PROJECT INNOVATION 4: Data-Driven Recommendations for Virtual Health Use

This project uses existing data to inform virtual health resource use policy recommendations for persons with traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

THE QUALITY OF CARE GAP

  • Access to care issues due to an inability to receive in-person care are not automatically addressed by simply moving healthcare online.
  • Populations with unique needs like TBI may require accommodations for cognitive impairments like various communication approaches, reminders, etc.
  • Universal policy mandates for virtual health to enhance healthcare access exist, however they are not informed by the lived experiences of patients with cognitive difficulties such TBI.

  • Once thought of as an option for healthcare, the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in virtual health resources as a necessity for care.
  • Research shows a landmark increase in use of health resources to meet healthcare needs; however, more analysis is needed to inform how to meet access and user needs of persons with traumatic brain injury (TBI).

"[During COVID-19] I did a fair amount of telehealth which included video, actually no, I'll take that back. A lot of telephone contacts. Videoconferencing was not sucessful due to the cognitive impairment of the patients".

Neuropsychologist

PROJECT INNOVATION: HOW ARE WE SOLVING THE PROBLEM?

"DATA-DRIVEN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIRTUAL HEALTH USE WITH PERSONS WITH TBI"

We are developing data-driven policy and practice recommendations for using virtual health resources with persons with TBI to promote access to high-quality healthcare. Policy and practice recommendations created to inform virtual health resource use with patients with TBI and disseminated to entities that specialize in delivering care to persons with TBI can improve access to care. Our study products will inform: (1) necessary virtual health resource enhancements; and (2) policies to inform appropriate virtual health resource use for persons with TBI.

This project includes the following objectives:

  1. Identify factors that impact virtual healthcare delivery for persons with TBI and develop data driven recommendations.
  2. Engage partners to validate data-driven data summaries and recommendations to inform development of recommendations and dissemination products.
  3. Develop data-driven recommendations and a dissemination plan with professionals and persons with lived TBI experience to support virtual health resource use with persons with TBI.
Image 1

We will analyze existing data on using virtual healthcare for persons with TBI.

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We will partner with professionals and persons with lived TBI experience to co-create data-driven recommendations for virtual health resource use with persons with TBI.

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The project team will engage with community partners to develop dissemination recommendations to high-impact stakeholders such as healthcare organizations and associations that deliver TBI care.

HEAR FROM OUR POLICY & PROFESSIONAL PARTNERS

"We need more focus on how to support practitioners in rural and underserved areas, where these barriers are often magnified."

"It’s critical to consider rurality—patients in remote areas may not have reliable internet access, which severely limits their ability to use virtual healthcare."

"We’ve seen patients reluctant to use their limited data plans for virtual appointments. Addressing this would be a game-changer."

Meet I-HEAL's Fourth Innovation Team

photograph of Dr. Haun

Jolie Haun, PhD, EdS

Principal Investigator

Photograph of Amanda Tweed

Amanda Tweed

Project Manager

photograph of Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo

Rebecca Campbell-Montalvo, PhD

Qualitative Division Lead

Photograph of Areana Cruz

Areana Cruz, PhD

Qualitative Researcher

photograph of Deveney Ching

Deveney Ching, PhD

Qualitative Researcher

PROJECT INNOVATION 4'S INDIVIDUAL EXPERIENCE PARTNERS

Person 1

Deputy Associate Chief of Staff for Mental Health and Behavioral Sciences. Ronald Gironda, Ph.D. is a clinical psychologist who has served as the Chief of Psychology and Assistant Chief of Mental Health & Behavioral Sciences Service of the James A. Haley Veteran’s since 2008. He has overseen the growth of one of the largest workforces of mental health providers for Veterans in VISN 8. Dr. Gironda has administratively overseen management of the providers impacted by many of the TBI-morbidity challenges addressed in this proposal. He served as a stakeholder in preliminary meetings to guide the focus of this submission. As a former VA Career Development Award grantee, he is familiar with the research process. His clinical expertise lies in the field of chronic pain assessment, treatment, and research. He was a member of the Chronic Pain Rehabilitation Program interdisciplinary team that was awarded the VA’s Olin Teague Award for Excellence in Rehabilitation and the American Pain Society’s Clinical Program of Excellence designation. He is a former VA RR&D Associate Investigator and Career Development awardee, and he was named the James J. Peters Scholarship recipient in 2002. More recently he has served as a Site Visitor for the Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Mental Health Operations and as the President of Association of VA Psychology Leaders. His clinical specialty, chronic pain, is highly relevant for Projects 2 and 4.

PROJECT "DATA-DRIVEN RECOMMENDATIONS FOR VIRTUAL HEALTH USE": PROGRESS & PRODUCTS

Progress and Achievements

  • Team has engaged professional and lived experience partners to finalize codebook to prepare for data analysis of existing dataset.
  • Project 4 leadership presented at the Military Health Systems Research Symposium and the American Congressional Rehabilitation Medicine Conference in 2024.
  • The I-HEAL team has completed the data analysis and is preparing data summaries to inform recommendation and product development with professionals and persons with lived TBI experience.

Products Supporting the "Data-Driven Recommendations for Virtual Health Use"

Project 4 Overview

Data Driven Policy Recommendations for Virtual Health Resources for Persons with Disability

Products to Inform Data-Driven Recommendations for Virtual Health Use with Persons with TBI

The views expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official policy or position of the Department of Veterans Affairs or any other U.S. government agency. This work is funded by DOD CDMRP Award Number HT9425-23-1-0621 for Improving Health Care Access and Engagement for Veterans and Service Members with TBI Morbidity (I-HEAL). This material is the result of work supported with resources and the use of facilities at the James A. Haley Veterans’ Hospital. The administering institution for this work is the Tampa VA Research and Education Foundation.