Abstract 50: Virtual Care via Mobile Application Using a Patient Electronic Health Record Portal is Feasible and Increases Stroke Patient Engagement - A Pilot Study

• Published in: Stroke (1970) Vol. 52; no. Suppl_1; p. A50
• Main Authors: Pope, Leslie, Buchinsky, Kelly, Noah, Patty, Hackett, Chris, Cerejo, Russell, Tayal, Ashis H
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins 01-03-2021
• ISSN: 0039-2499; 1524-4628
• DOI: 10.1161/str.52.suppl_1.50

IntroductionImproving patient engagement in post-acute stroke cohort is challenging. Additional tools are necessary to help patients take an active role their health. Care Companion is an interactive patient engagement tool embedded within a patient’s EHR portal that can provide disease-specific education, symptom monitoring, medication reminders and patient self-reported outcomes. The application was created for patients within the existing Stroke Care Model who are followed for 90 days post-acute. As the first organization to pilot EPIC Care Companion for acute stroke patients, we aimed to evaluate the feasibility of a mobile application and its impact on patient engagement. MethodsWe developed stroke specific content for Care Companion including automated alert parameters. Patients were selected based on co-morbidities, willingness and ability to participate and access to a mobile device. Individualized content was electronically sent to the patient via mobile device notifications at predetermined intervals. Patients responded to questionnaires, and input individualized data including blood pressure readings, exercise logs, glucose levels, and nicotine consumption. Patients were able to contact all members of the care team and request assistance to manage risk factors. Participants completed a Likert scale impact survey at day 90. We compared total number of patient-nurse navigator interactions between Care Companion users versus non-users with a t-test. ResultsSince January 2020, 406 patients were enrolled in the Stroke Care Model and completed 90 days of follow up. We enrolled 39 patients in the pilot. Patient reported impact surveys were returned in 25 out of 39 patients (64% response rate). Most patients reported that it was easy to enroll in Care Companion (100%) and complete assigned tasks (96%). Patients found the educational content useful (91%) and made lifestyle changes based on the information (90%). Patients enrolled in Care Companion had significantly more interactions with their care team compared to non-enrolled patients (6.6 ± 4.6 vs 3.1 ± 1.9), p<.0001. ConclusionImplementation of Stroke Care Companion was feasible and increased patient engagement with the stroke care team.