Health Sciences
Jennifer Portz, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor
General Internal Medicine
University of Colorado
Aurora, Colorado, United States
George Demiris, PhD, FGSA (he/him/his)
Penn Integrates Knowledge University Professor
School of Nursing
University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States
Jennifer Portz, PhD, MSW
Assistant Professor
General Internal Medicine
University of Colorado
Aurora, Colorado, United States
Nicole Werner, PhD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor
Health & Wellness Design
Indiana University, Bloomington
Bloomington, Indiana, United States
Stephanie Nothelle, MD (she/her/hers)
Assistant Professor
Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Ariel Green, MD, MPH, PhD (she/her/hers)
Associate Professor of Medicine/Geriatrics
Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Baltimore, Maryland, United States
Care partners play a pivotal role in supporting people living with dementia (PLWD), yet their systematic identification and involvement in clinical care are often lacking. This symposium presents four studies highlighting ground-breaking care partner identification methods to inform patient portal-based interventions targeting care partners to enhance dementia care. The first study, a retrospective cohort analysis focuses on automating care partner identification via structured patient contact data and unstructured portal notes in the electronic health record to better deliver evidence-based caregiving interventions through patient portals. The second study explores the associations between the documentation of a care partner and documentation of care partner education in the electronic health record and hospital length of stay. The third study presents an analysis of patient secure portal messages and clinical notes that identified modifiable contributors to potentially preventable acute care visits among PLWD including unmet care needs, particularly in care coordination, health systems navigation, and medication management that contribute. The final study describes the content of patient portal messages relating to medications among PLWD, care partners, and clinicians in a single health system, to inform the development of a portal-based intervention to reduce the use of potentially inappropriate medications among PLWD Our Discussant, Dr. George Demiris, PhD, an informatics and caregiving technology expert, will lead a conversation emphasizing the importance of systematic care partner identification and integrating care partner engagement tools with patient portals to enhance support for PLWD and their care partners, ultimately improving dementia care delivery and outcomes.
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Jennifer D. Portz, PhD, MSW – University of Colorado
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Nicole E. Werner, PhD (she/her/hers) – Indiana University, Bloomington
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Stephanie Nothelle, MD (she/her/hers) – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Individual Symposium Abstract First Author: Ariel R. Green, MD, MPH, PhD (she/her/hers) – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine