Category: HCMC Press Releases

Hennepin Healthcare’s Digital Equity Xperts (DEX) program connects patients with technology and their healthcare

For patients who have limited access to digital technology, signing on to their patient record can be a challenge – if not altogether impossible.

“Not everyone has a cellphone – or even access to the internet,” explains Dr. Ryan Jelinek, Medical Director for Telehealth and Patient Access at Hennepin Healthcare, who created the Digital Equity Xpert program where patients are connected with digital navigators to help train and educate them about online tools to better access their healthcare resources – most importantly, their electronic health records.

“Digital literacy to improve the health and wellbeing of our communities is a priority within our healthcare system. Just getting to that place often identifies inequities like lack of device access, or poor broadband or cellular connectivity. Regardless of access to technology, there may be limited digital literacy, that impedes a patient’s ability to use these tools. Our goal is to have patients feel comfortable in accessing the resources they need and feel included in their care.”

More than 800 patients have been helped by the DEX program since it began in March 2022 to address the gaps in digital access by providing at-the-elbow support to patients who may need extra assistance. While much of the support provided is related to healthcare tools like the patient’s electronic health record, the scope of support extends far beyond that to things like helping set up an email address or referring them to county programs that may be able to assist with hardware and broadband solutions at little or no cost.

How does it work?

Like the Talent Garden and other community-focused initiatives at Hennepin Healthcare, the Digital Equity Xperts program has a dual focus on diversity and equity for both the Hennepin Healthcare team and more broadly in their communities.

Through a partnership with Teen HOPE, Hennepin Healthcare provides training and workplace opportunities to interns in the DEX program to fast-track them to careers in healthcare. Through these internships, they gain experience working within a healthcare setting toward their career goals, meeting patients at the bedside or at clinic appointments to provide education.

“It’s a win-win program for everyone,” said Dr. Jelinek. “The patients are more involved in their healthcare experience and choices, the DEX intern gains experience toward their career goals, and Hennepin Healthcare benefits from having a more involved patient, and potentially another colleague considering a rewarding healthcare career.”

Hennepin Healthcare is a nationally recognized system of care that includes HCMC, a Level I Adult Trauma Center and Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center with the largest emergency department in Minnesota. The comprehensive academic medical center and public teaching hospital includes a 484-bed acute care hospital as well as primary care and specialty clinics located in downtown Minneapolis its surrounding communities.

Hennepin Healthcare asking for community input on local trauma research study for blood clotting agent

Excessive bleeding (bleeding out) is the most common cause of preventable death after someone experiences an injury. Researchers at Hennepin Healthcare are asking for the community’s input on whether they should participate in an international study to see if a blood clotting drug – given soon after arrival in the emergency department – can improve survival.

Kcentra® (or 4-factor Prothrombin Complex Concentrate) is a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved drug and is currently used to reverse the effects of medications given to “thin” the blood, for patients who experience bleeding and/or require surgery.

The Trauma and Prothrombin Complex Concentrate or TAP Trial will evaluate the effectiveness of Kcentra®, in addition to all standard care, in injured patients predicted to require a large volume blood transfusion. “There is evidence that Kcentra® may reduce the chance of dying in injured patients who are not on blood-thinning medications,” explains Dr. Brian Driver, MD an emergency physician at Hennepin Healthcare.

“The standard treatment of injured patients who are bleeding involves the transfusion of different types of blood products, as well as the use of medications to help the blood clot better, along with surgery to stop the bleeding. But even with these treatments up to 30% of patients suffering from a serious traumatic injury die,” said Dr. Driver. “Finding a way to improve that survival rate is our highest priority here at Hennepin Healthcare.”

Patients in this study will have suffered a serious and potentially life-threatening injury that caused significant blood loss and required immediate lifesaving interventions. These types of injuries occur unexpectedly, and it will not be possible for most people to sign up to participate ahead of time. Most patients will be unconscious, unable to speak or hear, and too sick to consent to immediate treatment or participation in the study.

If the community feedback is positive and an independent review board (IRB) approves the study at Hennepin Healthcare, then Hennepin Healthcare will participate in this trial. Community members who do not want to participate can request a bracelet indicating this. If feasible, doctors will consent patients who fit the study criteria. If consent is not feasible, patients who fit the criteria will be automatically enrolled without their individual consent if they are not wearing an opt-out bracelet.

The TAP trial will be conducted in about 120 leading trauma centers in several countries and will include 8,000 patients, making it the second-largest trauma trial ever conducted. The trial will begin between early 2023 and last until 2026, and is funded by CSL Behring, a global biotherapeutics leader which makes PCC.

“The results of this study have the potential to change the way trauma patients are treated,” said Dr. Driver. “If we can determine that Kcentra® is safe and effective for trauma patients, we can transform the standard of care for bleeding trauma patients and save thousands of lives.”

The researchers are asking for feedback from the Twin Cities community about this study to help determine whether the community wants us to participate in this study. Please consider joining a virtual meeting on January 25 or February 7, where further details will be discussed (details at: https://www.uab.edu/medicine/cis/tap-trial-at-hennepin/community-meetings).

Also, please consider completing a very brief anonymous survey hosted by the local study site. To complete the anonymous survey on your thoughts about this exception from informed consent study, please go to: https://uab.co1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_9Lln3tsViYM0ZnM

For more information, please contact Dr. Brian Driver MD at 612-873-7448 or email at brian.driver@hcmed.org

Hennepin Healthcare is a nationally recognized system of care that includes HCMC, a Level I Adult Trauma Center and Level 1 Pediatric Trauma Center with the largest emergency department in Minnesota. The comprehensive academic medical center and public teaching hospital includes a 484-bed acute care hospital as well as primary care and specialty clinics located in downtown Minneapolis its surrounding communities.