Implementation of an Electronic Clinical Decision Support System for the Early Recognition and Management of Dysglycemia in an Inpatient Mental Health Setting Using CogStack: Protocol for a Pilot Hybrid Type 3 Effectiveness-Implementation Randomized Controlled Cluster Trial

BACKGROUND

Severe mental illnesses (SMIs), including schizophrenia, bipolar affective disorder, and major depressive disorder, are associated with an increased risk of physical health comorbidities and premature mortality from conditions including cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Digital technologies such as electronic clinical decision support systems (eCDSSs) could play a crucial role in improving the clinician-led management of conditions such as dysglycemia (deranged blood sugar levels) and associated conditions such as diabetes in people with a diagnosis of SMI in mental health settings.

OBJECTIVE

We have developed a real-time eCDSS using CogStack, an information retrieval and extraction platform, to automatically alert clinicians with National Health Service Trust-approved, guideline-based recommendations for dysglycemia monitoring and management in secondary mental health care. This novel system aims to improve the management of dysglycemia and associated conditions, such as diabetes, in SMI. This protocol describes a pilot study to explore the acceptability, feasibility, and evaluation of its implementation in a mental health inpatient setting.

METHODS

This will be a pilot hybrid type 3 effectiveness-implementation randomized controlled cluster trial in inpatient mental health wards. A ward will be the unit of recruitment, where it will be randomly allocated to receive either access to the eCDSS plus usual care or usual care alone over a 4-month period. We will measure implementation outcomes, including the feasibility and acceptability of the eCDSS to clinicians, as primary outcomes, alongside secondary outcomes relating to the process of care measures such as dysglycemia screening rates. An evaluation of other implementation outcomes relating to the eCDSS will be conducted, identifying facilitators and barriers based on established implementation science frameworks.

RESULTS

Enrollment of wards began in April 2022, after which clinical staff were recruited to take part in surveys and interviews. The intervention period of the trial began in February 2023, and subsequent data collection was completed in August 2023. Data are currently being analyzed, and results are expected to be available in June 2024.

CONCLUSIONS

An eCDSS can have the potential to improve clinician-led management of dysglycemia in inpatient mental health settings. If found to be feasible and acceptable, then, in combination with the results of the implementation evaluation, the system can be refined and improved to support future successful implementation. A larger and more definitive effectiveness trial should then be conducted to assess its impact on clinical outcomes and to inform scalability and application to other conditions in wider mental health care settings.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04792268; https://clinicaltrials.gov/study/NCT04792268.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/49548.

The Effect of Clinical Decision Prompts in Improving Human Papillomavirus Vaccination Rates in a Multispecialty Practice in a Predominantly Hispanic Population: Quasi-Experimental Study

BACKGROUND

The human papillomavirus (HPV) is implicated in the causal pathway of cancers of the vulva, vagina, penis, cervix, anus, and oropharyngeal region. It is the most common sexually transmitted infection in the United States. Despite the documented safety and effectiveness of the HPV vaccine, rates lag behind those of other vaccines given at the same age.

OBJECTIVE

Provider recommendation is identified as a robust predictor of HPV vaccine uptake, and physician-prompting is shown to increase the provision of preventive care services in general. Theoretically, providing reminders to providers should increase opportunities for providing HPV vaccine recommendations and therefore affect vaccination rates. The objective of our study was to assess the effectiveness of an electronic medical record (EMR) prompt in improving HPV vaccination rates in an academic clinic setting caring for a predominantly Hispanic border population.

METHODS

We used a quasi-experimental design with a retrospective chart audit to evaluate the effect of a clinical decision prompt (CDP) on improving HPV immunization rates in different specialty settings. We introduced an EMR prompt to remind providers to recommend the HPV vaccine when seeing appropriate patients in an obstetrics and gynecology (OBGYN), pediatrics (PD), and family medicine (FM) clinic in a large multispecialty academic group located along the Texas-Mexico border. We assessed HPV vaccination rates in all the departments involved before and after introducing the prompts. Participants included male and female patients between the ages of 9 and 26 years, presenting at the clinics between January 2014 and December 2015.

RESULTS

We reviewed over 2800 charts in all 3 clinics. After adjusting for age, ethnicity, race, type of insurance, preferred language, and clinic, the odds of immunization were 92% (P<.001) higher in patients after the prompt implementation of the EMR. In addition, there was an overall statistically significant increase in the overall HPV vaccination completion rates after implementing the CDP (31.96% vs 21.22%; P<.001). Again, OBGYN saw the most significant improvement in vaccination completion rates, with rates at follow-up 66.02% higher than baseline rates (P=.04). PD and FM had somewhat similar but no less impressive improvements (57.7% and 58.36%; P<.001).

CONCLUSIONS

Implementing an EMR CDP improved our overall odds of HPV vaccination completion by 92%. We theorize that the decision prompts remind health care providers to discuss or recommend the HPV vaccination during clinical service delivery. CDPs in the EMR help increase HPV vaccination rates in multiple specialties and are a low-cost intervention for improving vaccination rates.

Impact of Mobile Device-Based Clinical Decision Support Tool on Guideline Adherence and Mental Workload

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the individual-level impact of an electronic clinical decision support (ECDS) tool, PedsGuide, on febrile infant clinical decision making and cognitive load.

METHODS

A counterbalanced, prospective, crossover simulation study was performed among attending and trainee physicians. Participants performed simulated febrile infant cases with use of PedsGuide and with standard reference text. Cognitive load was assessed using the NASA-Task Load Index (NASA-TLX), which determines mental, physical, temporal demand, effort, frustration, and performance. Usability was assessed with the System Usability Scale (SUS). Scores on cases and NASA-TLX scores were compared between condition states.

RESULTS

A total of 32 participants completed the study. Scores on febrile infant cases using PedsGuide were greater compared with standard reference text (89% vs 72%, P = .001). NASA-TLX scores were lower (ie, more optimal) with use of PedsGuide versus control (mental 6.34 vs 11.8, P < .001; physical 2.6 vs 6.1, P = .001; temporal demand 4.6 vs 8.0, P = .003; performance 4.5 vs 8.3, P < .001; effort 5.8 vs 10.7, P < .001; frustration 3.9 vs 10, P < .001). The SUS had an overall score of 88 of 100 with rating of acceptable on the acceptability scale.

CONCLUSIONS

Use of PedsGuide led to increased adherence to guidelines and decreased cognitive load in febrile infant management when compared with the use of a standard reference tool. This study employs a rarely used method of assessing ECDS tools using a multifaceted approach (medical decision-making, assessing usability, and cognitive workload,) that may be used to assess other ECDS tools in the future.