| Title | The effect of a clinical decision-making mHealth support system on maternal and neonatal mortality and morbidity in Ghana: study protocol for a cluster randomized controlled trial. |
| Authors | Amoakoh, HB; Klipstein-Grobusch, K; Amoakoh-Coleman, M; Agyepong, IA; Kayode, GA; Sarpong, C; Grobbee, DE; Ansah, EK |
| Journal | Trials |
| Publication Date | 4 Apr 2017 |
| Date Added to PubMed | 5 Apr 2017 |
| Abstract | Mobile health (mHealth) presents one of the potential solutions to maximize health worker impact and efficiency in an effort to reach the Sustainable Development Goals 3.1 and 3.2, particularly in sub-Saharan African countries. Poor-quality clinical decision-making is known to be associated with poor pregnancy and birth outcomes. This study aims to assess the effect of a clinical decision-making support system (CDMSS) directed at frontline health care providers on neonatal and maternal health outcomes. A cluster randomized controlled trial will be conducted in 16 eligible districts (clusters) in the Eastern Region of Ghana to assess the effect of an mHealth CDMSS for maternal and neonatal health care services on maternal and neonatal outcomes. The CDMSS intervention consists of an Unstructured Supplementary Service Data (USSD)-based text messaging of standard emergency obstetric and neonatal protocols to providers on their request. The primary outcome of the intervention is the incidence of institutional neonatal mortality. Outcomes will be assessed through an analysis of data on maternal and neonatal morbidity and mortality extracted from the District Health Information Management System-2 (DHIMS-2) and health facility-based records. The quality of maternal and neonatal health care will be assessed in two purposively selected clusters from each study arm. In this trial the effect of a mobile CDMSS on institutional maternal and neonatal health outcomes will be evaluated to generate evidence-based recommendations for the use of mobile CDMSS in Ghana and other West African countries. ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02468310 . Registered on 7 September 2015; Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, identifier: PACTR20151200109073 . Registered on 9 December 2015 retrospectively from trial start date. |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-017-1897-4 |
| Title | Virtualized clinical studies to assess the natural history and impact of gut microbiome modulation in non-hospitalized patients with mild to moderate COVID-19 a randomized, open-label, prospective study with a parallel group study evaluating the physiologic effects of KB109 on gut microbiota structure and function: a structured summary of a study protocol for a randomized controlled study. |
| Authors | Haran, JP; Pinero, JC; Zheng, Y; Palma, NA; Wingertzahn, M |
| Journal | Trials |
| Publication Date | 2 Apr 2021 |
| Date Added to PubMed | 4 Apr 2021 |
| Abstract | These 2 parallel studies (K031 and K032) aim to evaluate the safety of KB109 in addition to supportive self-care (SSC) compared with SSC alone in outpatients with mild to moderate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). KB109 is a novel synthetic glycan that was formulated to modulate the gut microbiome composition and metabolic output in order to increase beneficial short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) production in the gut. The K031 study is designed to evaluate the safety of KB109 and characterize its impact on the natural progression of COVID-19 in patients with mild to moderate disease. The K032 study is evaluating the effect of KB109 on the gut microbiota structure and function in this same patient population. Additionally, both studies are evaluating measures of health care utilization, quality of life (QOL), laboratory indices, biomarkers of inflammation, and serological measures of immunity in patients who received SSC alone or with KB109. Noteworthy aspects of these outpatient studies include study design measures aimed at limiting in-person interactions to minimize the risk of infection spread, such as use of online diaries, telemedicine, and at-home sample collection. K031 and K032 are randomized, controlled, open-label, clinical food studies. Inclusion Criteria: • Adults ≥18 years of age • Patients willing and able to give informed consent • Screening/randomization telemedicine visit within 2 days of testing positive test for COVID-19 ○ In K031 study, symptomatic patients at COVID-19 testing must report new or worsening symptoms at baseline that have not been present for more than 5 days ▪ Cardinal COVID-19 symptoms include fever, chills/repeated shaking with chills, cough, shortness of breath, headache, muscle pain, anosmia/ageusia, and sore throat. The 5 additional symptoms include gastrointestinal (GI) disturbance/symptoms (other than diarrhea), diarrhea, fatigue, nasal congestion, and chest tightness ○ In K031, at COVID-19 