AHRQ study shows clinical decision support systems are effective but research is needed to promote widespread use

An AHRQ-funded article found that clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) are effective in improving health care process measures across diverse settings, and that limited evidence is available about the impact on clinical and economic outcome measures.

This article expands on an evidence report from AHRQ, titled Enabling Health Care Decisionmaking through Health Information Technology (Health IT), which discusses features key to successful implementation of CDSSs.

Study raises questions about home health monitoring

According to the paper, published last week in the Archives of Internal Medicine, 14.7 percent of those remotely monitored died within 12 months of being enrolled in the study, while just 3.9 percent in the control group died during the same time frame.

The researchers further suggested that there might not be enough infrastructure in place yet to “fully optimize” case management in this vulnerable population. (The mean age of study participants was 80.3 years.)

Still, the findings raise a lot of questions, and not just from reporters. In fact, two physicians from the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine provided commentary in the same Annals of Internal Medicine issue.
 
Wilson and Cram offer some very good advice: “While awaiting the answers to these questions, we would advise payers and physicians to move slowly in implementing telehealth programs on a wide scale.” But I see no good reason not to try if clinicians or insurers have specific goals in mind and they figure out what types of patients stand the best chance of benefiting from home monitoring technology. 

3 free healthcare apps physicians should prescribe to their patients

TechCrunch: An emerging trend of health and wellness apps aimed at empowering patients:

Cancer.net, an oncologist-approved cancer information website from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), released an iOS app last year that brought their website’s functionality and much more to mobile form. Available for iOS and Android is pending.

 

Carb Counting with Lenny is made by Medtronic, the goliath medical device company. The app is designed to help children learn about diabetes and to get a better understanding of carb counting.
You can find it on iOS here.

Hello Baby Pregnancy Calendar is produced by Pampers, and was released just a few months after the introduction of the first iPad. The app allows expecting mothers to get a better idea of the various stages of their pregnancy and their baby’s development. You can find it on the App Store here.

Patients choose hospitals based on social media

With one-third of consumers using social media for seeking or sharing medical information, 41 percent say tools like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and online forums influence their choice of a specific hospital, medical facility or doctor, according to Tuesday's report from consulting firm PwC.

In a survey of more than a thousand consumers, more than two-fifths of individuals said social media did affect their choice of a provider or organization. Forty-five percent said it would affect their decision to get a second opinion; 34 percent said it would influence their decision about taking a certain medication and 32 percent said it would affect their choice of a health insurance plan. Read more

HIT Use Among Physicians and Hospitals Increases

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Report Examines Role of HIT in Driving Delivery System Change
A new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) report on health information technology (HIT) finds that physicians reporting use of any electronic health record (EHR) reached 57 percent in 2011, a substantial increase from 17 percent in 2002. The report also finds that adoption in U.S. hospitals increased considerably between 2010 and 2011, with basic EHR adoption increasing from 11.5 percent to 18 percent and comprehensive EHR use rising from 2.6 percent to 8.7 percent.

Policy-makers are tracking the adoption of HIT due to its potential to improve efficiency and increase the quality of U.S. health care. The report analyzes changes in adoption of electronic health records; discusses progress and challenges of health information exchange; features former National Coordinator for Health Information Technology, Dr. David Blumenthal’s take on the progress and importance of HIT; and outlines the role of HIT in various health reform models. Read the report.

AHRQ: Enabling Health Care Decisionmaking Through Clinical Decision Support & Knowledge Management

• Enabling Health Care Decisionmaking Through Clinical Decision Support and Knowledge Management. To view this report, please visit: http://www.effectivehealthcare.ahrq.gov/index.cfm/search-for-guides-reviews-and-reports/?pageaction=displayproduct&productID=919&ECem=120424.

An article related to the report, Enabling Health Care Decisionmaking Through Clinical Decision Support and Knowledge Management was published today in the journal, Annals of Internal Medicine. This article can be accessed on the Annals Web site at: http://www.annals.org/content/early/2012/04/20/0003-4819-157-1-201207030-00450.full.

Many Nurses Believe Interactive ED Kiosks Disrupt Workflow

A recent report from the California HealthCare Foundation finds that some nurses did not refer patients to interactive computer kiosks for the management of uncomplicated urinary tract infections because they felt the technology disrupted their workflow. InformationWeek.

