The Use of Implementation Intentions to Increase the Appointment Attendance of OEF/OIF Veterans

NCT01649934 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: 01634
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 54
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The purpose of the current pilot study will be to utilize implementation intentions to increase patient compliance with appointment attendance. Participants in the current study will be individuals referred for evaluation of their treatment needs. Experimental groups will create a simple induction consisting of "what/when/where" statements (implementation intentions) with the intention of increasing their rate of calling to schedule and subsequently attend appointments associated with their care. It is anticipated that participants who take an active role in their plan and utilize the implementation intention procedures will be more likely to make and attend the appointments suggested by their treating clinician. This pilot project will provide valuable initial data as to the potential effectiveness of a simple, cost-effective means of increasing appointment attendance. If successful, it could lead to cost savings and a decrease in the appointment wait time for people by increasing the utilization of available appointments.

Conditions

Brain Injuries

Keywords

Appointments and Schedules

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Attendance at Scheduled Appointments

  The attendance of the participants at their scheduled appointments will be measured.

  Over a 60 Day Period

Study Arms (3)

Scheduling as Usual

NO INTERVENTION

Participants will be subject to the current appointment scheduling procedures.

Contact Clinic

EXPERIMENTAL

This group will be required to contact the clinic themselves to make appointments.

Behavioral: Contact Clinic

Implementation Intentions

EXPERIMENTAL

This group will create Implementation Intentions to contact the clinic to make their appointments and to attend those appointments.

Behavioral: Implementation Intention

Interventions

Implementation Intention BEHAVIORAL

Implementation Intentions are a series of what/when/where statements that a participant will make to create automatic cues to complete a behaviorally advantageous action.

Implementation Intentions

Contact Clinic BEHAVIORAL

Participants will be asked to sign a form indicating their need to contact the recommended clinics to make their appointments.

Contact Clinic

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 22 Years - 50 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64)

You may qualify if:

• Completed appointment for secondary TBI screen
• English speaker

You may not qualify if:

• Neurological injury leading to dementia
• In ability to consent owing to cognitive barriers
• Non-English speaker
• Unable to schedule appointments the next working day after their secondary screen

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Connecticut Healthcare System: lead

Study Sites (1)

VA Connecticut Healthcare System

West Haven, Connecticut, 06516, United States

Location

Related Publications (9)

• Sheeran P, Orbell S. Using implementation intentions to increase attendance for cervical cancer screening. Health Psychol. 2000 May;19(3):283-9. doi: 10.1037//0278-6133.19.3.283.

  PMID: 10868773 BACKGROUND

• Collins J, Santamaria N, Clayton L. Why outpatients fail to attend their scheduled appointments: a prospective comparison of differences between attenders and non-attenders. Aust Health Rev. 2003;26(1):52-63. doi: 10.1071/ah030052.

  PMID: 15485374 BACKGROUND

• Thornton R, Ballard K. Why military personnel fail to keep medical appointments. J R Army Med Corps. 2008 Mar;154(1):26-30. doi: 10.1136/jramc-154-01-08.

  PMID: 19090383 BACKGROUND

• Stiggelbout AM, Van der Weijden T, De Wit MP, Frosch D, Legare F, Montori VM, Trevena L, Elwyn G. Shared decision making: really putting patients at the centre of healthcare. BMJ. 2012 Jan 27;344:e256. doi: 10.1136/bmj.e256.

  PMID: 22286508 BACKGROUND

• Guy R, Hocking J, Wand H, Stott S, Ali H, Kaldor J. How effective are short message service reminders at increasing clinic attendance? A meta-analysis and systematic review. Health Serv Res. 2012 Apr;47(2):614-32. doi: 10.1111/j.1475-6773.2011.01342.x. Epub 2011 Nov 8.

  PMID: 22091980 BACKGROUND

• O'Carroll R, Dennis M, Johnston M, Sudlow C. Improving adherence to medication in stroke survivors (IAMSS): a randomised controlled trial: study protocol. BMC Neurol. 2010 Feb 24;10:15. doi: 10.1186/1471-2377-10-15.

  PMID: 20181255 BACKGROUND

• Sheeran P, Aubrey R, Kellett S. Increasing attendance for psychotherapy: implementation intentions and the self-regulation of attendance-related negative affect. J Consult Clin Psychol. 2007 Dec;75(6):853-63. doi: 10.1037/0022-006X.75.6.853.

  PMID: 18085903 BACKGROUND

• Brown I, Sheeran P, Reuber M. Enhancing antiepileptic drug adherence: a randomized controlled trial. Epilepsy Behav. 2009 Dec;16(4):634-9. doi: 10.1016/j.yebeh.2009.09.014. Epub 2009 Oct 27.

  PMID: 19864187 BACKGROUND

• Milkman KL, Beshears J, Choi JJ, Laibson D, Madrian BC. Using implementation intentions prompts to enhance influenza vaccination rates. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2011 Jun 28;108(26):10415-20. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1103170108. Epub 2011 Jun 13.

  PMID: 21670283 BACKGROUND

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Brain Injuries

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Brain Diseases; Central Nervous System Diseases; Nervous System Diseases; Craniocerebral Trauma; Trauma, Nervous System; Wounds and Injuries

Study Officials

• Joseph F Kulas, Ph.D.

  VA Connecticut Healthcare System

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

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: July 22, 2012
• First Posted: July 25, 2012
• Study Start: June 1, 2013
• Primary Completion: December 31, 2017
• Study Completion: December 31, 2017
• Last Updated: May 3, 2018

Record last verified: 2018-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)