Post-Operative ComplicationNCT02406963
Photographic Email Correspondence for Pediatric Urology Post-Operative Patients
A study testing Digital Photograph and Telephone Call in people with Post-Operative Complication and Pediatric Urology, run by McMaster Children's Hospital at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
A pilot research study is planned to occur within the pediatric urology service the spring of 2015. All pediatric urology patients in the immediate post-operative period of 0-14 days will be eligible for this study. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages Up to 18 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Post-Operative Complication, Pediatric Urology
- What is being tested?
- Digital Photograph and Telephone Call
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 40 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- Jun 2015to Feb 2016
- 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 Up to 18 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Child, Adult
Who may be able to join
- Children aged 0-17 years who have undergone urological surgery.
- Children within the immediate post-operative period (0-14 days).
- Children with concerns directly related to operative site including, but not limited to catheters, stents, rashes and urine output.
Who cannot join
- Surgical patients outside the immediate post-operative period.
- Those families who are unwilling or unable to email digital photographs.
- Concerns related to issues other than the operative site (medications, follow up appointments, return to activities).
- Inability to understand written consent due to language barrier
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
A pilot research study is planned to occur within the pediatric urology service the spring of 2015. All pediatric urology patients in the immediate post-operative period of 0-14 days will be eligible for this study. This study will compare the current standard of care for managing post-operative complications (a telephone conversation with the NP) versus an experimental intervention (telephone call and an electronic photograph of the surgical site). Before the surgical patient is discharged from the hospital, consent will be obtained for participation. Once a family initiates contact with the NP with a post-operative concern they will be randomized to either the control or the experimental group. Those in the control group will receive the current standard of care, which is telephone advice only. Those in the experimental group will speak to the NP on the telephone and will be requested to send an electronic photograph of their child's surgical site to the NP for assessment and advice. Photographs will be assessed using a standardized tool by both NPs and this information will be entered into a database. The investigators will be measuring the number of emergency department (ED) and/or unplanned clinic visits in both groups. An unplanned clinic visit is defined as a visit that is required due to an unexpected complication or concern before the original scheduled post-operative follow-up as determined by the surgeon. The investigators will be tracking the number of follow-up phone calls for both groups, as well as requiring participants to complete a family/patient experience survey after speaking to the NP.
Read the detailed description
This study design will be a pilot randomized controlled trial. Consent for this study will be obtained within the circle of care immediately before the patient is discharged home following surgery. The families will be instructed to contact the NP by telephone with any post-operative questions or concerns they have about their child. Once the family initiates contact with the NP, they will be randomized into either the experimental (PEC) group or the control (TTC) group.
Once randomization has occurred, the NP will obtain all necessary information from the parent by addressing all points in expertise based script developed by the Pediatric Urology Team for both groups. Those randomized to the control group (TTC) will be provided recommendations based on information obtained during the standard telephone call. Families who are randomized into the PEC (experimental) group will be required to send a digital photograph of the child's surgical site to the professional email address of NP. Should they agree to send digital photographs they will be required to give consent for email correspondence, which will be emailed to them by the NP. Once they have consented they may send digital photographs to the NP of their child's surgical site, which will be assessed by both NPs using an expertise-based assessment tool. This information will be entered into REDCap. The NPs will come to a unanimous decision regarding advice to be provided and this will be communicated to the parents. Upon completion of the interaction with the NP the RA will contact the family to complete the family/patient experience survey over the telephone. Family/patient experience will be measured using an adapted validated tool "Nurse Practitioner Satisfaction Survey" consisting of 10 questions directly related to telephone interaction with the NP. This survey consists of a Likert Scale with scores ranging from 1-5 with 5 being the most positive response. Follow up telephone calls for both groups will be logged in MediTech as well as the RedCAP database. All telephone calls will be documented within the MediTech system and included in patient's chart in order to maintain current standard of care. All digital photos will be printed and placed in the patient's chart and deleted from the email server, which is the current process for those engaging in PEC.
Recruitment for this study will occur for 7 months with the aim of recruiting 40 patients per arm in order to obtain the feasibility data. However, a sample size calculation has been carried out and assuming 75% power and an alpha error of 5% using a one sided test, the required sample size to answer the definitive research question is 114 patients per group.
