Lessons Learned From Provider Minder: A Provider Tracking Application for Improving Stroke Risk Screening in Sickle Cell Anemia.

Background and objectives: We developed a novel web-based application, Provider Minder, for providers to track and monitor stroke risk screening in children with sickle cell anemia. Here, we describe the development of the application, the process evaluation during implementation, and our lessons learned.

Methods: An iterative development process was used to develop the Provider Minder application and its functionalities. For our process evaluation, our team conducted surveys and interviews with study teams across 13 sites that used Provider Minder as part of a multi-intervention trial for the Dissemination and Implementation of Stroke Prevention Looking at the Care Environment study. Surveys and interviews were conducted with providers and coordinators at midpoint (1 year) and end point (2 years). Results were integrated and organized according to themes.

Results: The process evaluation indicated factors critical for implementation success, such as coordination across stakeholders. Successes of the intervention included high adaptability for unique site needs, ease of use, low costs of implementation, and perceived effectiveness at capturing missed screenings. Key challenges were the time burden for use, redundancy of data capture, and lack of integration, as Provider Minder was distinct from the electronic medical record.

Conclusions: While providers and coordinators described multiple barriers to implementing Provider Minder, results indicated that perceived successes outweighed barriers. Future efforts to reduce the burden associated with health care complexity and improvement in interoperability of electronic medical records will be important for improving the success of similar tracking applications for complex conditions.