Engaging patients to be involved in their own health has been a challenge as well as a focus in the health
care industry. A patient portal is essentially a personal health record that is housed within a providers’
EHR. Once patients have enrolled in the portal they can access it as long as they have internet just as they
would a secure website. This study aims to identify the best way to market a patient portal in order to
educate patients that one is available for patients to use.
Improving the Patient Experience with HIT WebcastIatric Systems
Learn how to improve patient experience, weave patient-facing HIT and engagement protocols into your plans, and create a roadmap to improve patient care.
Improving the Patient Experience with HIT WebcastIatric Systems
Learn how to improve patient experience, weave patient-facing HIT and engagement protocols into your plans, and create a roadmap to improve patient care.
Implement a Direct-to-Patient Approach to Increase Patient Engagement and Ret...John Reites
Article by MM&M (Medical, Marketing & Media) on 25 Mar 2015 with John Reites discussing direct-to-patient approaches to conduct innovation research models that increase engagement and retention.
Weblink: http://www.mmm-online.com/pharmaceutical/implement-a-direct-to-patient-approach-to-increase-patient-engagement-and-retention/article/405443/
How to Reduce Readmissions by Changing Patient EducationChuck Jones
The challenge is no longer finding the perfect medication but rather convincing the patient to take their medication as prescribed. It's no longer providing discharge instructions but educating the patient so they understand the need to follow through on behavior change to avoid repeating habits that brought them to the hospital in the first place.
How can hospitalist programs manage the ongoing shift to value-based care, along with operating costs and the challenges of managing, recruiting and retaining high-quality physicians? Read the report to find out.
Module 1 of the Oral Health Tutorial, a production of UT HSC Libraries.
This module focuses on public health dentistry. View this tutorial to learn how to define public health dentistry and to identify professional resources to help stay informed of developments in public health dentistry.
This tutorial is copyright Lara Sapp and Julie Gaines.
Patient Data Collection Methods. Retrospective Insights.QUESTJOURNAL
Introduction: Multiple classic and modern data collection techniques are presented in the current paper, but only a mix of them provides the appropriate approach to address patient safety problems. The current study aims to reveal the data collection methods applied worldwide. Materials and Methods: All scientific sources of the current article were identified mainly by research on Internet. The matching words used in the search of materials are “data collection methods”, “hospital reporting systems”, “incident reporting systems”, “patient events”, “patient reported data”. Relevant articles and studies covering the 2003-2016 timeframe were selected as a reference. Results: Various data collection procedures are available worldwide. During several years of research, it was concluded that a significant number of patient studies use the following patient data collection methods: retrospective record review, record review of current inpatients, staff interview of current inpatients and nominal group technique based consensus method. Conclusion: New trends in data collection techniques are also discussed, as they reveal the potential of the electronic environment. Future insights on this topic should consider the standardization of different data collection methods in order to improve data comparability aspects.
Towards EHR Interoperability in Tanzania Hospitals : Issues, Challenges and O...IJCSEA Journal
This study aimed at identifying the issue, challenges and opportunities from the health consumers in Tanzania towards interoperability of electronic health records. Reaching that level of seamless data sharing among Hospitals needs the cooperation of all stakeholders especially the health consumer whose data are the ones to be shared. Without their acceptance that means there is nothing to share. Recognizing that we conducted a study in Tanzania to identify the challenges, issues and opportunities towards health information exchange through interoperable EHRs. The study was conducted in three major cities of Tanzania to identify the security, privacy and confidentiality issues of information sharing together with related challenges to data sharing. This was in order to come up with a clear picture of how to implement some EHRs that will be trusted by health consumers. The participants (n=240) were surveyed on computer usage, EHRs knowledge, demographics, security and privacy issues. A total of 200 surveys were completed and returned (83.3% response rate). Among them 67.5% were women, 62.6% had not heard of EHRs, 73% were highly concerned about the privacy and security of their information. 75% believed that introduction of various security mechanisms will make EHRs more secure and thus better. We conducted a number of chi-square tests (p<0.05) and we realized that there was a strong relationship among the variable of age, computer use, EHRs knowledge and the concerns for privacy and security. The study also showed that there was just a small difference of 8.5% between those people who think EHRs are safer than paper records and those who think otherwise. The general observation of the study was that in order to make EHRs successful in our Hospitals then the issue of security, and health consumer involvement were they two key towards the road of successful EHRs in our hospitals practices and that will make consumers more willing to allow their records to be shared among different health organizations. So besides the issues identified, this study helped us to identify the key requirements which will be implemented in our proposed framework
The objective of our study is to focus on the basic concepts of the medical information systems used for the management of IT information taking place in a hospital center and to share the information in databases depending on its use [2]. Nowadays, many softwares exist for the management of information in a hospital. The professional applications are oriented towards invoicing and accounting, while our application focuses on the systems used in a hospital center such as system of medical services, accounting system, storage system, human resources system, and administrative system (Figure 1)... These systems are considered as subsystems which make up the global system [1]. Our hospital information system is based on different the subsystems for the management of: laboratory results, clinic, images, pharmalogical, and pathological results[8]... So, this rate of huge information must be handled by a database management system like SQL [4,5], and its concept must be detailed using a language like UML [6]. In addition, the graphical user interface (gui) [19] is essential to complete our work, by using the software Visual Basic [10, 11], in order to achieve our software the manipulation of data must have a calibration between the execution time and the amount of data storage[14,15,20]. Hence, the distribution of databases is done according to their rate of use is an encouraging solution
Implement a Direct-to-Patient Approach to Increase Patient Engagement and Ret...John Reites
Article by MM&M (Medical, Marketing & Media) on 25 Mar 2015 with John Reites discussing direct-to-patient approaches to conduct innovation research models that increase engagement and retention.
Weblink: http://www.mmm-online.com/pharmaceutical/implement-a-direct-to-patient-approach-to-increase-patient-engagement-and-retention/article/405443/
How to Reduce Readmissions by Changing Patient EducationChuck Jones
The challenge is no longer finding the perfect medication but rather convincing the patient to take their medication as prescribed. It's no longer providing discharge instructions but educating the patient so they understand the need to follow through on behavior change to avoid repeating habits that brought them to the hospital in the first place.
How can hospitalist programs manage the ongoing shift to value-based care, along with operating costs and the challenges of managing, recruiting and retaining high-quality physicians? Read the report to find out.
Module 1 of the Oral Health Tutorial, a production of UT HSC Libraries.
This module focuses on public health dentistry. View this tutorial to learn how to define public health dentistry and to identify professional resources to help stay informed of developments in public health dentistry.
This tutorial is copyright Lara Sapp and Julie Gaines.
Patient Data Collection Methods. Retrospective Insights.QUESTJOURNAL
Introduction: Multiple classic and modern data collection techniques are presented in the current paper, but only a mix of them provides the appropriate approach to address patient safety problems. The current study aims to reveal the data collection methods applied worldwide. Materials and Methods: All scientific sources of the current article were identified mainly by research on Internet. The matching words used in the search of materials are “data collection methods”, “hospital reporting systems”, “incident reporting systems”, “patient events”, “patient reported data”. Relevant articles and studies covering the 2003-2016 timeframe were selected as a reference. Results: Various data collection procedures are available worldwide. During several years of research, it was concluded that a significant number of patient studies use the following patient data collection methods: retrospective record review, record review of current inpatients, staff interview of current inpatients and nominal group technique based consensus method. Conclusion: New trends in data collection techniques are also discussed, as they reveal the potential of the electronic environment. Future insights on this topic should consider the standardization of different data collection methods in order to improve data comparability aspects.
