Sexually ActiveNCT01401816
Advanced Provision of Emergency Contraception: Utilizing Technology to Increase Prescription Fill Rates
A study testing Text Message in people with Sexually Active, run by Boston Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
Eighty-five percent of the 750,000 teenage pregnancies per year in the United States are unintended (Guttmacher Institute). Approximately half of all teenage pregnancies end in the birth of a child; the remaining proportion end in either abortion (30%) or miscarriage (20%). Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 13 to 21 years, women only
- Conditions the study is for
- Sexually Active
- What is being tested?
- Text Message
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 60 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- Jul 2011to May 2012
- 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 13 to 21 years
- Women only
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- Sexually Active
- Boston Medical Center Health Plan Insurance
- Personal Cell Phone
Who cannot join
- Pregnant
- Currently using a long-acting form of contraception (IUD, Depo, Implanon)
- No personal cell phone
- Insurance other than Boston Medical Center Health Plan
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Eighty-five percent of the 750,000 teenage pregnancies per year in the United States are unintended (Guttmacher Institute). Approximately half of all teenage pregnancies end in the birth of a child; the remaining proportion end in either abortion (30%) or miscarriage (20%). It has been estimated that if Emergency Contraception (Plan B) was used after every contraception failure, it could prevent 50% of unintended pregnancies and 60-70% of abortions annually.
Previous studies have showed the effectiveness of emergency contraception decreases with time after intercourse; the sooner it is taken-even if it means a matter of hours-the more effective it is in preventing pregnancy. Based on previous studies, it is clear that relying on obtaining emergency contraception on the same day or even the day after unprotected intercourse is not guaranteed. For example, approximately 27% of pharmacies called by the adolescent mystery caller did not have the medication available the day of the call and almost all of the pharmacies not stocking the medication would take greater than 24 hours to obtain it through their ordering system.
Read more
Thus, the concept of advanced provision of emergency contraception has been proposed to assure that the medication can be taken as soon as possible. Although this practice is known to be safe and has not shown any association with increased sexual risk or behaviors, it is unclear how often/if adolescents will fill a prescription for a medication that is not needed at the time of a medical encounter.
The investigators propose a randomized pilot study (n=60) of a text-messaging intervention that aims to increase the rate at which prescriptions for emergency contraception are filled. Based on practice norms in the BMC Adolescent Center, sexually active female adolescents (ages 13-21) in both the control and intervention groups will be provided a prescription for emergency contraception. The intervention group, however, will receive follow-up text message on their phone reminding them to fill the prescription.
Boston Medical Center Health Plan will provide prescription fill data regarding the prescriptions written at the time of enrollment. Approximately 6 weeks after enrollment, all study participants will be contacted for a follow-up survey.
- Conditions
- Sexually Active
- Being tested
- Text Message
- Keywords
- Adolescents, Sexually Active, Unprotected Sex, Emergency Contraception
- Medical subject headings
- Unsafe Sex
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Text MessageOther
Subjects will receive a text message on their personal cell phone on Days 1, 3 and 5 after enrollment reminding them to fill their prescription.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Subjects in this group will receive a prescription for emergency contraception and then text-messages (on Day 1, 3 and 5 after enrollment) to their personal cell phone with a reminder to fill their prescription. Receives: Other: Text Message |
| Control Group | No intervention | Subjects in this group will receive a only a prescription for emergency contraception and no reminder text messages. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Prescription Fill Rates
The primary outcome is whether the advanced provision prescription for emergency contraception is filled or not. This will be measured through insurance claims data obtained from BMC Health Plan a month after enrollment. Furthermore, the time to fill the prescription from the time of enrollment can be examined.
Measured: 1 month
Secondary outcomes (4)
Sexual Activity
Each study participant will receive a follow-up telephone call to his or her personal cell phone six weeks after enrollment to complete a follow-up survey that will consist of questions related to sexual activity since enrollment.
Measured: 6 weeks
Contraception Use
Each participant will receive a follow-up telephone survey and answer questions regarding their use of contraception (if any) and how often they utilized such methods since enrollment.
Measured: 6 weeks
Risk of Pregnancy
Each study participant will receive a telephone survey and be asked if they have used emergency contraception (EC) since enrolling in the study or if they have taken a pregnancy test since enrolling.
Measured: 6 weeks
Knowledge of Emergency Contraception
Each study participant will receive a follow-up telephone survey and answer questions on the time-frame and accessibility of emergency contraception.
