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Renal TransplantationNCT01739803

Behavioral Contract Adherence Intervention

A study testing Behavioral Contract in people with Renal Transplantation, run by University of Tennessee at 1 site in United States.

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

There is a critical gap in the knowledge on how to implement effective interventions for renal transplant recipients (RTRs) to improve immunosuppressant therapy (IST) adherence and clinical outcomes. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 21 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Renal Transplantation
What is being tested?
Behavioral Contract
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
150 participants
Where
1 siteUnited States
Study dates
Jan 2010to Jun 2013
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 21 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • renal transplant recipient
  • at least 21 years of age
  • receive an immunosuppressant regimen that contains oral cyclosporine or tacrolimus
  • be at least one year post-transplant
  • obtain immunosuppressant therapy from Avella Specialty Pharmacy for at least one year prior to study enrollment and during the study period

Who cannot join

  • pregnant
  • prisoner
  • institutionalized
  • unable to give informed consent

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

United States1 site
  • University of Arizona College of Pharmacy

    Tucson, Arizona, 85721

Other trials in United States

About this study

Official title: Behavioral Contract Intervention to Improve Adherence Among Renal Transplant Recipients

There is a critical gap in the knowledge on how to implement effective interventions for renal transplant recipients (RTRs) to improve immunosuppressant therapy (IST) adherence and clinical outcomes. The objectives of this project were to address this gap through: (1) designing, implementing, and evaluating a patient-specific behavioral contract intervention to improve RTRs' IST adherence rates (contracts are written, signed agreements between the RTR and healthcare provider in which the RTR agrees to be adherent to IST according to mutually agreed upon criteria); and (2) measuring the effects of IST adherence on RTRs' health-related quality of life (HQoL) and healthcare utilizations and costs. The primary hypothesis was that at one year post trial enrollment, RTRs who establish behavioral contracts with healthcare professionals will be more adherent than those who do not establish behavioral contracts and subsequently will have greater HQoL and lower healthcare utilizations and costs. Once it is better understood how to implement effective IST adherence intervention programs, clinicians will have a valuable tool to promote therapeutic success, improve HQoL, and reduce healthcare utilizations and costs. Therefore, we pursued the following Specific Aims: (1) determine the effectiveness of an IST adherence contract-based intervention on IST adherence; (2) determine the relationship between IST adherence, the intervention, and RTRs' HQoL; and (3) determine the influence of IST adherence and the intervention on RTRs' healthcare utilizations/costs. To achieve the Specific Aims, a randomized controlled trial of the patient-specific behavioral contract-based intervention was conducted, and data regarding adherence, HQoL, and healthcare utilizations/costs were collected over a 12-month period for each RTR study participant and analyzed. This project will promote healthy lives, increase well-being, and reduce burden of illness and disparity among adult RTRs by providing data regarding an adherence intervention and the impact of IST adherence and the behavioral contract intervention on RTRs' health and economic outcomes and HQoL. Collectively, this new knowledge will provide critical steps toward optimizing RTRs' graft maintenance, productivity, and HQoL, while decreasing graft rejection, return to dialysis, morbidity, mortality, and healthcare costs.

Being tested
Behavioral Contract
Keywords
Immunosuppressant therapy adherence, Quality of life, Economic outcomes

What participants receive

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

  • Behavioral ContractBehavioural

    Intervention activities were performed by a study clinical pharmacist. Behavioral contract goal was achieving and maintaining IST adherence. Other components of the contract addressed: (a) motivation(s) or positive reinforcement for achieving IST adherence; (b) problems or barriers that may interfere with achieving IST adherence and possible solutions to overcome problems/barriers; (c) social support available to the RTR such as a significant other who may assist the RTR in following the IST dosing schedule; (d) tools/strategies the RTR may use to remind himself/herself to follow the IST dosing schedule; and (e) possible consequences of IST nonadherence (e.g., graft loss).