Towards EHR Interoperability in Tanzania Hospitals : Issues, Challenges and O...IJCSEA Journal
This study aimed at identifying the issue, challenges and opportunities from the health consumers in Tanzania towards interoperability of electronic health records. Reaching that level of seamless data sharing among Hospitals needs the cooperation of all stakeholders especially the health consumer whose data are the ones to be shared. Without their acceptance that means there is nothing to share. Recognizing that we conducted a study in Tanzania to identify the challenges, issues and opportunities towards health information exchange through interoperable EHRs. The study was conducted in three major cities of Tanzania to identify the security, privacy and confidentiality issues of information sharing together with related challenges to data sharing. This was in order to come up with a clear picture of how to implement some EHRs that will be trusted by health consumers. The participants (n=240) were surveyed on computer usage, EHRs knowledge, demographics, security and privacy issues. A total of 200 surveys were completed and returned (83.3% response rate). Among them 67.5% were women, 62.6% had not heard of EHRs, 73% were highly concerned about the privacy and security of their information. 75% believed that introduction of various security mechanisms will make EHRs more secure and thus better. We conducted a number of chi-square tests (p<0.05) and we realized that there was a strong relationship among the variable of age, computer use, EHRs knowledge and the concerns for privacy and security. The study also showed that there was just a small difference of 8.5% between those people who think EHRs are safer than paper records and those who think otherwise. The general observation of the study was that in order to make EHRs successful in our Hospitals then the issue of security, and health consumer involvement were they two key towards the road of successful EHRs in our hospitals practices and that will make consumers more willing to allow their records to be shared among different health organizations. So besides the issues identified, this study helped us to identify the key requirements which will be implemented in our proposed framework
The objective of our study is to focus on the basic concepts of the medical information systems used for the management of IT information taking place in a hospital center and to share the information in databases depending on its use [2]. Nowadays, many softwares exist for the management of information in a hospital. The professional applications are oriented towards invoicing and accounting, while our application focuses on the systems used in a hospital center such as system of medical services, accounting system, storage system, human resources system, and administrative system (Figure 1)... These systems are considered as subsystems which make up the global system [1]. Our hospital information system is based on different the subsystems for the management of: laboratory results, clinic, images, pharmalogical, and pathological results[8]... So, this rate of huge information must be handled by a database management system like SQL [4,5], and its concept must be detailed using a language like UML [6]. In addition, the graphical user interface (gui) [19] is essential to complete our work, by using the software Visual Basic [10, 11], in order to achieve our software the manipulation of data must have a calibration between the execution time and the amount of data storage[14,15,20]. Hence, the distribution of databases is done according to their rate of use is an encouraging solution
Public Libraries News: How to produce a specialist news site in 2014Public Libraries News
Public Libraries News has become a key resource for those learning about the sector. This presentation shows how it uses Wordpress, Twitter, Facebook and Pinterest in varying ways to boost the message. It also looks at the strategy behind "PLN" including neutrality and news gathering.
This presentation is the basis for my talk to the Oxford University Press Advisory Council on Libraries, June 2014.
This beginner's guide is packed with tools and techniques to show you who is on your website and what their needs are. Fully armed, you'll be able to design and write a website that addresses them head on.
Patient Engagement is growing in importance as consumer expectations of healthcare providers change and as portals and other technologies improve. Early studies show affects on outcomes for patient engagement technologies
Patient Engagement in Healthcare Improves Health and Reduces CostsM2SYS Technology
It’s been said that patient engagement develops naturally when there is a regular, focused communication between patient and provider and it leads to behaviors that meet or more closely approach treatment guidelines. It is also believed that patients engaged in their own care make fewer demands on the health care system and more importantly, they experience improved health. Patients who are educated about both their condition and their care are also patients who are most likely to get and stay healthy. In fact, many believe that empowering patients to actively process information, decide how that information fits into their lives, and act on those decisions is a key driver to improving care and reducing costs.
Research shows that informed and engaged patients take a more active role in their own care and furthermore, health care organizations are slowly discovering how patient engagement contributes to their financial and quality objectives. Patient engagement essentially revolves around the theory that if patients understand their condition, know the symptoms to watch for, know why they’re taking medication for example and how to implement the necessary lifestyle changes, the chances of them getting and staying healthy are significantly improved and when you proactively engage patients in their care, the quality of that care improves.
Listen in to our latest podcast with Brad Tritle, Director of Business Development for Vitaphone Health Solutions, chair of the HIMSS Social Media Task Force and contributing editor of the HIMSS book Engage! Transforming Healthcare through Digital Patient Engagement as we discuss the current state of patient engagement in healthcare, how it is defined, whether it really does have a significant impact on improving health and reducing the cost of care, what engagement initiatives are providers using and what the future of patient engagement may look like.
Protocols and Evidence based Healthcare: information technology tools to support best practices in health care, information technology tools that inform and empower patients.
Loyalty is won by defining and delivering exceptional experiences. Whether its patients, volunteers or physicians, the ways an organization meets emotional and functional needs drives advocacy. Our experience mapping approach has been used by healthcare organizations such as Texas Children’s Hospital, Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin and M.D. Anderson Cancer Center to develop a better understanding of the experiences they deliver — and to grow
smarter from it.
Low Functional health literacy is a problem affecting 90 million residents of the United States. Among the 90 million, 36% are adults who have “below basic” health literacy skills. Assessing health literacy is important in improving health behaviors, health outcomes, and perceived communication barriers related to health. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act enacted in 2010 brought about changes that demand a more coordinated approach to manage health care services. This research focused on the efforts being made to promote health literacy at Medicaid health homes such as Greater Buffalo United Accountable Healthcare Network (GBUAHN). This research consisted of observation of Patient Health Navigator interactions with patients in order to identify best practices of health literacy initiatives within GBUAHN. Results suggest best practices include promoting and establishing relationship to effectively enhance patients understanding of all their healthcare needs. This study suggests that GBUAHN should continue making use of recommendations related health literacy promotion while exploring areas of improvement as noted on scorecard. Patient Health Navigators are engaging patient in manner that will establish adherence within patients.
5 annotated bibliographies #1 As much as we try to preve.docxtroutmanboris
5 annotated bibliographies
#1
As much as we try to prevent them, medication errors happen everyday. It is especially
common in skilled nursing facilities because many of them still use paper charts for
medication administration or documentation and do not have access to the newer
technology that other medical facilities do.
According to a study performed in 2014, medication distribution technology has been
proven to be effective in automatically detecting medication errors so that nurses can
have more of an opportunity to focus on their patients. Working on a long-term care unit,
most of my time is spent passing medications and doing treatments since I have 19
residents to tend to. Depending on how “smooth” the night goes, I sometimes do not get
a chance to spend that extra time with my residents as I would like to. This medication
distribution technology includes a mobile medication dispensing cart for long-term care
units. The medications would be pre-packed for each patient by the pharmacy and able
to be dispensed when needed. This would allow nurses to provide more one-on-one
time with their patients while also increasing the prevention of medication errors. It also
will help to lighten the nurses’ workload. Research shows that these mobile medication
cart have been successful. Medication error rates decreased from 2.9% to 0.6% (Baril,
Gascon & Brouillette, 2014).
Reference
Baril, C., Gascon, V., & Brouillette, C. (2014). Impact of technological innovation on a
nursing home performance and on the medication-use process safety. Journal of
Medical Systems, 38(3), 1–12. https://library.neit.edu:2404/10.1007/s10916-014-0022-4
#2
Adverse drug effects due to medication errors are estimated to cost the United States
$2 billion every year. After reviewing patient reports and reviewing charts, it was
discovered that 44% of these occur after the prescription was written. These errors were
found to be from registered nurses, licensed practical nurses and pharmacy technicians.
Therefore, the problem comes from administration of the medication. However, these
numbers only account for the errors that are actually reported. It is the more serious and
harmful errors that are recorded, probably because they are harder to hide. The Health
Care Finance Administration of the United States made it standard for hospitals and
skilled nursing facilities to have no more than 5% of medication error rates a year.
In a study conducted in 2014, researchers decided to put a hold on reviewing incident
reports and patient charts. Instead, they decided to directly observe medication
administration over 20 different hospitals or skilled nursing facilities. Other methods
included: attending medical rounds to see if a medication error had occurred,
interviewing health care workers to see if they would report anything, testing patients
urine to see if they had any unauthorized medications in their system, and comparing .
