Healthcare Providers’ Recommended Technology Features to Enhance Care for Children with Medical Complexity: A Qualitative Study

Children with medical complexity (CMC) are children with multiple health conditions who require support from a variety of healthcare professionals. Virtual care and data management tools are essential in CMC care, enabling healthcare providers to monitor the health status of CMC patients and access accurate, updated health information. This qualitative study was conducted within a large healthcare system on the East Coast to explore the necessary improvements and technological features needed in virtual care, data management, and care coordination. We conducted semi-structured interviews with healthcare providers who care for CMC patients between May 2023 and December 2023. The eligibility criteria included being a healthcare professional involved in the care of CMC patients. In this study, CMC patients are defined as children with at least three chronic health conditions. Technology was explored in the context of digital tools for virtual care and data management. The interviews were conducted via Zoom and audio-recorded for transcription and analysis. A total of 24 healthcare providers participated in the study, including 4 hospitalists, 13 specialists, 2 outpatient pediatricians, and 5 home nurses. We conducted our coding process using an inductive thematic analysis approach. As a result, two primary themes emerged from the data, focusing on the needed features to support CMC care from the healthcare providers’ perspective. Each theme consists of a set of subthemes. The first theme addressed virtual care, while the second focused on data management. Based on these insights, we offer design suggestions to improve care coordination and communication for CMC care.