Evaluating Factors Associated With Telehealth Appropriateness in Outpatient Rheumatoid Arthritis Encounters Using the Encounter Appropriateness Score for You (EASY).

Objective: Telehealth has been proposed as a safe and effective alternative to in-person care for rheumatoid arthritis (RA). The purpose of this study was to evaluate factors associated with telehealth appropriateness in outpatient RA encounters.

Methods: A prospective cohort study (January 1, 2021, to August 31, 2021) was conducted using electronic health record data from outpatient RA encounters in a single academic rheumatology practice.

Evaluating Provider Perceptions of Telehealth Utility in Outpatient Rheumatology Telehealth Encounters.

Objective: This study aims to explore the factors associated with rheumatology providers' perceptions of telehealth utility in real-world telehealth encounters.

Methods: From September 14, 2020 to January 31, 2021, 6 providers at an academic medical center rated their telehealth visits according to perceived utility in making treatment decisions using the following Telehealth Utility Score (TUS) (1 = very low utility to 5 = very high utility). Modified Poisson regression models were used to assess the association between TUS scores and encounter diagnoses, disease activity measures, and immunomodulatory therapy changes during the encounter.

Investigating gender-based differential item functioning on the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ) using qualitative content analysis.

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to evaluate potential gender-based differences in interpreting the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ-23) and to explore if there are aspects of health-related quality of life (HRQOL) not captured by the KCCQ-23 that are important to assess in men and/or women with heart failure (HF).

Methods: Patients ≥ 22 years of age with clinician-diagnosed HF and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤ 40% were recruited from two academic medical centers to participate in semi-structured concept elicitation and cognitive debriefing interviews. Enrollment was stratified by patient-identified gender (half women/half men).

Telehealth Made EASY: Understanding Provider Perceptions of Telehealth Appropriateness in Outpatient Rheumatology Encounters.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to evaluate a novel scoring system, the Encounter Appropriateness Score for You (EASY), to assess provider perceptions of telehealth appropriateness in rheumatology encounters.

Methods: The EASY scoring system prompts providers to rate their own encounters as follows: in-person or telehealth acceptable, EASY = 1; in-person preferred, EASY = 2; or telehealth preferred, EASY = 3. Assessment of the EASY scoring system occurred at a single academic institution from January 1, 2021, to August 31, 2021.

Do PRO Measures Function the Same Way for all Individuals With Heart Failure?

Women diagnosed with heart failure report worse quality of life than men on patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures. An inherent assumption of PRO measures in heart failure is that women and men interpret questions about quality of life the same way. If this is not the case, the risk then becomes that the PRO scores cannot be used for valid comparison or to combine outcomes by subgroups of the population.

Enabling patient-reported outcome measures in clinical trials, exemplified by cardiovascular trials.

Objectives: There has been limited success in achieving integration of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in clinical trials. We describe how stakeholders envision a solution to this challenge.

Methods: Stakeholders from academia, industry, non-profits, insurers, clinicians, and the Food and Drug Administration convened at a Think Tank meeting funded by the Duke Clinical Research Institute to discuss the challenges of incorporating PROs into clinical trials and how to address those challenges.

Utility of patient-reported outcomes measurement information system (PROMIS) physical function form in inflammatory myopathy.

Objective: Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a group of diseases characterized by muscle weakness, which limit activities of daily living. Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) is a set of outcome measures developed using NIH funding, but has not yet been studied in adult IIM. Currently, the most commonly used PROs in IIM are Health Assessment Questionnaire (HAQ-DI) and SF-36 physical function-10 (PF10), both of which have several limitations.

The importance of development standards for anchoring vignettes: an illustrative example from pediatric localized scleroderma quality of life.

Purpose: Anchoring vignettes (AVs) are a promising measurement technique to reduce bias in patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures by helping researchers understand differences in how individuals and groups interpret response options. However, little attention has been paid to ensure quality development of AVs, and their performance has not been well assessed in pediatric populations. In this study, we explore the application of a rigorous development process for AVs based upon current standards for PROs, as well as feasibility of AVs when administered to children and adolescents.

Measuring Health.

Primary care clinicians care for an extremely diverse range of patients, and they therefore have numerous opportunities to measure and act to improve the health of various populations. In order to take effective actions to improve the health of their patient populations, primary care clinicians must measure health. Strong population health metrics are characterized by their high validity, consistency, feasibility, and interpretability.

From obligation to opportunity: future of patient-reported outcome measures at the Veterans Health Administration.

Patient-reported outcome (PRO) measures are particularly important in mental health services because patients are the central and essential source of information about their mental health status. PRO measures have the potential to engage patients in meaningful and focused conversations during clinical encounters, but unfortunately they often do not serve this purpose in mental health care. Administration of routine outcome measures has often been viewed by clinicians as an obligatory quality improvement process that takes time away from the clinical encounter.

Development, psychometric evaluation, and initial feasibility assessment of a symptom tracker for use by patients with heart failure (HFaST).

Background: This study aimed to develop and provide a psychometric and feasibility pilot evaluation of the Heart Failure (HF) Symptom Tracker (HFaST), a new patient-reported tool designed to facilitate communication between patients and health care providers (HCPs) in routine clinical care. The HFaST enables patients to identify worsening HF symptoms, with a long-term goal of preventing hospitalizations or emergency room visits.

Methods: The HFaST was developed drawing on evidence from the literature, qualitatively with cognitive interviews (12 patient/caregiver and 8 HCPs), and evaluated quantitatively (psychometric, feasibility assessment).

Sphygmomanometry-evoked allodynia in chronic pain patients with and without fibromyalgia.

Background: Fibromyalgia is a chronic pain syndrome that affects about 2% of the U.S. general population, with greater prevalence among women (3.