ED PLWD/Care Partner Text Messaging

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

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

About this study

Official title: Development and Pilot Testing of a Novel Text Messaging Intervention to Improve Emergency Department Care Transitions Among Care Partners of Persons Living With Cognitive Impairment

Conditions

Dementia, Caregiver, Emergency Department, Mobile Health Technology (mHealth)

Being tested

CAPTURE Text Message Care Transition Support

Medical subject headings

Dementia, Emergencies

What participants receive

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

• CAPTURE Text Message Care Transition SupportBehavioural

  The CAPTURE intervention is a tailored, automated text messaging program designed to support care partners of persons living with cognitive impairment (PLWCI) during the 30-day period following an emergency department (ED) visit. It provides up to two messages per day, customized based on caregiver-identified needs, and addresses topics such as care transition guidance, symptom monitoring, caregiver well-being, community resources, and communication strategies. The content is evidence-informed and was developed through a user-centered design process involving caregivers and clinician stakeholders. Unlike generic text messaging interventions, CAPTURE specifically targets caregiver support needs in the acute post-ED setting for PLWCI.

What is being measured

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

1. Enrollment rates

   Enrollment rate will be used to assess Feasibility.

   Measured: 30 days after ED visit

2. Message engagement

   Message engagement, assessed via text message response and interaction metrics, will be used to assess Feasibility.

   Engagement will be operationalized through quantitative metrics including (1) the number of text messages delivered, (2) the number and proportion of text messages that received responses from care partners, (3) the time-to-response for interactive messages, and (4) the number of unique interactions per participant over the 30-day intervention period. These metrics will be captured via backend system logs of the text messaging platform used to deliver the intervention.

   Measured: 30 days after ED visit

3. Retention rate

   Participant retention at 30 days post-enrollment, assessed through completion of final follow-up assessment

   Retention is defined as the proportion of enrolled care partners who remain active in the study and complete the 30-day follow-up assessment. Completion is operationalized as successfully providing outcome data through a structured telephone-based survey at the end of the 30-day intervention period. This includes response to caregiver-reported outcome measures collected by the research team (e.g., burden, satisfaction, preparedness).

   Retention rate will be calculated as a percentage:

   (# of participants who complete the 30-day follow-up ÷ total number enrolled) × 100.

   Participants lost to follow-up or who withdraw consent prior to completing the final assessment will be considered non-retained.

   Measured: 30 days after ED visit

4. System Usability Scale (SUS)

   The System Usability Scale (SUS) will be used to assess the usability of the CAPTURE text message intervention. The SUS is a validated 10-item questionnaire that measures perceived ease of use, efficiency, and satisfaction with a digital system. Each item is rated on a 5-point Likert scale (1 = strongly disagree to 5 = strongly agree), and item scores are converted to yield a total score ranging from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating better usability.

   The SUS total score will be calculated for each participant at the 30-day follow-up. Mean and distributional statistics will be reported for the intervention group.

   Measured: 30 days after ED visit

5. Acceptability

   Acceptability of the CAPTURE text message intervention will be assessed through a structured participant satisfaction survey and open-ended qualitative feedback. The survey includes multiple items rated on a 5-point Likert scale ranging from 1 (Strongly Disagree) to 5 (Strongly Agree), with higher scores indicating greater acceptability and satisfaction. Domains assessed include overall satisfaction, perceived helpfulness, relevance, and willingness to recommend the intervention to others.

   In addition, participants will be invited to provide brief qualitative comments via open-ended items assessing their experience and suggestions for improvement. Quantitative results will be summarized using descriptive statistics, and qualitative feedback will be analyzed using thematic content analysis.

   Measured: 30 days after ED visit

Timeline

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

1. First posted20 Feb 2026
2. Study startMar 2027 (estimated)
3. Primary completion30 Jun 2030 (estimated)
4. Study completion30 Jun 2030 (estimated)

Resources

• Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
• Other trials for DementiaStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
• More trials run by Yale 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.