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Clinical Trials/NCT02468869
NCT02468869CompletedNot Applicable

Improving Discharge Communication in the Emergency Department Through Information Structuring: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland2 sites in 1 country196 target enrollmentStarted: April 1, 2015Last updated:
Conditions
Interventions

Trial Snapshot

Phase
Not Applicable
Status
Completed
Sponsor
Enrollment
196
Locations
2
Primary Endpoint
Patients' recall of the information provided during discharge communication

Study Overview

Brief Summary

The goal of the proposed study is to assess the potential of information structuring for improving discharge communication. Specifically, the investigators aim to examine the advantages of an information-structuring skills training for physicians (compared to an empathy skills training) on discharge communication and associated patient outcomes, such as patients' information recall and adherence to physician recommendations. The investigators hypothesize that patients receiving structured discharge information from their trained physicians will be able to recall more information and show higher adherence to recommendations relative to controls (i.e., patients receiving discharge information from doctors trained in empathy skills).

Study Design

Study Type
Interventional
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention Model
Parallel
Primary Purpose
Health Services Research
Masking
Single (Participant)

Eligibility Criteria

Ages
18 Years to — (Adult, Older Adult)
Sex
All
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No

Inclusion Criteria

  • Outpatients with chest pain
  • Outpatients with abdominal pain

Exclusion Criteria

  • Patients younger than 18 years of age (limited ability to provide informed consent)
  • Patients with limited ability to communicate in German, the default language at the hospital (confounder related to language proficiency)
  • Patients with dementia (confounder arising from pathological memory deficits)

Arms & Interventions

Information structuring skills training

Experimental

Physicians received a communication skills training focusing on information structuring with the so-called book metaphor for a structured discharge communication with the patient.

Intervention: Communication skills training "information structuring skills" (Behavioral)

Empathy skills training

Active Comparator

Physicians received a communication skills training focusing on empathy skills with the acronym NURSE for an empathetic discharge communication with the patient.

Intervention: Communication skills training "empathy skills" (Behavioral)

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Patients' recall of the information provided during discharge communication

Time Frame: 3 times: immediately after discharge, one week after discharge, one month after discharge

Secondary Outcomes

  • Patient satisfaction in four dimensions(Immediately after discharge)
  • Adherence to recommendations(2 times: one week and one month after discharge)

Investigators

Sponsor
University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland
Sponsor Class
Other
Responsible Party
Sponsor

Study Sites (2)

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