Choosing an Effective Healthcare Spokesperson: An Interactive Intervention

NCT04599166 | Completed Results DMC

• 2 other identifiers: IR-16274R21NR019363
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 207
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The investigators developed a "serious game" intervention called "Who Would You Choose: Serious Fun" (WWYC) to help people consider the key qualities healthcare spokespersons should have. The intervention uses a spinner, cards, and dice, along with a smart-phone App to prompt players (using scenarios and metaphors) to choose a spokesperson whose qualities are best suited to the role. Friendly competition is encouraged by having players receive points for correct answers, and additional points for good explanations of their choices. At the end of the game, players identify a real-life spokesperson based on the qualities considered during game-play. Then, using an associated smart-phone App, the intervention will help spark communication between the player and their chosen spokesperson.

Conditions

Surrogate Decision-making; Healthcare Spokesperson; Advance Care Planning

Keywords

Surrogate decision-making; Healthcare spokesperson; Advance care planning; Feasibility

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Number of Participants Who Changed Their Choice of Spokesperson

  This measure involved a verbal response (during a follow-up telephone interview) to the question as to whether they have changed their choice for who should be their healthcare spokesperson in the event that someone else needed to make medical decisions for them.

  4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes (3)

• Participation Rate

  Aug 2021 - Dec 2022

• Spokesperson Response (Percentage)

  8 weeks

• Endorsement of the WWYC Intervention

  4 weeks

Study Arms (1)

Participant arm

EXPERIMENTAL

Participants will be recruited to complete the WWYC intervention.

Behavioral: Who Would You Choose: Serious Fun

Interventions

Who Would You Choose: Serious Fun BEHAVIORAL

"Who Would You Choose: Serious Fun" is a conversation activity that prompts players (using scenarios and metaphors) to choose a spokesperson whose qualities are best suited to the role. At the end of the activity, players identify a real-life spokesperson based on the qualities considered during gameplay.

Participant arm

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• Able to read and write in English
• years or older
• Have a working smart phone

You may not qualify if:

• NOT able to read and write in English
• Younger than 18 years old
• Does NOT have a working smart phone

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Milton S. Hershey Medical Center: lead
• National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR): collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Penn State College of Medicine

Hershey, Pennsylvania, 17033, United States

Location

Limitations and Caveats

1. At several game events, we experienced technology failures when participants tried to connect to the intervention app. This resulted in several events being cancelled, with no data collection from them. 2. We were unable to retrieve audio-recordings for one-on-one telephone interviews from the digital recording device, and are unable to report those qualitative data. This is why we only had results from 8 participants for the primary outcome of the study.

Results Point of Contact

• Title: Dr. Benjamin Levi
• Organization: Penn State College of Medicine

BHLevi@psu.edu

717-531-8778

Study Officials

• Benjamin H Levi, MD PhD

  Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Publication Agreements

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

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Co-Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 6, 2020
• First Posted: October 22, 2020
• Study Start: August 3, 2021
• Primary Completion: December 7, 2022
• Study Completion: December 7, 2022
• Last Updated: May 20, 2025
• Results First Posted: February 8, 2024

Record last verified: 2025-05

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will share
• Shared Documents: STUDY PROTOCOL, SAP, ICF
• Time Frame: At close of study in 2022.

Locations

US (1)