Measured: 6 weeks
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted25 Jul 2011 (estimated)
- Study startJul 2011
- Primary completionFeb 2012
- Study completionMay 2012
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Sexually ActiveStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind
- Who is masked
- Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Boston Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Sponsor
- Investigators
- Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH, Principal investigator, Boston Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01401816
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- Alpert 3442-3
- Status last verified
- Jun 2011
- First submitted
- 21 Jun 2011
- Last updated
- 10 Jul 2012
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 10 Jul 2012. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Advanced Provision of Emergency Contraception: Utilizing Technology to Increase Prescription Fill Rates
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT01401816
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- Alpert 3442-3
- Conditions
- Sexually Active
- Keywords
- Adolescents, Sexually Active, Unprotected Sex, Emergency Contraception
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 60 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Boston Medical CenterUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- Jul 2011
- Primary completion
- Feb 2012 (actual)
- Study completion
- May 2012 (actual)
- First posted
- 25 Jul 2011 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Eighty-five percent of the 750,000 teenage pregnancies per year in the United States are unintended (Guttmacher Institute). Approximately half of all teenage pregnancies end in the birth of a child; the remaining proportion end in either abortion (30%) or miscarriage (20%). It has been estimated that if Emergency Contraception (Plan B) was used after every contraception failure, it could prevent 50% of unintended pregnancies and 60-70% of abortions annually.
Previous studies have showed the effectiveness of emergency contraception decreases with time after intercourse; the sooner it is taken-even if it means a matter of hours-the more effective it is in preventing pregnancy. Based on previous studies, it is clear that relying on obtaining emergency contraception on the same day or even the day after unprotected intercourse is not guaranteed. For example, approximately 27% of pharmacies called by the adolescent mystery caller did not have the medication available the day of the call and almost all of the pharmacies not stocking the medication would take greater than 24 hours to obtain it through their ordering system.
Thus, the concept of advanced provision of emergency contraception has been proposed to assure that the medication can be taken as soon as possible. Although this practice is known to be safe and has not shown any association with increased sexual risk or behaviors, it is unclear how often/if adolescents will fill a prescription for a medication that is not needed at the time of a medical encounter.
The investigators propose a randomized pilot study (n=60) of a text-messaging intervention that aims to increase the rate at which prescriptions for emergency contraception are filled. Based on practice norms in the BMC Adolescent Center, sexually active female adolescents (ages 13-21) in both the control and intervention groups will be provided a prescription for emergency contraception. The intervention group, however, will receive follow-up text message on their phone reminding them to fill the prescription.
Boston Medical Center Health Plan will provide prescription fill data regarding the prescriptions written at the time of enrollment. Approximately 6 weeks after enrollment, all study participants will be contacted for a follow-up survey.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention Group | Experimental | Other: Text MessageSubjects in this group will receive a prescription for emergency contraception and then text-messages (on Day 1, 3 and 5 after enrollment) to their personal cell phone with a reminder to fill their prescription. |
| Control Group | No intervention | –Subjects in this group will receive a only a prescription for emergency contraception and no reminder text messages. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 13 to 21 years
- Sex
- Female only
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Sexually Active
- Boston Medical Center Health Plan Insurance
- Personal Cell Phone
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Pregnant
- Currently using a long-acting form of contraception (IUD, Depo, Implanon)
- No personal cell phone
- Insurance other than Boston Medical Center Health Plan
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Text MessageSubjects will receive a text message on their personal cell phone on Days 1, 3 and 5 after enrollment reminding them to fill their prescription. | Other | Intervention Group |
Primary outcome
Prescription Fill Rates
Time frame: 1 month
The primary outcome is whether the advanced provision prescription for emergency contraception is filled or not. This will be measured through insurance claims data obtained from BMC Health Plan a month after enrollment. Furthermore, the time to fill the prescription from the time of enrollment can be examined.
4 secondary outcomes
Sexual Activity
Time frame: 6 weeks
Contraception Use
Time frame: 6 weeks
Risk of Pregnancy
Time frame: 6 weeks
Knowledge of Emergency Contraception
Time frame: 6 weeks
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 10 Jul 2012.
Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Michael Silverstein, MD, MPH principal investigator
Boston Medical Center
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Text Message in people with Sexually Active, run by Boston Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
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 3 inclusion and 4 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 10 Jul 2012. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. 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?
Prescription Fill Rates (time frame: 1 month). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 10 Jul 2012; AzTrials last refreshed its copy on 26 Oct 2026.