Data will be analyzed by comparing the number of ED and unplanned clinic visits for both groups, as well as the number of follow up phone calls received. This will be done using descriptive statistics and a t-test for independent means. Family/patient experience will also be measured between the two groups (PEC and TTC) using descriptive statistics and a t-test for independent means. Subgroup analysis will be done to determine which subgroup of post-operative patients benefit most from PEC (i.e., penile surgeries).
- Conditions
- Post-Operative Complication, Pediatric Urology
- Being tested
- Digital Photograph, Telephone Call
- Keywords
- telemedicine
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Digital PhotographOther
A digital photograph sent by the family of the surgical site
Telephone CallOther
Standard telephone call with the nurse practitioner
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| TTC | Active comparator | Current standard of care- a telephone call with the NP in the event of a post-operative concern where advice/interventions/reassurance is provided based on information provided by family Receives: Other: Telephone Call |
| PEC | Experimental | Experimental arm, the standard telephone call with the NP and the addition of a digital photograph of the surgical site for assessment prior to the administration of advice Receives: Other: Digital Photograph; Other: Telephone Call |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Feasibility Data- Recruitment Rate
Recruitment rate over 7 month enrollment period to help determine whether recruitment for a larger scale trial will be feasible
Measured: 7 Months
Feasibility Data- Survey Completion
Participants compliance with completing the patient experience questionnaire after discussion with the NP.
Measured: One Year
Feasibility Data- Engagement rate of participants in sending photos via email
Measuring the compliance and willingness of participants to send digital photos of surgical site to NP in order to determine if larger scale trial is feasible
Measured: One Year
Secondary outcomes (3)
Number of ED/ unplanned clinic visits in the PEC group compared to those in TTC group
Measured: One Year
Number of follow up phone calls received from each group
Measured: One Year
Comparing family experience of both groups
Families will complete validated questionnaire after speaking to the NP on teh phone to evaluate experience. Both groups will complete this questionnaire and responses compared.
Measured: One Year
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted2 Apr 2015 (estimated)
- Study startJun 2015
- Primary completionFeb 2016
- Study completionFeb 2016
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Post-Operative ComplicationStudies 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
- None (open label)
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- McMaster Children's Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Mandy Rickard, McMaster Children's Hospital
- Investigators
- Mandy Rickard, MN-NP, Principal investigator, McMaster Children's Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02406963
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 15-169
- Status last verified
- Mar 2016
- First submitted
- 23 Mar 2015
- Last updated
- 22 Mar 2016
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 22 Mar 2016. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Photographic Email Correspondence for Pediatric Urology Post-Operative Patients
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02406963
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 15-169
- Conditions
- Post-Operative Complication, Pediatric Urology
- Keywords
- telemedicine
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 40 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- McMaster Children's HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Hamilton Health Sciences Corporation
- Study start
- Jun 2015
- Primary completion
- Feb 2016 (actual)
- Study completion
- Feb 2016 (actual)
- First posted
- 2 Apr 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.
A pilot research study is planned to occur within the pediatric urology service the spring of 2015. All pediatric urology patients in the immediate post-operative period of 0-14 days will be eligible for this study. This study will compare the current standard of care for managing post-operative complications (a telephone conversation with the NP) versus an experimental intervention (telephone call and an electronic photograph of the surgical site). Before the surgical patient is discharged from the hospital, consent will be obtained for participation. Once a family initiates contact with the NP with a post-operative concern they will be randomized to either the control or the experimental group. Those in the control group will receive the current standard of care, which is telephone advice only. Those in the experimental group will speak to the NP on the telephone and will be requested to send an electronic photograph of their child's surgical site to the NP for assessment and advice. Photographs will be assessed using a standardized tool by both NPs and this information will be entered into a database. The investigators will be measuring the number of emergency department (ED) and/or unplanned clinic visits in both groups. An unplanned clinic visit is defined as a visit that is required due to an unexpected complication or concern before the original scheduled post-operative follow-up as determined by the surgeon. The investigators will be tracking the number of follow-up phone calls for both groups, as well as requiring participants to complete a family/patient experience survey after speaking to the NP.
Detailed description
This study design will be a pilot randomized controlled trial. Consent for this study will be obtained within the circle of care immediately before the patient is discharged home following surgery. The families will be instructed to contact the NP by telephone with any post-operative questions or concerns they have about their child. Once the family initiates contact with the NP, they will be randomized into either the experimental (PEC) group or the control (TTC) group.
