Focus is on Behavior of Health Professionals GenerallyMED-CREATENCT06784635
The Effect of Remote Treatment on Medical Provider Creative Thinking and Patient Disclosure
A study testing In person and Online interaction in people with Focus is on Behavior of Health Professionals Generally, run by Ayoub Bouguettaya.
Trial summary
The investigators will be doing this study to understand how the environment of communication (including talking about health) impact doctors' ability to find solutions and health issues to clinical problems for patients. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Focus is on Behavior of Health Professionals Generally
- What is being tested?
- In person and Online interaction
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 388 participants
- Where
- No sites listed yet
- Study dates
- 30 Jul 2025to 20 Dec 2027
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- Not yet: the study is under way
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
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- (for medical student cohort)
- English speaking
- Be enrolled in an Medical Doctorate or Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree
- Be in their final year of study
- (for the acting participant cohort)
- Aged 18 or older
- Must state they have current healthcare coverage
- English speaking at native fluency level
Who cannot join
- (for medical student cohort)
- Have previous experience as healthcare providers that is separate from their current medical training (e.g., being a nurse)
- Work in a technology sector
- Declare a conflict of interest
- Unable or unwilling to sign informed consent documents -(for the acting participant cohort)
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- There is significant current or past psychiatric illness that may inhibit their ability to consent or participate (self-described)
- They are not willing or able to sign informed consent documents
Trial locations and contacts
No sites are listed yet. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.
About this study
The investigators will be doing this study to understand how the environment of communication (including talking about health) impact doctors' ability to find solutions and health issues to clinical problems for patients.
Participants are being asked to take part in this research study because they are either:
Read more
- A final year medical student
- OR a person willing to act out a diagnosis.
Participants will do a few tasks:
- Questionnaires: Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire before and after a short interview. The investigators will ask participants questions to find out their general psychological traits and skills, which can affect clinical interviews. The investigators believe it should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire.
- Demographic Information: The investigators will ask participants about demographics, which may include their age, gender identity, race and ethnicity.
- Interview with a medical student/patient: This will be a recorded interview between a medical student and person acting as a patient. In this meeting, they will either meet online or in person, with white noise on or off, in a brightly lit room or a regularly lit room.
- Acting patients will be given a hypothetical condition, with a list of symptoms included. Besides this list, they will be asked to answer the medical questions as though they are themselves (e.g., height, weight)
- Medical students will be given a list of tip questions that will help with their diagnosis.
Read the detailed description
This study will link two participants: a final year medical student and an acting patient. Both will fill out consent forms outlining the study with the above purpose) standardized demographic information, and psychometric scales, including ones measuring empathy, extraversion, openness, working memory, health literacy, and fatigue. They will then be randomly put into a dyad (consisting of one medical student and one acting patient). The acting patient (who will required to be of good health- no chronic or current health issues) will be asked to pretend to have a rare or hard to diagnose health condition, having been given a document providing details of the health condition and presenting symptoms. They will be told that otherwise, they should respond to the questions as though they are themselves (for example, if the participant asked, "how tall are you", they can disclose their actual height). The medical student will be given instructions to ask all relevant questions, including a list of potential topics they should ask about, some of which are embarrassing but relevant (e.g., bowel movements).
They will then be assigned to meet the other member of their dyad in one of two conditions: online or in person (unknown to the participants). They will then act as though this is a clinical interview, to diagnose the condition. Participants will be told the investigators will be changing the lighting and background noise as a sham treatment (white noise machine and desk lamp), concealing the study's true purpose: to understand how online versus offline environments the creativity of medical providers and the tendency toward disclosure. The interview will be recorded and transcribed. At the end of the interview, participants will be debriefed by the investigators, with an explanation of the deception, and be given the ability to withdraw their data at that point.
- Being tested
- In person, Online interaction
- Keywords
- Patient disclosure, human-computer interaction, social psychology, health psychology, healthcare delivery
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
In personBehavioural
Participant dyads will meet in person for a mock clinical interview, seated at a desk opposite their counterpart. They will be in an office setting. There will be a sham white noise and lamp device placed on the desk.
