Browsing by Author "Bylund, Carma L."

Now showing 1 - 4 of 4
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    A novel method for evaluating physician communication: A pilot study testing the feasibility of parent-assisted audio recordings via Zoom
    (Elsevier, 2022) Staras, Stephanie A. S.; Bylund, Carma L.; Desai, Shivani; Harle, Christopher A.; Richardson, Eric; Khalil, Georges E.; Thompson, Lindsay A.; Health Policy and Management, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Objective: Quality of physician consultations are best assessed via direct observation, but require intensive in-clinic research staffing. To evaluate physician consultation quality remotely, we pilot tested the feasibility of parents using their personal mobile phones to facilitate audio recordings of pediatric visits. Methods: Across four academic pediatric primary care clinics, we invited all physicians with a patient panel (n=20). For participating physicians, we identified scheduled patients from medical records. We invited parents to participate via text message and phone calls. During their adolescent's appointment, parents used their mobile phone to connect to Zoom for remote research staff to audio record. Results: In Spring 2021, five of 20 (25%) physicians participated. During a nine-week period, we invited parents of all 54 patients seen by participating physicians of which 15 (28%) completed adult consent and adolescent assent and 10 (19%) participated. For 9 recordings, at least 45% of the conversation was audible. Conclusions: It was feasible and acceptable to directly observe physician consultations virtually with Zoom, although participation rates and potentially audio quality were lower. Innovation: Patients used their cellular phone calling features to connect to Zoom where research staff audio-recorded their physician consultation to evaluate communication quality.
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    Cancer patients’ satisfaction with telehealth during the COVID-19 pandemic
    (Public Library of Science, 2022-06-03) Paige, Samantha R.; Campbell-Salome, Gemme; Alpert, Jordan; Markham, Merry Jennifer; Murphy, Martina; Heffron, Eve; Harle, Chris; Yue, Sijia; Xue, Wei; Bylund, Carma L.; Health Policy and Management, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Objective: To examine factors associated with cancer patients' satisfaction using telehealth during COVID-19, including video conferencing platforms and secure messaging systems. Method: Patients with cancer participated in a cross-sectional, web-based survey was conducted with patients with cancer. The survey included questions about satisfaction with video-conferencing and secure messaging platforms to interact with clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. Logistic regression analyses were conducted to examine predictors of satisfaction for each telehealth platform. Results: Participants generally reported positive satisfaction with each telehealth platform. Both platforms were commonly used to review medical results and discuss symptoms or treatment. Participants identifying as a man were most satisfied with their video-conferencing session, especially if they had a comfortable place to sit. Patients were more satisfied with secure messaging because they could ask a question without scheduling an appointment. Discussion: When strategically used together, video-conferencing platforms and secure messaging may increase patient satisfaction in cancer care during the remainder of the pandemic and beyond. Attention must be paid to optimizing factors that promote satisfaction for each telehealth platform.
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    Fostering Interdisciplinary Boundary Spanning in Health Communication: A Call for a Paradigm Shift
    (Taylor & Francis, 2022) Hoffmann-Longtin, Krista; Kerr, Anna M.; Shaunfield, Sara; Koenig, Christopher J.; Bylund, Carma L.; Clayton, Margaret F.; Communication Studies, School of Liberal Arts
    Scholarship in the field of health communication is broad, with interdisciplinary contributions from researchers trained in a variety of fields including communication, nursing, medicine, pharmacy, public health, and social work. In this paper, we explore the role of “health communication boundary spanners” (HCBS), individuals whose scholarly work and academic appointment reflect dual citizenship in both the communication discipline and the health professions or public health. Using a process of critical reflective inquiry, we elucidate opportunities and challenges associated with HCBS across the spectrum of health communication in order to provide guidance for individuals pursuing boundary spanning roles and those who supervise and mentor them. This dual citizen role suggests that HCBS have unique skills, identities, perspectives, and practices that contribute new ways of being and knowing that transcend traditional disciplinary boundaries. The health communication field is evolving in response to the need to address significant healthcare and policy problems. No one discipline has the ability to single-handedly fix our current healthcare systems. Narrative data from this study illustrate the importance of seeing HCBS work beyond simply being informed by disciplinary knowledge. Rather, we suggest that adapting ways of knowing and definitions of expertise is an integral part of the solution to solving persistent health problems.
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    Secure Messaging and COVID-19: A Content Analysis of Patient–Clinician Communication During the Pandemic
    (Mary Ann Liebert, 2022) Alpert, Jordan M.; Campbell-Salome, Gemme; Gao, Cayle; Markham, Merry Jennifer; Murphy, Martina; Harle, Christopher A.; Paige, Samantha R.; Krenz, Till; Bylund, Carma L.; Health Policy and Management, Richard M. Fairbanks School of Public Health
    Background: Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) immediately impacted patient–clinician communication, particularly in the oncology setting. Relatedly, secure messaging (SM) usage greatly increased, yet it is unknown what was discussed and whether the technology was utilized to disseminate information. Aims: This study aimed at identifying the most frequently discussed topics using SM as well as at understanding how the communication process transpired during the early stages of the pandemic. Materials and Methods: A mixed-methods design was utilized, consisting of a content analysis of more than 4,200 secure messages, aggregated into 1,454 patient–clinician discussions. Data were collected from February 2020 to May 2020. Discussions were from various oncology departments and included physicians, physician assistants, and nurses. Based on the identified categories, a thematic analysis was conducted to understand the nuances occurring within discussions. Results: Out of the 1,454 discussions, 26% (n = 373) related to COVID-19. Of the COVID-19 discussion, the most frequently coded category was “changes, adjustments, and re-arranging care” (65%, n = 241), followed by “risk for COVID-19” (24%, n = 90), “precautions inside the hospital” (18%, n = 66), and “precautions outside the hospital” (14%, n = 52). Natural language processing techniques were used to confirm the validity of the results. Thematic analysis revealed that patients were proactive in rescheduling appointments, expressed anxiety about being immunocompromised, and clinicians were uncertain about providing recommendations related to COVID-19. Conclusions: The COVID-19 outbreak revealed the need for responsive and effective public health communication. The SM can disseminate information from trusted sources, clinicians, but can be better utilized to deliver tailored information for specific patient populations.