Project description:BACKGROUND:Successful implementation of new care models within a health system is likely dependent on contextual factors at the individual sites of care. OBJECTIVE:To identify practice setting components contributing to uptake of new team-based care models. DESIGN:Convergent mixed-methods design. PARTICIPANTS:Employees and patients of primary care practices implementing two team-based models in a large, integrated health system. MAIN MEASURES:Field observations of 9 practices and 75 interviews, provider and staff surveys to assess adaptive reserve and burnout, analysis of quality metrics, and patient panel comorbidity scores. The data were collected simultaneously, then merged, thematically analyzed, and interpreted by a multidisciplinary team. KEY RESULTS:Based on analysis of observations and interviews, the 9 practices were categorized into 3 groups-high, partial, and low uptake of new team-based models. Uptake was related to (1) practices' responsiveness to change and (2) flexible workflow as related to team roles. Strength of local leadership and stable staffing mediated practices' ability to achieve high performance in these two domains. Higher performance on several quality metrics was associated with high uptake practices compared to the lower uptake groups. Mean Adaptive Reserve Measure and Maslach Burnout Inventory scores did not differ significantly between higher and lower uptake practices. CONCLUSION:Uptake of new team-based care delivery models is related to practices' ability to respond to change and to adapt team roles in workflow, influenced by both local leadership and stable staffing. Better performance on quality metrics may identify high uptake practices. Our findings can inform expectations for operational and policy leaders seeking to implement change in primary care practices.
Project description:BackgroundHealthcare organizations are moving their primary care teams out of private offices into shared workspaces for many reasons, including teamwork improvement and cost reduction.ObjectiveIdentify the specific aspects of layout and design that enable two fundamental processes of high-functioning teams: communication and situation awareness.DesignThis was a multi-method study employing qualitative interviews, floor plan analysis, observations, behavior mapping, and surveys.ParticipantsTwo primary care clinics in a large, integrated healthcare system in the upper Midwest, with Clinic S in a suburban location and Clinic A in a rural setting. In the two clinics, a total of 36 staff members were interviewed, 57 (66% response rate) staff members were surveyed, and 2013 individual-points were recorded during 63 behavior mapping observations.Main measuresCommunication encounters, team members' perception of the environment and teamwork, visibility, distance, functional pathways, and self-reported mode and frequency of staff communication.Key resultsObservations, interviews, and surveys identified environmental factors that predict staff awareness and communication patterns. Visibility impacts situation awareness. Frequency of face-to-face communication increases with visibility and proximity between workstations (e.g., Clinic A nurses' intra-role communication without workstation proximity vs inter-role communication with workstation proximity: 22.6% [11.4, 33.9] vs 77.4% [66.1, 88.6], p = 0.001) and with staff members' functional paths. Visual exposure to patients predicts staff's concerns about their communication (Clinic S: 2.29 ± 0.81 vs Clinic A: 3.20 ± 0.84, p < 0.001).ConclusionsDesign and layout of team spaces have important influences on the way that team members work together. The organizational goals of the healthcare system, particularly which staff members need to work together most frequently, should drive the specific design solution.
Project description:Team-based care is considered central to achieving value in primary care, yet results of large-scale primary care transformation initiatives have been mixed. We explore how underlying change processes influence the effectiveness of transition to team-based care. We studied 12 academically affiliated primary care practices participating in a learning collaborative, using longitudinal staff survey data to measure progress toward team-based care and qualitative interviews with practice staff to understand practice transformation. Transformation efforts focused on team formation and capacity building for quality improvement. Using thematic analysis, we explored types of change processes undertaken and the relationship between change processes and effective team-based care. We identified three prototypical approaches to change: pursuing functional and cultural change processes, functional only, and cultural only. Practice sites prioritizing both change processes formed the most effective teams: simultaneous functional and cultural change spurred a mutually reinforcing virtuous cycle. We describe implications for research, practice, and policy.