Tom Deblanco: maximising patient engagementNuffield Trust
Tom Delbanco, MD, MACP and Koplow–Tullis, Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School present on maximising patient engagement through health information technology.
Healthcare Communications Study Among Physicians: Medical Monitor 2013Joshua Spiegel
Where do physicians get their information? What’s the best way to reach these important healthcare stakeholders? Find out with our Physician Healthcare Communications report.
The Anotated bilography should look like this Social1) S.docxmattinsonjanel
The Anotated bilography should look like this:
Social:
1) Strachan, Juliet, and Vincent Pavie-Latour. "Food for Thought." International Journal of Market Research 50.01 (2008): 13-27. Print. Since a long time, people argued wither to concentrate advertisements on children and youth. Children an Youth are our society while the advertisement is one of the important tool to make marketing. We have to care about our generations and not to stop making business. Here is an article supporting my idea.
2) Gbadamosi, Ayantunji, Robert E. Hinson, Eddy K. Tukamushaba, and Irene Ingunjiri. "Children’s Attitudinal Reactions to TV Advertisements." International Journal of Market Research 54.4 (2012): 543+. Print. It's a study has been done on African Children to figure how they behave and thier reactions. The study provede that kids have point in thier mantelaty they can analysis and get feedback from them.Its case of study helps me in certain way.
3)
4)
5)
Economics:
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
Politics:
1)
Quinlan, Mark. "Thousands Could Lose Internet Access July 9 Due to Virus." CNBC News (2012): n. pag. CBCnews. CBC/Radio Canada, 04 July 2012. Web. 05 Aug. 2014. Lot of information about internet and how to secure our children from the abusers. It helps me in statistics and ways to be awareness and useful methods to use.
2)
Messmer, Ellen. "The Worst Data Breach Incidents of 2012 – So Far." The Worst Data Breach Incidents of 2012 – So Far. N.p., 18 June 2012. Web. 30 July 2014. Its related to my article by the statistics it has.
3)
Author is trying to explain how can we afford the safe environment to Internet to kids with all support ways to improve the kids' skills. In Europe, governments are supporting the childhood privacy in more secure sites. "Particular attention will be paid to soft law adopted in the UK and in France." Its such an awesome source taking about law in our case of study.
4)
5)
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ewu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=13c127bb-2ef4-4388-bde6-190c2cd83e35%40sessionmgr4004&vid=2&hid=4214&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=bth&AN=37362616
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ewu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=84b2632c-da79-4031-8c5a-a932a345513b%40sessionmgr4004&vid=0&hid=4214&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=bth&AN=78072523
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ewu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?sid=be241d5d-6c48-4a67-8550-87ee54dc1e6f%40sessionmgr4001&vid=0&hid=4214&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=bth&AN=96330681
http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.library.ewu.edu/ehost/detail/detail?vid=8&sid=a5068c93-d46a-4f6c-ae99-dfe9e542cf0d%40sessionmgr4001&hid=4214&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZSZzY29wZT1zaXRl#db=bth&AN=27996445
He used the following resources: (you may use the first one and what you see as it works well with the essay)
Some sorces and links that needed in the annotated bibliography
In Defense of Data (2013) ‘Data Breach tre ...
Similar to EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT TYPES OF PATIENT PORTAL EDUCATION EFFORTS (20)
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
HEALTH DISPARITIES: DIFFERENCES IN VETERAN AND NON-VETERAN POPULATIONS USING ...hiij
Introduction: This study investigated self-reported health status, health screenings, vision problems, and
vaccination rates among veteran and non-veteran groups to uncover health disparities that are critical for
informed health system planning for veteran populations.
Methods: Using public-use data from the National Health Interview Survey (2015-2018), this study adopts
an ecologic cross-sectional approach to conduct an in-depth analysis and visualization of the data assisted
by Generative AI, specifically ChatGPT-4. This integration of advanced AI tools with traditional
epidemiological principles enables systematic data management, analysis, and visualization, offering a
nuanced understanding of health dynamics across demographic segments and highlighting disparities
essential for veteran health system planning.
Findings: Disparities in self-reports of health outcomes, health screenings, vision problems, and
vaccination rates were identified, emphasizing the need for targeted interventions and policy adjustments.
Conclusion: Insights from this study could inform health system planning, using epidemiological data
assessment to suggest enhancements for veteran healthcare delivery. These findings highlight the value of
integrating Generative AI with epidemiological analysis in shaping public health policy and health
planning.
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
BRIEF COMMENTARY: USING A LOGIC MODEL TO INTEGRATE PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATICS ...hiij
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a watershed moment in public health surveillance, highlighting the
crucial role of data-driven insights in informing health actions and policies. Revisiting key concepts—
public health, epidemiology in public health practice, public health surveillance, and public health
informatics—lays the foundation for understanding how these elements converge to create a robust public
health surveillance system framework. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, this integration was
exemplified by the WHO efforts in data dissemination and the subsequent global response. The role of
public health informatics emerged as instrumental in this context, enhancing data collection, management,
analysis, interpretation, and dissemination processes. A logic model for public health surveillance systems
encapsulates the integration of these concepts. It outlines the inputs and outcomes and emphasizes the
crucial actions and resources for effective system operation, including the imperative of training and
capacity development.
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
AUTOMATIC AND NON-INVASIVE CONTINUOUS GLUCOSE MONITORING IN PAEDIATRIC PATIENTShiij
Glycated haemoglobin does not allow you to highlight the effects that food choices, physical activity and
medications have on your glycaemic control day by day. The best way to monitor and keep track of the
immediate effects that these have on your blood sugar levels is self-monitoring, therefore the use of a
glucometer. Thanks to this tool you have the possibility to promptly receive information that helps you to
intervene in the most appropriate way, bringing or keeping your blood sugar levels as close as possible to
the reference values indicated by your doctor. Currently, blood glucose meters are used to measure and
control blood glucose. Diabetes is a fairly complex disease and it is important for those who suffer from it
to check their blood sugar (blood sugar) periodically throughout the day to prevent dangerous
complications. Many children newly diagnosed with diabetes and their families may face unique challenges
when dealing with the everyday management of diabetes, including treatments, adapting to dietary
changes, and the routine monitoring of blood glucose. Many questions may also arise when selecting a
blood glucose meter for paediatric patients. With current blood glucose meters, even with multiple daily
self-tests, high and low blood glucose levels may not be detected. Key factors that may be considered when
selecting a meter include accuracy of the meter; size of the meter; small sample size required for testing;
ease of use and easy-to-follow testing procedure; ability for alternate testing sites; quick testing time and
availability of results; ease of portability to allow testing at school and during leisure time; easyto- read
numbers on display; memory options; cost of meter and supplies. In this study we will show a new
automatic portable, non-invasive device and painless for the daily continuous monitoring (24 hours a day)
of blood glucose in paediatric patients.
INTEGRATING MACHINE LEARNING IN CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMShiij
This review article examines the role of machine learning (ML) in enhancing Clinical Decision Support
Systems (CDSSs) within the modern healthcare landscape. Focusing on the integration of various ML
algorithms, such as regression, random forest, and neural networks, the review aims to showcase their
potential in advancing patient care. A rapid review methodology was utilized, involving a survey of recent
articles from PubMed and Google Scholar on ML applications in healthcare. Key findings include the
demonstration of ML's predictive power in patient outcomes, its ability to augment clinician knowledge,
and the effectiveness of ensemble algorithmic approaches. The review highlights specific applications of
diverse ML models, including moment kernel machines in predicting surgical outcomes, k-means clustering
in simplifying disease phenotypes, and extreme gradient boosting in estimating injury risk. Emphasizing
the potential of ML to tackle current healthcare challenges, the article highlights the critical role of ML in
evolving CDSSs for improved clinical decision-making and patient care. This comprehensive review also
addresses the challenges and limitations of integrating ML into healthcare systems, advocating for a
collaborative approach to refine these systems for safety, efficacy, and equity.