testing, pre-symptomatic patients must report new cardinal COVID-19 symptoms within 7 days of a positive test and they must be screened and randomized within 5 days of developing symptoms • Mild to moderate COVID-19 and self-reported outpatient management ○ In K032, mild to moderate COVID-19 was defined as having the following symptoms for no more than 72 hours before COVID-19 testing: a self- reported fever or cough (new or exacerbated) or presence of at least 2 of the following: anosmia, sore throat, or nasal congestion • Ability to adhere to the study visit schedule and other protocol requirements • Consistent internet or cell phone access with a data plan and access to a smartphone, tablet, or computer • The K031 and K032 studies are currently being conducted at 17 clinical institutions throughout the United States. • In the primary investigator's (PI) judgement, patients likely to require hospitalization for COVID-19 • Patients who are hospitalized for in-patient treatment or currently being evaluated for potential hospitalization at the time of informed consent for conditions other than COVID-19 • History of chronic lung disease with chronic hypoxia • History of documented cirrhosis or end-stage liver disease • Ongoing requirement for oxygen therapy • Shortness of breath in resting position • Diagnosis of sleep apnea requiring bilevel positive airway pressure (BIPAP)/continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) • Female patients who are pregnant, trying to become pregnant, or lactating • Concurrent use of immunomodulatory agent within 12 months; systemic antibiotics, antifungals, or antivirals for treatment of active infection within 28 days; systemic immunosuppressive therapy within 3 months; or drugs or other compounds that modulate GI motility (eg, stool softeners, laxatives, or fiber supplements) taken currently, or within 7 days. Antacid (histamine 2 blockers and proton pump inhibitors) and antidiarrheal agents are not prohibited • History of GI surgery (6 months prior to randomization), including but not limited to bariatric surgery and bowel resection, or history of, or active GI disease(s) that may affect assessment of tolerability, including but not limited to inflammatory bowel disease, irritable bowel syndrome, autoimmune disease, or GI malignancy • Participation in an interventional clinical trial or use of any investigational agent within 30 days before randomization • Clinically significant or uncontrolled concomitant medical condition that would put the patient at risk or jeopardize the objectives of the study in the opinion of the PI • In the opinion of the PI, patient unlikely for any reason to be able to comply with study procedures • Contraindications, sensitivities, or known allergy to the use of the study product or its components INTERVENTION AND COMPARATOR: Patients will be randomized (1,1) to receive either SSC and KB109 or SSC alone. During SSC, patients should follow the steps as instructed by their healthcare provider to care for themselves and protect other people in the home and community from potentially contracting COVID-19. Management of COVID-19-related symptoms with over-the-counter cough, cold, and anti-pyretic medications by patients is permitted in accordance with the medications' respective drug facts label or as instructed by the patient's healthcare provider. Following randomization, patients assigned to receive KB109 and SSC will receive a Kaleido Biosciences, Inc at-home study kit including a thermometer, pulse oximeter, and KB109. During the Intake Period (days 1-14), KB109 will be reconstituted in water by the patient and consumed by the patient twice daily (at least 8 hours apart), following an up-titration dosing schedule: Days 1 to 2: 9 g twice daily for a total daily dose of 18 g Days 3 to 4: 18 g twice daily for a total daily dose of 36 g Days 5 to 14: 36 g twice daily for a total daily dose of 72 g During the intake period, patients will record their daily COVID-19-related symptoms, selected COVID-19 signs (as self-measured using the provided thermometer and pulse oximeter), responses to questions related to QOL measures, health care use measures, and concomitant medications taken in the previous 24 hours. Wellness visits by telephone will be conducted between days 1 and 14 to follow up on patient's health status and to ascertain compliance with KB109 and completion of questions. On day 14, all patients will undergo a telemedicine visit where the following will be conducted: abbreviated physical examination, assessment of safety and other protocol-specified measures of health, and an evaluation of whether follow-up treatment is recommended owing to a progression of COVID-19 symptoms. If feasible, blood samples for clinical chemistries, biomarkers and serological measure of immunity, and nasal/oropharyngeal swabs for quantitative viral load assessments will be collected. Beginning on