Clinical trial NCT01955005: Use of the My HealtheVet for Health Information Sharing
Official title: Pilot of My HealtheVet Training to Improve Co-Managed Care for Veterans
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Chronic Illness
Keywords: Health Records, Personal
Delivery of healthcare
Consumer Participation
Internet
Lead sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development
Sponsor class: FED
First posted: 2013-10-07
Enrollment: 60
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: This study aims to conduct a pilot of an intervention to improve care coordination between VA and non-VA providers using the Department of Veteran's Affairs' (VA) personal health record, My HealtheVet (MHV). Participants will be randomized to receive either training on 1) how to use My HealtheVet to share VA health information or 2) training on how to how to search the Internet for health information and decide which Internet sites have good quality information. The investigators predict that Veterans who receive the My HealtheVet training will have fewer medication errors and duplication of services between the VA and outside providers.

Detailed description: This study aims to conduct a pilot of an intervention to improve care coordination between VA and non-VA providers using the Department of Veteran's Affairs' (VA) personal health record, My HealtheVet (MHV). Background: The Blue Button feature of My HealtheVet allows Veterans to print out a comprehensive summary of their health that can be shared with non-VA providers. Dual use is common and has been associated with negative health outcomes including higher mortality. Preliminary data collected by the principal investigator in collaboration with the My HealtheVet Performance Evaluation workgroup shows that few Veterans enrolled in My HealtheVet use it to inform either VA or non-VA providers of their care. To remedy this, the principal investigator has developed an online video and companion paper-based training. This training will teach Veterans how to use the Blue Button feature and why it is important to share the print out with their non-VA provider. Methods: To participate, Veterans must have an upcoming non-VA provider appointment, be prescribed 5 or more medications, and be registered on My HealtheVet with a premium account. Participants will be randomized to receive either training on how to use the Blue Button or training on how to search for health information on the Internet and if that information is good quality. Veterans in both arms will receive training materials and phone support. After the non-VA provider visit, both the Veteran and the provider will be asked to indicate what occurred during the visit, including whether or not the Veteran gave the provider the Blue Button print out. Both Veterans and providers will also be asked to complete a 15-minute qualitative interview about their experience during the visit. Medical records of the non-VA provider visit will be obtained. Outcomes: The main outcome for the study is whether the patient provided the non-VA provider a copy of his or her health information printed from My HealtheVet. In addition, comparison between the VA and non-VA provider records will be conducted to test whether Veterans who completed the training had 1) better medication reconciliation between the VA and the non-VA provider and 2) fewer instances of therapeutic or laboratory duplication. The results of this pilot will be used to inform a larger randomized controlled trial of the training intervention.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Upcoming Non-VA provider appointment
* Take 5 or more prescribed medications
* Have or obtain a My HealtheVet premium account
* Access to computer, printer, \& Internet to complete study protocol

Exclusion Criteria:

* No non-VA provider or upcoming appointment
* Less than 5 medications
* No premium MHV account

Primary outcomes:
measure: Percentage of Participants Who Brought Their VA Information From My HealtheVet to Their Visit With Their Non-VA Provider
timeFrame: Within 1-2 week of non-VA provider visit
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Proportion of Total Number of Unique Medications Discrepant Between VA and Non-VA Medication Lists
timeFrame: Typically within 1 month of non-VA provider visit
measure: Proportion of Participants Who Received One or More Duplicate Laboratory Tests in the Non-VA Provider Visit.
timeFrame: Typically within 1 month of non-VA provider visit
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Iowa City
country: United States
facility: Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA
state: Iowa
Study officials:
affiliation: Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA
name: Carolyn L Turvey, PhD MS
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: