# Cloud Care: A Feasibility Study of Cloud-based Care Plans for Children with Medical Complexity

> **NIH AHRQ R21** · SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL · 2020 · $167,829

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This proposal describes a two-year research study to determine how to leverage cloud-computing technologies
to support parents and healthcare providers in collaboratively-maintaining comprehensive and accurate patient
health information. The goal of this research is to determine the feasibility, acceptability, and outcomes
associated with the use of Cloud Care, a cloud-based multidisciplinary care plan, among parents and providers
who care for children with medical complexity. To achieve this goal, the study team will conduct a 15-month,
single-center, mixed-methods cohort study in which parents will receive access to their child's Cloud Care
profile (N=100) and may share access with providers. We will measure study outcomes using web analytics,
surveys, and interviews.
The first aim of this proposal will determine the feasibility and acceptability of Cloud Care. The research team
will use web analytics to track Cloud Care usage in terms of the number of reviews and edits performed by
parents and providers in total and in response to email alerts. The research team will also conduct an
evaluation of acceptability by administering a survey and conducting qualitative interviews at three time-points
during the study period. The second aim of this proposal will determine associations between Cloud Care
usage and outcomes such as caregiver burden, parent perceptions of integrated care, and medication list
accuracy. Outcomes will be assessed through parent-reported, survey-based measures and parent interviews
at baseline and at two additional time-points during the study period. This study will generate data to inform a
larger, multi-site, R01 randomized controlled trial powered to determine the effectiveness of Cloud Care for
improving patient/family-centered outcomes and patient safety for this vulnerable population of children.
By accomplishing the aims in this proposal, Dr. Desai and her team will address critical gaps in our
understanding of how to optimize the use of these cloud-based platforms to support team-based content
management within the healthcare sector. By eliciting recommendations from parents and providers to
enhance Cloud Care's usability through mixed-method research, her team will design interventions that are
consistent with their values, preferences and goals. Ultimately, this proposal will inform a larger research
program to investigate system-oriented, patient-centered solutions to improve access to comprehensive,
coordinated health services for vulnerable children.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9951868
- **Project number:** 1R21HS027465-01
- **Recipient organization:** SEATTLE CHILDREN'S HOSPITAL
- **Principal Investigator:** ARTI D DESAI
- **Activity code:** R21 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** AHRQ
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $167,829
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2020-05-01 → 2022-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9951868

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9951868, Cloud Care: A Feasibility Study of Cloud-based Care Plans for Children with Medical Complexity (1R21HS027465-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-23 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9951868. Licensed CC0.

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