Clinical trial NCT02665468: eHealth Partnered Evaluation Initiative
Official title: eHealth Partnered Evaluation Initiative (PEC 15-470)
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Non-secure Message Senders
Keywords: Supported adoption
Secure messaging
Patient aligned care team (PACT)
My HealtheVet Coordinator
Lead sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Sponsor class: FED
First posted: 2016-01-27
Enrollment: 1196
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 99
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: On October 1, 2016, the VHA Office of Telehealth and the Connected Health Office will merge to create a single entity that will be responsible for the implementation and evaluation of eHealth technologies across the healthcare system. In an effort to successfully fulfill its mission, the new combined Connected Health/Telehealth Office is pledging $1,100,000 for an eHealth Partnered Evaluation Initiative (PEI) to support the further implementation of eHealth technologies across VHA, and to measure their impacts on dimensions of access and other outcomes. Developed in close consultation with leadership of the new office, the proposed objectives of the eHealth PEI are to (1) implement a patient-level "supported adoption intervention" for secure messaging and evaluate the impact of secure messaging use through a rapid, one-year randomized trial; and (2) evaluate the initial rollout of VHA's automated telehealth text messaging system to Veterans and clinical team members.

Detailed description: eHealth is a model for the delivery and receipt of healthcare services with an expanding evidence base that suggests great potential to increase access and support the transition from episodic to continuous care. In this model, patients, their families, and clinical team members use eHealth technologies that support functions (e.g., communication, behavior support, transactions) that are critical to disease prevention and health management which in turn influences behaviors, processes and outcomes.

In October 2016, the existing Office of Telehealth and the Connected Health Office will merge to create a single Office to oversee the implementation and evaluation of eHealth technologies across VHA. The new combined Connected Health/Telehealth Office will manage the full spectrum of technologies included in the current Offices of Telehealth (e.g., clinical video telehealth, home telehealth, tele-ICU) and Connected Health (e.g., patient portal, secure messaging, mobile apps), as well as new technologies that span these offices (such as the new Automated Telehealth Texting System). Recognizing the importance of rigorous evaluation to its mission, the Connected Health/Telehealth Office is pledging funds for an eHealth Partnered Evaluation Initiative (PEI) to support the further implementation of eHealth technologies across VHA, and to measure their impacts on dimensions of access, as well as Veteran and clinical team experiences, healthcare processes, and Veteran health outcomes.

Developed in close consultation with Connected Health/Telehealth Office leadership, the proposed objectives of the eHealth PEI are to (1) implement a patient-level "supported adoption intervention" for secure messaging and evaluate the impact of secure messaging use through a rapid, one-year randomized trial; and (2) evaluate the initial rollout of VHA's automated telehealth text messaging system to Veterans and clinical team members. The evaluation work associated with each of these two objectives will be guided by the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM).

The implementation and evaluation of eHealth technologies is not just the mission of the new Connected Health/Telehealth Office, it is also the vision of VHA. In addition to addressing the needs of the investigators' operational partner, the aforementioned objectives map to key strategies and transformational actions detailed in the Blueprint for Excellence, and align with a recently developed Virtual Access Strategy Document intended to guide the efforts of the Connected Health/Telehealth Office. The proposed eHealth PEI team includes leadership and investigators from the eHealth Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) who are recognized authorities in informatics, implementation science, and mixed methods evaluation, and have longstanding, collaborative relationships with constituents in the Connected Health/Telehealth Office.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Authenticated My HealtheVet users who have not sent a secure message
* Active patients who have an appointment scheduled in the following year

Exclusion Criteria:

* Authenticated My HealtheVet users who have sent a secure message
* Inactive patients (who do not have an appointment scheduled in the following year)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Rate of Use
timeFrame: Baseline and Six months
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Patient Self-reported Access to Communication
timeFrame: Six month follow-up
measure: Care Coordination: Patient Assessment of Chronic Illness Care
timeFrame: Six month follow-up
measure: Physician Accessibility and Engagement
timeFrame: Six months
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Birmingham
country: United States
facility: Birmingham VA Medical Center, Birmingham, AL
state: Alabama
city: Bedford
country: United States
facility: Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, MA
state: Massachusetts
city: Pittsburgh
country: United States
facility: VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System University Drive Division, Pittsburgh, PA
state: Pennsylvania
city: Salt Lake City
country: United States
facility: VA Salt Lake City Health Care System, Salt Lake City, UT
state: Utah
Study officials:
affiliation: Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, Bedford, MA
name: Timothy Patrick Hogan, PhD MS BS
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Shimada SL, Zocchi MS, Hogan TP, Kertesz SG, Rotondi AJ, Butler JM, Knight SJ, DeLaughter K, Kleinberg F, Nicklas J, Nazi KM, Houston TK. Impact of Patient-Clinical Team Secure Messaging on Communication Patterns and Patient Experience: Randomized Encouragement Design Trial. J Med Internet Res. 2020 Nov 18;22(11):e22307. doi: 10.2196/22307.