Promoting Cholesterol Screening

Northwestern University

Status: Completed

Conditions: Lipid Testing; Primary Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease; Cardiovascular Diseases

Treatments: Behavioral: Mailed patient outreach intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other; Other U.S. Federal agency

Identifiers

NCT01930149

1PO1HS021141-01-Project 2B

Details and patient eligibility

About

Cholesterol screening is an important prerequisite for cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk assessment. Cholesterol screening is recommended by the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). Since reminder systems have been shown to modestly improve the rates of preventive services, including in safety net settings, we will implement patient-directed reminders to health center patients who meet our eligibility criteria.

The aim of this study is to determine if a mailed outreach message and facilitated ordering of screening lipid tests increases cholesterol screening test completion within 3 months among federally qualified community health center patients who are eligible for screening compared to usual care.

Enrollment: 480 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 35 to 75 years old

Volunteers: No Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Patient at participating health center
• At least 1 visit to clinic in the prior 12 months
• No total cholesterol and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol result recorded in the electronic health record in the past 5 years
• No cholesterol screening order placed within the previous 3 months
• Men 35-75 years old, or women 45-75 years old who also have one of the following: hypertension, obesity, or current smoking

Exclusion criteria

• Previously diagnosed cardiovascular disease, peripheral arterial disease or diabetes mellitus
• Statin on active medication list
• Preferred language other than English or Spanish

Trial design

Primary purpose: Prevention

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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480 participants in 2 patient groups

Mailed patient outreach intervention

Experimental group

Description:

Participants randomized to this arm will receive mailed letter from health center that encourages cholesterol testing and describes the steps necessary to obtain the test at the patient's care site. Clinic staff will facilitate the ordering of tests for patients who may not have an office visit.

Treatment:

Behavioral: Mailed patient outreach intervention

Usual Care Control Group

No Intervention group

Description:

Participants randomized to this arm will receive usual care.