BRIEF COMMENTARY: USING A LOGIC MODEL TO INTEGRATE PUBLIC HEALTH INFORMATICS ...hiij
The COVID-19 pandemic has been a watershed moment in public health surveillance, highlighting the
crucial role of data-driven insights in informing health actions and policies. Revisiting key concepts—
public health, epidemiology in public health practice, public health surveillance, and public health
informatics—lays the foundation for understanding how these elements converge to create a robust public
health surveillance system framework. Especially during the COVID-19 pandemic, this integration was
exemplified by the WHO efforts in data dissemination and the subsequent global response. The role of
public health informatics emerged as instrumental in this context, enhancing data collection, management,
analysis, interpretation, and dissemination processes. A logic model for public health surveillance systems
encapsulates the integration of these concepts. It outlines the inputs and outcomes and emphasizes the
crucial actions and resources for effective system operation, including the imperative of training and
capacity development.
INTEGRATING MACHINE LEARNING IN CLINICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEMShiij
This review article examines the role of machine learning (ML) in enhancing Clinical Decision Support
Systems (CDSSs) within the modern healthcare landscape. Focusing on the integration of various ML
algorithms, such as regression, random forest, and neural networks, the review aims to showcase their
potential in advancing patient care. A rapid review methodology was utilized, involving a survey of recent
articles from PubMed and Google Scholar on ML applications in healthcare. Key findings include the
demonstration of ML's predictive power in patient outcomes, its ability to augment clinician knowledge,
and the effectiveness of ensemble algorithmic approaches. The review highlights specific applications of
diverse ML models, including moment kernel machines in predicting surgical outcomes, k-means clustering
in simplifying disease phenotypes, and extreme gradient boosting in estimating injury risk. Emphasizing
the potential of ML to tackle current healthcare challenges, the article highlights the critical role of ML in
evolving CDSSs for improved clinical decision-making and patient care. This comprehensive review also
addresses the challenges and limitations of integrating ML into healthcare systems, advocating for a
collaborative approach to refine these systems for safety, efficacy, and equity.
Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ)hiij
Healthcare Informatics: An International Journal is a quarterly open access peer-reviewed journal that Publishes articles which contribute new results in all areas of the health care.
The journal focuses on all of aspect in theory, practices, and applications of Digital Health Records, Knowledge Engineering in Health, E-Health Information, and Information Management in healthcare, Bio-Medical Expert Systems, ICT in health promotion and related topics. Original contributions are solicited on topics covered under the broad areas such as (but not limited to) listed below:
The Proposed Guidelines for Cloud Computing Migration for South African Rural...hiij
It is now overdue for the hospitals in South African rural areas to implement cloud computing technologies in order to access patient data quickly in an emergency. Sometimes medical practitioners take time to attend patients due to the unavailability of kept records, leading to either a loss of time or the reassembling of processes to recapture lost patient files. However, there are few studies that highlight challenges faced by rural hospitals but they do not recommend strategies on how they can migrate to cloud computing. The purpose of this paper was to review recent papers about the critical factors that influence South African hospitals in adopting cloud computing. The contribution of the study is to lay out the importance of cloud computing in the health sectors and to suggest guidelines that South African rural hospitals can follow in order to successfully relocate into cloud computing.The existing literature revealed that Hospitals may enhance their record-keeping procedures and conduct business more effectively with the help of the cloud computing. In conclusion, if hospitals in South African rural areas is to fully benefit from cloud-based records management systems, challenges relating to data storage, privacy, security, and the digital divide must be overcome.
SUPPORTING LARGE-SCALE NUTRITION ANALYSIS BASED ON DIETARY SURVEY DATAhiij
While online survey systems facilitate the collection on copious records on diet, exercise and other healthrelated data, scientists and other public health experts typically must download data from those systems
into external tools for conducting statistical analyses. A more convenient approach would enable
researchers to perform analyses online, without the need to coordinate additional analysis tools. This
paper presents a system illustrating such an approach, using as a testbed the WAVE project, which is a 5-
year childhood obesity prevention initiative being conducted at Oregon State University by health scientists
utilizing a web application called WavePipe. This web application has enabled health scientists to create
studies, enrol subjects, collect physical activity data, and collect nutritional data through online surveys.
This paper presents a new sub-system that enables health scientists to analyse and visualize nutritional
profiles based on large quantities of 24-hour dietary recall records for sub-groups of study subjects over
any desired period of time. In addition, the sub-system enables scientists to enter new food information
from food composition databases to build a comprehensive food profile. Interview feedback from novice
health science researchers using the new functionality indicated that it provided a usable interface and
generated high receptiveness to using the system in practice.
AN EHEALTH ADOPTION FRAMEWORK FOR DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEWhiij
#Health #clinic #education #StaySafe #pharmacy #healthylifestyle
call for papers..!
-----------------------------
Health Informatics: An International Journal (HIIJ)
ISSN : 2319 - 2046 (Online); 2319 - 3190 (Print)
Here's where you can reach us : hiij@aircconline.com
visit us on : https://airccse.org/journal/hiij/index.html
**************
published articles..!
AN EHEALTH ADOPTION FRAMEWORK FOR
DEVELOPING COUNTRIES: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
https://aircconline.com/hiij/V10N3/10321hiij01.pdf
GENDER DISPARITYOF TUBERCULOSISBURDENIN LOW-AND MIDDLE-INCOME COUNTRIES: A SY...hiij
The tuberculosis burden is higher in the population from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) and
differently affects gender. This review explored risk factors that determine gender disparity in tuberculosis
in LMICs. The research design was a systematic review. Three databases; Google Scholar, PubMed, and
HINARI provided 69 eligible papers.The synthesized data were coded, grouped and written in a descriptive
narrative style. HIV-TB co-infected women had a higher risk of mortality than TB-HIV-infected men. The
risk of Vitamin-D deficiency-induced tuberculosis was higher in women than in men. Lymph node TB,
breast TB, and cutaneous and abdominal TB occurred commonly in women whereas pleuritis, miliary TB,
meningeal TB, pleural TB and bone and joint TB were common in men. Employed men had higher contact
with tuberculosis patients and an increased chance of getting the disease. Migrant women were more likely
to develop tuberculosis than migrant men. The TB programmers and policymakers should balance the
different gaps of gender in TB-related activities and consider more appropriate approaches to be genderbased and have equal access to every TB-associated healthcare.
BRIEF COMMUNICATIONS DATA HYGIENE: IMPORTANT STEP IN DECISIONMAKING WITH IMPL...hiij
Medical and health data that have been entered into an electronic data system in real-time cannot be
assumed to be accurate and of high quality without verification. The adoption of the electronic health
record (EHR) by many countries to the support care and treatment of patients illustrates the importance of
high quality data that can be shared for efficient patient care and the operation of healthcare systems.
This brief communication provides a high-level overview of an EHR system and practices related to high
data quality and data hygiene that could contribute to the analysis and interpretation of EHR data for use
in patient care and healthcare system administration.
The Art of the Pitch: WordPress Relationships and SalesLaura Byrne
Clients don’t know what they don’t know. What web solutions are right for them? How does WordPress come into the picture? How do you make sure you understand scope and timeline? What do you do if sometime changes?
All these questions and more will be explored as we talk about matching clients’ needs with what your agency offers without pulling teeth or pulling your hair out. Practical tips, and strategies for successful relationship building that leads to closing the deal.
DevOps and Testing slides at DASA ConnectKari Kakkonen
My and Rik Marselis slides at 30.5.2024 DASA Connect conference. We discuss about what is testing, then what is agile testing and finally what is Testing in DevOps. Finally we had lovely workshop with the participants trying to find out different ways to think about quality and testing in different parts of the DevOps infinity loop.
