Abstract
BackgroundPeople with complex needs, such as those experiencing homelessness, require concurrent, seamless support from multiple social service agencies. Sonoma County, California has one of the nation’s largest homeless populations among largely suburban communities. To support client-centered care, the county deployed a Care Management and Coordination System (CMCS). This system comprised the Watson Care Manager (WCM), a front-end system, and Connect 360, which is an integrated data hub that aggregates information from various systems into a single client record.ObjectiveThe aim of this study is to evaluate the perceived impact and usability of WCM in delivering services to the homeless population in Sonoma County.MethodsA mixed methods study was conducted to identify ways in which WCM helps to coordinate care. Interviews, observations, and surveys were conducted, and transcripts and field notes were thematically analyzed and directed by a grounded theory approach. Responses to the Technology Acceptance Model survey were analyzed.ResultsA total of 16 participants were interviewed, including WCM users (n=8) and department leadership members (n=8). In total, 3 interdisciplinary team meetings were observed, and 8 WCM users were surveyed. WCM provided a central shared platform where client-related, up-to-date, comprehensive, and reliable information from participating agencies was consolidated. Factors that facilitated WCM use were users’ enthusiasm regarding the tool functionalities, scalability, and agency collaboration. Constraining factors included the suboptimal awareness of care delivery goals and functionality of the system among the community, sensitivities about data sharing and legal requirements, and constrained funding from government and nongovernment organizations. Overall, users found WCM to be a useful tool that was easy to use and helped to enhance performance.ConclusionsWCM supports the delivery of care to individuals with complex needs. Integration of data and information in a CMCS can facilitate coordinated care. Future research should examine WCM and similar CMCSs in diverse populations and settings.
Highlights
BackgroundProviding comprehensive services to vulnerable populations is a complex task requiring effective and efficient collaboration and resource alignment among various safety net agencies [1,2]
The purpose of this study is to evaluate the user-facing component of Watson Care Manager (WCM) to better understand its usability and perceived impact on service delivery processes at the Sonoma County Department of Health and Human Services (SC DHHS)
Interviews were conducted with 8 WCM users and 8 department leadership members
Summary
BackgroundProviding comprehensive services to vulnerable populations is a complex task requiring effective and efficient collaboration and resource alignment among various safety net agencies [1,2]. Care management processes are often complicated when such organizations operate in information silos These processes often involve agencies such as health care, law, housing, and law enforcement, which tend to work independently and lack effective, seamless communication across agencies [3]. To mitigate this growing challenge, synchronization of agencies at different levels is required to successfully provide holistic, client-centered care in an effective and timely manner. These existing silos could be further addressed by using technology as a common platform, which could serve as a reliable information repository for data aggregation, reporting, and exchange. Future research should examine WCM and similar CMCSs in diverse populations and settings
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