Health PromotionNCT05000619
Encouraging Overdue Healthcare Appointment Scheduling Among Patients With Chronic Diseases
A study testing Outreach mailer, Humor/Salience and Doctor's authority in people with Health Promotion and Prevention, run by Geisinger Clinic at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The goal of this study is to determine the most effective messages for encouraging patients with chronic conditions, who have not seen their doctor in at least one year, to return to the clinic. Study participants will receive postcards or letters encouraging them to make an appointment. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and older
- Conditions the study is for
- Health Promotion, Prevention, Risk Reduction Behavior
- What is being tested?
- Outreach mailer, Humor/Salience and Doctor's authority
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 21,562 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 12 Jul 2021to 26 Aug 2022
- 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
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- Geisinger patient, Geisinger Health Plan member or Medicaid patient
- Chronic illness
- No appointment for > 1 year
Who cannot join
None listed.
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
The goal of this study is to determine the most effective messages for encouraging patients with chronic conditions, who have not seen their doctor in at least one year, to return to the clinic. Study participants will receive postcards or letters encouraging them to make an appointment. Researchers will assess whether messages increase appointment scheduling (and attendance).
Read the detailed description
About 18,500 Geisinger patients, Geisinger Health Plan members, and Medicaid patients with chronic illness have not been seen in a clinic for at least one year, which is concerning because regular appointments are necessary for chronic disease management. Geisinger is therefore working to encourage those with chronic illness and overdue appointments to return to the clinic.
In the present study, patients will either receive a mailer (with a message encouraging them to schedule an appointment with their physician), or no mailer. The purpose of the study is to compare three different mailers to assess which is most effective at encouraging patients to schedule and attend an appointment. The three mailers include (1) a standard outreach postcard (emphasizing that we are "checking in" with the patient), and, informed by behavioral science research, (2) a postcard with a cartoon and humorous messages and (3) a letter signed by a physician. The study will compare the effectiveness of the three experimental mailer arms to each other and to a no-contact control arm.
- Conditions
- Health Promotion, Prevention, Risk Reduction Behavior
- Being tested
- Outreach mailer, Humor/Salience, Doctor's authority, Information
- Medical subject headings
- Risk Reduction Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Outreach mailerBehavioural
Postcard or letter
Humor/SalienceBehavioural
Funny cartoon
Doctor's authorityBehavioural
Letter from a doctor
InformationBehavioural
Information about benefits of the appointment
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Outreach Postcard | Experimental | This group receives a postcard with a stock image on the front and a message encouraging regular visits to manage health on the back. Receives: Behavioral: Outreach mailer |
| Humorous Postcard | Experimental | This group receives a postcard with with a cartoon image and a visit-related joke on the front and a humorous message on the back, with additional information about why visits are important, and what to expect at the appointment. Receives: Behavioral: Outreach mailer; Behavioral: Humor/Salience; Behavioral: Information |
| Physician Letter | Experimental | This group receives a personalized letter signed by a physician with information about why visits are important, and what to expect at the appointment. Receives: Behavioral: Outreach mailer; Behavioral: Doctor's authority; Behavioral: Information |
| No-contact Control | No intervention | This group will not receive a study mailer during the trial. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Patients - Appointment scheduling
Proportion of Geisinger patients who schedule an appointment
Measured: 30 days
Secondary outcomes (8)
Patients - Appointment scheduling - Comparing mailers
Proportion of Geisinger patients who schedule an appointment, comparing relative efficacy of the mailers
Measured: 30 days
Patients - Attendance at scheduled appointments within 180 days of mailer
Proportion of appointments (from the primary outcome) that were attended. This outcome focuses on attendance at appointments that were scheduled within 30 days of the mailer drop date.
It is possible to schedule an appointment months in advance, so the Time Frame needs to be long to capture attendance at any appointment scheduled within 30 days of the mailer. 180 days should be sufficient to capture all scheduled appointments.
Measured: 180 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Attendance at any appointment
Attendance at any appointment within 30 days of drop date
Measured: 30 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Attendance at any appointment
Attendance at any appointment within 90 days of drop date
Measured: 90 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Attendance at any appointment
Attendance at any appointment within 180 days of drop date
Measured: 180 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Timing of appointment
Number of days between the drop date and any appointment captured in Secondary Outcome 3
Measured: 30 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Timing of appointment
Number of days between the drop date and any appointment captured in Secondary Outcome 4
Measured: 90 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Timing of appointment
Number of days between the drop date and any appointment captured in Secondary Outcome 5
Measured: 180 days
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted11 Aug 2021
- Study start12 Jul 2021
- Primary completion26 Aug 2021
- Study completion26 Aug 2022
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Other trials for Health PromotionStudies 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
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Care provider
- Enrolment
- 21,562 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Geisinger Clinic
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Amir Goren, Geisinger Clinic
- Investigators
- Amir Goren, PhD, Principal investigator, Geisinger Clinic
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05000619
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- 2021-0442
- Status last verified
- Nov 2022
- First submitted
- 2 Aug 2021
- Last updated
- 1 Dec 2022
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Data with no personally identifiable information will be made available to other researchers on the Open Science Framework for transparency.
