Patient Needs Assessment at EVMS HOPES Chronic Care Clinic to Identify Potential Barriers Affecting Hypertension and Diabetes Mellitus Management
Abstract
Introduction:
Chronic conditions (e.g., diabetes mellitus and hypertension) are leading causes of death in the United States. Due to the complexity of the development, progression, and treatment of chronic conditions, barriers commonly arise. Patient health needs assessments (NA) are powerful tools for assessing the health barriers of patient populations. NAs allow for better shared understanding between patients and doctors and ultimately more efficient care delivery and condition management. The Eastern Virginia Medical School (EVMS) HOPES (Health Outreach Partnership of EVMS Students) Chronic Care Clinic (CCC) is a student-run free specialty clinic that focuses on treating uninsured patients who are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension.
Methods:
To assess the specific barriers experienced by HOPES patients in chronic disease management, the CCC will conduct a 10-minute NA. The surveys will be offered to patients who are diagnosed with diabetes mellitus and/or hypertension who are seen at HOPES CCC or Primary Care Clinic (PCC). The surveys will be offered in a digital (through REDCap) or paper format in both English and Spanish. The NA consists of 28 questions that seek to assess the patient's general health, their understanding of their chronic condition(s), how they manage their chronic condition(s), the care they receive at HOPES for their chronic condition(s), and potential barriers to managing their chronic condition(s). Data will be extracted from approximately 50 completed NAs to determine the potential barriers and needs of CCC patients. All data will be analyzed using standard descriptive summaries.
Results/Conclusion:
Results of the NA will be primarily used to implement new practices and/or programs at HOPES CCC to better serve its patient population. Preliminary findings will be shared with the EVMS community at EVMS Research Day. Furthermore, we hope to publish our NA and findings as a prototype for other urban student-run free clinics to perpetuate patient population understanding and effective care.