VA community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs) typically serve only a small number of women Veterans, and generally do not have the women's health care resources that are available in larger settings. Women Veterans using these sites for primary care must sometimes travel to other sites to receive women's health care. That can create travel burdens, reduce continuity of care, and negatively affect patient outcomes. To address this, VA is implementing a clinical operations innovation that supports women's primary care providers with a technology-based intervention that combines interactive communication with women's health specialists and ongoing education. This research study is evaluating the implementation and effects of this women's healthcare delivery innovation. Findings from this research will inform VA women's health clinical practice and education, and will advance science in delivering technology-supported non-face-to-face care that is applicable to other clinical conditions and patient populations.
Project Background/Rationale: Women Veterans are a rapidly growing proportion of VA patients. While entitled to receive care equivalent to their male counterparts, women Veterans may receive lower quality care, in part due to a VA primary care (PC) workforce that has limited experience caring for women, particularly their gender-specific conditions. This workforce may be especially challenged in community-based outpatient clinics (CBOCs), where access to women's health (WH) expertise may not be readily available. CBOC PC providers (PCPs) typically have small caseloads of women Veterans, making it difficult for these providers to maintain their WH knowledge and skills. To ensure quality care for women Veterans, VA mandated designated WH providers (DWHPs) in every VA facility, and instituted intensive training opportunities-"WH mini-residencies"-for these providers. Although highly valuable in delivering a standard level of specialized WH training, these one-time trainings are not sufficient, as knowledge attenuates over time. Serial education re-enforcement over time is needed to produce and maintain long-term gains in knowledge. Furthermore, additional supports, such as enhanced communication between PCPs and specialists, are necessary to achieve and sustain quality gains. To address these issues, VA is implementing a clinical operations innovation that is designed to improve CBOC-based DWHP delivery of comprehensive WH care. This innovation (entitled DWHP Support) combines: 1) advanced WH serial patient-based education that exposes DWHPs, over time, to a depth and breadth of WH cases and issues (SCAN-ECHO); and 2) interactive communication between CBOC DWHPs and VA Medical Center-based specialists for "just in time" support of DWHP WH care (electronic consultations). The intervention is technology-supported and delivered virtually. It is being implemented in a stepwise manner. Objectives: Facilitators and barriers to use of DWHP Support, and its effect on patient management are unknown. The investigators hypothesize that DWHP Support will improve the quality and efficiency of WH care in CBOCs. The specific aims are: Aim #1: To evaluate the effect of DWHP Support on WH care quality and efficiency, using a modified stepped wedge design; Aim #2: To explore the impact of DWHP Support in changing DWHP behavior and self-rated WH knowledge, skills, and self-efficacy; Aim #3: To assess attitudes about DWHP Support and its use, specialist time for its implementation, and other features that could influence DWHP Support's effectiveness, sustainability and spread; Aim #4: To develop tools to measure quality of WH care in VA. Methods: The investigators will conduct an observational study of DWHP Support for CBOC DWHPs. The investigators will use a mixed methods analytic approach (combining a modified stepped wedge quantitative analysis with provider surveys and interviews) to measure the intervention's effect after 1 year, while also evaluating the implementation process and use of the intervention. The investigators will use quality assessment methods to translate existing evidence-based WH performance guidelines into quality measurement tools applicable to VA WH care. Anticipated Impact: This proposal aims to evaluate an innovation to improve WH care in CBOCs that uses a technology-based educational and interactive communication intervention designed for WH providers. To measure the intervention's effectiveness, this project will develop WH quality measures that will be valuable tools for other VA efforts to improve WH care. The findings on effectiveness and implementation could influence VA's approach and use of technology-supported interventions for other clinical conditions and in other special populations.
Study Type
OBSERVATIONAL
Enrollment
202
Technology-based intervention that combines interactive communication with women's health specialists and ongoing education
VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, West Los Angeles, CA
West Los Angeles, California, United States
Change in Quality of Women's Health Care (Control Period vs. Intervention Period)
Quality of care as defined by adherence to practice guidelines. This measure is the difference in the percent of applicable quality indicators for whom the guideline adherent action was performed by primary care providers at baseline versus after entering into the intervention.
Time frame: Baseline through four months after the final time step when participants entered into the intervention (28 months)
Change in Quality of Women's Health Care (Controlled Trial Steps)
Quality of care as defined by adherence to practice guidelines. This measure is the difference in the percent of applicable quality indicators for whom the guideline adherent action was performed by primary care providers, with each subsequent step, over the course of the controlled trial.
Time frame: Baseline through four months after the final time step when participants entered into the intervention (28 months)
Provider Referral Behavior
This measure is the number of providers that changed their referral plan for an in-person specialist-to-patient visit after an electronic consultation.
Time frame: 1-7 days after receiving a response to the electronic consult
Quality of Abnormal Uterine Bleeding Care
Quality of abnormal uterine bleeding care as defined by adherence to practice guidelines. This measure is the mean percent of applicable quality indicators for whom the guideline adherent action was performed by primary care providers.
Time frame: 28-month study timeframe
Quality of Menopausal Symptoms Care
Quality of menopausal symptoms care as defined by adherence to practice guidelines. This measure is the mean percent of applicable quality indicators for whom the guideline adherent action was performed by primary care providers.
Time frame: 28-month study timeframe
Quality of Urinary Incontinence Care
Quality of urinary incontinence care as defined by adherence to practice guidelines. This measure is the mean percent of applicable quality indicators for whom the guideline adherent action was performed by primary care providers.
Time frame: 28-month study timeframe
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