Two years ago, a team from Kaiser Permanente’s Innovation Consultancy was given the task of transforming patient data on exercise into actionable information that health care providers could use to encourage healthy behaviors. They called this initiative Project Move.
In part five of her seven-part blog series on Exercise as a Vital Sign (EVS), Dr. Latifat Apatira describes how the Innovation team went about the work of better understanding patients’ barriers and motivations regarding exercise.
The Innovators traveled to several Kaiser Permanente regions to analyze interactions between health care providers and members. They learned that patients are less active because of busy lifestyles. As for health providers, it was determined that they did not have time nor established resources to address their inactivity.
The group came up with several ideas to make EVS more actionable that are outlined in detail in the EVS blog, including screening questions from medical assistants and licensed vocational nurses that get entered into the medical record and passed along to the next level of care. Depending on how members answer the first round of questions, follow-up questions can lead to exercise prompts or referrals to health and wellness coaches.
While the results of the work are still being analyzed, new innovations are underway, including a website that helps members find resources for physical activity.
