IU Indianapolis ScholarWorks :: Browsing by Author "Downs, Stephen M."

Browsing by Author "Downs, Stephen M."

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Acceptability of Group Visits for Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Pediatric Clinics
(Wolters Kluwer, 2017-10) Bauer, Nerissa S.; Azer, Nina; Sullivan, Paula D.; Szczepaniak, Dorota; Stelzner, Sarah M.; Downs, Stephen M.; Carroll, Aaron E.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
OBJECTIVE: Children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have ongoing needs that impair home and school functioning. Group visit models are a promising way to deliver timely parenting support but family and provider acceptance has not previously been examined. The objective was to describe the acceptability of ADHD group visits in busy pediatric clinics based on caregivers, child participants and facilitators. METHODS: Data were analyzed from school-age children and caregivers who participated in one of two 12-month long randomized controlled studies of the ADHD group visit model from 2012 to 2013 or 2014 to 2015. Feedback was obtained using semi-structured questions at each study end, by telephone or at the last group visit. Sessions were audio-recorded, transcribed and themes were extracted by participant type. RESULTS: A total of 34 caregivers, 41 children and 9 facilitators offered feedback. Caregivers enjoyed the "support group" aspect and learning new things from others. Caregivers reported improved understanding of ADHD and positive changes in the relationship with their child. Children were able to recall specific skills learned including how skills helped at home or school. Facilitators acknowledged systems-level challenges to offering group visits but felt the group format helped increase understanding of families' needs, improved overall care, and provided innovative ways to engage with families. CONCLUSION: The majority of comments from families and facilitators highlighted a variety of benefits of the use of a group visit model for ADHD chronic care. Despite systems-level barriers to implementation, families and facilitators felt the benefits outweighed the challenges.
Attitudes About the Use of Newborn Dried Blood Spots for Research: A Survey of Underrepresented Parents
(Elsevier, 2015-09) Hendrix, Kristin S.; Meslin, Eric M.; Carroll, Aaron E.; Downs, Stephen M.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
Objective To identify the relative importance of factors that impact parents’ attitudes toward use of their child’s dried newborn blood spots for research purposes. Methods Respondents were parents aged 18 and older with at least one child aged 17 or younger born in Indiana visiting an urban pediatrics clinic. They were asked to rate the acceptability of hypothetical scenarios involving the research use of blood spots. Three pieces of information varied between the scenarios: 1) who would be conducting the research; 2) whether the child’s identity would be linked to the spots; and 3) whether and how often the parents’ consent would be sought before the research began. Results A total of 506 predominantly black and low-income parents completed the survey. The conjoint analysis model showed good fit (Pearson’s R = 0.998, P < .001). The rank order of factors affecting parents’ attitudes was: 1) consent (importance score = 64.9), 2) whether the child’s identity was linked to the spot (importance score = 19.4), and 3) affiliation of the researcher using the spots (importance score = 14.6). Respondents preferred being asked for their consent each time their children’s spots would be used. They preferred that the children’s identity not be linked to the spots and that the research be conducted by university researchers, though these issues had less impact on attitudes than consent. Conclusions Parents strongly prefer that consent be sought for each use of their children’s blood spots. These findings have implications for future research and policy-making decisions.
An Automated System for Generating Situation-Specific Decision Support in Clinical Order Entry from Local Empirical Data
(2011-10-19) Klann, Jeffrey G.; Schadow, Gunther; Downs, Stephen M.; Finnell, John T.; Palakal, Mathew J.; Szolovits, Peter
Clinical Decision Support is one of the only aspects of health information technology that has demonstrated decreased costs and increased quality in healthcare delivery, yet it is extremely expensive and time-consuming to create, maintain, and localize. Consequently, a majority of health care systems do not utilize it, and even when it is available it is frequently incorrect. Therefore it is important to look beyond traditional guideline-based decision support to more readily available resources in order to bring this technology into widespread use. This study proposes that the wisdom of physicians within a practice is a rich, untapped knowledge source that can be harnessed for this purpose. I hypothesize and demonstrate that this wisdom is reflected by order entry data well enough to partially reconstruct the knowledge behind treatment decisions. Automated reconstruction of such knowledge is used to produce dynamic, situation-specific treatment suggestions, in a similar vein to Amazon.com shopping recommendations. This approach is appealing because: it is local (so it reflects local standards); it fits into workflow more readily than the traditional local-wisdom approach (viz. the curbside consult); and, it is free (the data are already being captured). This work develops several new machine-learning algorithms and novel applications of existing algorithms, focusing on an approach called Bayesian network structure learning. I develop: an approach to produce dynamic, rank-ordered situation-specific treatment menus from treatment data; statistical machinery to evaluate their accuracy using retrospective simulation; a novel algorithm which is an order of magnitude faster than existing algorithms; a principled approach to choosing smaller, more optimal, domain-specific subsystems; and a new method to discover temporal relationships in the data. The result is a comprehensive approach for extracting knowledge from order-entry data to produce situation-specific treatment menus, which is applied to order-entry data at Wishard Hospital in Indianapolis. Retrospective simulations find that, in a large variety of clinical situations, a short menu will contain the clinicians' desired next actions. A prospective survey additionally finds that such menus aid physicians in writing order sets (in completeness and speed). This study demonstrates that clinical knowledge can be successfully extracted from treatment data for decision support.
