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Ball DD, Sadler AG, Steffen MJ, Paez MB, Mengeling MA. The impact of patient-provider relationships on choosing between VA and VA-purchased care: A qualitative study of health care decision-making among rural veterans. J Rural Health 2024; 40:430-437. [PMID: 37942663 DOI: 10.1111/jrh.12804] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 10/26/2023] [Indexed: 11/10/2023]
Abstract
PURPOSE Since the Choice Act in 2014, many Veterans have had greater options for seeking Veteran Affairs (VA)-purchased care in the community. We investigated factors that influence rural Veterans' decisions regarding where to seek care. METHODS We utilized semi-structured telephone interviews to query Veterans living in rural or highly rural areas of Midwestern states about their health care options, preferences, and experiences. Interviews were recorded and transcribed, thematically coded, and deductively analyzed using a socioecological approach. FINDINGS Forty rural Veterans (20 men/20 women) ages 28-76 years completed interviews in 2019. We found that rural Veterans often spoke about their relationships and interactions with providers as an important factor in deciding where to seek care. They expressed three socioecological qualities of patient-provider relationships that affected their decisions: (1) personal level-rural Veterans traveled longer distances for more compatible patient-provider relationships; (2) interpersonal level-they sought stable patient-provider relationships that encouraged familiarity, trust, and communication; and (3) organizational level-they emphasized shared identities and expertise that fostered a sense of belonging with their provider. Participants also described how impersonal interactions, status differences, and staff turnover impacted their choice of provider and were disruptive to patient-provider relationships. CONCLUSIONS Rural Veterans' interview responses suggest exploring innovative ways to measure socioecological dimensions (i.e., personal, interpersonal, and organizational) of access-related decisions and patient-provider relationships to better understand health care barriers and needs. Such measures align with the VA's Whole Health approach that emphasizes person-centered care and the value of social relationships to Veterans' health.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel D Ball
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Anne G Sadler
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Melissa J Steffen
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Monica B Paez
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
| | - Michelle A Mengeling
- Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation (CADRE) and the VA Office of Rural Health (ORH) Veterans Rural Health Resource Center-Iowa City (VRHRC-IC), Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
- Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Iowa City, Iowa, USA
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Elwood WN. Trust as a dyadic mechanism of action: a call to explore patient-provider relationships in the twenty-first century. JOURNAL OF COMMUNICATION IN HEALTHCARE 2023; 16:370-374. [PMID: 37846861 PMCID: PMC10842970 DOI: 10.1080/17538068.2023.2267830] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2023]
Abstract
Background: There is general agreement that trust between patients and providers influences patient knowledge, behaviors, and adherence to provider-recommendations--with subsequent impacts on patient health-related outcomes and provider practices. There is less academic agreement on the processes by which trust is formulated and changed over time and how trust with ongoing healthcare providers can influence health-related outcomes over time.Methods: This opinion draws on social constructionism and symbolic interactionism to posit the possibility that trust can emanate through the communication process, during which a patient and provider transmit and attend to words, images, and paralanguage to convey their states of being and to induce responses, usually acknowledgement, suasion, or physical behaviors, from one another.Results: Theoretical bases for this construct are provided as are qualitative, quantitative, and mixed measurement approaches for multiple healthcare settings.Conclusions: A mechanistic approach to understand how trust is established through patient-provider communication and how trust informs patient health-related outcomes can contribute over time to improve communication in healthcare encounters.
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Affiliation(s)
- William N Elwood
- Office of Behavioral and Social Sciences Research (OBSSR), Division of Program Coordination, Planning, and Strategic Initiatives, Office of the Director, National Institutes of Health (NIH), Bethesda, MD, USA
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Fix GM, Haltom TM, Cogan AM, Shimada SL, Davila JA. Understanding Patients' Preferences and Experiences During an Electronic Health Record Transition. J Gen Intern Med 2023:10.1007/s11606-023-08338-6. [PMID: 37580637 DOI: 10.1007/s11606-023-08338-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2023] [Indexed: 08/16/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has embarked on the largest system-wide electronic health record (EHR) transition in history. To date, most research on EHR-to-EHR transitions has focused on employee and system transition-related needs, with limited focus on how patients experience transitions. OBJECTIVE (1) Understand patients' preferences for information and support prior to an EHR transition, and (2) examine actual patient experiences that occurred at facilities that implemented a new EHR. DESIGN We used a two-step approach. We had discussions with geographically diverse patient advisory groups. Discussions informed semi-structured, qualitative interviews with patients. PARTICIPANTS Patients affected by the EHR transition. MAIN MEASURES We met with four patient advisory groups at sites that had not transitioned their EHR. Interviews were conducted with patients who received care at one of two facilities that recently transitioned to the new EHR. KEY RESULTS Patient advisors identified key areas important to patients during an EHR transition. 1) Use a range of communication strategies to reach diverse populations, especially older, rural patients. 2) Information about the EHR transition should be clear and reinforce trustworthiness. 3) Patients will need guidance using the new patient portal. From the patient interviews, we learned if and how these key areas mapped onto patients' experiences. Patients at the sites that had transitioned learned about the new EHR through a variety of modalities, including letters and banners on the patient portal. However, their experiences varied in terms of information quality, leading to frustrations during and between healthcare encounters. Patient portal issues exacerbated frustrations. These raised concerns about the accuracy and security of the overall EHR. CONCLUSIONS Maintaining clear communication across patients, local leadership, and providers throughout an EHR transition is essential for successful implementation. Patient-facing communications can set expectations, and help patients receive adequate support, particularly related to the patient portal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gemmae M Fix
- Center for Healthcare Organization & Implementation Research (CHOIR), VA Bedford Healthcare System, 200 Springs Rd., Bedford, MA, USA.
- Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Boston University, 72 E Concord St, Boston, MA, USA.
- Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA, USA.
| | - Trenton M Haltom
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt), Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, 2450 Holcombe Blvd Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine-Health Services Research, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza Houston, Houston, TX, USA
| | - Alison M Cogan
- Center for the Study of Health Innovation, Implementation, and Policy, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, 11301 Wilshire Blvd, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Mrs. T. H. Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, Herman Ostrow School of Dentistry, University of Southern California, 1540 Alcazar St, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Stephanie L Shimada
- Center for Healthcare Organization & Implementation Research (CHOIR), VA Bedford Healthcare System, 200 Springs Rd., Bedford, MA, USA
- Boston University School of Public Health, 715 Albany St., Boston, MA, USA
- UMass Chan Medical School, 55 N Lake Ave, Worcester, MA, USA
| | - Jessica A Davila
- Center for Innovations in Quality, Effectiveness and Safety (IQuESt), Michael E DeBakey VA Medical Center, 2450 Holcombe Blvd Houston, Houston, TX, USA
- Department of Medicine-Health Services Research, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza Houston, Houston, TX, USA
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