Current Research

The following are some of the ongoing research projects being conducted by CHIDS Faculty and Fellows.

Health Informatics Research Initiative (HIRI)

The Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) has developed the Health Services Data Warehouse (HSDW) using clinical and administrative data assets from across the Military Health System. This data has been characterized as “America’s undiscovered lab” for conducting innovative biomedical and health services research. CHIDS is working to help define and enable the technical, policy and other components to support this research program, and create opportunities for the scientific community to use this resource via the Health Informatics Research Initiative (HIRI) to accelerate the transformation of healthcare using advanced healthcare analytics.

The research whitepaper Leveraging the Air Force HSDW for Transformational Healthcare Research: An Action Agenda provides additional details on this initiative. The HIMSS 2012 presentation on this topic is also available. 

Development of a Model Electronic Health Record Format for Children.

Electronic health records (EHRs), when fully implemented well, are comprehensive systems that support the health record-related needs clinicians and all their patients. Unfortunately, for a variety of reasons, EHR systems often do not adequately support the provision of health care to children. The project goal is to develop a Model EHR Format for children, which specifies: A minimum set of data elements; Applicable data standards; Usability; Functionality; and, Interoperability requirements. Then, to demonstrate that it can be readily used, and package it in a way that facilitates broad incorporation into EHR systems. The project output will help facilitate improved care coordination and management throughout the children’s health ecosystem. In cooperation with Westat. Support provided by AHRQ.

Understanding Development Methods from Other Industries to Improve the Design of Consumer Health IT

Despite the potential power of consumer health IT to allow consumers to become more engaged with and assume greater control over their health management activities, health care consumers have not consistently been eager to adopt the technology. By contrast, consumer products in other industries are very widely used. By identifying design principles and methods that led to the success of other consumer products, and evaluating them so that they may be extended to the design and development of consumer health IT, we may facilitate improved consumer health IT application development and ergo improved consumer health management. In cooperation with Westat. Support provided by AHRQ.

Personal Health Records and Secure Messaging for Military Personnel Pilot Program

Although there is significant momentum behind the use of personal health records and other tools for managing and exchanging personal health information, there is very little systematic evidence related to their benefits, especially with respect to clinical outcomes. CHIDS is working with the the Air Force Medical Service (AFMS) on a pilot implementation of a personal health record (PHR) and patient-provider secure messaging (SM) technology within the clinical context of specific disease cohorts. We are interested in understanding the potential influence of PHR with secure messaging on attitudinal measures and clinical and operational outcomes. In cooperation with Deloitte. Support provided by AFMS.

The Willingness of Individuals to Disclose Personal Genetic Information

There has been considerable progress in medicine following the mapping of the human genome ten years ago. Future progress is closely tied to the availability of robust genetic databanks. To the extent that society needs volunteers to populate these data banks, an understanding of the information disclosure decision is critical. We study the willingness of individuals to disclose personal genetic information, focusing on the effects of (1) the purpose for which information is sought, (2) the soliciting institution, and (3) individual characteristics (such as perception of risks and benefits). Our findings have important implications for (1) stimulating voluntary disclosure, (2) avoiding statistical bias due to selection effects, and (3) designing institutions for genomics research.

Evaluating the Food and Drug Administration Public-Private Partnerships Program

The FDA Public-Private Partnerships Program is dedicated to leading the creation, implementation and management of strategic collaborations that leverage expertise and resources from FDA and other organizations to protect and promote public health. Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) represent an economically compelling way for FDA and stakeholders to leverage combined resources and know-how, collaboratively and under aligned missions, for the benefit of public health. Federal programs, including the FDA PPP Program, must have performance metrics and meaningful outcomes that demonstrate a return on the taxpayer’s investments. Many of the traditional performance metrics and outcome measures cannot fully quantify the results of creative programs—several of which are unprecedented in scope, timelines and deliverables—and new methods to capture information and measure progress are needed. CHIDS is working with the FDA to evaluate the PPP Program and develop a framework and set of supporting information management processes. The research deliverables will assist in the ongoing governance and management of the PPP Program as well as in the development of future PPPs.