Generating a custom Ruby SDK for your web service or Rails API using Smithyg2nightmarescribd
Have you ever wanted a Ruby client API to communicate with your web service? Smithy is a protocol-agnostic language for defining services and SDKs. Smithy Ruby is an implementation of Smithy that generates a Ruby SDK using a Smithy model. In this talk, we will explore Smithy and Smithy Ruby to learn how to generate custom feature-rich SDKs that can communicate with any web service, such as a Rails JSON API.
Kubernetes & AI - Beauty and the Beast !?! @KCD Istanbul 2024Tobias Schneck
As AI technology is pushing into IT I was wondering myself, as an “infrastructure container kubernetes guy”, how get this fancy AI technology get managed from an infrastructure operational view? Is it possible to apply our lovely cloud native principals as well? What benefit’s both technologies could bring to each other?
Let me take this questions and provide you a short journey through existing deployment models and use cases for AI software. On practical examples, we discuss what cloud/on-premise strategy we may need for applying it to our own infrastructure to get it to work from an enterprise perspective. I want to give an overview about infrastructure requirements and technologies, what could be beneficial or limiting your AI use cases in an enterprise environment. An interactive Demo will give you some insides, what approaches I got already working for real.
Software Delivery At the Speed of AI: Inflectra Invests In AI-Powered QualityInflectra
In this insightful webinar, Inflectra explores how artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming software development and testing. Discover how AI-powered tools are revolutionizing every stage of the software development lifecycle (SDLC), from design and prototyping to testing, deployment, and monitoring.
Learn about:
• The Future of Testing: How AI is shifting testing towards verification, analysis, and higher-level skills, while reducing repetitive tasks.
• Test Automation: How AI-powered test case generation, optimization, and self-healing tests are making testing more efficient and effective.
• Visual Testing: Explore the emerging capabilities of AI in visual testing and how it's set to revolutionize UI verification.
• Inflectra's AI Solutions: See demonstrations of Inflectra's cutting-edge AI tools like the ChatGPT plugin and Azure Open AI platform, designed to streamline your testing process.
Whether you're a developer, tester, or QA professional, this webinar will give you valuable insights into how AI is shaping the future of software delivery.
Epistemic Interaction - tuning interfaces to provide information for AI supportAlan Dix
Paper presented at SYNERGY workshop at AVI 2024, Genoa, Italy. 3rd June 2024
https://alandix.com/academic/papers/synergy2024-epistemic/
As machine learning integrates deeper into human-computer interactions, the concept of epistemic interaction emerges, aiming to refine these interactions to enhance system adaptability. This approach encourages minor, intentional adjustments in user behaviour to enrich the data available for system learning. This paper introduces epistemic interaction within the context of human-system communication, illustrating how deliberate interaction design can improve system understanding and adaptation. Through concrete examples, we demonstrate the potential of epistemic interaction to significantly advance human-computer interaction by leveraging intuitive human communication strategies to inform system design and functionality, offering a novel pathway for enriching user-system engagements.
Dev Dives: Train smarter, not harder – active learning and UiPath LLMs for do...UiPathCommunity
💥 Speed, accuracy, and scaling – discover the superpowers of GenAI in action with UiPath Document Understanding and Communications Mining™:
See how to accelerate model training and optimize model performance with active learning
Learn about the latest enhancements to out-of-the-box document processing – with little to no training required
Get an exclusive demo of the new family of UiPath LLMs – GenAI models specialized for processing different types of documents and messages
This is a hands-on session specifically designed for automation developers and AI enthusiasts seeking to enhance their knowledge in leveraging the latest intelligent document processing capabilities offered by UiPath.
Speakers:
👨🏫 Andras Palfi, Senior Product Manager, UiPath
👩🏫 Lenka Dulovicova, Product Program Manager, UiPath
GraphRAG is All You need? LLM & Knowledge GraphGuy Korland
Guy Korland, CEO and Co-founder of FalkorDB, will review two articles on the integration of language models with knowledge graphs.
1. Unifying Large Language Models and Knowledge Graphs: A Roadmap.
https://arxiv.org/abs/2306.08302
2. Microsoft Research's GraphRAG paper and a review paper on various uses of knowledge graphs:
https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/research/blog/graphrag-unlocking-llm-discovery-on-narrative-private-data/
Elevating Tactical DDD Patterns Through Object CalisthenicsDorra BARTAGUIZ
After immersing yourself in the blue book and its red counterpart, attending DDD-focused conferences, and applying tactical patterns, you're left with a crucial question: How do I ensure my design is effective? Tactical patterns within Domain-Driven Design (DDD) serve as guiding principles for creating clear and manageable domain models. However, achieving success with these patterns requires additional guidance. Interestingly, we've observed that a set of constraints initially designed for training purposes remarkably aligns with effective pattern implementation, offering a more ‘mechanical’ approach. Let's explore together how Object Calisthenics can elevate the design of your tactical DDD patterns, offering concrete help for those venturing into DDD for the first time!
De-mystifying Zero to One: Design Informed Techniques for Greenfield Innovati...
EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT TYPES OF PATIENT PORTAL EDUCATION EFFORTS
1. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
DOI: 10.5121/hiij.2015.4401 1
EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF CURRENT TYPES
OF PATIENT PORTAL EDUCATION EFFORTS
Sajeesh Kumar and Jennifer L Cooper
Department of Health Informatics & Information Management, University of Tennessee
Health Science Center, Memphis, TN, USA
ABSTRACT
Engaging patients to be involved in their own health has been a challenge as well as a focus in the health
care industry. A patient portal is essentially a personal health record that is housed within a providers’
EHR. Once patients have enrolled in the portal they can access it as long as they have internet just as they
would a secure website. This study aims to identify the best way to market a patient portal in order to
educate patients that one is available for patients to use.
KEYWORDS
Personal health record, electronic health record, Meaningful Use, patient portal
1. INTRODUCTION
Engaging patients to be involved in their own health has been a challenge as well as a focus in the
health care industry. Patient engagement goes back to encouraging patients to keep track of their
records by creating a personal health record (PHR) via paper records that they would request
from their providers. As technology has progressed, secure websites have been created to track
and maintain this information in an electronic format. With Meaningful Use (MU), part of the
electronic health record (EHR) incentive program, the industry has taken patient engagement a
step further with the use of patient portals.
A patient portal is essentially a personal health record that is housed within a providers’ EHR.
Once patients have enrolled in the portal they can access it as long as they have internet just as
they would a secure website. For those eligible professionals (EPs) and eligible hospitals (EHs)
participating in MU, being able to provide patients access to a portal is a requirement that must be
met in order to receive any incentive payments.
HR Medical Center (HRMC), is participating in the EHR incentive program. They have been
successful in meeting the first stage of MU which partly required that they provide health
information electronically for at least fifty percent of patients discharged as an inpatient or from
the emergency department. Having met attestation for this stage, they can proceed to attest for
MU stage two. Stage two requires that patients enroll in and use the patient portal within
HRMC's EHR. Efforts have been underway to encourage patients to enroll in the portal, but the
success rate has been minimal. To be successful in stage two, they must maintain a five percent
(5%) enrollment rate starting October 1, 2015 through September 30, 2016. It is vital that they
prepare now in order to meet this requirement.
As incentive programs become available to providers, they are being pushed to encourage their
patients to get involved in their care through the use of technology. The problem with this is that
trying to educate patients can be difficult when providers only have a limited time with them.
Not only this, but patients can be inundated with information that it becomes overwhelming to try
2. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
2
and remember one more thing. For the older population technology is not a priority. All they
want to know is what they need to do. They expect their provider to explain everything they need
to know and that be the end of it.
For HRMC the majority of their inpatient population are Medicare patients. This poses a
challenge on how to best educate patients on the existence of the patient portal, how to use it, and
the benefits patients can gain from having it available. If HRMC plans to successfully meet MU
stage two, they will have to determine the best way to educate their patients about the portal in
order to increase their enrollment rate to at least five percent (5%).
