Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33449120›Full record

Trial reportTranslational behavioral medicine2021

Can digital communication technology reduce health system personnel time? An evaluation of personnel requirements and costs in a randomized controlled trial.

Nicole M Wagner, Debra P Ritzwoller, Marsha A Raebel, Glenn K Goodrich, Peter J Cvietusa, Diane K King, Jo Ann Shoup, Bruce G Bender

Open access · greenAbstract readPragmatic Clinical TrialRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in Translational behavioral medicine, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
1.2field-weighted citation impact, top 19% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Nicole M WagnerInstitute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.
Debra P RitzwollerInstitute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.
Marsha A RaebelInstitute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.
Glenn K GoodrichInstitute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.
Peter J CvietusaDepartment of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.
Diane K KingCenter for Behavioral Health Research and Services, Institute of Social and Economic Research, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK, USA.
Jo Ann ShoupInstitute for Health Research, Kaiser Permanente Colorado, Denver, CO, USA.
Bruce G BenderDivision of Pediatric Behavioral Health, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO, USA.
Kaiser Permanente · USNational Jewish Health · USUniversity of Alaska Anchorage · US

Funding

Telecommunications Enhanced Asthma Management (TEAM)R01HL084067 · NHLBI · NATIONAL JEWISH HEALTH · PI BENDER, BRUCE GEORGE · 2007 to 2011
$3.7M
The Breathewell Program to Improve Asthma OutcomesR01HL126125 · NHLBI · NATIONAL JEWISH HEALTH · PI BENDER, BRUCE GEORGE · 2015 to 2019
$3.3M
IMPlementation to Achieve Clinical Transformation (IMPACT): The Colorado Training ProgramK12HL137862 · NHLBI · UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO DENVER · PI GLASGOW, RUSSELL E, HAVRANEK, EDWARD PAUL · 2017 to 2021
$2.9M
NHLBI NIH HHS K12 HL137862NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL084067NHLBI NIH HHS R01 HL126125
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Use of digital communication technologies (DCT) shows promise for enhancing outcomes and efficiencies in asthma care management. However, little is known about the impact of DCT interventions on healthcare personnel requirements and costs, thus making it difficult for providers and health systems to understand the value of these interventions. This study evaluated the differences in healthcare personnel requirements and costs between usual asthma care (UC) and a DCT intervention (Breathewell) aimed at maintaining guidelines-based asthma care while reducing health care staffing requirements. We used data from a pragmatic, randomized controlled trial conducted in a large integrated health system involving 14,978 patients diagnosed with asthma. To evaluate differences in staffing requirements and cost between Breathewell and UC needed to deliver guideline-based care we used electronic health record (EHR) events, provider time tracking surveys, and invoicing. Differences in cost were reported at the patient and health system level. The Breathewell intervention significantly reduced personnel requirements with a larger percentage of participants requiring no personnel time (45% vs. 5%, p < .001) and smaller percentage of participants requiring follow-up outreach (44% vs. 68%, p < .001). Extrapolated to the total health system, cost for the Breathewell intervention was $16,278 less than usual care. The intervention became cost savings at a sample size of at least 957 patients diagnosed with asthma. At the population level, using DCT to compliment current asthma care practice presents an opportunity to reduce healthcare personnel requirements while maintaining population-based asthma control measures.

Indexed as

Cell PhoneCommunicationElectronic MailAsthmaHealth PersonnelHumansPersonnel ManagementSurveys and QuestionnairesTime FactorsDigital communication technologyDirect costsHealth care resourcesImplementationShort acting beta-agonistTechnology intervention

Identifiers

PMID33449120
PMCPMC8240660
OpenAlexW3123342649

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.