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 1 Dec 2022. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Encouraging Overdue Healthcare Appointment Scheduling Among Patients With Chronic Diseases
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT05000619
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- 2021-0442
- Conditions
- Health Promotion, Prevention, Risk Reduction Behavior
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 21,562 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Geisinger ClinicUniversity, hospital or other
- Study start
- 12 Jul 2021 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 26 Aug 2021 (actual)
- Study completion
- 26 Aug 2022 (actual)
- First posted
- 11 Aug 2021 (actual)
- 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.
The goal of this study is to determine the most effective messages for encouraging patients with chronic conditions, who have not seen their doctor in at least one year, to return to the clinic. Study participants will receive postcards or letters encouraging them to make an appointment. Researchers will assess whether messages increase appointment scheduling (and attendance).
Detailed description
About 18,500 Geisinger patients, Geisinger Health Plan members, and Medicaid patients with chronic illness have not been seen in a clinic for at least one year, which is concerning because regular appointments are necessary for chronic disease management. Geisinger is therefore working to encourage those with chronic illness and overdue appointments to return to the clinic.
In the present study, patients will either receive a mailer (with a message encouraging them to schedule an appointment with their physician), or no mailer. The purpose of the study is to compare three different mailers to assess which is most effective at encouraging patients to schedule and attend an appointment. The three mailers include (1) a standard outreach postcard (emphasizing that we are "checking in" with the patient), and, informed by behavioral science research, (2) a postcard with a cartoon and humorous messages and (3) a letter signed by a physician. The study will compare the effectiveness of the three experimental mailer arms to each other and to a no-contact control arm.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, care provider)
- Number of arms
- 4
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Outreach Postcard | Experimental | Behavioral: Outreach mailerThis group receives a postcard with a stock image on the front and a message encouraging regular visits to manage health on the back. |
| Humorous Postcard | Experimental | Behavioral: Outreach mailer, Behavioral: Humor/Salience, Behavioral: InformationThis group receives a postcard with with a cartoon image and a visit-related joke on the front and a humorous message on the back, with additional information about why visits are important, and what to expect at the appointment. |
| Physician Letter | Experimental | Behavioral: Outreach mailer, Behavioral: Doctor's authority, Behavioral: InformationThis group receives a personalized letter signed by a physician with information about why visits are important, and what to expect at the appointment. |
| No-contact Control | No intervention | –This group will not receive a study mailer during the trial. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- Geisinger patient, Geisinger Health Plan member or Medicaid patient
- Chronic illness
- No appointment for > 1 year
Key exclusion criteria (0 listed)
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Outreach mailerPostcard or letter | Behavioural | Humorous Postcard, Outreach Postcard, Physician Letter |
| Humor/SalienceFunny cartoon | Behavioural | Humorous Postcard |
| Doctor's authorityLetter from a doctor | Behavioural | Physician Letter |
| InformationInformation about benefits of the appointment | Behavioural | Humorous Postcard, Physician Letter |
Primary outcome
Patients - Appointment scheduling
Time frame: 30 days
Proportion of Geisinger patients who schedule an appointment
8 secondary outcomes
Patients - Appointment scheduling - Comparing mailers
Time frame: 30 days
Patients - Attendance at scheduled appointments within 180 days of mailer
Time frame: 180 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Attendance at any appointment
Time frame: 30 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Attendance at any appointment
Time frame: 90 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Attendance at any appointment
Time frame: 180 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Timing of appointment
Time frame: 30 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Timing of appointment
Time frame: 90 days
Patients, Members & Medicaid - Timing of appointment
Time frame: 180 days
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 1 Dec 2022.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Data with no personally identifiable information will be made available to other researchers on the Open Science Framework for transparency.
Related trials for Health Promotion
Active, not recruiting
Designing and Evaluating a Classroom-Based Mental Health Programme for Adolescents.
Mental Health Promotion
Active, not recruiting
Economic Empowerment and Health Promotion of Uganda Grandmother-caregivers.
Financial Burden, Health Behavior
Active, not recruiting
Personalized Mobile Health Platform to Promote Physical Activity in Adolescents and Young Adults With Cystic Fibrosis
Cystic Fibrosis (CF)
RecruitingObservational study
A Multilevel Approach to Connecting Underrepresented Populations to Clinical Trials
Cancer
Not yet recruiting
Game-based Oral Health Promotion
Oral Hygiene
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.
Amir Goren, PhD principal investigator
Geisinger Clinic
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Outreach mailer, Humor/Salience and Doctor's authority in people with Health Promotion and Prevention, run by Geisinger Clinic 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 0 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 1 Dec 2022. 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?
Patients - Appointment scheduling (time frame: 30 days). 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 1 Dec 2022.