Project description:Background Team-Based Learning (TBL) is an established educational strategy which has become increasingly popular in the training of healthcare professionals. TBL is highly suitable for teaching Family Medicine (FM) especially that teamwork and collaborative care, in this medical discipline, are at the core of safe and effective practice. Despite the established suitability of TBL for teaching FM, there are no empirical studies that capture the students’ perception of a TBL in FM undergraduate learning experience in the Middle East and North Africa region (MENA). Objective The overall objective of this study was to investigate the perception of students regarding a TBL in FM intervention (in Dubai, United Arab Emirates), that was designed and implemented in alignment with a constructivist learning theory. Methods A convergent mixed methods study design was utilized to develop a thorough understanding of the students’ perceptions. Qualitative and quantitative data were concurrently collected and independently analyzed. The output of thematic analysis was systematically merged with the quantitative descriptive and inferential findings using the iterative joint display process. Results The qualitative findings shed light on the students’ perception of TBL in FM, and the interplay between team cohesion and engagement with the course. As for the quantitative findings, they showed that the percentage of the total average of the Satisfaction with TBL in FM score was 88.80%. As for change in impression of FM discipline, the percentage of the total average was 83.10%. The perception of team cohesion, with a mean of agreement of 8.62(1.34), seemed to be significantly associated with the students’ perception of the team test phase component, only (P < 0.05). As for the perception of the level of engagement with the course, with a mean of agreement of 9.29(0.84), it turned out to be significantly associated with the change in impression of FM discipline (P < 0.05). Lastly, the joint display analysis showed how the quantitative and qualitative findings built upon each other, revealing how best to leverage TBL in FM trainings. Conclusion The current study showed that TBL embedded in a FM clinical clerkship was well-received by students. It is worth leveraging the lessons learned from the first-hand experience reported upon in the current study to optimize the utilization of TBL in FM. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12909-023-04240-1.
Project description:ObjectivesTo conceptualize new methods for integrating patient-centered measurement into team-based care.MethodsA standalone portal was introduced into a rural clinic to support conceptualization of new methods for integration of patient-centered measurement in team-based care. The portal housed mental health-related online resources, three patient-reported measures and a self-action plan. Six providers and four patients used the portal for four months. Our data collection techniques included clinic discussions, one-on-one interviews, workflow diagrams and data generated through the portal. Analysis was supported through coding interview transcripts, looking across multiple sources of research data and research team discussions.ResultsOur research team conceptualized five team-based patient-centered measurement methods through this study. Patient-centered measurement Team Mapping offfers a technique to provide greater clarity of care-team roles and responsibilities in data collected through patient-centered measurement. Longitudinal Care Alignment can guide the care-team on incorporating patient-centered measurement into ongoing provider-patient interactions. Digital Tool Exploration can be used to evaluate a team's readiness toward digital tool adoption, and the impact of these tools. Team-based quality improvement serves as a framework for engaging teams in patient-centered quality improvement. Shared learning is a method that promotes patientprovider interactions that validate patient's perspectives of their care.ConclusionThe portal illuminated new methods for the integration of patient-centered measurement in team-based care. The first three proposed patient-centered measurement methods provides ways to assess how a clinic can incorporate patient-centered measurement methods into team-based care. The latter two methods focus on the aim of patient-generated data in which patient's values and perspectives are represented and quality of patient-centered care can be evaluated. Further testing is needed to assess the utility of these patient-centered measurement methods across different clinical settings and domains.
