Effects of a Patient Portal Intervention to Address Diabetes Care Gaps

Vanderbilt University Medical Center

Status: Completed

Conditions: Diabetes Mellitus

Treatments: Other: Diabetes Care Gaps Patient Portal Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; NIH

Identifiers

NCT04894903

R18DK123373 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

212257

Details and patient eligibility

About

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of a novel patient portal intervention on the number of patients with diabetes care gaps (e.g., no diabetes eye exam i the last 12 months). The intervention is designed to: (a) notify patients when selected, clinically meaningful, evidence-based diabetes monitoring & preventative care (e.g., annual urine microalbumin) are due and (b) allow patients to initiate orders for the care.

Full description

Participants will be recruited from 14 VUMC-affiliate adult primary care clinics located throughout Middle Tennessee. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to the intervention or usual care. 500 adult patients with type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus will be assigned to one of two arms. 250 will be assigned to receive access to the intervention embedded within an existing patient web portal (My Health at Vanderbilt) at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. 250 will be assigned to a usual care comparison arm with access to the currently available version of My Health at Vanderbilt without the study intervention. At enrollment, participants will complete a baseline questionnaire and diabetes health data will be abstracted from the patients' electronic health record (EHR) before being assigned to the intervention or control arm. Participants will receive additional follow-up questionnaires and diabetes health data will be abstracted from the EHR at 3-month, 6-month, and 12-month follow-ups to assess outcomes. In addition, system usage data (user analytics) will be collected throughout the study period.

Enrollment: 440 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 75 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Established patient with a participating primary care physician from a participating clinic
• Type 1 or 2 diabetes mellitus
• Able to read in English
• Age 18 to 75 years old
• Mobile device (smartphone or tablet) with internet access
• Active My Health at Vanderbilt (MHAV) account

Exclusion criteria

• A medical condition that prevents use of a mobile device
• Pregnant or planning to become pregnant during the study period
• Severe difficulty seeing
• On dialysis

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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440 participants in 2 patient groups

Intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Patients have access to an existing patient web portal (My Health at Vanderbilt) embedded with the Diabetes Care Gaps Patient Portal Intervention. .

Treatment:

Other: Diabetes Care Gaps Patient Portal Intervention

Usual Care

No Intervention group

Description:

Patients will have access to an existing patient web portal (My Health at Vanderbilt) NOT embedded with the intervention (i.e., usual care).