Interactive Spaced Education to Optimize Hypertension Management

NCT00904007 | Completed Results

• 1 other identifier: EDU 08-422
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 111
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Online interactive spaced education (ISE) is a novel educational methodology based on the "spacing effect", the psychological finding that repeated presentations of educational material over spaced intervals increase learning efficiency and improve knowledge retention. ISE is delivered using periodic emails that contain clinical case scenarios and multiple-choice question. The investigators recently completed a randomized trial involving 95 VISN 1 primary care providers (PCPs) which demonstrated that an ISE intervention can significantly improve clinician's practice patterns. Those clinicians randomized to the ISE intervention on prostate cancer screening demonstrated a 26% relative reduction in inappropriate screening. The investigators propose to conduct a randomized controlled trial involving PCPs in VISN 1 to determine whether ISE can (1) increase knowledge of the appropriate treatment of hypertensive patients, (2) reduce clinical inertia in hypertension management, and (3) improve the blood pressure control in hypertensive patients. Anticipated Impacts on Veterans' Healthcare: This study aims to demonstrate that online interactive spaced education (ISE) can improve providers' care of patients with hypertension. ISE is the type of intervention that can be deployed across the VHA with content tailored to meet specific needs and can be implemented as a tool to improve performance measures and clinical outcomes

Conditions

Hypertension

Keywords

Educational Technology; Hypertension; Education, Professional

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Cross-cohort Comparison of the Average Time Needed to Normalize Patients' Blood Pressure

  A unique hypertensive period served as the unit of analysis. A hypertensive period started on the first day during the study when a patient's BP was elevated. It ended on the first subsequent day when it was \<140/90 mm Hg or on the last day BP was recorded during the study. Duration of the hypertensive period (days) was the outcome measure. BP measurements obtained in the course of routine care were used to ascertain study outcomes, whether obtained by the PCP or at other clinic visits. These measurements were obtained from structured data (ie, BP recordings in the electronic medical record) and natural language processing of provider notes as previously described. If several measurements were recorded on the same day, the lowest mean arterial BP was used.

  Months 1-24

Secondary Outcomes (16)

• Cross-cohort Comparison of Patients' Average Blood Pressure at 12 Months After Trial Launch (Last Measured Blood Pressure in Months 1-12)

  Months 1-12

• Cross-cohort Comparison of Patients' Average Change in Blood Pressure Over Months 1-12 (Last Measured Blood Pressure in Months 1-12)

  Months 1-12

• Cross-cohort Comparison of Patients' Average Blood Pressure at 24 Months After Trial Launch (Last Measured Blood Pressure in Months 13-24)

  Months 13-24

• Cross-cohort Comparison of Patients' Average Change in Blood Pressure Over Months 13-24 (Last Measured Blood Pressure in Months 13-24)

  Months 13-24

• Cross-cohort Comparison of Patients' Average Blood Pressure at 24 Months After Trial Launch (Last Measured Blood Pressure in Months 1-24)

  Months 1-24

Study Arms (2)

SE Game Cohort

EXPERIMENTAL

Will receive ISE intervention.

Other: Interactive Spaced Education (ISE) --- online education

Control Cohort

NO INTERVENTION

The control cohort will receive identical content online (with no ISE)

Interventions

Interactive Spaced Education (ISE) --- online education OTHER

ISE is a novel educational methodology based on the "spacing effect", the psychological finding that repeated presentations of educational material over spaced intervals increase learning efficiency and improve knowledge retention. ISE is delivered using periodic emails that contain clinical case scenarios and multiple-choice questions.

SE Game Cohort

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• VA VISN 1 primary care clinicians (MD, NP, PA) who have at least a 50% (4/8 time) clinical appointment.

You may not qualify if:

• VA VISN 1 primary care clinicians (MD, NP, PA) who do not have at least a 50% (4/8 time) clinical appointment.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Office of Research and Development: lead

Study Sites (1)

VA Boston Healthcare System Brockton Campus, Brockton, MA

Brockton, Massachusetts, 02301, United States

Location

Related Publications (1)

• Kerfoot BP, Turchin A, Breydo E, Gagnon D, Conlin PR. An online spaced-education game among clinicians improves their patients' time to blood pressure control: a randomized controlled trial. Circ Cardiovasc Qual Outcomes. 2014 May;7(3):468-74. doi: 10.1161/CIRCOUTCOMES.113.000814.

  PMID: 24847084 RESULT

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Hypertension

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Vascular Diseases; Cardiovascular Diseases

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. B. Price Kerfoot
• Organization: Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System

price.kerfoot@gmail.com

7742869230

Study Officials

• B. Price Kerfoot, MD EdM

  VA Boston Healthcare System Brockton Campus, Brockton, MA

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

• PI is Sponsor Employee: No
• Restrictive Agreement: No

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: HEALTH SERVICES RESEARCH
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: FED
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: May 15, 2009
• First Posted: May 19, 2009
• Study Start: February 1, 2010
• Primary Completion: March 1, 2012
• Study Completion: September 1, 2014
• Last Updated: February 5, 2019
• Results First Posted: August 26, 2014

Record last verified: 2019-02

Locations

US (1)