day 15, patients in both groups will enter the follow-up period (days 15-35) where COVID-19 signs, symptoms, and health care use indices will be collected. Wellness visits by telephone will be conducted on days 21, 28, and 35 to follow-up on the patient's health status. On day 35, all patients will undergo a telemedicine visit where the same information as the day 14 telemedicine visit will be collected, including any blood samples. The primary outcome for the K031 and K032 studies is to evaluate the safety of KB109 in addition to SSC compared with SSC alone in outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 by assessing the number of patients experiencing KB109-related treatment-emergent adverse events (TEAEs) during the study. K031 will also evaluate duration of symptoms among outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19. This will be as an assessment made during the intake and/or follow-up periods of the following: • Time to resolution of the 13 overall and the 8 cardinal COVID-19-related symptoms from day 1 until the day at which the composite score of the 13 overall and 8 cardinal COVID-19-related symptoms becomes 0 or 1 and remains at 0 or 1 for the rest of the intake period and for the follow-up period • Proportion of patients with a reduction from baseline in each of the 13 overall COVID-19-related symptoms • Proportion of patients in whom symptoms (present at baseline) become absent for each of the 13 overall COVID-19-related symptoms • Change from baseline in the overall composite score of the 13 overall COVID-19-related symptoms and the 8 cardinal COVID-19-related symptoms • Time to resolution of fever (defined as from day 1 until the day at which a patient's daily maximum temperature achieves and remains below 100.4°F without antipyretic medication) • Proportion of patients with oxygen saturation <95% and <98% on days 14 and 35 • Measures collected from the health care provider wellness visits • Proportion of patients experiencing hospital admissions (all cause and COVID-19-related) • Health care use K032 will evaluate the effect of KB109 in addition to SSC compared with SSC alone on the gut microbiota structure and function in outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19. Before days 1, 14, and 35, microbiota structure (eg, magnitude of change in gut microbiome structure, composition of gut microbiome) will be analysed by methods such as nucleic acid sequencing and gut microbiome function will be analysed via levels of stool inflammatory biomarkers (eg, lipocalin) and gut microbiome metabolites (eg, SCFA). The health of outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 will be evaluated during the intake and follow- up periods by: measures of QOL; measures collected from the healthcare provider wellness visits; the proportion of patients experiencing hospital admissions; health care use, the proportions of patients with oxygen saturation <95% and <98%, and the proportion of patients with temperature below 100.4 °F without an anti-pyretic medication. Potential exploratory outcome measures may include: changes from baseline (day 1) in laboratory measures, specific biomarkers of infection, serology, inflammation (eg, D-dimer, lipocalin, cytokines, IgM/IgG sero-conversion, and neutralization assays), and viral load in outpatients with mild to moderate COVID-19 in the presence and absence of KB109. All patients deemed eligible for the studies will be randomized in a 1:1 ratio to KB109 in addition to SSC or SSC alone group using an interactive response technology system. Randomization will be stratified by study site/center, age groups (≥18-<45 years, ≥45-<65 years, ≥65 years), and comorbidity status (yes, no). These studies are open-label; therefore, no blinding is necessary. K031 will enroll approximately 350 to 400 (175-200 patients per group) whereas K032 will enroll approximately 50 patients (25 per group). K031 protocol version 4, December 9, 2020; recruitment started in August, 2020, and the study is estimated to be completed in March 2021. This study is active and enrollment was completed in January, 2021. K032 protocol version 2, June 30, 2020; recruitment is estimated to start in July, 2020. This study is recruiting and the study is estimated to be completed in March 2021. K031 is registered with the US National Library of Medicine, Identifier NCT04414124 as of June 4, 2020. K032 is registered with the US National Library of Medicine, Identifier NCT04486482 as of July 24, 2020. The full protocols are attached as additional files (Additional files 1 and 2), accessible from the ClinicalTrials.gov website. In the interest in expediting dissemination of this material, the familiar formatting has been eliminated; this letter serves as a summary of the key elements of the full protocols. The study protocols have been reported in accordance with the Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Clinical Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) guidelines (Additional files 3 and 4). |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-021-05157-0 |
