An RCT of an Online Training for Vulnerable Patients to Use an Online Patient Portal Website

NCT ID: NCT03354000

Last Updated: 2019-04-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: COMPLETED
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 93 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2015-08-01
• Study Completion Date: 2018-07-31

Brief Summary

Online patient portals are becoming ubiquitous in the US. Previous research has documented substantial usability barriers, especially among patients with limited health literacy. This pilot randomized pilot trial had the goal of determining the effectiveness of an in-person training with a scalable online video-based training program to increase portal use among patients in a safety net healthcare setting.

Detailed Description

The intervention in this study was a patient portal training curriculum with simple instructions and 11 how-to videos for accessing features of an online patient portal. Using a deeply participatory approach, this curriculum was created in consultation with a patient advisory board from the San Francisco Health Network, a local Medicaid health plan. From June until October 2016, 93 patients with 1 or more chronic diseases were randomized to receive either: 1) an in-person tutorial with a trained research assistant versus 2) a link to view the videos on their own. The primary outcome was portal log-in (yes/no) between 3 and 6 months post-training, assessed through a portal administrative dashboard within the EHR. Secondary outcome included baseline and follow-up survey measures on participants' perceptions of the portal use and their care, as well as views of the web-based lessons.

Conditions

Electronic Health Records; Chronic Disease; Health Literacy

Study Design

• Allocation Method: RANDOMIZED
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Primary Study Purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
• Blinding Strategy: DOUBLE

Study Groups

Take-home online training

Participants received a link to access the online tutorial videos on their own.

Group Type: PLACEBO_COMPARATOR

Take-home online training

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

We randomized patients to receive a link to access the online tutorial on their own. Participants in the take-home arm were given a paper handout with a link to the training materials and an outline of the steps for accessing the training curriculum.

In-person online training

Participants received an in-person tutorial of how to use the patient portal website with a trained research assistant.

Group Type: ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

In-person online training

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

For participants randomized to the in-person training arm, a trained research assistant prompted participants to log into the learning platform and guided them in accessing the training materials for portal features that were of interest to them. The staff member provided further explanation or clarification if participants had questions about the training material.

Interventions

Take-home online training

We randomized patients to receive a link to access the online tutorial on their own. Participants in the take-home arm were given a paper handout with a link to the training materials and an outline of the steps for accessing the training curriculum.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

In-person online training

For participants randomized to the in-person training arm, a trained research assistant prompted participants to log into the learning platform and guided them in accessing the training materials for portal features that were of interest to them. The staff member provided further explanation or clarification if participants had questions about the training material.

Intervention Type: BEHAVIORAL

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• English-speaking as portal is only available in English
• diagnosed with at least one chronic condition

Exclusion Criteria

• cognitive impairment
• visual impairment
• severe mental health conditions
• any circumstances that would make participation in the study difficult
• no previous email use
• self-reported usage of MYSFHEALTH

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Maximum Eligible Age: 100 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Sponsors

University of California, San Francisco

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Courtney Lyles

Assistant Professor

Responsibility Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Principal Investigators

Courtney Lyles, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

University of California, San Francisco

References

Norman CD, Skinner HA. eHEALS: The eHealth Literacy Scale. J Med Internet Res. 2006 Nov 14;8(4):e27. doi: 10.2196/jmir.8.4.e27.

Reference Type: BACKGROUND

PMID: 17213046 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

http://www.jabfm.org/content/32/2/248

Published paper summarizing trial findings - A Randomized Trial to Train Vulnerable Primary Care Patients to Use a Patient Portal

Other Identifiers

5R00HS022408-05

Identifier Type: AHRQ

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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