Project description:Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a very large (thousands of chemicals) category; these substances have important industrial and consumer product applications. PFAS are highly persistent in the environment, and some are known to pose human health hazard. Regulatory agencies worldwide are considering restrictions and outright bans of PFAS; however, little data exists to make informed decisions. Therefore, a prioritization strategy is urgently needed for evaluation of potential hazards of PFAS. Structure-based grouping could expedite selection of PFAS for testing; still, the hypothesis that structure-effect relationships exist requires confirmation. We tested 26 structurally diverse PFAS from 8 groups in two human cell types from organs that are thought to be targets for PFAS. We used human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes and tested concentration-response effects on both cell function and gene expression. Few phenotypic effects were observed in hepatocytes, but negative chronotropy was observed for 8 of 26 PFAS. Substance- and cell-dependent transcriptomic changes were more pronounced; however, little evidence of group-specific effects was observed. In hepatocytes, we found up-regulation of stress-related and extracellular matrix organization pathways, and down-regulation of fat metabolism. In cardiomyocytes, contractility-related pathways were most affected. Using these data, we derived phenotypic and transcriptomic point of departure estimates and compared them to predicted PFAS exposures. The conservative estimates for bioactivity and exposure were used to derive margin-of-exposure (MOE) for each PFAS. We found that most (23 of 26) PFAS had MOE>1. Overall, our data suggests that chemical structure-based grouping of PFAS may not be an appropriate strategy to predict their biological effects. This means that testing of the individual PFAS would be needed for confident decision-making. Our proposed strategy of using two human cell types and considering both phenotypic and transcriptomic effects, combined with dose-response analysis, may be used for prioritization of PFAS.
Project description:Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are a very large (thousands of chemicals) category; these substances have important industrial and consumer product applications. PFAS are highly persistent in the environment, and some are known to pose human health hazard. Regulatory agencies worldwide are considering restrictions and outright bans of PFAS; however, little data exists to make informed decisions. Therefore, a prioritization strategy is urgently needed for evaluation of potential hazards of PFAS. Structure-based grouping could expedite selection of PFAS for testing; still, the hypothesis that structure-effect relationships exist requires confirmation. We tested 26 structurally diverse PFAS from 8 groups in two human cell types from organs that are thought to be targets for PFAS. We used human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived hepatocytes and cardiomyocytes and tested concentration-response effects on both cell function and gene expression. Few phenotypic effects were observed in hepatocytes, but negative chronotropy was observed for 8 of 26 PFAS. Substance- and cell-dependent transcriptomic changes were more pronounced; however, little evidence of group-specific effects was observed. In hepatocytes, we found up-regulation of stress-related and extracellular matrix organization pathways, and down-regulation of fat metabolism. In cardiomyocytes, contractility-related pathways were most affected. Using these data, we derived phenotypic and transcriptomic point of departure estimates and compared them to predicted PFAS exposures. The conservative estimates for bioactivity and exposure were used to derive margin-of-exposure (MOE) for each PFAS. We found that most (23 of 26) PFAS had MOE>1. Overall, our data suggests that chemical structure-based grouping of PFAS may not be an appropriate strategy to predict their biological effects. This means that testing of the individual PFAS would be needed for confident decision-making. Our proposed strategy of using two human cell types and considering both phenotypic and transcriptomic effects, combined with dose-response analysis, may be used for prioritization of PFAS.
Project description:BackgroundPolypharmacy can be either beneficial or harmful to children. We conducted a scoping review to examine the concept of pediatric polypharmacy: its definition, prevalence, extent and gaps in research. In this manuscript, we report our transdisciplinary scoping review methodology.MethodsAfter establishing a transdisciplinary team, we iteratively developed standard operating procedures for the study's search strategy, inclusion/exclusion criteria, screening, and data extraction. We searched eight bibliographic databases, screened abstracts and full text articles, and extracted data from included studies using standardized forms. We held regular team meetings and performed ongoing internal validity measurements to maintain consistent and quality outputs.ResultsWith the aid of EPPI Reviewer collaborative software, our transdisciplinary team of nine members performed dual reviews of 363 included studies after dual screening of 4398 abstracts and 1082 full text articles. We achieved overall agreement of 85% and a kappa coefficient of 0.71 (95% CI 0.68-0.74) while screening full text articles. The screening and review processes required about seven hours per extracted study. The two pharmacists, an epidemiologist, a neurologist, and a librarian on the review team provided internal consultation in these key disciplines. A stakeholder group of 10 members with expertise in evidence synthesis, research implementation, pediatrics, mental health, epilepsy, pharmacoepidemiology, and pharmaceutical outcomes were periodically consulted to further characterize pediatric polypharmacy.ConclusionsA transdisciplinary approach to scoping reviews, including internal and external consultation, should be considered when addressing complex cross-disciplinary questions.