Online interactionBehavioural
Participant dyads will meet online in a mock clinical interview, via an encrypted video call, seated at a desk. They will be in an office setting. There will be a sham white noise and lamp device placed on the desk.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Online interaction | Experimental | Participant allocated to this arm will meet online, although they will be in the same building. They will have a conversation over an encrypted video platform. Receives: Behavioral: Online interaction |
| In person interaction | Experimental | Participant allocated to this arm will meet in person, in the same room. They will have a conversation face to face in an office setting. Receives: Behavioral: In person |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Creativity in medical practice (medical student- number of possible diagnoses)
Creativity of medical practitioners will be measured using the number of possible diagnoses generated by the medical student.
Measured: From time of enrollment to end of study duration (1 hour)
Creativity in medical practice (medical student- correct diagnosis reached)
Creativity of medical practitioners will be measured by whether or not they get the correct diagnosis.
Measured: From time of enrollment to end of study duration (1 hour)
Tendency toward disclosure by patients
We will measure how many words the acting participants use to describe their health condition when asked an embarrassing question, without further prompting by the medical student.
Measured: From time of enrollment to end of study duration (1 hour)
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted20 Jan 2025
- Study start30 Jul 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion29 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion20 Dec 2027 (estimated)
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (1)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Focus is on Behavior of Health Professionals GenerallyStudies 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
- Participant
- Enrolment
- 388 participants (estimated)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Ayoub Bouguettaya
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Responsible party
- Sponsor-investigator, Ayoub Bouguettaya, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Investigators
- Ayoub Bouguettaya, PhD, Principal investigator, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06784635
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- STUDY00003845
- Acronym
- MED-CREATE
- Status last verified
- Jan 2025
- First submitted
- 15 Jan 2025
- Last updated
- 20 Jan 2025
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: All data, with the exception of the interview transcripts or recordings, will be made available. This includes participant demographics with random adjustments to ensure that participant confidentiality is not compromised.
Publications
Bouguettaya A, Aboujaoude E. The effect of remote treatment on medical provider creative thinking and patient disclosure: protocol for the MED-CREATE trial. Trials. 2025 Oct 6;26(1):389. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-09121-0.
PubMed 41053846
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 20 Jan 2025. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- The Effect of Remote Treatment on Medical Provider Creative Thinking and Patient Disclosure
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT06784635
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MED-CREATE / STUDY00003845
- Keywords
- Patient disclosure, human-computer interaction, social psychology, health psychology, healthcare delivery
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Not yet recruiting
- Enrolment
- 388 participants (estimated)
- Lead sponsor
- Ayoub BouguettayaUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
- Study start
- 30 Jul 2025 (estimated)
- Primary completion
- 29 Jul 2027 (estimated)
- Study completion
- 20 Dec 2027 (estimated)
- First posted
- 20 Jan 2025 (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 investigators will be doing this study to understand how the environment of communication (including talking about health) impact doctors' ability to find solutions and health issues to clinical problems for patients.
Participants are being asked to take part in this research study because they are either:
- A final year medical student
- OR a person willing to act out a diagnosis.
Participants will do a few tasks:
- Questionnaires: Participants will be asked to complete a questionnaire before and after a short interview. The investigators will ask participants questions to find out their general psychological traits and skills, which can affect clinical interviews. The investigators believe it should take about 10 to 15 minutes to complete the questionnaire.
- Demographic Information: The investigators will ask participants about demographics, which may include their age, gender identity, race and ethnicity.
- Interview with a medical student/patient: This will be a recorded interview between a medical student and person acting as a patient. In this meeting, they will either meet online or in person, with white noise on or off, in a brightly lit room or a regularly lit room.
- Acting patients will be given a hypothetical condition, with a list of symptoms included. Besides this list, they will be asked to answer the medical questions as though they are themselves (e.g., height, weight)
- Medical students will be given a list of tip questions that will help with their diagnosis.
