Empowering Veterans to Communicate With Healthcare Providers

The goal of this VA Innovation Seed project is to test the best approach for the delivery, feasibility, and usability of a patient-centered CKD-QPS to facilitate better Veteran understanding and engagement in their CKD-care in nephrology clinics at two geographically distinct VA hospitals (Chicago and Dallas) through on-going user feedback in real time. Specifically, the pilot goals are to: 1. Test the process of delivering the CKD-QPS into clinical workflow to optimize patient and provider use of the QPS. We will rely on user (patient and provider) feedback about the feasibility of using the QPS in a real world VA environment (e.g., time required for visits using the QPS, impact on clinical workflow, patient and providers' preferences for delivering the QPS to Veterans with CKD) to adjust delivery throughout the project period. 2. Obtain continuous provider and patient feedback during the project period about QPS feasibility, use, patient participation, and provider information-giving and encouragement of question-asking during outpatient clinic visits. 3. Test how well iterative adjustments to delivery can help improve CKD-QPS patient-reported outcome measures (e.g., satisfaction with provider). The multi-site study will take place at Hines, VA, and at VA North Texas Health System, in Dallas, TX. The intervention entails providing the CKD-Question Prompt Sheet to patients to use during patient-nephrologist (or Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant) clinic visits. The CKD-QPS is a 31-item list of questions about treatment options for CKD. The QPS is designed to empower patients to ask questions by reminding them of questions that they may consider asking. Data collection entails pre-post clinic visit surveys among CKD patients, a post-clinic interview with CKD patients and nephrologists (separately), and audio-recording the clinic visit. The knowledge gained from this study may improve other patients' satisfaction with care and communication with providers.