eHealth is a model for the delivery and receipt of healthcare services with an expanding evidence base that suggests great potential to increase access and support the transition from episodic to continuous care. In this model, patients, their families, and clinical team members use eHealth technologies that support functions (e.g., communication, behavior support, transactions) that are critical to disease prevention and health management which in turn influences behaviors, processes and outcomes.
In October 2016, the existing Office of Telehealth and the Connected Health Office will merge to create a single Office to oversee the implementation and evaluation of eHealth technologies across VHA. The new combined Connected Health/Telehealth Office will manage the full spectrum of technologies included in the current Offices of Telehealth (e.g., clinical video telehealth, home telehealth, tele-ICU) and Connected Health (e.g., patient portal, secure messaging, mobile apps), as well as new technologies that span these offices (such as the new Automated Telehealth Texting System). Recognizing the importance of rigorous evaluation to its mission, the Connected Health/Telehealth Office is pledging funds for an eHealth Partnered Evaluation Initiative (PEI) to support the further implementation of eHealth technologies across VHA, and to measure their impacts on dimensions of access, as well as Veteran and clinical team experiences, healthcare processes, and Veteran health outcomes.
Developed in close consultation with Connected Health/Telehealth Office leadership, the proposed objectives of the eHealth PEI are to (1) implement a patient-level "supported adoption intervention" for secure messaging and evaluate the impact of secure messaging use through a rapid, one-year randomized trial; and (2) evaluate the initial rollout of VHA's automated telehealth text messaging system to Veterans and clinical team members. The evaluation work associated with each of these two objectives will be guided by the Practical, Robust Implementation and Sustainability Model (PRISM).
The implementation and evaluation of eHealth technologies is not just the mission of the new Connected Health/Telehealth Office, it is also the vision of VHA. In addition to addressing the needs of the investigators' operational partner, the aforementioned objectives map to key strategies and transformational actions detailed in the Blueprint for Excellence, and align with a recently developed Virtual Access Strategy Document intended to guide the efforts of the Connected Health/Telehealth Office. The proposed eHealth PEI team includes leadership and investigators from the eHealth Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) who are recognized authorities in informatics, implementation science, and mixed methods evaluation, and have longstanding, collaborative relationships with constituents in the Connected Health/Telehealth Office.