Detailed description
This study will link two participants: a final year medical student and an acting patient. Both will fill out consent forms outlining the study with the above purpose) standardized demographic information, and psychometric scales, including ones measuring empathy, extraversion, openness, working memory, health literacy, and fatigue. They will then be randomly put into a dyad (consisting of one medical student and one acting patient). The acting patient (who will required to be of good health- no chronic or current health issues) will be asked to pretend to have a rare or hard to diagnose health condition, having been given a document providing details of the health condition and presenting symptoms. They will be told that otherwise, they should respond to the questions as though they are themselves (for example, if the participant asked, "how tall are you", they can disclose their actual height). The medical student will be given instructions to ask all relevant questions, including a list of potential topics they should ask about, some of which are embarrassing but relevant (e.g., bowel movements).
They will then be assigned to meet the other member of their dyad in one of two conditions: online or in person (unknown to the participants). They will then act as though this is a clinical interview, to diagnose the condition. Participants will be told the investigators will be changing the lighting and background noise as a sham treatment (white noise machine and desk lamp), concealing the study's true purpose: to understand how online versus offline environments the creativity of medical providers and the tendency toward disclosure. The interview will be recorded and transcribed. At the end of the interview, participants will be debriefed by the investigators, with an explanation of the deception, and be given the ability to withdraw their data at that point.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Health services research
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Single blind (participant)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Online interaction | Experimental | Behavioral: Online interactionParticipant allocated to this arm will meet online, although they will be in the same building. They will have a conversation over an encrypted video platform. |
| In person interaction | Experimental | Behavioral: In personParticipant allocated to this arm will meet in person, in the same room. They will have a conversation face to face in an office setting. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 years and older
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (8 listed)
- (for medical student cohort)
- (for the acting participant cohort)
Key exclusion criteria (8 listed)
- (for medical student cohort)
- <!-- -->
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 |
|---|---|---|
| In personParticipant dyads will meet in person for a mock clinical interview, seated at a desk opposite their counterpart. They will be in an office setting. There will be a sham white noise and lamp device placed on the desk. | Behavioural | In person interaction |
| Online interactionParticipant dyads will meet online in a mock clinical interview, via an encrypted video call, seated at a desk. They will be in an office setting. There will be a sham white noise and lamp device placed on the desk. | Behavioural | Online interaction |
Primary outcome
Creativity in medical practice (medical student- number of possible diagnoses)
Time frame: From time of enrollment to end of study duration (1 hour)
Creativity of medical practitioners will be measured using the number of possible diagnoses generated by the medical student.
Creativity in medical practice (medical student- correct diagnosis reached)
Time frame: From time of enrollment to end of study duration (1 hour)
Creativity of medical practitioners will be measured by whether or not they get the correct diagnosis.
Tendency toward disclosure by patients
Time frame: From time of enrollment to end of study duration (1 hour)
We will measure how many words the acting participants use to describe their health condition when asked an embarrassing question, without further prompting by the medical student.
Results and safety
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 20 Jan 2025.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 41053846Bouguettaya A, Aboujaoude E. The effect of remote treatment on medical provider creative thinking and patient disclosure: protocol for the MED-CREATE trial. Trials. 2025 Oct 6;26(1):389. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-09121-0.
- This is the OSF link where data will be shared. The protocol is about to be submitted for peer review in an academic journal.Link provided by the sponsor.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. All data, with the exception of the interview transcripts or recordings, will be made available. This includes participant demographics with random adjustments to ensure that participant confidentiality is not compromised.
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.
Ayoub Bouguettaya, PhD principal investigator
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing In person and Online interaction in people with Focus is on Behavior of Health Professionals Generally, run by Ayoub Bouguettaya.
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 8 inclusion and 8 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: opening soon, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Jan 2025. 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?
This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
Contact Elias Aboujaoude, MD (415-244-3724, elias.aboujaoude@cshs.org), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Creativity in medical practice (medical student- number of possible diagnoses) (time frame: From time of enrollment to end of study duration (1 hour)). 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?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT06784635, which also lists 1 linked publication.
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 20 Jan 2025.