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AdulteConsultaNCT01124968

eConculta: Impact of Virtual Visits in Primary Care

A study testing eConsulta in people with Adult, run by Institut Catala de Salut at 13 sites in Spain.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

eConsulta is a before and after quasi-experimental study without control group and its purpose is to asses the impact of virtual visits in primary care on the frequency of attendance of the patients to the primary care centre. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Adult
What is being tested?
eConsulta
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
16,720 participants
Where
13 sitesSpain
Study dates
Jan 2009to Dec 2010
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • 18 years or over
  • having a primary care centre assigned
  • to have both physician and nurse participating in the project
  • to use the same electronic clinical recording software

Who cannot join

  • none

Trial locations and contacts

13 sites in 1 country.

13 sites in 1 country

Spain13 sites

  • EAP Gòtic

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08001

  • EAP Ramón Turró

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08005

  • EAP El Clot

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08018

  • EAP Sant Martí

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08020

  • EAP La Sagrera

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08027

  • EAP Montnegre

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08029

  • EAP Sant Andreu

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08030

  • EAP El Carmel

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08032

  • EAP Horta

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08032

  • EAP Pare Claret

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08037

  • EAP Dr. Carles Ribas

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08038

  • EAP Congrés

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08041

  • EAP Guinardó Baix

    Barcelona, Barcelona, 08041

Other trials in Spain

About this study

Official title: Before and After Study to Assess the Impact of the Use of Virtual Consultation on Frequency of Patient Attendance, and Satisfaction of Patients and Professionals

eConsulta is a before and after quasi-experimental study without control group and its purpose is to asses the impact of virtual visits in primary care on the frequency of attendance of the patients to the primary care centre. The use of virtual consultations should lower the number of face to face visits to primary care. It also should create satisfaction to both users: primary care professionals and patients.

Read the detailed description

Excess on primary care face to face demands generates a work overload for the professionals, and it could lead to a lower quality of care and less job satisfaction. Not all primary care demands need a face to face encounter so incorporating new technologies into daily practice care such as communication doctor/nurse-patient through a website could be part of the solution. So we designed a study in order to assess the impact of the use of virtual consultation on frequency of attendance and the satisfaction of patients and professionals with the service.

It is a before after quasi-experimental multi-centre study with no control group. Agreed voluntarily to participate 13 primary care centres, 20 primary care physicians, 17 nurses them having 16.720 reference adult patients. We designed a website where participants can access the internet and consult their doctor/nurse, who will answer within 48 hours at maximum. The intervention will last 6 months.

We believe that the site can be useful by both patient and professional. For some types of patient, the use of the site may increase its accessibility, reduce face to face consultations and improve satisfaction, while the professional makes a more efficient practice.

Conditions
Adult
Being tested
eConsulta
Keywords
User-Computer Interface, Office Visits, Primary Health Care, Patient Satisfaction, Job Satisfaction, Health Services Research
Medical subject headings
Patient Satisfaction

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • eConsultaOther

    It is a web specifically designed for the project where elected patients can consult virtually with their primary care physician and within 48 hours have an answer.

Study groups in NCT01124968
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
eConsultaExperimentalThose patients who are offered to use the eConsulta, a web where they can virtually consult with their primary care doctor or nurse.
Receives: Other: eConsulta

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Number of primary care face to face visits of the patients during the 6 month intervention, compared to the number of face to face visits of the same patient, in a 6 month previous period.

    Number of face to face visits of each patient (who used the eConsulta web site) to primary care physician or nurse during the 6 months of the intervention (from 01/06/2010 to 01/12/2010) compared to the number of visits of the same patients the same period 1 or 2 years before, depending on the appearance of a swine flu outbreak (2009 if there is a swine flu outbreak or 2008 if there is not). The information source of the number of visits will be the electronic clinical record, which is the same in all the practices participating.

    Measured: Visits done from 01/06/2010 to 01/12/2010 compared to the himself the same period 1 or 2 years before (depending on the flu)

Secondary outcomes (2)

  1. Measure the doctor/nurse satisfaction

    Satisfaction with the whole service with a 10 point scale. Items:

    1. Are you satisfied with the eConsulta?
    2. It is easy to use the web?
    3. Has it been easy to integrate it with the daily practice?

    Measured: At the end of the study, 01/12/2010

  2. Measure the patient satisfaction

    Satisfaction with the whole service with a 10 point scale. Items:

    1. Are you satisfied with the eConsulta?
    2. It is easy to use the web?
    3. Would you use it in the future?

    Measured: At the end of the study, 01/12/2010

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted18 May 2010 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2009
  3. Primary completionDec 2010
  4. Study completionDec 2010

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Health services research
Allocation
Non-randomised
Intervention model
Single group
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
16,720 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01124968
Sponsor's protocol ID
eConsulta
Acronym
eConsulta
Status last verified
Jan 2011
First submitted
11 May 2010
Last updated
8 Feb 2011
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Spielberg AR. On call and online: sociohistorical, legal, and ethical implications of e-mail for the patient-physician relationship. JAMA. 1998 Oct 21;280(15):1353-9. doi: 10.1001/jama.280.15.1353.

    PubMed 9794317

  • Weiss N. E-mail consultation: clinical, financial, legal, and ethical implications. Surg Neurol. 2004 May;61(5):455-9; discussion 459. doi: 10.1016/j.surneu.2003.09.029.

    PubMed 15120220

  • Leong SL, Gingrich D, Lewis PR, Mauger DT, George JH. Enhancing doctor-patient communication using email: a pilot study. J Am Board Fam Pract. 2005 May-Jun;18(3):180-8. doi: 10.3122/jabfm.18.3.180.

    PubMed 15879565

  • Messikomer CM. "Our options have changed. .. we will not call you back". Communicating with my primary care physician. Perspect Biol Med. 2007 Summer;50(3):435-43. doi: 10.1353/pbm.2007.0035.

    PubMed 17660636

  • Roter DL, Larson S, Sands DZ, Ford DE, Houston T. Can e-mail messages between patients and physicians be patient-centered? Health Commun. 2008;23(1):80-6. doi: 10.1080/10410230701807295.

    PubMed 18443995

  • Kjaer NK, Jepsen KL, Ruwald S, Jepsen NP, Nielsen HH. [E-mail communication in general practice]. Ugeskr Laeger. 2005 Nov 21;167(47):4461-5. Danish.

    PubMed 16305766

  • Kuszler PC. A question of duty: common law legal issues resulting from physician response to unsolicited patient email inquiries. J Med Internet Res. 2000 Jul-Sep;2(3):E17. doi: 10.2196/jmir.2.3.e17. No abstract available.

    PubMed 11720940

  • Bovi AM; Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs of the American Medical Association. Ethical guidelines for use of electronic mail between patients and physicians. Am J Bioeth. 2003 Summer;3(3):W-IF2. doi: 10.1162/152651603322874771.

    PubMed 14735881

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing eConsulta in people with Adult, run by Institut Catala de Salut at 13 sites in Spain.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 1 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 8 Feb 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 13 sites in Spain. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Number of primary care face to face visits of the patients during the 6 month intervention, compared to the number of face to face visits of the same patient, in a 6 month previous period. (time frame: Visits done from 01/06/2010 to 01/12/2010 compared to the himself the same period 1 or 2 years before (depending on the flu)). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT01124968, which also lists 8 linked publications.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 8 Feb 2011.

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