| Title | Rural use of health service and telemedicine during COVID-19: The role of access and eHealth literacy. |
| Authors | Rush, KL; Seaton, C; Li, E; Oelke, ND; Pesut, B |
| Journal | Health informatics journal |
| Publication Date | 1 Dec |
| Date Added to PubMed | 28 May 2021 |
| Abstract | The COVID-19 pandemic has driven a greater reliance on telemedicine, yet rural access, use, and satisfaction with telemedicine and the role of eHealth literacy are unknown. Using a cross-sectional design, 279 (70.6% female) western rural Canadians completed an online survey. The majority of participants reported access to telemedicine, but nearly 1/5 lacked access to online or virtual mental health services. The majority of participants had used health care services following the declared COVID-19 pandemic in North America, and just under half had used telemedicine. Telemedicine satisfaction scores were higher among participants who had used video (M = 4.18) compared to those who used phone alone (M = 3.79) (p = 0.031). Telemedicine satisfaction and eHealth literacy were correlated (r = 0.26, p = 0.005). Participants did not want telemedicine to replace in-person consultations. Telemedicine practice requires that rural residents have the resources, ability and willingness to engage with remote care. |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.1177/14604582211020064 |
| Title | Protocols of a diagnostic study and a randomized controlled non-inferiority trial comparing televisits vs standard in-person outpatient visits for narcolepsy diagnosis and care: TElemedicine for NARcolepsy (TENAR). |
| Authors | Ingravallo, F; Vignatelli, L; Pagotto, U; Vandi, S; Moresco, M; Mangiaruga, A; Oriolo, C; Zenesini, C; Pizza, F; Plazzi, G |
| Journal | BMC neurology |
| Publication Date | 11 May 2020 |
| Date Added to PubMed | 13 May 2020 |
| Abstract | Narcolepsy is a rare chronic sleep disorder that typically begins in youth. Excessive daytime sleepiness is the main disabling symptom, but the disease is often associated with severe endocrine-metabolic and psychosocial issues, worsened by a long diagnostic delay, requiring a multidisciplinary approach. The scarcity of reference Sleep Centres forces the patient and family to travel for seeking medical consultations, increasing the economic and psychosocial burden of the disease. Growing evidence suggests that Telemedicine may facilitate patient access to sleep consultations and its non-inferiority in terms of patient satisfaction, adherence to treatment, and symptom improvement for sleep disorders. However, Telemedicine clinical and economic benefits for patients with narcolepsy are still unknown. TENAR is a two-part project, including: 1. a cross-sectional study (involving 250 children and adults with suspected narcolepsy) evaluating the accuracy of Teletriage (i.e., a synchronous live interactive sleep assessment through a Televisit) for narcolepsy diagnosis compared to the reference standard; and 2. a two-arm, parallel, open randomized controlled trial (RCT) to demonstrate the non-inferiority of the multidisciplinary care of narcolepsy through Televisits versus standard care. In this RCT, 202 adolescents (> 14 y.o.) and adults with narcolepsy will be randomly allocated (1:1 ratio) either to Televisits via videoconference or to standard in-person outpatient follow-up visits (control arm). The primary outcome is sleepiness control (according to the Epworth Sleepiness Scale). Secondary outcomes are other symptoms control, compliance with treatment, metabolic control, quality of life, feasibility, patient and family satisfaction with care, safety, and disease-related costs. At baseline and at 12 months, patients will undergo neurologic, metabolic, and psychosocial assessments and we will measure primary and secondary outcomes. Primary outcomes will be also measured at 6 months (remotely or in person, according to the arm). TENAR project will assess, for the first time, the feasibility, accuracy, efficacy and safety of Telemedicine procedures applied to the diagnosis and the multidisciplinary care of children and adults with narcolepsy. The study may be a model for the remote management of other rare disorders, offering care access for patients living in areas lacking medical centres with specific expertise. Number of the Tele-multidisciplinary care study NCT04316286. Registered 20 March 2020. |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.1186/s12883-020-01762-9 |
| Title | Study protocol randomised controlled trial comparison of cost-utility and cost-effectiveness of a face-to-face rehabilitation programme versus a telemedicine programme in the treatment of patients with chronic low back pain. |
