QoC Health, Inc.

Canadian and international health care systems require solutions on how to address the needs of a relatively small population that take up a large portion of health care resources. In Ontario, 10% of the population accounts for 79% of total system costs, with similar trends found in other parts of Canada and internationally. Most high-cost users are seniors, older adults, with multiple chronic conditions and complex care needs who are living in the community. Beyond the cost issues, older adults experiencing multi-morbidity are at higher-risk of poor health outcomes and experience lower quality of life as compared to individuals experiencing single illness only.
Since April 2013 the electronic Patient Reported Outcomes (ePRO) mobile application and portal, has undergone a multi-phased, user-centred design evaluation approach to develop a tool designed to meet the needs of older adults with complex care needs and their primary care providers. The ePRO tool is designed to collect person-centred, person-reported indicators to improve care by supporting primary care delivery and enhancing patient self-management.
The ePRO tool includes two features: 1) My Goal Tracker and 2) Health Journal. My Goal Tracker allows patients and providers to collaboratively create goal-oriented patient care-plans, and helps patients to track outcomes related to their goals using a mobile device. The Health Journal allows patients, their caregivers and primary care providers to monitor patients' symptoms and outcomes. The ePRO tool was re-evaluated and modified following each previous study phase (I-IV). This project marks the final phase of the study in which the investigators will conduct a pragmatic trial of the ePRO tool in 8-16 Family Health Teams in Ontario through a stepped-wedge randomized trial with an embedded case study. In this evaluation of the tool the investigators will assess outcome, process and context measures to identify how the tool affects patients, providers and the system at point-of-care.