesPlan twice. Addressing facilitators and barriers identified in this study will improve feasibility and promote more complete and seamless integration into clinical care. CLINICALTRIAL Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02379078 Date of Registration: February 11, 2015
Abstract Background: Empathy levels decline through medical training. This has been associated with poor patient and physician outcomes, and strategies to combat this decline are increasingly recognized as critical aspects of medical education. The aim of this study was to qualitatively determine factors associated with empathy decline, and to assess the impact of a comics/graphic novel-based curriculum on enhancing empathy and a patient-centered approach to care in post-graduate medical learners. Methods: Fourth and fifth year residents in the Adult and Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Program at the University of Toronto were recruited from the 2017 cohort of the Empathy, Humanism and Comics course. Participants completed a 12-month curriculum, viewing a total of four animated graphic novels over six sessions. At the end of the course participants were interviewed either individually or in a focus group. A coding framework of emerging themes was developed based on consensus between the three authors using a qualitative descriptive approach and the constant-comparison method. Results: Analysis of coded interview data revealed four themes. 1. The curriculum accurately reflected and addressed issues in real world medical practice; 2. The comics curriculum facilitated holistic development; 3. Participants appreciated the comics as an educational medium; 4. Participant feedback on the curriculum. The importance of empathy was noted, while participants acknowledged their own empathy decline and increased burnout. Stressors included increasing responsibility, long work hours, and competing work-life responsibilities. They felt the sessions developed resilience, an appreciation for the patient perspective, and communication skills. They appreciated the comics as a novel and engaging educational modality. Feedback on the effectiveness and relevancy of the curriculum was variable. Conclusions: Residents appreciated sharing difficult experiences and seeking support. They acknowledged the curriculum as a commitment to wellness and felt it reduced burnout and improved empathy. The comics were viewed as an effective reminder of the patient perspective. Variable curriculum feedback highlights the challenge in designing a course for adult learners. Future investigations may include the development and incorporation of similar curricula in other post-graduate residency training programs.
OBJECTIVE The primary outcome is to evaluate the relationship between diabetes distress and decisional conflict regarding diabetes care in patients with diabetes and two or more comorbidities. Secondary outcomes include the relationships between diabetes distress and quality of life and patient perception of chronic illness care and decisional conflict. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS This was a cross-sectional study of 192 patients, ≥18 years of age, with type 2 diabetes and two or more comorbidities, recruited from primary care practices in the Greater Toronto Area. Baseline questionnaires were completed using validated scales: Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS), Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS), Short-Form Survey 12 (SF-12), and Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care (PACIC). Multiple linear regression models evaluated associations between summary scores and subscores, adjusting for age, education, income, employment, duration of diabetes, and social support. RESULTS Most participants were >65 years old (65%). DCS was significantly and positively associated with DDS (β = 0.0139; CI 0.00374–0.0246; P = 0.00780). DDS–emotional burden subscore was significantly and negatively associated with SF-12–mental subscore (β =−3.34; CI −4.91 to −1.77; P < 0.0001). Lastly, DCS was significantly and negatively associated with PACIC (β = −6.70; CI −9.10 to −4.32; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS We identified a new positive relationship between diabetes distress and decisional conflict. Moreover, we identified negative associations between emotional burden and mental quality of life and patient perception of chronic illness care and decisional conflict. Understanding these associations will provide valuable insights in the development of targeted interventions to improve quality of life in patients with diabetes.
Translation of eHealth research findings and successful implementation into clinical care is limited. We used a multitiered approach (individual, organizational, societal) to assess the implementation potential of MyDiabetesPlan within Ontario's primary care system and applied the normalization process theory (NPT) to explicate our findings.Data were collected from 15 individuals through interviews with primary care administrative end-users and a focus group discussion with Ministry of Health decision-makers, then qualitatively analyzed using thematic analysis for emergent themes.We identified 3 themes corresponding to our multitiered approach: 1) stakeholder buy-in was critical to engagement and was impacted by perceptions/capacities; 2) clinical integration of MyDiabetesPlan depended on alignment with clinic philosophy of care, pre-existing technologies and workflow; and 3) political climate and trends were important considerations for eHealth implementation. Application of NPT to findings revealed that interplay between buy-in and perceptions/capacities of clinical practice stakeholders was critical to engaging them for eHealth implementation. In contrast, evaluation of costs and outcomes was critical to inform operational-management stakeholders' perceptions. Findings at the organizational and societal levels best aligned with the factors influencing operationalization of MyDiabetesPlan. Overall, our findings show that the synergistic operationalization of MyDiabetesPlan into practice was a prerequisite to implementation at all health-care levels.Application of NPT revealed context- and stakeholder-specific interactions that should be synergistically leveraged to promote MyDiabetesPlan normalization into routine clinical practice. Our findings provide further insight into how researchers can comprehensively assess eHealth implementation potential within Ontario and can be extrapolated to similar single-payer health-care jurisdictions.
Abstract Background: Empathy levels decline through medical training. This has been associated with poor patient and physician outcomes, and strategies to combat this decline are increasingly recognized as critical aspects of medical education. The aim of this study was t o qualitatively determine factors associated with empathy decline, and to assess the impact of a comics/graphic novel-based curriculum on enhancing empathy and a patient-centered approach to care in post-graduate medical learners. Methods: Fourth and fifth year residents in the Adult and Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Program at the University of Toronto were recruited from the 2017 cohort of the Empathy, Humanism & Comics course. Participants completed a 12-month curriculum, viewing a total of four animated graphic novels over six sessions. At the end of the course participants were interviewed either individually or in a focus group. A coding framework of emerging themes was developed based on consensus between the three authors using a qualitative descriptive approach and the constant-comparison method. Results: Analysis of coded interview data revealed four themes. 1. The curriculum accurately reflected and addressed issues in real world medical practice; 2. The comics curriculum facilitated holistic development; 3. Participants appreciated the comics as an educational medium; 4. Participant feedback on the curriculum. The importance of empathy was noted, while participants acknowledged their own empathy decline and increased burnout. Stressors included increasing responsibility, long work hours, and competing work-life responsibilities. They felt the sessions developed resilience, an appreciation for the patient perspective, and communication skills. They appreciated the comics as a novel and engaging educational modality. Feedback on the effectiveness and relevancy of the curriculum was variable. Conclusions: Residents appreciated sharing difficult experiences and seeking support. They acknowledged the curriculum as a commitment to wellness and felt it reduced burnout and improved empathy. The comics were viewed as an effective reminder of the patient perspective. Variable curriculum feedback highlights the challenge in designing a course for adult learners. Future investigations may include the development and incorporation of similar curricula in other post-graduate residency training programs.
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