NCT Number: NCT02684188
Residents of rural and frontier counties experience significant disparities in health care access and outcomes when compared to their urban counterparts. The organization of health care delivery contributes significantly to these disparities. For rural residents with multiple chronic conditions, transitioning along the continuum of care, between systems of treatment and support, and between dispersed locations present significant challenges. One critical challenge involves hospitalization for treatment because it requires travel to locations at a significant distance from home and disrupts personal and family routines. The transition back home is also problematic because discharge planning does not adequately account for limited access to care in rural areas. Indeed, discharge planning has been recently described as a "black hole;" fragmented and uncoordinated, and contributing to poor outcomes and patient dissatisfaction. The specific aim of this research is to ascertain rural patients' actual experience of the discharge planning process and to involve patients and rural providers in designing and testing a contextually appropriate rural options discharge model (ROADMAP) that improves patient outcomes and reduces re-hospitalizations.
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Notify Me18 year–75 year
All sexes
Interventional
Not applicable
Residents of rural counties experience significant disparities in health care access and outcomes when compared to their urban counterparts. These disparities are structural; based in our market-based medical care delivery system. For rural residents with multiple chronic conditions, transitioning along the continuum of care, between systems of treatment and support, and between dispersed locations both expose and produce disparities. The transition home from hospitalization for treatment exposes the current urban bias. Indeed, discharge planning is fragmented and uncoordinated, and contributes to poor the disparities. The specific aims of this research is to ascertain rural patients' actual experience of discharge; then to involve patients and rural providers in using those data to design a contextually appropriate rural options at discharge model of active planning (ROADMAP) that improves patient outcomes and reduces disparities. Objectives include:
Researchers will work in four counties of the Missoula Hospital Referral Region with a total population of 53,116 living on 12,342 square miles (4.3 persons per square mile). Researchers will recruit patients seeking treatment from St. Patrick Hospital. Patients and patient advocates will serve on an Innovations Design Team (IDT) to create the ROADMAP. Researchers will first interview patients (n = 40) who have been discharged to one of the rural counties. Researchers will compare their experiences to guidelines. Next, they will conduct a Design Survey (n=600) to verify goals important to patients. The IDT will use these findings to develop design requirements for ROADMAP. Finally, we will use a quasi-experimental research design to compare the patient designed rural ROADMAP to standard practice. The primary outcome measures are measures that reflect the patient's values for health-related quality of life and functional status, as well as hospital re-admissions. An independent statistician will use Hierarchical Linear Modeling to examine the complex relationships. This approach accounts for patients nested in four counties and the correlated errors inherent in within subject analysis. Health care reform sets the occasion for rapid diffusion of ROADMAP. This can provide an incremental reduction in rural disparities. Incorporating patient and provider input increases the likelihood it will fit within the emerging reimbursement model. Researchers expect that ROADMAP will reduce re-hospitalizations by as much as 30%, and improve patient recovery and return to participation in daily life.
Healthy volunteers accepted: No
Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.
Inclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria
While in the treating hospital, patients from small towns and rural communities are engaged in package of procedures designed to improve the transitions home, including a functional needs assessment that produces a plan that matches available rural community service providers to a patient's transitions needs and the provision of enhanced recovery supports to the patient.
Time frame: 3, 7 ,14, 21, 30, 60, and 90 days after discharge
Number of admissions to any hospital reported by the patients after discharge from a regional hospital to one of four rural counties.
Time frame: 3, 7 ,14, 21, 30, 60, and 90 days after discharge
Proportion of patients who self-report at least one hospital readmission to any hospital after discharge from a regional hospital to one of four rural counties.
Time frame: 3, 7, 14, 21,30, 60, and 90 days after discharge
Number of self-reported visits to the emergency department of any hospital reported by patients after discharge from a regional hospital to one of four rural counties.
Time frame: 3, 7, 14, 21,30, 60, and 90 days after discharge
Proportion of patients who report at least one emergency department visit after discharge from a regional hospital to one of four rural counties.
Time frame: 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 60, and 90 days after discharge
This reflects the number of visits to a patient's local primary care provider at 3, 7, 14, 21,30, 60, and 90 days after discharge.
Time frame: 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 60, and 90 days after discharge
This reflects the proportion of patients who reported at least one visit to a their local primary care provider at 3, 7, 14, 21,30, 60, and 90 days after discharge.
Time frame: 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 60, and 90 days after discharge
The SF12 is a twelve-item standardized questionnaire that measures overall, physical health, and mental health. Patients rate each item on an ordinal scale. Data are analyzed using a proprietary algorithm. Scores range from 0 to 100. Higher scores reflect a better health status. The analysis creates an overall health score and sub scores that reflect physical health and mental health. Both Physical and Mental Health Composite Scales combine the 12 items in such a way that they compare to a national norm of a mean score of 50.0 and a standard deviation of 10.0.
Time frame: 3, 7, 14, 21, 30, 60, and 90 days after discharge
The SF12 is a twelve-item standardized questionnaire that measures overall, physical health, and mental health. Patients rate each item on an ordinal scale. Data are analyzed using a proprietary algorithm. Scores range from 0 to 100. Higher scores reflect a better health status. The analysis creates an overall health score and sub scores that reflect physical health and mental health. Both Physical and Mental Health Composite Scales combine the 12 items in such a way that they compare to a national norm of a mean score of 50.0 and a standard deviation of 10.0.
Time frame: 3 days after discharge
The CTM3 is a three-item standardized questionnaire to measures patients' perspectives on coordination of hospital discharge care. Patients rate whether they strongly agree, agree, disagree, or strongly disagree with three items (hospital staff too my preferences into account, I had a good idea what I was responsible for once I left the hospital, and I clearly understood the purpose for taking each of my medications). They may also rate an items as not applicable to their situation. Ratings are converted to a scale that ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores reflect better discharge care.
Time frame: 7, 14, 21, 30, 60, and 90 days after discharge
The RTM14 is a fourteen-item questionnaire to measures patients' perspectives on the delivery of transition services and supports after discharge from a regional hospital to a small town or rural community. Patients respond by indicating whether they strongly disagree, disagree, agree, or strongly agree with each of the 14 items. Patients may also indicate whether an item is not applicable to their situation. Ratings are converted to a scale that ranges from 0 to 100. Higher scores reflect better transition service performance.
University of Montana
Other
Acronym: ROADMAP
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View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.