Caregiver Comfort in Adolescents Independently Completing Screening Tablet-Based Questionnaires at Primary Care Visits
(Elsevier, 2019-09-12) Ferrin, Stephanie N.; Grout, Randall W.; Gilbert, Amy Lewis; Wilkinson, Tracey A.; Cheng, Erika R.; Downs, Stephen M.; Aalsma, Matthew C.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Objectives The objective of this study was to assess caregiver comfort regarding adolescent completion of computerized health screening questionnaires created for adolescents. Design We conducted a mixed method, cross-sectional survey of caregivers of adolescent patients (n=104) ages 12–18 years that had a medical visit between June and August of 2017. Topics assessed included who completed the questionnaire, caregiver comfort and concern regarding questionnaire data, and caregiver reasons for involvement in completing the questionnaire. A one-way ANOVA was used to compare age of the adolescent and caregiver involvement in the questionnaire. Results The majority of adolescents (64%) reported independent completion of the questionnaire. Thirteen percent of caregivers completed the questionnaire with no involvement of the adolescent and 23% reported that caregivers and adolescents completed the questionnaire in tandem. The majority of caregivers (84%) were comfortable with adolescents completing the questionnaire. A variety of reasons were identified for caregivers completing the questionnaire (time constraints, 22%; adolescent requested caregiver help, 19%; caregiver desired to answer questions, 14%; caregiver did not realize that the questionnaire was intended for the adolescent, 11%; caregiver believed that the adolescent was too young to respond alone, 11%. Caregiver comfort with adolescent completing the questionnaire increase with age. Conclusion We found the reason most caregivers gave for completing the questionnaires were related to clinic processes (e.g. time constraints) Caregivers were more likely to complete the questionnaire with younger adolescents. Thus, pediatricians should consider how to best prepare families for initial questionnaires in primary care.
Characteristics Associated with Confidential Consultation for Adolescents in Primary Care
(Elsevier, 2018-08) Gilbert, Amy Lewis; McCord, Allison L.; Ouyang, Fangqian; Etter, Dillon J.; Williams, Rebekah L.; Hall, James A.; Tu, Wanzhu; Downs, Stephen M.; Aalsma, Matthew C.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
OBJECTIVE: To examine how provider report of confidential consultation in the electronic health record is associated with adolescent characteristics, health risk factors, and provider training. STUDY DESIGN: This prospective cohort study was conducted as part of a larger study implementing computerized clinical decision support in 2 urban primary care clinics. Adolescents used tablets to complete screening questions for specified risk factors in the waiting room. Adolescent-reported risk factors included sexual activity, substance use, and depressive symptoms. Providers were prompted on encounter forms to address identified risk factors and indicate whether confidential consultation was provided. Provider types included adolescent medicine board certified pediatrics and general pediatrics. Differences in proportions of adolescents reporting risk factors by provider type were assessed using χ2 tests. Associations between adolescent characteristics, risk factors, and provider-reported confidential consultation were examined using logistic regression analyses. RESULTS: The sample included 1233 English and Spanish-speaking adolescents 12-20 years of age (52% female; 60% black; 50% early adolescent). Patients seen by adolescent medicine board certified providers reported sexual activity, depressive symptoms, and substance use significantly more often than those seen by general pediatric providers. Among patients seen by board certified adolescent medicine providers, confidential consultation was provided to 90%. For those seen by general pediatric providers, confidential consultation was provided to 53%. Results of multiple logistic regression demonstrated that female sex, later adolescence, and clinic location were significantly associated with confidential consultation. CONCLUSIONS: Provider training is needed to reinforce the importance of confidential consultation for all adolescents.
