Medical KnowledgemCME projectNCT02381743
The mCME Project:Delivering Continuing Medical Education for Community Health Workers Via SMS Text Messages
A study testing Group 2 intervention daily SMS bullet point and Group 3 intervention daily SMS bullet point in people with Medical Knowledge, run by Boston University.
Trial summary
Community health workers (CHWs) provide essential basic medical care to hundreds of millions of people across the globe. CHWs offer a myriad of services including community sanitation, breast feeding counseling, family planning, management of febrile children, and malaria control and prevention, to name but a few. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 99 yearsHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Medical Knowledge
- What is being tested?
- Group 2 intervention daily SMS bullet point and Group 3 intervention daily SMS bullet point
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 638 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- May 2015to Nov 2015
- 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 to 99 years
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Graduated from a CBPA training program
- Possesses their own cell phone
- Phone able to send/receive text messages
- Aged 18 years or older
Who cannot join
- Unwilling to sign informed consent
- Lives/operates in an area without cellular coverage
- Unwilling to be randomized
- Unwilling to adhere to study procedures
About this study
Community health workers (CHWs) provide essential basic medical care to hundreds of millions of people across the globe. CHWs offer a myriad of services including community sanitation, breast feeding counseling, family planning, management of febrile children, and malaria control and prevention, to name but a few. In fact, CHWs are often the only source of primary health care available to some of the most disadvantaged populations in the world. However, to be effective, CHWs must be trained - and retrained - at regular intervals, and the costs for such trainings can be substantial. In the US, clinicians are required to stay current and maintain their competence through continuing medical education (CME). Increasingly, CME activities are delivered via internet-based, self-teaching modules. A typical example would be a set of topical readings followed by multiple-choice questions, with the answers, and CME credit, provided to the user upon satisfactory completion of the module. This content is typically delivered over the Internet. However, there is no intrinsic reason why this approach could not be adapted so that CME activities are delivered using standard cell phones via SMS text messaging. This would significantly expand professional training opportunities to a far greater range of CHWs than possible through computer/tablet/smart phone platforms, and would be particularly valuable in poorer countries with limited training budgets. In the mCME project, the investigators propose to test the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a mobile phone-based CME delivery strategy among Vietnamese community-based physician assistants (CBPAs), a cadre of CHW mandated to provide primary health care to rural and disadvantaged populations. The investigators hypothesize that providing CME activities over a mobile platform will significantly improve their professional knowledge, and may also improve their job satisfaction and self-efficacy.
- Conditions
- Medical Knowledge
- Being tested
- Group 2 intervention daily SMS bullet point, Group 3 intervention daily SMS bullet point
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Group 2 intervention daily SMS bullet pointBehavioural
Also called non interactive model CME
Group 2 subjects receive a daily SMS bullet point, summarizing a key clinical point pertinent to the CBPA's daily work.
Group 3 intervention daily SMS bullet pointBehavioural
Also called Interactive model CME
Group 3 subjects receive a c phrased as a multiple choice question. The content mirrors that of group 2, but is presented as a question to render it interactive
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | No intervention | Weekly non-medical SMS messages |
| Group 2 | Experimental | Receipt of a daily SMS text message describing various aspects of clinical practice Receives: Behavioral: Group 2 intervention daily SMS bullet point |
| Group 3 | Experimental | Receipt of a daily SMS text message describing various aspects of clinical practice, but phrased as multiple choice question Receives: Behavioral: Group 3 intervention daily SMS bullet point |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Medical knowledge (Score on medical knowledge exams)
Score on medical knowledge exams administered at baseline and at the end of six months of the intervention
Measured: 6 months
Secondary outcomes (2)
Job satisfaction (Score on likert scale)
Score on likert scale measuring job satisfaction
Measured: 6 months
Self efficacy (Score in likert scale)
Score in likert scale measuring self efficacy
Measured: 6 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted6 Mar 2015 (estimated)
- Study startMay 2015
- Primary completionNov 2015
- Study completionNov 2015
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (3)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Medical KnowledgeStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- More trials run by Boston UniversityThe sponsor's other registered studies.
- 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
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 638 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Boston University
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Christopher J. Gill, Boston University
- Investigators
- Christopher J Gill, MD MS, Principal investigator, Boston University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02381743
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- H-33241
- Acronym
- mCME project
- Status last verified
- Jan 2016
- First submitted
- 3 Mar 2015
- Last updated
- 12 Jan 2016
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Publications
Larson Williams A, Hawkins A, Sabin L, Halim N, Le Ngoc B, Nguyen VH, Nguyen T, Bonawitz R, Gill C. Motivating HIV Providers in Vietnam to Learn: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of a Mobile Health Continuing Medical Education Intervention. JMIR Med Educ. 2019 Apr 18;5(1):e12058. doi: 10.2196/12058.
PubMed 30998220Gill CJ, Le NB, Halim N, Chi CTH, Nguyen VH, Bonawitz R, Hoang PV, Nguyen HL, Huong PTT, Larson Williams A, Le NA, Sabin L. mCME project V.2.0: randomised controlled trial of a revised SMS-based continuing medical education intervention among HIV clinicians in Vietnam. BMJ Glob Health. 2018 Feb 26;3(1):e000632. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000632. eCollection 2018.
PubMed 29527350Gill CJ, Le Ngoc B, Halim N, Nguyen Viet H, Larson Williams A, Nguyen Van T, McNabb M, Tran Thi Ngoc L, Falconer A, An Phan Ha H, Rohr J, Hoang H, Michiel J, Nguyen Thi Thanh T, Bird L, Pham Vu H, Yeshitla M, Ha Van N, Sabin L. The mCME Project: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an SMS-Based Continuing Medical Education Intervention for Improving Medical Knowledge among Vietnamese Community Based Physicians' Assistants. PLoS One. 2016 Nov 18;11(11):e0166293. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166293. eCollection 2016.
