Health Information Exchange Platform for Improving Patient Transfers

Recruiting in Palo Alto (17 mi)

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Travel: May Be Covered

Time Reimbursement: Varies

Trial Phase: Academic

Waitlist Available

Sponsor: Brigham and Women's Hospital

No Placebo Group

Trial Summary

What is the purpose of this trial?

Sub-optimal transfer of clinical information during inter-hospital transfer (IHT, the transfer of patients between acute care hospitals) is common and can lead to patient harm. To address this problem, the investigators will use key stakeholder input to refine and implement an interoperable health information exchange platform that integrates with the electronic health record and improves the reliability of and access to necessary clinical information in three use cases involving transfer of patients between sending and receiving hospitals with varying levels of affiliation and health record integration. The investigators will assess the effect of this intervention on frequency of medical errors, evaluate the use and usability of this platform from the perspective of those that interact with it, and use these results to develop a dissemination plan to spread implementation and use of this platform across other similar institutions.

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for adults over 18 who are admitted to general medicine, cardiology, oncology, or ICU services at Brigham and Women's Hospital and transferred from one of these hospitals: Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, South Shore Hospital, Milford Regional Medical Center. It excludes those under 18 or admitted through ER or directly from home/clinic.

Inclusion Criteria

Transferred from one of the 3 included transferring hospitals (Brigham and Women's Faulkner Hospital, South Shore Hospital, Milford Regional Medical Center)

I am 18 years old or older.

Admitted to the general medical, cardiology, oncology, and/or ICU services at Brigham and Women's Hospital

Exclusion Criteria

I am under 18 years old.

Transferred from a different acute care hospital than the 3 included hospitals

I am coming directly from home or a clinic.

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Treatment Details

Interventions

Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform (Health Information Exchange)

Trial OverviewThe trial is testing a Health Information Exchange (HIE) platform designed to improve the transfer of patient information between hospitals. The goal is to see if this system reduces medical errors by providing better access to clinical data during inter-hospital transfers.

Participant Groups

2Treatment groups

Experimental Treatment

Active Control

Group I: InterventionExperimental Treatment1 Intervention

The intervention arm will include all included patient transfers from the 3 participating transfer hospitals to the 1 accepting hospital during the 1-year intervention phase. They will receive the intervention, which will include utilization of the developed health information exchange platform to transfer clinical information between transferring and accepting hospital. The intervention will not interact directly with the patient, but rather their clinical data.

Group II: BaselineActive Control1 Intervention

The baseline arm will include all included patient transfers from the 3 participating transfer hospitals to the 1 accepting hospital during the 1-year pre-intervention phase. They will not receive any intervention, but rather usual care