Loss of Wisdom Hits Health Care Where it Hurts

Twenty-five hundred years ago, Sun Tzu (500 BC) asserted that with sufficient knowledge about yourself, your opponent and the environment, your victory would be assured. In our battles against rising health care costs and medical errors, this wisdom has been lost.

Knowledge- not technology- is the key to substantial gains in clinical care. Sun Tzu’s ancient wisdom that knowledge is the key to victory still rings true today. This wisdom needs to become a guiding principal for the HIT community...More

The Creative Destruction of Medicine

Medscape Nurse News: Technology Shaping Medicine: Interview of Dr. Eric Topol, author of The Creative Destruction of Medicine, about how technology is changing medicine, making diagnosis and treatment faster, better, and more accurate. Topol says that cutting-edge medical technology, coupled with everyday devices like smartphones and tablets, is empowering physicians and patients alike.  Click for more

Healthcare social media a 'moral obligation'

As social media continues to grow as a communications medium, so too does its impact in healthcare. According to a report published today by consulting firm PwC, patients increasingly are turning to social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter both to find and share medical information. What's more, of 1,060 surveyed consumers, 45 percent said that information obtained via social media could impact their decision to get a second opinion.  Read more

Smartphone apps motivate older patients to improve health

more than two-thirds of participants in a Stanford University study to exercise more, sit less and improve their diet.  The study focused on older Americans--45- to 77-year-olds--using smartphone apps "to deliver the nudges that might improve adults' physical activity levels Read more

Hospitals use iPads to improve patient experience

Mayo Clinic, which now offers iPads loaded with Mayo content and apps as automated tour guides to cardiac patients, according to a HealthLeaders Media story on patient engagement. HLM profiled a YouTube video Mayo recently posted outlining the iPad program. Read more

Mobile technology continues to put patient records at risk, according to new research..

Report: Mobile keeps upping data-breach risk - FierceMobileHealthcare fiercemobilehealthcare.com

Mobile technology continues to put patient records at risk, according to the latest findings from HIMSS and research firm Kroll Advisory Solutions. More patient information is on highly mobile--and Read more...

Top Ranked Hospitals Have Higher Levels of EHR Adoption

A new report from HIMSS Analytics finds that the hospitals listed in Thomson Reuters' 100 Top U.S. Hospitals in 2009 and 2010 had more advanced levels of electronic health record adoption than the overall pool of U.S. hospitals. iHealthBeat 4/18/12

Reducing EMR training to save money exacts high toll

amednews.com: EMR adoption is a much longer process than implementation and a big piece of that is training.   If you decide to save money on the training....you get what you pay for...More

The Patient of the Future

Physicians suggest. Patients ignore. Technology alone won’t bring them together. But a new relationship just might.  More

Facebook making employees smarter....

This was on the ANA Smartbrief 4/17/2012: http://www.cnbc.com/id/47056743/

Survey Shows Health Research Popular in Social Media

A survey of 1,600 adults shows considerable use of social media for health care purposes.  More

• Computerworld - A third of U.S. consumers now use social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to seek medical information and track and share symptoms. They're also using the sites to vent about doctors, drugs, treatments, medical devices and health plans.
• Health organizations have an opportunity to use social media as a way to better listen, participate in discussions and engage with consumers in ways that extend their interaction beyond a clinical encounter," Barnes said. "Savvy adopters are viewing social media as a business strategy, not just a marketing tool.

Information Technology in Health Care: The Next Consumer Revolution

Benefits of Health IT: Over the past 20 years, our nation has undergone an extraordinary transformation due to information technology (IT). Until now, relatively few Americans have had the opportunity to use this kind of technology to enhance some of the most important relationships: those related to their health.

Learn how Health IT can improve health care for you, your family, and your community.

HealthITXchange

https://www.healthitxchange.org/Pages/landing.aspx

Access to Different Types of Information

You can choose from three types of information, referred to as views, that are currently shared in the HealthITxChange:

• Lessons Learned: Real-world information to help you avoid issues, solve problems, and share experiences and best practices.
• Resources: Summaries of important information relating to tools, templates, checklists, and documents for you to learn about and leverage during implementation.
• Gaps: Information identifying gaps in the current marketplace, existing standards and policy, as well as content on this site.

