This Phase I STTR project will lead to development of WeightAdvisorMD, a set of brief clinical assessment and intervention instruments for weight loss counseling of overweight and obese patients in primary care settings. WeightAdvisorMD will be an interactive, web-distributable, clinical decision support software application running in a web browser on either traditional desktop computers or mobile devices. Based on proven patient-centered interviewing techniques, such as the Transtheoretical Model, Motivational Interviewing, and the 5 A's (ask, advise, agree, assist, and arrange), WeightAdvisorMD will assist clinicians in providing patient- specific weight loss counseling, while facilitating provider adherence to evidence-based practice guidelines. Through a user-friendly, point-and-click interface, WeightAdvisorMD will be able to conveniently gather information from patients about their readiness for change with respect to key weight-related behaviors (prior to the encounter), and then generate a series of patient- tailored, scripted interviews physicians can use to intervene about these behaviors as effectively and efficiently as possible during the patient encounter. Other treatment tools, such as calculators for determining Body Mass Index (BMI), absolute risk, and calorie converters, as well as abridged information on pertinent clinical guidelines and local/national resources, will also be available to the clinician at the point-of-care. Finally, in addition to gathering information prior to the clinical encounter, WeightAdvisorMD will also be able to track clinician behavior - that is, it will be able to identify the clinician using the application, record a time and date stamp each time the application is opened, record which sections of the application are accessed and how much time is spent in each - thereby making it possible to evaluate healthcare delivery services, ensure quality treatment, and aid in the conduct of research.
Public Health Relevance: The project will impact public health by providing primary care physicians an effective point-of- care tool for obesity interventions.
Public Health Relevance Statement: The project will impact public health by providing primary care physicians an effective point-of- care tool for obesity interventions.
NIH Spending Category: Behavioral and Social Science; Bioengineering; Clinical Research; Health Services; Networking and Information Technology R&D; Nutrition; Obesity
Project Terms: Adherence; Adherence (attribute); Alcohol Drinking; Alcohol consumption; Area; Attitude; BMI percentile; BMI z-score; Behavior; Behavioral; Body Weight decreased; Body mass index; Chronic Disease; Chronic Illness; Clinical; Clinical assessments; Computer Programs; Computer software; Computers; Controlled Clinical Trials, Randomized; Cost Savings; Counseling; Delivery of Health Care; Development; Devices; Diabetes Mellitus; Elements; Ensure; Environment; EtOH drinking; Evaluation Research; Evidence based practice guidelines; Feedback; Government; Guidelines; Health; Health Planning; Health Sciences, Allied and Health Services Delivery; Health system; Healthcare Delivery; Internet; Intervention; Intervention Strategies; Interview; Lead; Link; Literature; Measures; Methods and Techniques; Methods, Other; Modeling; Monitor; Obesity; On-Line Systems; Online Systems; Operating System; Outcome; Over weight; Overweight; PROV; Patients; Pb element; Phase; Physicians; Pilot Projects; Preparedness; Primary Care; Primary Care Physician; Primary Health Care; Primary Healthcare; Provider; Public Health; Quetelet index; Randomized Controlled Clinical Trials; Readiness; Research; Research Resources; Resources; Risk; Running; STTR; Saving, Cost; Self Efficacy; Series; Services; Sleep Disorders; Small Business Technology Transfer Research; Software; Staging; System; System, LOINC Axis 4; Techniques; Testing; Time; Tobacco Consumption; Tobacco use; Update; Visit; WWW; Weight; Weight Loss; Weight Reduction; Work; adiposity; alcohol ingestion; alcohol intake; alcohol product use; alcohol use; alcoholic beverage consumption; alcoholic drink intake; base; body weight loss; chronic disease/disorder; chronic disorder; computer program/software; corpulence; corpulency; corpulentia; cost effectiveness; depression; design; designing; diabetes; ethanol consumption; ethanol drinking; ethanol ingestion; ethanol intake; ethanol product use; ethanol use; etoh use; evidence base; evidence based guidelines; evidence based recommendations; experience; experiment; experimental research; experimental study; health care delivery; heavy metal Pb; heavy metal lead; improved; information gathering; instrument; intervention effect; interventional strategy; motivational enhancement therapy; motivational interview; obese; obese people; obese person; obese population; online computer; patient centered; patient oriented; pilot study; point of care; primary care setting; prototype; public health medicine (field); public health relevance; randomized trial; research study; satisfaction; sleep problem; tool; treatment as usual; usability; user-friendly; web; web based; web-enabled; world wide web; wt-loss
