Automated Telephone Outreach With Speech Recognition to Improve Diabetes Care: A Randomized Controlled Study

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Diabetes Mellitus
• Interventions: Behavioral: Automated Telephone Outreach with Speech Recognition; Other: Usual Care

• Registration Number: NCT00790530
• Lead Sponsor: Harvard Pilgrim Health Care

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of automated telephone outreach with speech recognition to improve diabetes care.

Detailed Description

Randomly allocate a total of 1200 health plan members with diabetes to automated telephone outreach with speech recognition (ATO-SR; N = 600) or usual care (N = 600). The intervention is a series of three calls, using automated calls, originating from the health plan, using interactive speech recognition technology, spaced approximately 4-6 weeks apart, to encourage participants to fulfill the recommended testing (dilated eye examinations, glycated hemoglobin, LDL-cholesterol, microalbumin) that had not been performed received in the preceding year.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2006-06
• Primary Completion: 2007-10
• Study Completion: 2007-10
• Status Verified: 2008-11
• Study First Submitted: 2008-11-11
• Study First Submitted QC: 2008-11-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2008-11-11
• Study First Posted: 2008-11-13
• Last Update Posted: 2008-11-13

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 1200

Inclusion Criteria

• Age 18 years or older
• Diabetes, defined as either 1) filled a prescription for insulin or an oral hypoglycemic agent; or, 2) had two outpatient or one inpatient or two outpatients encounter claims with an ICD9-CM or CPT code indicating diabetes.
• Gap in a key diabetes management metric as evidenced by no claim for a dilated eye examination in the prior 15 months and no claim for one or more of the following tests: glycated hemoglobin, LDL-cholesterol, or microalbumin. (Individuals with evidence of having received ACE-inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers were considered to have had a microalbumin test.)

Exclusion Criteria

• No primary care clinician in the data base
• Those who had previously asked the health plan to exclude them from research or quality improvement
• Women whose claim records contained diagnoses suggesting gestational diabetes

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
ATO-SR	Automated Telephone Outreach with Speech Recognition	Automated Telephone Outreach with Speech Recognition
Usual Care	Usual Care	Usual Care

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Completion of dilated eye examination	12-months following intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Completion of glycated hemoglobin testing (HbA1c)	one-year following intervention
Completion of LDL-cholesterol testing	one year following intervention
Completion of microalbumin testing	one-year following intervention

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Harvard Pilgrim Health Care; 🇺🇸 Boston, Massachusetts, United States