A New Telemedicine Approach for Chronic HIV/AIDS Patient Home Care

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: HIV Infection
• Interventions: Other: Virtual Hospital; Other: Standard of Care

• Registration Number: NCT01117675
• Lead Sponsor: Hospital Clinic of Barcelona

Brief Summary

Background: Antiretroviral therapy has changed the natural history of the HIV infection in developed countries becoming a chronic disease. This clinical scenario would need a new approach to control patients, simplifying the follow-up visits and the accessibility to the healthcare professionals. A new home care model using a telemedicine system (Virtual Hospital) was developed.

Detailed Description

Stable HIV-infected patients with access to a computer and broadband were randomized to: arm I, patients monitored by Virtual Hospital the first year and arm II patients monitored in the hospital the first year (standard of care). After 1 year of follow up, patients were crossed into the other arm. A "Virtual Hospital" was developed to integrate the control of patient in a multidisciplinary telecare team, allowing the patient to be remotely followed-up by the healthcare professionals through Internet. Virtual Hospital had four main services: Virtual Consultations, Telepharmacy, Virtual Library and Virtual Community. A technical and a clinical evaluation of Virtual Hospital were made.

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2005-01
• Primary Completion: 2007-12
• Study Completion: 2007-12
• Status Verified: 2010-04
• Study First Submitted: 2010-05-03
• Study First Submitted QC: 2010-05-04
• Last Update Submitted: 2010-05-04
• Study First Posted: 2010-05-05
• Last Update Posted: 2010-05-05

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 83

Inclusion Criteria

• Stable patients (CD4 >250 cells/mm3 during at least the 3 months before inclusion to the study)
• Having access to a computer and to a broadband

Exclusion Criteria

• HIV infected adults with current therapy failure (defined by detectable viral load on treatment or CD4 cell count < 250 cells/ml)
• Tumors
• Opportunistic infections
• Pregnant women

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: CROSSOVER

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Arm I	Virtual Hospital	Arm I: HIV-infected patients controlled through Virtual Hospital
Arm II	Standard of Care	Arm II: HIV-infected patients controlled through Standard Care

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Clinical evaluation of patients cared through Virtual Hospital	Two years	The main goals were the definition, development, clinical routine installation and evaluation of a telemedicine service that compares standard care with telecare follow-up for attending stable HIV-infected patients in the chronic phase of their disease.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Agata Leon; 🇪🇸 Barcelona, Spain