The Impact of a Dermatology Information Source on Skin Problem Outcomes in Primary Care
试验速览
- 阶段
- 不适用
- 状态
- 已完成
- 入组人数
- 465
- 主要终点
- Number of Patients With Resolved Skin Problems
研究概览
简要总结
Health care providers use a variety of computerized medical information sources to reduce knowledge gaps and support patient care decisions. Few studies have evaluated the impact of medical information sources on patient outcomes. Skin problems are the reason for many visits to primary care providers and result in a high percentage of referrals to dermatologists and return visits to primary care for the same skin problem.
The objective is to evaluate the impact of primary care providers' use of a dermatology information source, VisualDx, on skin problems outcomes.
The study design is a cluster-randomized controlled trial. Participants include primary care providers as clusters and their patients with skin problems. Providers are randomized to intervention group that refers to VisualDx when seeing a patient with a skin problem, or to the control group who does not. Patients have the randomized group status of the doctor they saw for the problem.
Patients are interviewed to determine the problem status and how many follow-up visits they had for the problem at intervals after the index visit.
详细描述
The research design is a cluster randomized controlled trial of a computerized dermatology information source. This is a two-level design in which primary care providers (PCPs) who see patients for skin problems are the subjects of randomization. Their patients are the subjects of the data collection and analysis. The cluster design examines how much variation in the outcomes is attributable to the providers, how much to patients within the clusters, and how much to the intervention information source itself.
Provider Level:
After completing a baseline questionnaire, providers are randomized to intervention or control groups. Intervention group providers have an orientation to the study protocol that includes how to access and use VisualDx. Control providers receive the protocol overview, but no orientation to the intervention.
Intervention providers agree to refer to VisualDx content when they have a patient with a skin complaint. Control group providers agree not use VisualDx as a reference but may use another medical information source or none.
Patient Level:
研究设计
- 研究类型
- Interventional
- 分配方式
- Randomized
- 干预模型
- Parallel
- 主要目的
- Health Services Research
- 盲法
- Single (Investigator)
入排标准
- 年龄范围
- 18 Years 至 —（Adult, Older Adult）
- 性别
- All
- 接受健康志愿者
- 否
入选标准
- •Patients seen by a participating Primary Care Provider for a chronic or acute skin problem
排除标准
- •Skin problems due to burns or lacerations
- •Cognitively impaired, mentally ill, prisoners, non-English speaking
结局指标
主要结局
Number of Patients With Resolved Skin Problems
时间窗: Period of assessment was up to 3 months (90 days) after index visit.
Resolved skin disease status was assessed by phone interview. Patient reported status. Patients were censored if "unresolved" at 90 days.
Number of Follow-Up Visits to Any Provider for the Same Problem
时间窗: Period of Assessment is up to 90 days after index visit
Follow-up visits count is assessed at each phone interview. Patients report return visits.
次要结局
未报告次要终点
研究者
Marianne Burke
Associate Professor
University of Vermont