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Adherence/Outcomes After Use of Constipation Action Plan

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Constipation - Functional
Registration Number
NCT03821532
Lead Sponsor
Nemours Children's Clinic
Brief Summary

Adherence to recommendations for treatment of chronic constipation in pediatric population is often poor. This study is attempting to improve adherence, and outcomes, by implementing a trial of a constipation action plan plus standard of care, compared to standard of care alone, in an outpatient pediatric population.

Detailed Description

Functional Constipation is a common childhood problem. The goal of this study is to evaluate if a constipation action plan had any impact on improved adherence in management. Children are eligible to participate in the study if they are otherwise healthy children whose primary language is English with no conditions that would predispose them to develop constipation, between the ages of 3 and 8 years of age and if they meet the ROME IV criteria for functional constipation. The primary objective is to assess compliance in pediatric patients with functional constipation that have been provided a constipation action plan plus educational information. The secondary objectives are to assess improvement of constipation symptoms in pediatric patients with functional constipation that have been provided a constipation action plan and educational information and to assess the perceived effectiveness of the constipation action plan from the viewpoint of the family. The proposed study hypothesizes that patients diagnosed with functional constipation will have improved adherence to medication treatment plan, to fiber intake, and to toilet sit time and have improved constipation symptoms overall when provided with both a constipation action plan and educational information regarding dietary changes, toilet sit time, and medications as compared to education information alone.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
25
Inclusion Criteria
  • Healthy
  • History of functional constipation
  • English as primary language
Exclusion Criteria
  • History of medical conditions pre-disposing to constipation
  • English as a second language
  • Chronic gastrointestinal disease

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
PARALLEL
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Compliance Questionnaire3 Month

Compliance will be evaluated by reviewing the sticker reward chart at the 3 month visit and calculating the number of days the child missed medication dose, did not sit on the toilet as instructed and how many days were missed of adequate fiber intake. Further evaluate compliance using the constipation/adherence questionnaire. The questionnaire has 3 questions addressing the total number of days missed per week taking the prescribed medications, toilet sit times and dietary intake

Compliance Reward Chart3 Month

Compliance will be evaluated by reviewing the sticker reward chart at the 3 month visit and calculating the number of days the child missed medication dose, did not sit on the toilet as instructed and how many days were missed of adequate fiber intake.

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Perceived effectiveness3 month follow up visit

Anonymous survey addresses questions regarding the number of days the child was in each zone of the constipation action plan and whether or not the plan helped the family better manage the child's symptoms, decreased calls to the physician and whether or not it was easy to use.

Caregiver Literacy0 months

Assess literacy level for caregivers by administering the Short-Form Rapid Assessment of Adult Literacy in Medicine. Final score of 0, 1-3, 4-6, or 7 determines grade reading level (3rd grade or less, 4th to 6th, 7th to 8th, 9th grade and higher). There is no better or worse outcome, just stratification of literacy (medical) is determined.

Symptoms3 Month

Number of participants with positive constipation symptoms using ROME IV Criteria

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children

🇺🇸

Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children
🇺🇸Wilmington, Delaware, United States
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