 

Hospitals use iPads to improve patient experience

www.fiercemobilehealthcare.com Deciding whether to provide iPads to your medical staff may be only half of your decision-making when it comes to the uber-popular devices. New efforts ongoing at hospitals around the U.S. are testing out patient reactions to the devices as a way to improve the patient's inpatient and post-hospital experience. Read more...

4 Ways Mobile Technology Can Improve Care

Mobile technology is popular. That in itself is not shocking. The adoption rate of mobile technology has been rapid. You can take one look around and see most people are using smart phones, iPads and tablets. Beckers Hospital Review

Ethiopia: A “learning lab” for national mHealth strategy

If managed successfully, mHealth can be an effective tool for advancing the government’s key health initiatives, particularly community-based interventions that have women at their center...More

Microsoft Kinect, HealthVault Boost Senior Wellness Program in L.A.

The Microsoft Kinect system for Xbox and HealthVault personal health platform allow senior citizens in L.A. to improve their chronic conditions and track their medical data.  eweek.com READ MORE

Mobile-Based Hospital Communication System Improves Care

A new study published in the journal BMJ Open finds that a hospital in the United Kingdom reduced its length of patient stay by replacing a phone- and pager-based communication system with a smartphone- and tablet-based communication system. FierceMobileHealthcare.

CMS Releases Quality Measures for MU Stage 2 Proposed Rules

CMS has published a list of clinical quality measures included in the proposed rules for Stage 2 of the meaningful use program. Under the Stage 2 proposals, eligible professionals would need to meet 12 clinical quality measures out of a list of 125, and hospitals would need to meet 24 measures out of a list of 49. CMS is accepting public comment on the measures through May 7. CMIO et al. ihealthbeat

Clinicians Ignore Most Drug Alerts From CPOE Systems, Study Finds

A study presented at a Society of Hospital Medicine meeting finds that clinicians ignore or override most drug warning alerts generated by hospitals' computerized provider order entry systems. Researchers say alarm fatigue could be contributing to the problem. MedPage Today. More

Military using social media and mobile apps to promote healthy living to soldiers

Improving patient health outcomes is the goal of a new initiative from the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS). This culture of wellness and healthy living is being promoted to Air Force personnel...DVIDS

Physical therapy through gaming

Video games have come a long way since that little yellow guy and the ghosts. Find out how some doctors are using gaming to change patients' lives.  More

App to help wounded soldiers created by Department of Defense

The Department of Defense (DOD) has recently released a mobile app to help wounded soldiers and their families access information that can assist in their recovery and return to U.S. civilian life.  More

Poor health IT implementation planning affects patient care

A poorly planned health IT implementation can have deleterious effects on the quality of patient care, and can even increase inpatient mortality, according to an article published in the March edition of the American Journal of Managed Care. CMIO

Growing the Nursing Informatics workforce!

Hats off to UC Irvine Healthcare for the development of this program and its success in "growing" the Nursing Informatics workforce!

 

http://community.advanceweb.com/blogs/nurses_18/default.aspx

Reform Education for Health Care Professionals

The Lancet Commission,  Health Professionals for a New Century: Transforming Education to Strengthen Health Systems in an Interdependent World report, based on research funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the China Medical Board,  recommends comprehensive reform in the training of health care professionals. Like the Future of Nursing report, it calls for competency-based curricula, creative use of information technology, transformative learning and interprofessional teamwork, as well as a systems approach to institutional reform. 

In response to both these reports, the Institute of Medicine has called together a Global Forum on Innovation in Health Professional Education

National eHealth Collaborative Offers Guidance for Successful HIE

Washington, DC (April 2, 2012) – National eHealth Collaborative (NeHC) today released the Health Information Exchange Roadmap: The Landscape and a Path Forward. This Roadmap offers stakeholders a clear picture of efforts being undertaken by both the public and private sectors to create and implement the building blocks for widespread deployment of interoperable HIE. It also provides an understanding of how these diverse approaches fit together into a cohesive strategy for nationwide HIE and suggests a four phase roadmap to help HIE initiatives make progress and become sustainable. Health Information Exchange Roadmap: The Landscape and a Path Forward