PubMed 27861516
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 12 Jan 2016. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The mCME Project:Delivering Continuing Medical Education for Community Health Workers Via SMS Text Messages
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02381743
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- mCME project / H-33241
- Conditions
- Medical Knowledge
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 638 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Boston UniversityUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- May 2015
- Primary completion
- Nov 2015 (actual)
- Study completion
- Nov 2015 (actual)
- First posted
- 6 Mar 2015 (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.
Community health workers (CHWs) provide essential basic medical care to hundreds of millions of people across the globe. CHWs offer a myriad of services including community sanitation, breast feeding counseling, family planning, management of febrile children, and malaria control and prevention, to name but a few. In fact, CHWs are often the only source of primary health care available to some of the most disadvantaged populations in the world. However, to be effective, CHWs must be trained - and retrained - at regular intervals, and the costs for such trainings can be substantial. In the US, clinicians are required to stay current and maintain their competence through continuing medical education (CME). Increasingly, CME activities are delivered via internet-based, self-teaching modules. A typical example would be a set of topical readings followed by multiple-choice questions, with the answers, and CME credit, provided to the user upon satisfactory completion of the module. This content is typically delivered over the Internet. However, there is no intrinsic reason why this approach could not be adapted so that CME activities are delivered using standard cell phones via SMS text messaging. This would significantly expand professional training opportunities to a far greater range of CHWs than possible through computer/tablet/smart phone platforms, and would be particularly valuable in poorer countries with limited training budgets. In the mCME project, the investigators propose to test the effectiveness and cost effectiveness of a mobile phone-based CME delivery strategy among Vietnamese community-based physician assistants (CBPAs), a cadre of CHW mandated to provide primary health care to rural and disadvantaged populations. The investigators hypothesize that providing CME activities over a mobile platform will significantly improve their professional knowledge, and may also improve their job satisfaction and self-efficacy.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 3
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Group 1 | No intervention | –Weekly non-medical SMS messages |
| Group 2 | Experimental | Behavioral: Group 2 intervention daily SMS bullet pointReceipt of a daily SMS text message describing various aspects of clinical practice |
| Group 3 | Experimental | Behavioral: Group 3 intervention daily SMS bullet pointReceipt of a daily SMS text message describing various aspects of clinical practice, but phrased as multiple choice question |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 99 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Graduated from a CBPA training program
- Possesses their own cell phone
- Phone able to send/receive text messages
- Aged 18 years or older
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Unwilling to sign informed consent
- Lives/operates in an area without cellular coverage
- Unwilling to be randomized
- Unwilling to adhere to study procedures
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Group 2 intervention daily SMS bullet pointAlso: non interactive model CMEGroup 2 subjects receive a daily SMS bullet point, summarizing a key clinical point pertinent to the CBPA's daily work. | Behavioural | Group 2 |
| Group 3 intervention daily SMS bullet pointAlso: Interactive model CMEGroup 3 subjects receive a c phrased as a multiple choice question. The content mirrors that of group 2, but is presented as a question to render it interactive | Behavioural | Group 3 |
Primary outcome
Medical knowledge (Score on medical knowledge exams)
Time frame: 6 months
Score on medical knowledge exams administered at baseline and at the end of six months of the intervention
2 secondary outcomes
Job satisfaction (Score on likert scale)
Time frame: 6 months
Self efficacy (Score in likert scale)
Time frame: 6 months
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 12 Jan 2016.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 30998220Larson Williams A, Hawkins A, Sabin L, Halim N, Le Ngoc B, Nguyen VH, Nguyen T, Bonawitz R, Gill C. Motivating HIV Providers in Vietnam to Learn: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of a Mobile Health Continuing Medical Education Intervention. JMIR Med Educ. 2019 Apr 18;5(1):e12058. doi: 10.2196/12058.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 29527350Gill CJ, Le NB, Halim N, Chi CTH, Nguyen VH, Bonawitz R, Hoang PV, Nguyen HL, Huong PTT, Larson Williams A, Le NA, Sabin L. mCME project V.2.0: randomised controlled trial of a revised SMS-based continuing medical education intervention among HIV clinicians in Vietnam. BMJ Glob Health. 2018 Feb 26;3(1):e000632. doi: 10.1136/bmjgh-2017-000632. eCollection 2018.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 27861516Gill CJ, Le Ngoc B, Halim N, Nguyen Viet H, Larson Williams A, Nguyen Van T, McNabb M, Tran Thi Ngoc L, Falconer A, An Phan Ha H, Rohr J, Hoang H, Michiel J, Nguyen Thi Thanh T, Bird L, Pham Vu H, Yeshitla M, Ha Van N, Sabin L. The mCME Project: A Randomized Controlled Trial of an SMS-Based Continuing Medical Education Intervention for Improving Medical Knowledge among Vietnamese Community Based Physicians' Assistants. PLoS One. 2016 Nov 18;11(11):e0166293. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0166293. eCollection 2016.
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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.
Christopher J Gill, MD MS principal investigator
Boston University
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Group 2 intervention daily SMS bullet point and Group 3 intervention daily SMS bullet point in people with Medical Knowledge, run by Boston University.
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 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 12 Jan 2016. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
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?
Medical knowledge (Score on medical knowledge exams) (time frame: 6 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 NCT02381743, which also lists 3 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 12 Jan 2016.