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Recent Findings

Recent Findings
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Hybrid care engagement phenotypes and glycemic outcomes in diabetes: a cluster analysis across two health systems

Digital health engagement is often treated as binary. For example, patients either use tools like portals and telehealth or they do not. However, this study suggests a more nuanced reality. In a retrospective cohort study, researchers applied cluster analysis to identify distinct “digital engagement phenotypes” based on use of messaging, phone, video, and portal functions. They found that engagement patterns varied widely, from highly digital, asynchronous users to those relying primarily on telephone or in-person care.

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Identifying Skill and Usability Barriers to Digital Health Tool Use Among Older Adult Patients in US Safety Net Clinics: Mixed Methods Study

Digital health tools such as patient portals and telemedicine are increasingly embedded in care delivery, yet many older adults face challenges using them effectively. In this mixed methods study, researchers assessed fundamental digital skills and observed participants completing common tasks such as joining a video visit, logging into a portal, and signing up for an account.

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Screening by Health Care Systems for Barriers to Patient Engagement With Digital Health Care: Cross-Sectional Survey Study

Digital health tools such as patient portals, telemedicine, and mobile apps are now central to health care delivery, yet patients’ ability to benefit from these tools depends on their digital readiness. In a national survey of 144 clinicians and informatics leaders conducted in early 2024, fewer than half (44%) reported that their health systems screen patients for digital readiness.

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Featured Blog Posts

Blog
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Spontaneity Summer

Dear friends,

Greetings! August is here, and I hope you have either taken time away or have rest and relaxation ahead. I have a confession to make: I have mixed feelings about summer. I love having my college kid home and appreciate the summer weather (outside of foggy San Francisco, anyway!) but summertime at the office can be challenging. The work demands press on, but since everyone is out of the office at different times, it’s harder to get things done. And even though I try to be very intentional about vacation, I can’t deny that I work hard to prepare before I leave and strain to catch up afterwards. I always look back fondly on summer and feel grateful for fall’s return to routine.

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Work Like My Dad

Dear friends,

Happy July! How’s your summer going? I’m very happy to have a full, if chaotic, house, and less happy to have a looming grant deadline. My June was bittersweet, with my youngest’s high school graduation and Father’s Day making me miss my late father even more acutely. I get my penchant for giving (often unsolicited) career advice directly from him. He was a scientist who was both highly creative and deeply disciplined, a combination of traits that still inspires me. Today I am sharing some of his best work advice.

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Be Kind To You

Dear friends,

We made it through May! I still feel like I am going full steam ahead, though I hope to get into a gentler summer rhythm in the next couple of weeks. I attended the Society for General Internal Medicine Annual Meeting a couple of weeks ago, and as always, I enjoyed catching up with old friends and meeting new people at my professional home.

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