Once randomization has occurred, the NP will obtain all necessary information from the parent by addressing all points in expertise based script developed by the Pediatric Urology Team for both groups. Those randomized to the control group (TTC) will be provided recommendations based on information obtained during the standard telephone call. Families who are randomized into the PEC (experimental) group will be required to send a digital photograph of the child's surgical site to the professional email address of NP. Should they agree to send digital photographs they will be required to give consent for email correspondence, which will be emailed to them by the NP. Once they have consented they may send digital photographs to the NP of their child's surgical site, which will be assessed by both NPs using an expertise-based assessment tool. This information will be entered into REDCap. The NPs will come to a unanimous decision regarding advice to be provided and this will be communicated to the parents. Upon completion of the interaction with the NP the RA will contact the family to complete the family/patient experience survey over the telephone. Family/patient experience will be measured using an adapted validated tool "Nurse Practitioner Satisfaction Survey" consisting of 10 questions directly related to telephone interaction with the NP. This survey consists of a Likert Scale with scores ranging from 1-5 with 5 being the most positive response. Follow up telephone calls for both groups will be logged in MediTech as well as the RedCAP database. All telephone calls will be documented within the MediTech system and included in patient's chart in order to maintain current standard of care. All digital photos will be printed and placed in the patient's chart and deleted from the email server, which is the current process for those engaging in PEC.
Recruitment for this study will occur for 7 months with the aim of recruiting 40 patients per arm in order to obtain the feasibility data. However, a sample size calculation has been carried out and assuming 75% power and an alpha error of 5% using a one sided test, the required sample size to answer the definitive research question is 114 patients per group.
Data will be analyzed by comparing the number of ED and unplanned clinic visits for both groups, as well as the number of follow up phone calls received. This will be done using descriptive statistics and a t-test for independent means. Family/patient experience will also be measured between the two groups (PEC and TTC) using descriptive statistics and a t-test for independent means. Subgroup analysis will be done to determine which subgroup of post-operative patients benefit most from PEC (i.e., penile surgeries).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- None (open label)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| TTC | Active comparator | Other: Telephone CallCurrent standard of care- a telephone call with the NP in the event of a post-operative concern where advice/interventions/reassurance is provided based on information provided by family |
| PEC | Experimental | Other: Digital Photograph, Other: Telephone CallExperimental arm, the standard telephone call with the NP and the addition of a digital photograph of the surgical site for assessment prior to the administration of advice |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- Up to 18 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Children aged 0-17 years who have undergone urological surgery.
- Children within the immediate post-operative period (0-14 days).
- Children with concerns directly related to operative site including, but not limited to catheters, stents, rashes and urine output.
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- Surgical patients outside the immediate post-operative period.
- Those families who are unwilling or unable to email digital photographs.
- Concerns related to issues other than the operative site (medications, follow up appointments, return to activities).
- Inability to understand written consent due to language barrier
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Digital PhotographA digital photograph sent by the family of the surgical site | Other | PEC |
| Telephone CallStandard telephone call with the nurse practitioner | Other | PEC, TTC |
Primary outcome
Feasibility Data- Recruitment Rate
Time frame: 7 Months
Recruitment rate over 7 month enrollment period to help determine whether recruitment for a larger scale trial will be feasible
Feasibility Data- Survey Completion
Time frame: One Year
Participants compliance with completing the patient experience questionnaire after discussion with the NP.
Feasibility Data- Engagement rate of participants in sending photos via email
Time frame: One Year
Measuring the compliance and willingness of participants to send digital photos of surgical site to NP in order to determine if larger scale trial is feasible
3 secondary outcomes
Number of ED/ unplanned clinic visits in the PEC group compared to those in TTC group
Time frame: One Year
Number of follow up phone calls received from each group
Time frame: One Year
Comparing family experience of both groups
Time frame: One Year
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 22 Mar 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.
Mandy Rickard, MN-NP principal investigator
McMaster Children's Hospital
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Digital Photograph and Telephone Call in people with Post-Operative Complication and Pediatric Urology, run by McMaster Children's Hospital at 1 site in Canada.
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 22 Mar 2016. 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 Canada. 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?
Feasibility Data- Recruitment Rate (time frame: 7 Months). The study lists 3 primary outcomes in all. 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 22 Mar 2016.