NCT04456764

Brief Summary

More than half of Emergency Medical Services (EMS) workers report work-related mental and physical fatigue. Odds of injury among fatigued EMS workers are nearly double that of non-fatigued workers. There is a compelling need to reduce fatigue among EMS workers, yet few EMS organizations have a formal fatigue management program and many may not be cost-effective or evidence-based. This trial addresses national goals of the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) and tests a novel approach to fatigue risk management that is easily scalable to large workforces and low-cost for employers of shift workers.

Trial Health

57
Monitor

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
708

participants targeted

Target at P75+ for not_applicable

Timeline
Completed

Started Sep 2020

Longer than P75 for not_applicable

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
terminated

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

June 29, 2020

Completed
3 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

July 2, 2020

Completed
3 months until next milestone

Study Start

First participant enrolled

September 16, 2020

Completed
3.2 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

December 11, 2023

Completed
4 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

March 31, 2024

Completed
8 months until next milestone

Results Posted

Study results publicly available

November 25, 2024

Completed
Last Updated

May 18, 2025

Status Verified

May 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

3.2 years

First QC Date

June 29, 2020

Results QC Date

October 4, 2024

Last Update Submit

May 9, 2025

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

  • Fatigue

    A response of 4 or greater on the Chalder Fatigue Questionnaire (CFQ) \[minimum score=0, maximum score=11, and scores \>=4 indicate mental and physical fatigue\]

    At baseline, 3 months, and 6 months

Secondary Outcomes (5)

  • Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI)

    Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months

  • Poor Sleep Quality

    At 6 months

  • Inter-Shift Recovery Measure

    At baseline, 3 months, and 6 months

  • Acute Fatigue Measure

    Baseline, 3 months, and 6 months

  • Chronic Fatigue Measure

    Baseline, 3 months, 6 months

Study Arms (2)

SaFTiE

EXPERIMENTAL

The SaFTiE intervention includes: \[a\] real-time text-message assessments of fatigue and sleep during and between scheduled shift work; \[b\] tailored text-message alerts that promote adopting evidence based strategies for mitigating fatigue when high levels of fatigue or sleepiness are reported; \[c\] a mobile app that delivers goal setting, summary data of sleep/fatigue indicators from all study participants, and video interviews of EMS clinicians focused on sleep and fatigue.

Behavioral: SaFTiE

Attention Placebo Control

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

The attention placebo control includes: \[a\] real-time text-message assessments of teamwork during and between scheduled shift work; \[b\] text-message alerts that promote techniques for mitigating poor teamwork when episodes of poor teamwork are reported; \[c\] a mobile app that delivers goal setting, summary data of teamwork indicators from all study participants, and video interviews of EMS clinicians focused on teamwork.

Behavioral: Attention Placebo Control

Interventions

SaFTiEBEHAVIORAL

A multi-modal fatigue risk management program.

SaFTiE

A multi-modal teamwork assessment program.

Also known as: Teamwork
Attention Placebo Control

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersYes
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • years or older
  • Live in United States (including Hawaii and Alaska)
  • Licensed / certified EMS clinician
  • Currently work in shifts
  • Do at least one clinical shift per week
  • Own a smartphone
  • Willing to answer monthly surveys and daily text-messages,

You may not qualify if:

  • Exclude EMS personnel who are primarily administrative with non-clinical duties
  • Are restricted from using personal smartphone during periods of work
  • Do not own a smartphone capable of running the study mobile app

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

University of Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15261, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Fatigue

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and SymptomsPathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Limitations and Caveats

Early termination prior to reaching goal enrollment leading to small numbers of subjects analyzed.

Results Point of Contact

Title
P. Daniel Patterson
Organization
University of Pittsburgh

Study Officials

  • P. Daniel Patterson, PhD

    University of Pittsburgh

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

PI is Sponsor Employee
Yes

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
not applicable
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
OTHER
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Associate Professor

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

June 29, 2020

First Posted

July 2, 2020

Study Start

September 16, 2020

Primary Completion

December 11, 2023

Study Completion

March 31, 2024

Last Updated

May 18, 2025

Results First Posted

November 25, 2024

Record last verified: 2025-05

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will share

The investigators will work with NIOSH/CDC and share de-identified research data via a NIOSH/CDC or NIH managed repository if requested. The study team will develop a process to receive requests from outside the study team for de-identified datasets should there be no NIOSH/CDC supported data repository.

Shared Documents
STUDY PROTOCOL
Time Frame
Following publication of the primary study papers with primary and secondary outcomes reported.
Access Criteria
The study team will develop a process to receive requests from outside the study team for de-identified datasets should there be no NIOSH/CDC supported data repository.

Locations