Browsing by Author "Donelan, Karen"

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    A randomized controlled trial of an online health tool about Down syndrome
    (Elsevier, 2021) Chung, Jeanhee; Donelan, Karen; Macklin, Eric A.; Schwartz, Alison; Elsharkawi, Ibrahim; Torres, Amy; Hsieh, Yichuan Grace; Parker, Holly; Lorenz, Stephen; Patsiogiannis, Vasiliki; Santoro, Stephanie L.; Wylie, Mark; Clarke, Lloyd; Estey, Greg; Baker, Sandra; Bauer, Patricia E.; Bull, Marilyn; Chicoine, Brian; Cullen, Sarah; Frey-Vogel, Ariel; Gallagher, Maureen; Hasan, Reem; Lamb, Ashley; Majewski, Lisa; Mast, Jawanda; Riddell, Travis; Sepucha, Karen; Skavlem, Melissa; Skotko, Brian G.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
    Purpose: We sought to determine if a novel online health tool, called Down Syndrome Clinic to You (DSC2U), could improve adherence to national Down syndrome (DS) guidelines. We also sought to determine if primary care providers (PCPs) and caregivers are satisfied with this personalized online health tool. Methods: In a national, randomized controlled trial of 230 caregivers who had children or dependents with DS without access to a DS specialist, 117 were randomized to receive DSC2U and 113 to receive usual care. The primary outcome was adherence to five health evaluations indicated by national guidelines for DS. DSC2U is completed electronically, in all mobile settings, by caregivers at home. The outputs-personalized checklists-are used during annual wellness visits with the patient's PCP. Results: A total of 213 participants completed a 7-month follow-up evaluation. In the intention-to-treat analysis, the intervention group had a 1.6-fold increase in the number of indicated evaluations that were recommended by the primary care provider or completed compared with controls. Both caregivers and PCPs reported high levels of satisfaction with DSC2U. Conclusions: DSC2U improved adherence to the national DS health-care guidelines with a novel modality that was highly valued by both caregivers and PCPs.
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    Insurance, chronic health conditions, and utilization of primary and specialty outpatient services: a Childhood Cancer Survivor Study report
    (Springer, 2018-10) Mueller, Emily L.; Park, Elyse R.; Kirchhoff, Anne C.; Kuhlthau, Karen; Nathan, Paul C.; Perez, Giselle; Rabin, Julia; Hutchinson, Raymond; Oeffinger, Kevin C.; Robison, Leslie L.; Armstrong, Gregory T.; Leisenring, Wendy M.; Donelan, Karen; Medicine, School of Medicine
    PURPOSE: Survivors of childhood cancer require life-long outpatient healthcare, which may be impacted by health insurance. This study sought to understand survivors' utilization of outpatient healthcare provider services. METHODS: The study examined cross-sectional survey data using an age-stratified sample from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study of self-reported annual use of outpatient services. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were used to identify risk factors associated with utilization of services. RESULTS: Six hundred ninety-eight survivors were surveyed, median age 36.3 years (range 22.2-62.6), median time from diagnosis 28.8 years (range 23.1-41.7). Almost all (93%) of survivors had at least one outpatient visit during the previous year; 81.3% of these visits were with a primary care providers (PCP), 54.5% were with specialty care physicians, 30.3% were with nurse practitioner/physician's assistants (NP/PA), and 14.2% were with survivorship clinic providers. Survivors with severe to life-threatening chronic health conditions had greater odds of utilizing a specialty care physician (OR = 5.15, 95% CI 2.89-9.17) or a survivorship clinic (OR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.18-7.26) than those with no chronic health conditions. Having health insurance increased the likelihood of seeking care from NP/PA (private, OR = 2.76, 95% CI 1.37-5.58; public, OR = 2.09, 95% CI 0.85-5.11), PCP (private, OR = 7.82, 95% CI 3.80-13.10; public, OR = 7.24, 95% CI 2.75-19.05), and specialty care (private, OR = 2.96, 95% CI 1.48-5.94; public, OR = 2.93, 95% CI 1.26-6.84) compared to without insurance. CONCLUSION: Most childhood cancer survivors received outpatient care from a PCP, but a minority received care from a survivorship clinic provider. Having health insurance increased the likelihood of outpatient care. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Targeted interventions in the primary care setting may improve risk-based, survivor-focused care for this vulnerable population.