IHQSE faculty, Dr. Michael Tchou, is lead author on a research article published in Journal of Hospital Medicine. The study examines rates of overuse of diagnostic testing in pediatric hospital settings and its ripple effect of negative impacts on both providers and patients.

Using patient-reported outcome measures to guide clinical care is associated with improved outcomes and widely regarded as a best practice in mental health. However, many systems have struggled to routinely adopt the practice. In an article in Psychiatric Services, IHQSE faculty, alumni, and members of the University of Colorado Department of Psychiatry describe how they used technology to address major barriers to using this best practice in their design and implementation of the Measurement-Assisted Care (MAC) program. In MAC, patient-reported outcome measures are automatically attached to patient eCheck-in and clinician documentation templates nudge clinicians to view and discuss the responses during visits. MAC increased the availability of patient-reported outcome measures from 5% to 60%+ of patient visits with more than 90% of clinicians reporting the information was useful.

Electronic Health Records (EHR) have become integral to quality care delivery in many specialties. In spite of the usefulness of the these tools, surgeons have been reluctant to incorporate EHR into their toolbox. IHQSE Faculty, Sarah Tevis, MD, is corresponding author of a viewpoint article published by JAMA Surgery that calls for surgeons to engage in electronic health record innovation to improve patient and clinician experience.

Secure messaging (SM) is becoming a common way for hospitalists to communicate, but most existing literature focuses on usage patterns and implementation science, without clear understanding of the benefits and challenges users may be encountering. IHQSE Faculty Michelle Knees, DO and team led a mixed methods study involving surveys and focus groups with hospitalists from 24 academic institutions, finding that, while SM enhances communication efficiency, it also increases multitasking, cognitive load, and alters interpersonal dynamics. The study underscores the need for clear institutional guidelines for SM use and emphasizes the importance of collaborating with frontline workers to improve communication practices.