The purpose of this study is to identify the best way to market a patient portal in order to educate
patients that one is available for patients to use. As patients come to the hospital they are given
so much paper work that information can be missed by the patient, which could include
information about a portal. Is a paper instruction form enough, or do more measures need to be
taken to ensure that patients are aware of an existing portal in order to encourage them to enroll in
and use the portal? If this question can be answered, the idea is that there will be more people
enrolling in and using portals. This can also help answer other questions such as the type of
people using the portal and reasons why patients are not using the portal.
In reviewing literature, there have been many studies conducted on how patient portals can help
patients manage chronic illnesses when they are part of a disease group. There are also many
studies that explain both the benefits and barriers that patients face with portals. Some of the
outcomes of these studies have shown the different demographics of those that are and are not
enrolling in patient portals. However, there are very few studies that show a best practice for
educating patients about portals that result in more participation from patients. Having more
knowledge of what works best can help EPs and EHs across the country be successful in not only
meeting requirements for MU, but more importantly, getting patients involved in their own care.
The main research question for this study is what is the best format to educate patients that a
patient portal is available? Once this question can be answered, the ideal outcome would be an
increase in patients enrolling in portals. Another question to consider, specifically for HRMC, is
what is the current process for educating patients and is it working? Additional data can be
gathered such as barriers preventing patients enrolling in portals and if demographics (such as
gender and age) plays a role in enrolling. Recommendations to implement additional education
materials in order to continue to enroll patients in the portal can also be a result of this study.
2. METHOD
There were two parts to this project. The first involved the creation and implementation of
education materials with help from the marketing department at HRMC. Meetings were held
with this department to plan how to reach out to and educate patients about the portal. Prior to
this project the only form of education of the portal took place at discharge with a brief
explanation from the nurses about the portal and an instruction sheet on how to sign up and log
in. After meeting with marketing, the following are the education materials that were planned for
implementation:
1. Facebook advertisement (Figures 1 and 2)
2. Hospital website banner (Figure 3)
3. Direct mail
4. Email blast
3. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
3
Unfortunately, due to time constraints and the lack of information needed from other
departments, the direct mail and email blast approaches were not carried out.
The second part of this project involved an electronic survey (Figure 4). This was developed to
examine the effectiveness of the above patient portal education efforts as well as determine from
the patients what improvements can be made. With input from the patient portal committee, the
final survey included the following questions:
1. Identification of gender
2. Identification of age
3. Have you heard about MyHuntHealth, our patient portal?
4. Did you sign up for the portal upon hearing about it? If so, indicate how.
5. If you signed up for the portal, did you have any initial problems logging in? If so, please
describe the problem.
6. If you did not sign up for the portal, please indicate why you chose not to.
7. Is there a feature / function you would like to see in the portal such as scheduling,
integrated bills, physician messaging, etc? If so, please describe.
8. Do you have any suggestions on how we can better communicate with our patients the
existence and benefits of our patient portal?
Questions and rationale. The following includes more information regarding the survey questions
such as answer choices and the reason for the question.
Gender and age. Survey choices for gender were: Male or Female. Age was left open for the
patients to fill in their age. Rationale: The gender and age were captured to determine the
demographics of patients that have heard about the portal. This can later provide insight into
additional ways to market the portal to a particular group of people. Have you heard about,
our patient portal? Survey choices were: Yes or No. Rationale: This answers the question of
whether the patient heard about the portal or not.
Did you sign up for the portal upon hearing about it? If so, how? If the patient answered yes, the
survey choices were: a) Facebook advertisement; b) From the nurses at the time of discharge; c)
Hospital website banner; d) instruction sheet in the discharge packet (Figure 5); e) Word of
mouth; f) Other. Rationale: This answers the question of how the patient heard about the portal.
The options provided were current education efforts that were in place prior to the project as well
as those additional materials that were created.
If you signed up for the portal, did you have any initial problems logging in? If so, please explain
the issue. Survey choices were: Yes or No. Rationale: The patient portal committee was
interested in responses to this question in order to make any necessary improvements during the
log in process. They do not want patients to deter from signing up for the portal based on
technical difficulties.
If you did not sign up for the portal, please indicate why you chose not to. Survey choices were:
a) Disinterest; b) I rely on my doctor for this information; c) It is easier to request my medical
records and have them printed; d) Limited us of, or access to, a computer; e) Portal content is not
useful; f) Unaware of the existence of the portal; g) Other. Rationale: This information was
captured to determine what barriers are causing patients to not sign up for the portal.
Is there a feature / function you would like to see in the portal such as scheduling, integrated bills,
physician messaging, etc? If so, please describe. Survey choice: this was an open ended
4. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
4
question. Rationale: The patient portal committee wanted feedback from patients to see what else
could be added to the portal that they would find beneficial.
Do you have any suggestions on how we can better communicate with our patients the existence
and benefits of our patient portal? Survey choice: this was an open ended question. Rationale:
The patient portal committee wanted to learn from patients if there were additional ways they
could provide education about the portal to potentially try in the future in order to enroll more
patients.
Approval of the project came from the compliance committee. Those that represented this
committee included the Assistant Administrator, Director of Decision Support, and the HIPAA
Privacy Officer. They determined that the nature of the project was operational with marketing as
the means for completing the project. They were sent the survey questions for review and
approval. There were no concerns from a HIPAA perspective as far as a need for special consent.
Population and Sample Size
When the Medical Center attested to MU stage one, which required them to electronically
provide at least fifty percent of health information for inpatient and observation discharges or
emergency department visits, they only attested with information from inpatient and observation
discharges. In order to attest for MU stage two, which includes patient portal enrollment, they
can only account for inpatient and observation discharges. As a result, the sample size for this
project was based on the following criteria:
1. The patient must have been discharged as an inpatient or observation during the month of
February. Rationale: The new education materials went out throughout the month of
February.
2. The patient must be nineteen (19) years or older. Rationale: Patients eighteen (18) years
and younger are not able to sign up for the portal.
3. The patient must have an email address. Rationale: The idea was that patients who have
an email address were more likely to sign up for the portal if they heard about it.
Based on the above, 201 patients met the criteria. The goal was to survey 100% of these patients
in order to get a good sample with the anticipation that patients would not respond to the survey.
After analyzing the 201 patients discharged in February that met the criteria, fifteen (15) were
repeat patients. Once the survey was sent out via email, thirteen (13) were rejected meaning the
email address the patient had listed was invalid. The final sample size was 173 patients.
Data Collection Instrument
The database used to complete this project was the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap)
database. REDCap is a secure web application designed for building and managing online
surveys and databases created by Vanderbilt University and made available for use through the
University of Tennessee Health Science Center (UTHSC). The survey was developed and
administered through REDCap. The survey itself was set up using branching logic so patients
were only required to answers questions based on their answer choices. As patients responded to
the survey, the REDCap database captured the responses which made for easy data analysis.
Data Collection Procedures
For patients that met the criteria to receive the survey, a cover letter (Figure 6) was sent as an
email message which included a link to the survey. The email / survey was sent on Monday,
5. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
5
March 9, 2015 with a reminder email sent Wednesday, March 18, 2015. The deadline to
complete the survey was Friday, March 20, 2015.
Data Analysis
Results from the survey were exported from REDCap into Microsoft Excel for data analysis. In
addition to Excel, the report builder in REDCap was used for cross tabulation of different
variables. All tables were created in Excel.
4. RESULTS
Response rate of Sample / Population
Out of 173 sent surveys, a total of twenty-five (25) responses were received via REDCap for a
response rate of 14%. The first request yielded eighteen (18) responses. Seven (7) additional
responses were yielded after the reminder email was sent. All responses were complete.
Survey Question Responses
Summaries of the counts and percentages of the survey questions are listed in Tables 1 through 7.
Responses that were excluded from these tables include those with an "other" choice that required
an explanation. Also excluded were the final two questions on the survey. These questions were
optional, open ended questions. They asked the respondents to provide feedback on other
functions they would like to see in the portal, and suggestions on how else HRMC could
communicate the existence of the portal to their patients. Tables 8 through 13 represent cross
tabulations of different variables.
