The SUPPORT-Pro Online Platform for Healthcare Professionals Treating Individuals Living With T1D

NCT04859205 | Completed DMC

• 1 other identifier: 2021-1107
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 229
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Health care professionals (HCPs) help an support patients living with type 1 diabetes (PWT1D) who need to achieve optimal blood glucose control in order to prevent short and long term complications of T1D. However, studies show that not all HCPs are aware of T1D management as most of them only see PWT1D occasionally. This makes it difficult for HCPs to remain aware of the particularities of the condition and stay up-to-date on rapidly evolving technologies and therapies available. Moreover, low confidence levels and the inaccessibility to continuing medical education on the specificities of new therapies and technologies might increase the failure of HCPs to propose the optimal treatment plan to their PWT1D. The SUPPORT online platform, that was first developed for PWT1D, was adjusted to suit the needs of HCPs (SUPPORT-Pro). The regularly updated bilingual (English and French) peer-reviewed content of SUPPORT, which covers the various elements that an individual with T1D needs to know to manage the disease and aims at making a better use of technologies and new therapies, is the first in its kind and is highly relevant for HCPs. The main objective of this study is to determine if the SUPPORT-Pro online training platform can increase HCPs' (dietitians, nurses, pharmacists, medical doctors) confidence level in treating individuals with T1D. This study is a non-randomized pre-post trial. We hypothesize that the training provided through the SUPPORT-Pro online platform will significantly increase HCPs' confidence level in treating individuals with T1D after 3 months when compared to their confidence level before the intervention.

Conditions

Educational Activities

Keywords

Type 1 diabetes

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• To compare the level of confidence in treating individuals with type 1 diabetes measured at 3 months to the level of confidence measured at baseline.

  Levels of confidence will be measured using a questionnaire inspired from the Maternal Self-Efficacy for Diabetes Management Scale (MSED). For this study, MSED was modified to better assess the self-confidence of health care professionals. We have converted the 17-item questionnaire to a 19-item questionnaire (removing questions specific to familial support and adding questions on new therapies and technologies) and edited the wording of the questions. Every item is rated on a scale from 1 to 5. The satisfaction score will be the sum of all items, on a maximum of 95. Confidence levels at 3 months and at baseline will be compared using paired t-test with a 95% confidence interval, if normality assumption of the paired difference holds. Otherwise, the non-parametric counterpart, Wilcoxon signed-rank test, will be used and a 95% non-parametric confidence interval will be provided.

  3 months

Secondary Outcomes (8)

• To compare, in each specific group of HCPs (nurses, dietitians, doctors and pharmacists), the confidence levels in treating their patients with T1D after 3 months of access to the SUPPORT-Pro platform with confidence at baseline.

  3 months

• To measure the sustainability of change in all HCPs' confidence in treating patients with T1D at 12 months

  12 months

• Time spent on the platform

  3 months

• Number of posts of the discussion forum

  3 months

• Number of completed courses

  3 months

Study Arms (1)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

All participants partaking the SUPPORT-Pro study will receive the full intervention for 3 months which implies: (1) Full access to the platform (2) a newsletter sent by email every 2 weeks to inform them on the new blogs posted on the platform. During the following 9 months, participants will still have access to the platform, but no newsletter will be sent (sustainability phase).

Behavioral: Intervention

Interventions

Intervention BEHAVIORAL

Participants will have access to the SUPPORT-Pro self-guided online training platform addressing many aspects of type 1 diabetes care. The SUPPORT-Pro content was developped by a team of health professionals specialized in type 1 diabetes as well as patient partners. It's content is regularly updated, evidence-based and divided into 6 categories (medication, blood glucose monitoring, diet, physical activity, hypo and hyperglycemia, health and other particularities). In each category, users can pick between 3 levels (beginner, intermediate and advanced) according to their level of confidence and knowledge. Participants will be asked to fill out questionnaires at baseline, 3-month, and 12-month of the intervention which include the following: Eligibility assessment, identification, background, confidence, platform satisfaction.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

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

You may qualify if:

• Certified Health Care Professional (nurse, physician (including resident in medicine), dietitian, pharmacist) who is member of a regulatory body in Canada
• Self-reported working with at least 1 patient with type 1 diabetes in the last six months
• Has access to the Internet
• Use of an active email address
• Comprehension of English or French

You may not qualify if:

• Certified diabetes educators
• Working in a T1D specialized clinic
• Living with T1D
• Currently living with someone with T1D (e.g. kid, partner, etc.)
• Working in the pharmaceutical industry

Sponsors & Collaborators

• McGill University: lead
• Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montreal: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal

Montreal, Quebec, H2W 1R7, Canada

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1

Interventions

Methods

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Diabetes Mellitus; Glucose Metabolism Disorders; Metabolic Diseases; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Endocrine System Diseases; Autoimmune Diseases; Immune System Diseases

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Investigative Techniques

Study Officials

• Anne-Sophie Brazeau, PhD

  McGill University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

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: Associate Professor

Model Details: This study is a non-randomized pre-post trial.

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: April 12, 2021
• First Posted: April 26, 2021
• Study Start: May 13, 2021
• Primary Completion: December 20, 2022
• Study Completion: February 20, 2023
• Last Updated: September 25, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-09

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)