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IVR-Enhanced Care Transition Support for Complex Patients

The University of Alabama at Birmingham logo

The University of Alabama at Birmingham

Status

Completed

Conditions

Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Congestive Heart Failure

Treatments

Behavioral: IVR-Enhanced Care

Study type

Interventional

Funder types

Other
Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT01135381
1R18HS017786

Details and patient eligibility

About

For complex medical patients, the transition from hospital to home-based care is a vulnerable period, placing the patient at high risk for adverse events. Using a Care Transition conceptual model, the investigators propose developing and evaluating, through a randomized controlled trial, "e-Coach," an Interactive-Voice-Response-supported (IVR) Care Transition coaching intervention, focused initially on patients hospitalized with heart failure or obstructive lung disease. This trial will test the primary hypothesis that the proportion of patients with one or more re-hospitalizations during a 90-day post-discharge follow-up period will be less in an IVRsupported care transition intervention (e-Coach) compared to a "usual care" comparison group.

Full description

For complex medical patients, the transition from hospital to home-based care is a vulnerable period, placing the patient at high risk for adverse events, including the experience of a medical error or loss of community tenure. Recent successful studies have used a Care Transition Intervention (CTI), using a nurse who conducts home visits, telephone follow-up, and provides assistance at and after discharge. Although successful, this model is costly and and not feasible in settings serving geographically dispersed populations. We propose a cost-efficient technological solution to the problems presented by the traditional CTI through "e-Coach," an Interactive-Voice-Response-supported (IVR) Care Transition coaching intervention. We propose to develop and evaluate "e-Coach," by performing a randomized controlled trial of this intervention versus a usual care comparison group. Our Specific Aims are to: 1) Randomize 720 patients at high risk of transition-related errors (complex adult patients discharged alive after a hospitalization with congestive heart failure (CHF) or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), from a geographically diverse area including many rural areas across Alabama and the South) to an IVR-supported care transition program ("e-Coach") versus a usual care comparison group. The IVR system will actively call patients at multiple intervals after discharge. In a stepped-care approach, the IVR will be further supported by a Care Transition nurse who monitors patient symptoms through the e-Coach IVR and supports patient self management through telephone-based interactions when needed, up to 3 months after discharge; 2) Evaluate use of the e-Coach by patients and healthcare providers; 3) Evaluate the impact of the e-Coach on patient outcomes, including 90 day rehospitalizations, successful community tenure over a 3 month period, medication discrepancies, and patient self-efficacy based on the previously validated Care Transition Measure; and 4) Quantify the cost associated with the e-Coach.

Enrollment

511 patients

Sex

All

Ages

18+ years old

Volunteers

No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

  • CHF/COPD patients
  • English-speaking
  • Medicare beneficiaries

Amendment to Inclusion Criteria:

  • Recruited non-Medicare eligible beneficiaries

Exclusion criteria

  • Prognosis of 6 months or less
  • Cognitive impairment with no available proxy/caregiver
  • No possession of a phone

Amendments to exclusion criteria:

  • heart or lung transplant recipients
  • dialysis patients
  • individuals already in the Cystic Fibrosis program or receiving intensive monitored care
  • individuals with a ventricular assist device (LVAD; RVAD; BiVAD)
  • individuals utilizing a pre-paid phone service

Trial design

Primary purpose

Health Services Research

Allocation

Randomized

Interventional model

Parallel Assignment

Masking

Single Blind

511 participants in 4 patient groups

CHF patients, IVR-Enhanced Care
Experimental group
Description:
Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) who receive the interactive voice response (IVR) intervention.
Treatment:
Behavioral: IVR-Enhanced Care
COPD patients, IVR-Enhanced Care
Experimental group
Description:
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who receive the interactive voice response (IVR) intervention.
Treatment:
Behavioral: IVR-Enhanced Care
CHF patients, Usual Discharge Care
No Intervention group
Description:
Patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) who receive usual discharge care (no intervention).
COPD patients, Usual Discharge Care
No Intervention group
Description:
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) who receive usual discharge care (no intervention).

Trial contacts and locations

1

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Data sourced from clinicaltrials.gov

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