D-CARE End of Life Study

UTMB is one of 4 sites that will support EHR chart abstraction of care preferences for decedents from their site using an 18-month look back period from date of death. UTMB site will extract data by manual record review and enter into the study’s database through REDCap for 113 charts (total decedents for 2 intervention arms). Data abstractors at each site will be trained in chart abstraction using a detailed chart abstraction tool developed by Dr. Jennings.

 

Dr. Jennings, or a trained research assistant, will review the first 10 abstractions across all sites to ensure similar abstraction practices and will adjudicate any questions that may arise during abstraction. CTS data abstractors will enter abstracted data into the DCARE REDCap database to create an analytic dataset. Data elements anticipated to be abstracted are outlined in the Table.

 

We will do a pilot abstraction 3-5 charts from each site to clarify which note types in the look-back period need to abstracted (e.g., DCARE intervention related notes, primary care notes, other specialty notes, hospital notes, notes imported from outside the primary healthcare system, advance directives and POLST forms) and/or if the search function in EPIC could be used to identify key words to guide

abstraction. Based on prior similar chart abstractions, we anticipate 90 mins per chart abstraction for the first 10 charts per abstractor, and then 60 mins per chart thereafter.