| Authors | Castro-Sanchez, AM; Matarán-Peñarrocha, GA; Gómez-García, S; García-López, H; Andronis, L; Albornoz-Cabello, M; Lara Palomo, IC |
| Journal | BMJ open |
| Publication Date | 12 Dec 2020 |
| Date Added to PubMed | 15 Dec 2020 |
| Abstract | Chronic lower back pain is a highly prevalent medical condition in Western countries, which that incurs a considerable social and economic burden. Although prescription exercise at home for chronic pain has become a widely used alternative to reduce healthcare costs, the evidence regarding patient adherence and decreased in costs in European countries is scarce and inconclusive. The objective of this study is to examine the cost-utility and cost-effectiveness in patients with chronic lower back pain treated with the McKenzie Method and electroanalgesia via a telemedicine programme versus a face-to-face programme. This study reports the protocol for a randomised, two-arm, multicentre, parallel controlled trial. A total of 540 patients with chronic lower back pain (onset time ≥3 months, Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire ≥4) will be recruited in three hospitals in Andalusia. Participants will be assigned to one of two groups (n=270, respectively) to receive electroanalgesia and Mckenzie method exercises through a telemedicine or a face-to-face programme. A total of 24 sessions will be administered three times a week for 8 weeks. Since the study design does not allow participant blinding, the outcome assessor and the statistician will be blinded. Use of helth care resources and costs due to work absenteeism will be captured and analysed. In addition, pain, intensity, fear of movement, quality of life and strength of the core muscle and anteflexion lumbar will be recorded at 2 and 6 months after the start of treatment. Human Research and Local Ethics Committee of the 'Hospital Complex Torrecárdenas of Almeria, University Hospital of Granada and Virgen Macarena de Sevilla Hospital-Andalusian Health Service'. Study findings will be released to the research, clinical and health service through publication in international journals and conferences. NCT04266366. |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040633 |
| Title | Systematic Review about QoS and QoE in Telemedicine and eHealth Services and Applications. |
| Authors | de la Torre Díez, I; Alonso, SG; Hamrioui, S; López-Coronado, M; Cruz, EM |
| Journal | Journal of medical systems |
| Publication Date | 29 Aug 2018 |
| Date Added to PubMed | 30 Aug 2018 |
| Abstract | The provision of Quality of Service (QoS) and Quality of Experience (QoE) is a mandatory requirement when transmitting telemedicine traffic, due to information relevance to maintain the patient's health. The main objective of this paper is to present a review of existing research works in the literature, referring to QoS and QoE in telemedicine and eHealth applications. The academic databases that were used to perform the searches are Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, PubMed, Science Direct and Web of Science, taking into account the date of publication from 2008 to the present. These databases cover the most information of scientific texts in multidisciplinary fields, engineering and medicine. Several search criteria were established such as 'QoS' AND 'eHealth' OR 'Telemedicine', 'QoE' AND 'eHealth' AND 'Telemedicine' etc. selecting the items of greatest interest. A total of 248 papers related to QoS and QoE in telemedicine and eHealth have been found, of which 39 papers have been identified as relevant works. The results show that the percentage of studies related to QoS in literature is higher with 74.36% to QoE with 25.64%. From the review of the research articles analyzed, it can be said that QoS and QoE in telemedicine and eHealth are important and necessary factors to guarantee the privacy, reliability, quality and security of data in health care systems. |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.1007/s10916-018-1040-4 |
| Title | Efficacy and cost effectiveness of telemedicine for improving access to care in the Paris region: study protocols for eight trials. |
| Authors | Charrier, N; Zarca, K; Durand-Zaleski, I; Calinaud, C |
| Journal | BMC health services research |
| Publication Date | 8 Feb 2016 |
| Date Added to PubMed | 10 Feb 2016 |