Study groups in NCT01739803
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Intervention GroupExperimentalBehavioral contract intervention
Receives: Behavioral: Behavioral Contract
Control GroupNo interventionNo intervention

What is being measured

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

  1. Comparison of Average Immunosuppressant Therapy Adherence for 12-month Study Period

    Immunosuppressant therapy adherence as measured by pharmacy refill records. Adherence was calculated quarterly for one year by using the number of days between prescription (IST) refills. If the total number of days between refills was less than or equal to the total days' supply of IST, the participant's adherence rate was 1.0, or 100%. If the number of days between refills was greater than the days' supply, the adherence rate was calculated as follows:

    1 - [(Days Between Refills - Total Days Supply)/Days Between Refills] = Adherence Rate for Quarterly Time Period

    At the end of the 12-month study period, the quarterly adherence rates were averaged to produce an overall adherence rate for the study period.

    Measured: 12 months

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Health-related Quality of Life (HQoL)

    The EQ-5D is a multi-attribute, preference-based HQoL instrument. Considered a global HQoL measure, the EQ-5D is a descriptive system that classifies respondents into one of 243 distinct health states based on five dimensions (i.e., mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression). Each dimension has three levels, reflecting "no problems," "some problems," and "extreme problems." A scoring function assigns a value (EQ-5DIndex score) to self-reported health states from a set of preference weights that have been empirically derived. The EQ-5D's total scale (preference value) range is from 0 to 1.0. On this scale, the preference value of 1.0 represents perfect health and 0.0 represents death. Preference values less than 0 are possible, but not reflected on the scale, and reflect health states that the U.S. population consider worse than death.

    Measured: 12 months

  2. Days in Hospital

    We used a standardized patient reporting approach to collect direct healthcare utilizations data, including days in hospital. A brief healthcare screening questionnaire was administered to both the intervention and control groups on a monthly basis during the one-year study period. Monthly recall periods were chosen to minimize bias and forgetfulness. The questionnaire collected the number of times each month a participant utilized a direct medical service, specifically, days in hospital, emergency department (ED) visit, outpatient visit (clinic, physician office), and home healthcare visit.

    Analysis compared proportion of each group who had at least one day in hospital during the 12-month study period.

    Measured: 12 months

Timeline

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

  1. First posted3 Dec 2012 (estimated)
  2. Study startJan 2010
  3. Primary completionSep 2012
  4. Study completionJun 2013

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
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
150 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT01739803
Sponsor's protocol ID
7R01DK081347-04
Other IDs
7R01DK081347-04
Status last verified
Dec 2013
First submitted
29 Nov 2012
Last updated
7 Feb 2014
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Chisholm-Burns MA, Erickson SR, Spivey CA, Gruessner RW, Kaplan B. Concurrent validity of kidney transplant questionnaire in US renal transplant recipients. Patient Prefer Adherence. 2011;5:517-22. doi: 10.2147/PPA.S24261. Epub 2011 Oct 13.

    PubMed 22114465
  • Chisholm-Burns MA, Erickson SR, Spivey CA, Kaplan B. Health-related quality of life and employment among renal transplant recipients. Clin Transplant. 2012 May-Jun;26(3):411-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1399-0012.2011.01541.x. Epub 2011 Oct 28.

    PubMed 22032257
  • Chisholm-Burns MA, Spivey CA, Graff Zivin J, Lee JK, Sredzinski E, Tolley EA. Improving outcomes of renal transplant recipients with behavioral adherence contracts: a randomized controlled trial. Am J Transplant. 2013 Sep;13(9):2364-73. doi: 10.1111/ajt.12341. Epub 2013 Jul 2.

    PubMed 23819827
  • Mellon L, Doyle F, Hickey A, Ward KD, de Freitas DG, McCormick PA, O'Connell O, Conlon P. Interventions for increasing immunosuppressant medication adherence in solid organ transplant recipients. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2022 Sep 12;9(9):CD012854. doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD012854.pub2.

    PubMed 36094829

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Behavioral Contract in people with Renal Transplantation, run by University of Tennessee 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 5 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 7 Feb 2014. 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 7 Feb 2014). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Comparison of Average Immunosuppressant Therapy Adherence for 12-month Study Period (time frame: 12 months). 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 NCT01739803, which also lists 4 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 7 Feb 2014.

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