Table 1 Gender
Gender
No. of
Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
Male 10 40%
Female 15 60%
Total 25 100%
Figure 7Age
6. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
6
Table 2 Age Range
Age range No. of Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
19-24 0 0%
25-34 5 20%
35-44 2 8%
45-54 6 24%
55-64 5 20%
65+ 7 28%
Total 25 100%
Table 3 Have you heard about MyHuntHealth, our patient portal?
Heard of portal No. of Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
Yes 16 64%
No 9 36%
Total 25 100%
Table 4 Did you sign-up for the portal upon hearing about it?
Did you sign-up No. of Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
Yes 12 75%
No 4 25%
Total 16 100%
7. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
7
Table 5 Please indicate how you heard about the portal.
How did you hear about the
portal?
No. of
Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
Facebook 0 0%
From the nurses at discharge 2 16.7%
Hospital website banner 2 16.7%
MyHuntHealth instruction
sheet 3 25%
Word of mouth 1 8.3%
Other 4 33.3%
Total 12 100%
Table 6 If you signed-up for the portal, did you have any initial problems logging in?
Log-in problems No. of Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
Yes 1 8.3%
No 11 91.7%
Total 12 100%
Table 7 If you did not sign-up for the portal, please indicate why you chose not to.
Reason for not signing-up
No. of
Respondents
Percent of Total
Respondents
Disinterest 0 0%
I rely on my doctor for this information 2 50%
It is easier to request my medical records and have them
printed 0 0%
Limited use of, or access to, a computer 1 25%
Portal content is not useful 0 0%
Unaware of the existence of the portal 0 0%
Other 1 25%
Total 4 100%
8. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
8
Table 8 Cross tabulation of respondents that signed-up for the portal and their age.
Age of
Respondents that
Signed-up
No. of
Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
19-24 0 0%
25-34 3 25%
35-44 1 8%
45-54 4 33%
55-64 2 17%
65+ 2 17%
Total 12 100%
Table 9 Cross tabulation of respondents that signed-up for the portal and their gender.
Gender of
Respondents that
Signed-up No. of Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
Male 4 33%
Female 8 67%
Total 12 100%
Table 10 Cross tabulation of the age of the respondents that signed-up for the portal and how they heard
about the portal.
Age Range Facebook
From the
nurses at
discharge
Hospital
website
banner
Instruction
sheet
Word
of
mouth Other
19-24 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-34 0 0 2 0 0 1
35-44 0 0 0 1 0 0
45-54 0 1 0 1 0 2
55-64 0 0 0 1 0 1
65+ 0 1 0 0 1 0
Total 0 2 2 3 1 4
9. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
9
Table 11 Cross tabulation of respondents that did not sign-up for the portal and their age.
Age of Respondents
that Did Not Sign-up No. of Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
19-24 0 0%
25-34 1 25%
35-44 0 0%
45-54 0 0%
55-64 1 25%
65+ 2 50%
Total 4 100%
Table 12 Cross tabulation of respondents that did not sign-up for the portal and their gender.
Gender of
Respondents that
Did Not Sign-up No. of Respondents Percent of Total Respondents
Male 2 50%
Female 2 50%
Total 4 100%
Table 13 Cross tabulation of the age of the respondents that did not sign-up for the portal and the reason
why.
Age
Range Disinterest
I rely on my
doctor for
this
information
It is easier
to request
my
medical
records and
have them
printed
Limited use
of, or access
to, a
computer
Portal
content
is not
useful
Unaware
of the
existence
of the
portal Other
19-24 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
25-34 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
35-44 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
45-54 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
55-64 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
65+ 0 1 0 0 0 0 1
Total 0 2 0 1 0 0 1
10. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
10
4. DISCUSSION
Tables 1 and 2 essentially show the demographics, in terms of gender and age, that HRMC
serves. Ten (10) of the respondents were male, while fifteen (15) were female. The age range
with the highest respondents came from those that were sixty-five (65) years and older, with a
total of seven (7) respondents. There were zero respondents in the nineteen (19) to twenty-four
(24) age range. The rest of the results show that there were five (5) respondents between the ages
of twenty-five (25) and thirty-four (34). Only two (2) respondents fell in the thirty-five (35) to
forty-four (44) age range. Six (6) respondents represented those in the age range between forty-
five (45) and fifty-four (54). Finally, five (5) respondents, were in the age range between fifty-
five (55) and sixty-four (64).
Table 3 shows that of the twenty-five (25) respondents, sixteen (16) of them had heard of the
portal at HRMC. This left nine (9) respondents that had not heard of the portal.
Of the sixteen (16) respondents that did hear about the portal, only twelve (12) signed-up for the
portal, leaving four (4) that did not sign-up for the portal (Table 4).
Table 5 explains how the respondents heard about the portal. Two Facebook advertisements were
created and posted throughout the month of February (Figures x & x). One was targeted towards
the general population, male and female, in the twenty-five (25) to sixty-four (64) age range. The
other was targeted towards the maternity population in the age range of eighteen (18) to forty-
four (44). These advertisements generated 431 unique clicks, meaning people who clicked on the
advertisement on Facebook were directed to the patient portal page on HRMC's hospital website.
Despite the numerous clicks from the Facebook advertisement to the portal page on the hospital
website, none of the respondents from this survey heard about the portal via the Facebook
advertisements. Two (2) respondents heard about the portal from the nurses at discharge, while
three (3) found the information from the instruction sheet in the discharge packet. The hospital
website banner with the portal information is where two (2) of the respondents heard about the
portal. One (1) respondent found out about the portal via word of mouth. Finally, four (4)
respondents heard about the portal through other means. The "other" options listed by the four
(4) respondents included email, employee, and emergency room check-in.
For the twelve (12) respondents that signed-up for the portal, only one (1) expressed having
issues with the log-in process. The respondent described that there was no other resolution than
contacting the information systems department to resolve the issue (Table 6).
Table 7 explains the reason why the four (4) respondents did not sign-up for the portal. Two (2)
said that they rely on their doctor for the information that is contained in the portal. One (1) said
they have limited use or, or access to, a computer. The final respondent in this category chose
"other" as their reason which was stated as giving up due to difficulties with the log-in process.
Table 8 is the first of six cross tabulation tables. This table shows the age range of the twelve
(12) respondents that signed-up for the portal. There were no respondents to sign-up for the
portal in the nineteen (19) to twenty-four (24) age range. Three (3) respondents were in the
twenty-five (25) to thirty-four (34) age range. Only one (1) respondent was in the age range of
thirty-five (35) to forty-four (44). The age range with the most respondents was forty-five (45) to
fifty-four (54). This equaled four (4) respondents. There were two (2) respondents in both the
fifty-five (55) to sixty-four (64) age range and sixty-five (65) and older range.
11. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
11
Table 9 identified the male verses female respondents that signed-up for the portal. Of the twelve
(12) respondents, four (4) were male and eight (8) were female. Table 10 shows how each age
range heard about the portal. There were two (2) in the twenty-five (25) to thirty-four (34) range
that heard about it via the hospital website banner. In this same range, one (1) respondent heard
about it through other means. In the thirty-five (35) to forty-four (44) range, one (1) respondent
heard of the portal from the instruction sheet. For respondents in the forty-five (45) to fifty-four
(54) range, one (1) heard about the portal from the nurses at discharge, one (1) heard from the
instruction sheet, and one (1) heard about it through other means. One (1) respondent heard about
the portal from the instruction sheet, and one (1) from other means in the fifty-five (55) to sixty-
four (64) range. Finally, in the sixty-five (65) plus range, one (1) respondent heard about the
portal from the nurses at discharge, and one (1) by word of mouth.
Table 11 shows the age range of the four (4) respondents that did not sign-up for the portal.
