BACKGROUND: Now considered a cornerstone of healthcare, patient-provider communication has long been studied and analyzed. Medical associations such as the Joint Commission and the American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) have strongly endorsed for physicians to exercise patient-focused communication, a practice that involves showing empathy, involving patients in medical care decisions, eliciting concerns, and educating patients on treatment options (Joint Commission, 2016; AAOS, 2017).
A lack of patient-provider communication has previously been identified as a significant factor in adverse medical outcomes occurring within hospitals (Khan et al., 2017). Bridging the communication disparity between patients and providers is crucial to improving overall patient outcome. Primary care providers are especially essential to improving overall patient outcome because they serve as the first point of contact for many patients accessing the healthcare system. While there is much literature on the importance of effective patient-provider communication, few studies provide technology-based tools that can enhance this establishment of communication.
Human Papillomavirus is presently the most common sexually transmitted infection (STI) nationwide with 79 million Americans currently infected (CDC, 2017). Approximately 42,700 HPV-attributable cancers are diagnosed in the United States annually, and HPV is believed to be responsible for over 90% of cervical cancer cases (CDC, 2018). The Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) currently recommends three preventative HPV vaccines. Despite high rates of infection, HPV vaccination rates nationwide remain low as coverage of the HPV vaccine falls behind that of coverage for required vaccines like the tetanus, diphtheria, and acellular pertussis vaccine (Tdap) (Reagan-Steiner, 2016). Previous studies have sought to address factors that affect decisions to vaccinate children. An analyzation of the National Immunization Survey of Teens has identified that parents’ belief that the HPV was not necessary as a main factor (Darden et al., 2013). As a result, there is a gap needed to be filled by providers to educate parents on the importance of the HPV vaccine.
PURPOSE: The current study sought to determine the effectiveness of a web-based mobile health education program called Wheel of Wellness (WoW) on patient-provider communication, to assess the viability and impact of WoW to increase HPV vaccination rates in age eligible children (boys and girls aged 9-17) and to augment awareness about the benefits of HPV vaccination in both these children and their guardians.
RESEARCH METHOD AND DESIGN: As of August 2018, twenty-seven parents of children between the ages of 9 and 17 years of age within the Pediatrics and Adolescent departments of Boston Medical Center (BMC) have been recruited. Parents enrolled in the WoW program to compile a list of concerns to be shown to a provider during their child’s appointment. Participants were asked questions to determine initial knowledge on the HPV vaccine, and their opinions on the HPV vaccine. Following their appointment, participants completed a questionnaire to assess opinions on the WoW program in facilitating communication with their provider on the HPV vaccine and related cancers. Seven physicians were interviewed to assess their views on the WoW program in facilitating communication with their patients on the HPV vaccine and related cancers.
RESULTS: Initial stages of this study found that views on the effectiveness of the WoW program in facilitating patient and provider communication on the different aspects of HPV vaccination and affecting parents’ decisions to vaccinate their children were mixed by both patients and their providers. Based on the WoW feedback collected from parents, the system was widely acceptable in terms of ease in usage and with the majority of parents (92%) reporting that the WoW website is helpful for communicating their health concerns with their provider. However, the majority of providers reported having never been presented the WoW system and expressed views that WoW was inefficient as it was a parallel system to existing workflow. This study determined that of the 12 participants who had one dose of the vaccine prior to enrollment, 75% of these participants completed the HPV vaccine series during the study.
CONCLUSION: Based on the initiation and completion statistics reported, this shows great potential for the use of the BNI coupled with the WoW system to help improve rates of initiation and completion of HPV vaccination going forward as the intervention may have helped encourage parents to either initiate vaccination or complete their child’s previously started series. Further studies should explore ways of empowering patients to facilitate more communication with their providers and improvements to technology to enhance provider recommendation in order to promote an increase in HPV vaccine completion. / 2021-06-17T00:00:00Z
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:bu.edu/oai:open.bu.edu:2144/36701 |
| Date | 17 June 2019 |
| Creators | Yeo, Christe Lai Leng |
| Contributors | Joseph, Natalie, Symes, Karen |
| Source Sets | Boston University |
| Language | en_US |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | Thesis/Dissertation |
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