Child exposure to parental violence and psychological distress associated with delayed milestones
(American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), 2013-12) Gilbert, Amy Lewis; Bauer, Nerissa S.; Carroll, Aaron E.; Downs, Stephen M.; Department of Pediatrics, IU School of Medicine
OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between parental report of intimate partner violence (IPV) and parental psychological distress (PPD) with child attainment of developmental milestones. METHODS: By using data collected from a large cohort of primary care patients, this cross-sectional study examined the relationship between parental report of IPV and/or PPD and the attainment of developmental milestones within the first 72 months of a child's life. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to adjust for parental report of child abuse concern and sociodemographic characteristics. RESULTS: Our study population included 16 595 subjects. Children of parents reporting both IPV and PPD (n = 88; 0.5%) were more likely to fail at least 1 milestone across the following developmental domains: language (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 2.1; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.3-3.3), personal-social (aOR 1.9; 95% CI 1.2-2.9), and gross motor (aOR 3.0; 95% CI 1.8-5.0). Significant associations for those reporting IPV-only (n = 331; 2.0%) were found for language (aOR 1.4; 95% CI 1.1-1.9), personal-social (aOR 1.7; 95% CI 1.4-2.2), and fine motor-adaptive (aOR 1.7; 95% CI 1.0-2.7). Significant associations for those reporting PPD-only (n = 1920; 11.6%) were found for: language (aOR 1.5; 95% CI 1.3-1.7), personal-social (aOR 1.6; 95% CI 1.5-1.8), gross motor (aOR 1.6; 95% CI 1.4-1.8), and fine-motor adaptive (aOR 1.6; 95% CI 1.3-2.0). CONCLUSIONS: Screening children for IPV and PPD helps identify those at risk for poor developmental outcomes who may benefit from early intervention.
Clinician Perceptions of a Computerized Decision Support System for Pediatric Type 2 Diabetes Screening
(Thieme, 2020-03) El Mikati, Hala K.; Yazel-Smith, Lisa; Grout, Randall W.; Downs, Stephen M.; Carroll, Aaron E.; Hannon, Tamara S.; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Objective: With the increasing prevalence of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in youth, primary care providers must identify patients at high risk and implement evidence-based screening promptly. Clinical decision support systems (CDSSs) provide clinicians with personalized reminders according to best evidence. One example is the Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation (CHICA) system, which, as we have previously shown, significantly improves screening for T2D. Given that the long-term success of any CDSS depends on its acceptability and its users' perceptions, we examined what clinicians think of the CHICA diabetes module. Methods: CHICA users completed an annual quality improvement and satisfaction questionnaire. Between May and August of 2015 and 2016, the survey included two statements related to the T2D-module: (1) "CHICA improves my ability to identify patients who might benefit from screening for T2D" and (2) "CHICA makes it easier to get the lab tests necessary to identify patients who have diabetes or prediabetes." Answers were scored using a 5-point Likert scale and were later converted to a 2-point scale: agree and disagree. The Pearson chi-square test was used to assess the relationship between responses and the respondents. Answers per cohort were compared using the Mann-Whitney U-test. Results: The majority of respondents (N = 60) agreed that CHICA improved their ability to identify patients who might benefit from screening but disagreed as to whether it helped them get the necessary laboratories. Scores were comparable across both years. Conclusion: CHICA was endorsed as being effective for T2D screening. Research is needed to improve satisfaction for getting laboratories with CHICA.