There was one (1) respondent in both the twenty-five (25) to thirty-four (34) and fifty-five (55) to
sixty-four (64) ranges. There were two (2) respondents in the sixty-five (65) plus range.
Table 12 identified the male verses female respondents that did not sign-up for the portal. Of the
four (4) respondents, there was a fifty / fifty split of males and females.
Table 13 states the reasons, by age range, of those respondents that did not sign-up for the portal.
The one (1) respondent in the twenty-five (25) to thirty-four (34) range chose that they rely on
their doctor for the information contained in the portal as their reason for not signing-up. Limited
use of, or access to, a computer was the reason for the one (1) respondent in the fifty-five (55) to
sixty-four (64) range. There were two (2) respondents in the sixty-five (65) plus range that did
not sign-up. The reasons were listed as relying on their doctor and other. The respondent that
chose other described the reason as having difficulty with the log-in process so they gave up on
attempting to sign-up.
Limitations
The section below outlines limitations of the study that should be considered.
• The study is specific to HRMC, so generalizing the information may be difficult.
However, the concepts behind the study could apply to any EP or EH that are trying to
determine a best practice to educate patients about their portal.
• Despite efforts to encourage participation in the survey (iPad Mini give away) the
response rate was low at only fourteen percent (14%). This did not allow for adequate
data analysis to determine what form of communication is working the best for HRMC.
• Not only was the response rate low, but an error occurred in setting up the branching
logic within the survey. Of the twenty-five (25) respondents, sixteen (16) acknowledged
that they heard about the portal. This should have yielded sixteen (16) responses to the
question "Please indicate how you heard about the portal." However, only respondents
that answered "Yes" to the question "Did you sign-up for the portal upon hearing about
it?" were directed to answer how they heard about the portal. Due to this error, there
were four (4) less responses to how patients heard about the portal.
• There was no way to identify if the respondents that did sign-up for the portal signed-up
during the month of February when the additional education efforts were implemented.
12. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
12
• Two (2) respondents described "Email" as the "Other" option for how they heard about
the portal. Per the marketing director and consensus from the patient portal committee,
no emails have been sent out from HRMC regarding the MyHuntHealth portal. These
respondents did not provide an accurate representation of how they actually heard about
the portal.
• Due to time constraints and limited resources, not all of the planned education materials
were implemented. Specifically, the direct mail and email blast materials were not sent.
These materials would have provided more ways for patients to hear about the portal.
• When searching for relevant articles that discuss effective education measures for portal
enrollment, there were limited returns. This does not allow for a comparison between the
results of this studies and others like it.
5. CONCLUSIONS
This study allowed various ways for patients to hear about the portal through means of social
media, information on the hospital website, verbal discussions with hospital staff, and an
instruction form. However, the lack of survey responses did not provide enough data to truly
evaluate what form of education is working the best as far as causing an increase in patients
enrolling in the portal. From the data that is available, the results indicated that patients heard
about the portal mostly from the instruction form and subsequently signed-up. This is surprising
as this form has been in place since 2014 yet the enrollment rate is not where HRMC would like
it to be. From the literature review results, there was one article with a similar study. The study
consisted of three different education tactics. One was through a video shown in the patient's
room as they waited to be seen, the other was via an instruction form, and the final means of
education was no additional promotion of the portal. The instruction form increased enrollment
rate by 7.1%. What can be gathered from this article and the results of the study is that
instruction forms can be effective.
Other conclusions that can be drawn from the study that are not related to the initial research
question include the following:
The results of the study first show that more females have not only heard about the portal, but
have also signed-up for the portal. Prior to these results, the patient portal committee at HRMC
discussed that it would be likely for more females to sign-up than males. There was no reason
behind why, but the results do validate this. Literature that incorporated demographic
information also showed that females signed-up for portals more than males.
An assumption was made that there would be limited participation in the portal from the older
population that Medical Center serves. The results show that four (4) of the respondents that
signed-up for the portal fell in the forty-five (45) to fifty-four (54) age range. This was the most
out of all the age ranges. Although this is the middle age range, there were still participants fifty-
five (55) and older that have signed-up. What was unexpected was the limited participation from
the younger age ranges. Literature revealed that young adults were more likely to sign-up for
portals. There were no survey respondents in the nineteen (19) to twenty-four (24) range. Also,
only one (1) respondent that signed-up for the portal represented the thirty-five (35) to forty-four
(44) range. From these results, it appears that it may be more difficult to reach out to the younger
population rather than the older population.
13. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
13
There was concern from the patient portal committee that patients would not want to enroll in the
portal due to limited functionality as well as disinterest in the portal. Per the results, these were
not a factor in why respondents did not sign-up for the portal. The main reason for not signing-up
was that respondents felt that their doctors should communicate with them information about
their health.
Implications of Study
For Medical Center, this study validates that their instruction form is working in terms of patients
enrolling as a result of having the form. It also showed what is not working so that HRMC does
not continue putting resources into the wrong areas - more specifically, the Facebook
advertisements. As a result of the cross tabulations of the data, the study provides insight into age
ranges of people that are hearing about the portal and how they are hearing about it as well as
some of the barriers. This can allow marketing to develop materials that target specific age
groups to help increase the enrollment rate.
Recommendations
Even with few survey responses, this study was able to identify what current education materials
were effective. There is room to continue to refine methods of education, such as implementing
the suggestions expressed by the respondents as a result of the survey. The suggestions included
1) notifying patients at admission; 2) direct mail; 3) email; 4) a video on the hospital channel; and
5) training classes. What this study could not do was provide a value to quantify these results
with the actual enrollment rate due to limitations of Medical Center's electronic health record.
There are future upgrades to the system in progress that include additional functions to the portal.
If these upgrades can track and trend enrollment activity, and additional education materials are
implemented, a follow-up survey may be beneficial to revisit Medical Center's enrollment
progress in relation to how they are communicating the portal to their patients.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
The authors would like to thank the faculty at Department of Health Informatics and Information
Management, University of Tennessee.
REFERENCES
[1] Bergman, D. A., Brown, N. L., and Wilson, S. (2008). Teen use of a patient portal: A qualitative
study of parent and teen attitudes. Perspectives in Health Information Management, 5. Retrieved from
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2556441/
[2] Goel, M. S., Brown T. L., Williams, A., Hasnain-Wynia, R., Thompson, J. A., and Baker, D. W.
(2011). Disparities in enrollment and use of an electronic patient portal. Journal of General Internal
Medicine, 26, 1112-1116. doi 10.1007/s11606-011-1728-3
[3] Goel, M. S., Brown T. L., Williams, A., Cooper, A. J., Hasnain-Wynia, R., and Baker, D. W. (2011).
Patient reported barriers to enrolling in a patient portal. Journal of the American Medical Informatics
Association, 18, i8-i12. doi 10.1136/amiajnl-2011-000473
[4] North, F., Hanna, B. K., Crane, S. J., Smith, S. A., Tulledge-Scheitel, S. M., and Stroebel, R.J. (2011).
Patient portal doldrums: Does an exam room promotional video during an office visit increase patient
portal registrations and portal uses?. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 18,
i24-i27. doi 10.1136/amiajnl-2011-000381
[5] Weingart, S. N., Rind, D., Tofias, Z., and Sands, D. Z. (2006). Who uses the patient portal? The
PatientSite experience. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, 13, 91-95. doi
10.1197/jamia.M1833
14. Health Informatics - An International Journal (HIIJ) Vol.4, No.3/4, November 2015
14
Figure 1 Scatter diagram of the age of respondents
AUTHOR
Sajeesh Kumar, PhD., is Executive Director- Institute for Health Outcomes and Policy ,
Chair-Health Outcomes and Policy Research PhD program and Associate Professor,
Department of Health Informatics & Information Management, University of Tennessee-
Memphis. Dr. Kumar’s research focuses on design and development of public health
informatics, telemedicine technology, health education technologies and health
informatics technology evaluation. Dr. Kumar holds an impressive record of competitive
research funding and research awards.