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The following is a summary of “Barriers and facilitators to sustaining a lupus patient decision aid in regular rheumatology outpatient care in the US,” published in the January 2025 issue of Rheumatology by Blanchard et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study on sustaining a decision aid (DA) tool for patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) in routine care. Key factors for success included improved training, workflow integration, and electronic medical record use.
They conducted semi-structured interviews with clinicians, administrators, and information technology (IT) professionals from 15 geographically diverse rheumatology clinics involved in a large-scale DA implementation trial. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using NVivo, with thematic coding to identify key factors influencing DA sustainability.
The results showed facilitators such as the DA’s user-friendly design and its effectiveness in simplifying medical information for informed decision-making. Challenges included inconsistent staff knowledge, difficulty integrating the DA into workflows, lack of executive and physician champions, absence of structured training, and concerns about staff support and technological capabilities.
Investigators identified the need for enhanced training, better workflow integration, and physician champions to sustain the DA. Addressing these areas ensured its continued use in routine care.
Source: academic.oup.com/rheumatology/advance-article-abstract/doi/10.1093/rheumatology/keaf043/7985588