| Abstract | With the development of information and communication technologies, telemedicine has been proposed as a way to improve patient management by facilitating access to appropriate diagnosis and treatment. The Paris Ile de France Regional Health Agency is currently funding a comprehensive program of telemedicine experiments. This article describes the protocols for the evaluation of the implementation of telemedicine in the Paris region. Over 2,500 patients have been included in eight studies addressing the use of telemedicine in the context of specific diseases or settings. Two projects are randomized controlled trials, while the six other projects are based on before-after designs (differences in differences studies). Based on the MAST model and the French national framework, we identified endpoints to assess the impact of telemedicine on five dimensions: clinical effectiveness, cost-effectiveness, security of the application, patient satisfaction and quality of life and perception of professionals. Telemedicine encompasses a wide range of services and stakeholders, and thus study protocols must be tailored to the specific constraints and interests of the users. NCT02110433 (03/07/2014), NCT02157740 (05/27/2014), NCT02374697 (02/05/2015), NCT02157727 (05/27/2014), NCT02229279 (08/28/2014), NCT02368769 (02/05/2015), NCT02164747 (NCT02164747), NCT02309905 (11/27/2014). |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-016-1281-1 |
| Title | Nonpublication Rates and Characteristics of Registered Randomized Clinical Trials in Digital Health: Cross-Sectional Analysis. |
| Authors | Al-Durra, M; Nolan, RP; Seto, E; Cafazzo, JA; Eysenbach, G |
| Journal | Journal of medical Internet research |
| Publication Date | 18 Dec 2018 |
| Date Added to PubMed | 30 Nov 2018 |
| Abstract | Clinical trials are key to advancing evidence-based medical research. The medical research literature has identified the impact of publication bias in clinical trials. Selective publication for positive outcomes or nonpublication of negative results could misdirect subsequent research and result in literature reviews leaning toward positive outcomes. Digital health trials face specific challenges, including a high attrition rate, usability issues, and insufficient formative research. These challenges may contribute to nonpublication of the trial results. To our knowledge, no study has thus far reported the nonpublication rates of digital health trials. The primary research objective was to evaluate the nonpublication rate of digital health randomized clinical trials registered in ClinicalTrials.gov. Our secondary research objective was to determine whether industry funding contributes to nonpublication of digital health trials. To identify digital health trials, a list of 47 search terms was developed through an iterative process and applied to the "Title," "Interventions," and "Outcome Measures" fields of registered trials with completion dates between April 1, 2010, and April 1, 2013. The search was based on the full dataset exported from the ClinlicalTrials.gov database, with 265,657 trials entries downloaded on February 10, 2018, to allow publication of studies within 5 years of trial completion. We identified publications related to the results of the trials through a comprehensive approach that included an automated and manual publication-identification process. In total, 6717 articles matched the a priori search terms, of which 803 trials matched our latest completion date criteria. After screening, 556 trials were included in this study. We found that 150 (27%) of all included trials remained unpublished 5 years after their completion date. In bivariate analyses, we observed statistically significant differences in trial characteristics between published and unpublished trials in terms of the intervention target condition, country, trial size, trial phases, recruitment, and prospective trial registration. In multivariate analyses, differences in trial characteristics between published and unpublished trials remained statistically significant for the intervention target condition, country, trial size, trial phases, and recruitment; the odds of publication for non-US-based trials were significant, and these trials were 3.3 (95% CI 1.845-5.964) times more likely to be published than US-based trials. We observed a trend of 1.5 times higher nonpublication rates for industry-funded trials. However, the trend was not statistically significant. In the domain of digital health, 27% of registered clinical trials results are unpublished, which is lower than nonpublication rates in other fields. There are substantial differences in nonpublication rates between trials funded by industry and nonindustry sponsors. Further research is required to define the determinants and reasons for nonpublication and, more importantly, to articulate the impact and risk of publication bias in the field of digital health trials. |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.2196/11924 |
| Title | A coordinated PCP-Cardiologist Telemedicine Model (PCTM) in China's community hypertension care: study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. |
| Authors | Xu, L; Fang, WY; Zhu, F; Zhang, HG; Liu, K |
| Journal | Trials |
| Publication Date | 25 May 2017 |
| Date Added to PubMed | 27 May 2017 |
