A Novel Health Information Technology System (BMT Roadmap) for Pediatric BMT Patients and Caregivers

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (BMT), or commonly referred to as blood and marrow transplantation (BMT), is a potentially life-saving therapy for many malignant and non-malignant conditions. Despite advances over the past decade, which have led to improved outcomes, BMT remains an intense treatment modality often requiring prolonged inpatient-based care. While many patients endure the acute complications of the procedure, it is common for BMT patients and their caregivers to experience increased risk of financial and emotional burden, hospital readmission, and health service utilization. This highlights the importance of active involvement of BMT patients in their own health care (self-efficacy). For pediatric BMT patients, parents are the primary caregivers. As such, parental activation on behalf of the child (patient) plays a critical role in effective patient-parent-provider partnerships, which is increasingly recognized as the optimal model for health care delivery, particularly for those facing life-altering medical treatments. It is essential to develop effective strategies to enhance this partnership. Health information technology (IT)-mediated tools offer the potential to overcome constraints in health care delivery limited by provider time, complicated health information, and financial pressures. Significant gaps in knowledge exist on the use of health IT tools using low-cost and well-accepted delivery platforms in routine inpatient care, especially for high-risk or critically ill populations. The investigators hypothesize that a tablet-based tool displaying personal health information could provide a platform to promote caregiver (parent) activation and enhance health communication. In this clinical research study, the investigators will conduct a pilot study of an educational health IT system developed on a tablet (Apple iPad®) that the investigators refer to as a Personalized Engagement Tool (PET) or the "BMT Roadmap." The Apple iPad® was selected as the platform for delivery of the educational intervention given its ergonomic features. The implementation and evaluation of the BMT Roadmap information system in caregivers of children undergoing BMT have been based on the generation of user (caregivers and patients) needs that incorporated well-established user-centered design processes including qualitative and quantitative research methods (published and unpublished data). The assembled investigators represent a strong multidisciplinary team with complementary and integrated expertise who are well-poised to carry out the proposed research. The Protocol or Study Team includes pediatric BMT physicians, Center for Health Communications Research (CHCR) staff, health informaticist, biostatistician, and psychologist. This research study is innovative because it addresses a gap in the literature on the role of health IT in parent activation on behalf of the child in the inpatient setting of a high-risk BMT population. The BMT Roadmap information system provides a robust experimental framework for further testing the utility of other care components that relate to parent activation or participation and for potential adoption in other complex medical conditions. The new knowledge gained herein will thus contribute to the evidence base of how health IT improves health care quality and provide the basis of further study in a full-scale clinical trial.