We are working on the STARx (Self-management and Transition to Adulthood with Rx=treatment) program led by Dr. Ferris, who works at UNC School of Medicine. The main focus of the STARx Program is to help adolescents and young adults with healthcare transition by developing and improving their self-management skills and disease knowledge. The values of healthcare transition are numerous. For patients, it can improve their health outcomes by ensuring continuity of care and promoting self-management skills. For healthcare providers, it can improve patient satisfaction and reduce healthcare costs by preventing complications and hospitalizations. Finally, for society as a whole, it can lead to a healthier and more productive population by enabling individuals with chronic health conditions to lead fulfilling and productive lives.
To measure self-management and transition readiness, the STARx program has created several transition tools, including the TRxANSITION Index and the STARx Transition Readiness Questionnaire. After meeting with Dr. Ferries, we, as a team, have several goals to support the STARx program in terms of these transition tools. First, we will host these transition tools online and store survey responses in a HIPPA-Compliant database. We then want to improve the survey questions and add more language versions. After people finish the surveys, we want to show them the result scores for different parts more visually. We also want to generate CSV or PDF files for each survey result so they are printable.
Our work will enhance the functionality and accessibility of the STARx program. By hosting the application online, people across the globe can respond to the surveys regardless of their location, further expanding the program’s reach. Since we will also store the responses from the web application in a HIPPA-Compliant database, patients and healthcare providers can check the progress at any time, and the STARx team can access these data more conveniently. By improving the survey questions and adding more language to the survey, patients in non-English speaking countries can benefit from this program, making the program more accessible. By providing visualized scores, patients can understand how they did. They can celebrate their success and identify areas where they need additional support, giving them greater motivation to continue managing their health. Finally, by generating CSV or PDF reports of the responses, the STARx team can download them directly for further analysis. Also, the reports will be printable, which will be helpful in areas where electronic health records are not commonly used. Overall, our work will benefit patients, their medical providers, and the STARx team.