| Abstract | Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, and its control rate has remained low worldwide. Studies have found that telemonitoring blood pressure (BP) helped control hypertension in randomized controlled trials. However, little is known about its effect in a structured primary care model in which primary care physicians (PCPs) are partnering with cardiology specialists in electronic healthcare data sharing and medical interventions. This study aims to identify the effects of a coordinated PCP-cardiologist model that applies telemedicine tools to facilitate community hypertension control in China. Patients with hypertension receiving care at four community healthcare centers that are academically affiliated to Shanghai Chest Hospital, Shanghai JiaoTong University are eligible if they have had uncontrolled BP in the previous 3 months and access to mobile Internet. Study subjects are randomly assigned to three interventional groups: (1) usual care; (2) home-based BP telemonitor with embedded Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM) module and unlimited data plan, an app to access personal healthcare record and receive personalized lifestyle coaching contents, and proficiency training of their use; or (3) this plus coordinated PCP-cardiologist care in which PCPs and cardiologists share data via a secure CareLinker website to determine interventional approaches. The primary outcome is mean change in systolic blood pressure over a 12-month period. Secondary outcomes are changes of diastolic blood pressure, HbA1C, blood lipids, and medication adherence measured by the eight-item Morisky Medication Adherence Scale. This study will determine whether a coordinated PCP-Cardiologist Telemedicine Model that incorporates the latest telemedicine technologies will improve hypertension care. Success of the model would help streamline the present community healthcare processes and impact a greater number of patients with uncontrolled hypertension. ClinicalTrials.gov, NCT02919033 . Registered on 23 September 2016. |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.1186/s13063-017-1970-z |
| Title | Barriers and enablers to implementing a virtual tertiary-regional Telemedicine Rounding and Consultation (TRAC) model of inpatient pediatric care using the Theoretical Domains Framework (TDF) approach: a study protocol. |
| Authors | Bele, S; Cassidy, C; Curran, J; Johnson, DW; Saunders, C; Bailey, JAM |
| Journal | BMC health services research |
| Publication Date | 11 Jan 2019 |
| Date Added to PubMed | 13 Jan 2019 |
| Abstract | Over-occupancy at the two tertiary pediatric care hospitals in Alberta, Canada is steadily increasing with simultaneous decline in occupancy of pediatric beds at regional hospitals. Over-occupancy negatively impacts timeliness and potentially, the safety of patient care provided at these two tertiary hospitals. In contrast, underutilization of pediatric beds at regional hospitals poses the risk of losing beds provincially, dilution of regional pediatric expertise and potential erosion of confidence by regional providers. One approach to the current situation in provincial pediatric care capacity is development of telemedicine based innovative models of care that increase the population of patients cared for in regional pediatric beds. A Telemedicine Rounding and Consultation (TRAC) model involves discussing patient care or aspects of their care using telemedicine by employing visual displays, audio and information sharing between tertiary and regional hospitals. To facilitate implementation of a TRAC model, it is essential to understand the perceived barriers among its potential users in local context. The current study utilizes qualitative methodologies to assess these perceived clinician barriers to inform a future pilot and evaluation of this innovative virtual pediatric tertiary-regional collaborative care model in Alberta. We will use a qualitative descriptive design guided by the Theoretical Domain Framework (TDF) to systematically identify the tertiary and regional clinical stakeholder's perceived barriers and enablers to the implementation of proposed TRAC model of inpatient pediatric care. Semi-structured interviews and focus groups with pediatricians, nurses and allied health professionals, administrators, and family members will be conducted to identify key barriers and enablers to implementation of the TRAC model using TDF. Appropriate behaviour change techniques will be identified to develop potential intervention strategies to overcome identified barriers. These intervention strategies will facilitate implementation of the TRAC model during the pilot phase. The proposed TRAC model has the potential to address the imbalance between utilization of regional and tertiary inpatient pediatric facilities in Alberta. Knowledge generated regarding barriers and enablers to the TRAC model and the process outlined in this study could be used by health services researchers to develop similar telemedicine-based interventions in Canada and other parts of the world. |
| Link | http://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-018-3859-2 |