Project description:Multidisciplinary team meetings are a current international practice in cancer care, but to date, few data exist on the specificity of its practice in hematology.In this manuscript, we present the result of the first national study, realized with quantitative and qualitative methods in France, which brings new insights in order to improve the collegial decision-making process.To improve the effectiveness of MDTMs, the needs to focus on complex cases, to enhance patient centeredness and teamwork are relevant aspects, and a specific focus on hematological particularities is warranted to truly improve process.Background Understanding the Multidisciplinary team meetings (MDTMs) process in different medical specialties facilitates the identification of core factors supporting effective MDTM work. Our mixed-methods study explores the participants' perceptions of hematology MDTMs.Design Online questionnaires collected data concerning the decision-making process, benefits and inconveniences of MDTMs for both patients and professionals. Semi-directive phone interviews were conducted and analyzed, thereby supplying qualitative data.Results A total of 205 professionals responded to the questionnaire and 22 participated in the qualitative interviews. The data indicate the unique characteristics of hematology, including a specific definition of collegiality, the frequent solicitation of expert advice and the anticipation of treatment even prior to the occurrence of MDTMs. Additional information concerning patients' wishes and psychosocial conditions are also needed. Participants emphasize the subjective aspects and the impact of the climate of MDTMs on medical decisions.Conclusion Although MDTMs are recognized to be a valuable tool, organizational and relational issues may interfere with their efficiency.To improve the effectiveness of MDTMs, the needs to focus on complex cases, to enhance patient centeredness and teamwork are relevant aspects. A specific focus on hematological particularities might be warranted to truly improve the collegial decision-making process in the context of hematology.
Project description:BackgroundOwing to the shortage of medical professionals, as well as demographic and structural challenges, new care models have emerged to find innovative solutions to counter medical undersupply. Team-based primary care using medical delegation appears to be a promising approach to address these challenges; however, it demands efficient communication structures and mechanisms to reinsure patients and caregivers receive a delegated, treatment-related task. Digital health care technologies hold the potential to render these novel processes effective and demand driven.ObjectiveThe goal of this study is to recreate the daily work routines of general practitioners (GPs) and medical assistants (MAs) to explore promising approaches for the digital moderation of delegation processes and to deepen the understanding of subjective and perceptual factors that influence their technology assessment and use.MethodsWe conducted a combination of 19 individual and group interviews with 12 GPs and 14 MAs, seeking to identify relevant technologies for delegation purposes as well as stakeholders' perceptions of their effectiveness. Furthermore, a web-based survey was conducted asking the interviewees to order identified technologies based on their assessed applicability in multi-actor patient care. Interview data were analyzed using a three-fold inductive coding procedure. Multidimensional scaling was applied to analyze and visualize the survey data, leading to a triangulation of the results.ResultsOur results suggest that digital mediation of delegation underlies complex, reciprocal processes and biases that need to be identified and analyzed to improve the development and distribution of innovative technologies and to improve our understanding of technology use in team-based primary care. Nevertheless, medical delegation enhanced by digital technologies, such as video consultations, portable electrocardiograms, or telemedical stethoscopes, can counteract current challenges in primary care because of its unique ability to ensure both personal, patient-centered care for patients and create efficient and needs-based treatment processes.ConclusionsTechnology-mediated delegation appears to be a promising approach to implement innovative, case-sensitive, and cost-effective ways to treat patients within the paradigm of primary care. The relevance of such innovative approaches increases with the tremendous need for differentiated and effective care, such as during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. For the successful and sustainable adoption of innovative technologies, MAs represent essential team members. In their role as mediators between GPs and patients, MAs are potentially able to counteract patients' resistance toward using innovative technology and compensate for patients' limited access to technology and care facilities.