Computer decision support changes physician practice but not knowledge regarding autism spectrum disorders
(Schattauer, 2015) Bauer, Nerissa S.; Carroll, Aaron E.; Saha, Chandan K.; Downs, Stephen M.; Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine
Objective: To examine whether adding an autism module promoting adherence to clinical guidelines to an existing computer decision support system (CDSS) changed physician knowledge and self-reported clinical practice. Methods: The CHICA (Child Health Improvement through Computer Automation) system, a CDSS, was enhanced with a module to improve management of autism in 2 of the 4 community pediatric clinics using the system. We examined the knowledge and beliefs of pediatric users using cross-sectional surveys administered at 3 time points (baseline, 12 months and 24 months post-implementation) between November 2010 and January 2013. Surveys measured knowledge, beliefs and self-reported practice patterns related to autism. Results: A total of 45, 39, and 42 pediatricians responded at each time point, respectively, a 95-100% response rate. Respondents’ knowledge of autism and perception of role for diagnosis did not vary between control and intervention groups either at baseline or any of the two post-intervention time points. At baseline, there was no difference between these groups in rates in the routine use of parent-rated screening instruments for autism. However, by 12 and 24 months post-implementation there was a significant difference between intervention and control clinics in terms of the intervention clinics consistently screening eligible patients with a validated autism tool. Physicians at all clinics reported ongoing challenges to community resources for further work-up and treatment related to autism. Conclusions: A CDSS module to improve primary care management of ASD in pediatric practice led to significant improvements in physician-reported use of validated screening tools to screen for ASDs. However it did not lead to corresponding changes in physician knowledge or attitudes.
Cost Minimization Analysis of Same-Day Long-Acting Reversible Contraception for Adolescents
(American Medical Association, 2019-09) Wilkinson, Tracey A.; Downs, Stephen M.; Tucker Edmonds, Brownsyne; Pediatrics, School of Medicine
Importance: Long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) is considered first-line contraception for adolescents but often requires multiple clinic visits to obtain. Objective: To analyze Indiana Medicaid's cost savings associated with providing adolescents with same-day access to LARC. Design, Setting, and Participants: An economic evaluation of cost minimization from the payer's (Medicaid) perspective was performed from August 2017 through August 2018. The cost model examined the anticipated outcome of providing LARC at the first visit compared with requiring a second visit for placement. The costs and probabilities of clinic visits, devices, device insertions and removals, unintended pregnancy, and births, according to previously published sources, were incorporated into the model. The participants were payers (Medicaid). Main Outcomes and Measures: The outcomes were the cost of same-day LARC placement vs LARC placement at a subsequent visit in US dollars, and rates of unintended pregnancy and abortion. One-way sensitivity analysis was done. Results: Same-day LARC placement was associated with lower overall costs ($2016 per patient over 1 year) compared with LARC placement at a subsequent visit ($4133 per patient over 1 year). Compared with the return-visit strategy, same-day LARC was associated with an unintended pregnancy rate of 14% vs 48% and an abortion rate of 4% vs 14%. Conclusions and Relevance: Providing same-day LARC could save costs for Medicaid, largely by preventing unintended pregnancy. Expected cost savings could be used to implement policies that make this strategy feasible in all clinical settings.
Cost-effectiveness analysis of the management of distal ureteral stones in children
(Elsevier, 2019) Chan, Katherine H.; Whittam, Benjamin M.; Krambeck, Amy; Downs, Stephen M.; Misseri, Rosalia; Cain, Mark P.; Bennett, William E., Jr.; Urology, School of Medicine
Objective To determine the most cost-effective approach to the management of distal ureteral stones in children given the potential for recurrent renal colic during a trial of passage versus potential stent discomfort and complications of ureteroscopy. Methods We developed a decision tree to project costs and clinical outcomes associated with observation, medical explusive therapy (MET), and ureteroscopy for the management of an index patient with a 4mm distal ureteral stone. We determined which strategy would be least costly and offer the most pain-free days within 30 days of diagnosis. We performed a one-way sensitivity analysis on the probability of successful stone passage with MET. We obtained probabilities from the literature and costs from the 2016 Pediatric Health Information System Database. Results Ureteroscopywas the costliest strategy but maximized the number of pain-free days within 30 days of diagnosis ($5,282/29 pain-free days). MET was less costly than ureteroscopybut also less effective ($615/21.8 pain-free days). Observation cost more than MET and was also less effective ($2,139/15.5 pain-free days). The one-way sensitivity analysis on the probability of successful stone passage with MET demonstrated that ureteroscopyalways has the highest net monetary benefits value and is therefore the recommended strategy given a fixed WTP. Discussion Using a rigorous decision-science approach, we found that ureteroscopy is the recommended strategy in children with small distal ureteral stones. Although it cost more than MET, it resulted in more pain-free days in the first 30 days following diagnosis given the faster resolution of the stone episode.

Browsing by Author "Downs, Stephen M."

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