Evaluating Comparative Effectiveness Research Priorities for Care Coordination in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Public Health
• Chronic Disease Management

Background:

• Limited understanding exists regarding the comparative effectiveness of various care coordination strategies for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
• Community-based stakeholder input, particularly from medically underserved populations, is crucial for identifying key research priorities in COPD care coordination.
• Web-based platforms offer a means to gather input from underrepresented populations on comparative effectiveness research (CER) concepts.

Purpose of the Study:

• To utilize low-computer-literate, collaborative survey technology to assess stakeholder priorities for comparative effectiveness research (CER) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) care coordination.
• To identify and prioritize community-specific research needs for improving COPD care coordination.

Main Methods:

• A mixed-method, concurrent triangulation design employed a virtual advisory board comprising medically underserved COPD patients, caregivers, clinicians, and scientists.
• The eDelphi method facilitated three iterative rounds of web-based surveys, including video presentations and Likert scale ratings of care coordination topics.
• Panelists ranked remaining topics and provided feedback on a web-based stakeholder engagement network for COPD CER.

Main Results:

• The top-ranked care coordination topics included measurement of quality of care, managing COPD with comorbidities, and pulmonary rehabilitation.
• Stakeholder feedback emphasized the importance of comparing COPD symptom management strategies and improving patient-provider communication.
• A significant portion of participants (51%) believed a web-based network could enhance online community meetings and (49%) facilitate idea generation for COPD CER.

Conclusions:

• A structured web-based communication process successfully identified community-specific COPD care coordination research priorities.
• The study underscores the necessity for further comparative effectiveness research (CER) focused on quality of care measures for medically underserved COPD patients.