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Published on: July 31, 2017
Utilization of a Best Practice Alert (BPA) at Point-of-Care for Recruitment into a US-Based Autism Research Study
Andrea R Simon1,2,3, Kelli L Ahmed2,4, Danica L Limon2,5,6
1Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Insights
Implementing a Best Practice Alert (BPA) in electronic health records effectively recruited pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder for the SPARK study, showing higher participant retention.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Health
- Clinical Research Informatics
- Neurodevelopmental Disorders
Background:
- Provider referrals are crucial for clinical research recruitment.
- The EPIC Electronic Health Record's Best Practice Alert (BPA) system can streamline provider engagement.
- Recruiting pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) presents unique challenges.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess the utility of an adapted BPA in the EPIC EHR for recruiting pediatric patients with ASD into the national SPARK study.
- To evaluate the impact of BPA-driven referrals on patient enrollment and retention rates.
Main Methods:
- A BPA was integrated into the EPIC EHR to identify and refer eligible pediatric patients with ASD for the SPARK study.
- Patient data was collected over a one-year surveillance period.
- Enrollment and participation completion rates were compared between BPA-referred and non-BPA-referred participants.
Main Results:
- Out of 1203 identified patients, 223 enrolled in the SPARK study via the BPA.
- BPA-referred participants demonstrated a higher completion rate (58.3%) compared to those not recruited via BPA (35.5%).
- The BPA successfully engaged providers in the research referral process.
Conclusions:
- Electronic Health Record-based BPAs are effective tools for facilitating provider engagement in research recruitment.
- Families referred to research through their healthcare providers exhibit increased engagement and retention in studies.
- This approach enhances the recruitment of pediatric populations with autism spectrum disorder for large-scale research initiatives.
Abstract:
Provider referral is one of the most influential factors in research recruitment. To ease referral burden on providers, we adapted the Best Practice Alert (BPA) in the EPIC Electronic Health Record and assessed its utility in recruiting pediatric patients with autism spectrum disorder for the national SPARK study. During a year-long surveillance, 1203 (64.0%) patients were Interested in SPARK and 223 enrolled. Another 754 participants not recruited via the BPA also enrolled; 35.5% of these participants completed their participation compared to 58.3% of BPA-referred participants. Results suggest that (a) a BPA can successfully engage providers in the study-referral process and (b) families who learn about research through their providers may be more engaged and effectively retained.
