Rheumatoid Arthritis Shared Decision Making

NCT ID: NCT05530694

Last Updated: 2025-10-21

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

RECRUITING

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

792 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2022-09-19

Study Completion Date

2026-03-31

Brief Summary

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Shared decision making is the first overarching principle for the treat to target guidelines for rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and has been proposed as a potential mechanism to reduce health disparities, however there is little evidence to inform effective ways to implement this practice in the care of Veterans with RA. The purpose of this project is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-component shared decision making intervention on RA disease activity, adherence to RA medications and patient knowledge of RA. The proposed research will contribute to fundamental knowledge about how to effectively foster shared decision making across varied VA rheumatology clinical settings to improve patient disease outcomes and experience; and support clinicians to engage patients in meaningful ways with the ultimate goal to improve health, reduce disability, and eliminate disparities.

Detailed Description

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Background: Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) impacts quality of life causing disability in up to 1% of the population and 2% of those 60 and older. Men with RA have twice the risk of death as the general population. Treatment decisions after failure with first-line methotrexate are complex, involve trade-offs in terms of harm, and require individualized decisions. In shared decision making (SDM), patients and clinicians work together to identify how to best address the patient's situation. SDM has been proposed as a way to reduce disparities, but uptake is suboptimal and no effective tools to foster SDM in a systematic way across VA exist.

Significance/Impact: Veterans with RA are disproportionately male, have more comorbidities, and higher mortality rates in comparison to the general population. SDM is the first principal of the RA treat to target guidelines. However, significant gaps in knowledge of effective interventions to support SDM exist - particularly in VA. This proposal is responsive to three VA HSR\&D priority domains: 1) health care value, 2) quality of health care, and 3) health equity.

Innovation: Treatment studies in RA have focused primarily on white women, while men, who represent the VA RA population, have poorer outcomes. Targeting this subgroup to evaluate the impact of an SDM intervention on disease outcomes and adherence is novel. Use of a novel approach combining clinician training and a decision aid to recognize the unique needs of Veterans with RA is innovative.

Specific Aims: Aim 1: Evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-component SDM intervention in a stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized controlled trial on improvement in disease activity, RA knowledge, and adherence. Hypothesis 1: During SDM intervention phases, Veterans will have lower disease activity compared to during control periods and will be more likely to experience clinically important differences in a standard disease activity index. Hypothesis 2: Veterans will have greater RA knowledge and better adherence after exposure to this intervention. Exploratory Hypothesis: The SDM intervention will have a greater effect in the likelihood of lowering disease activity among racial/ethnic minorities and Veterans with limited health literacy. Aim 2: Evaluate effectiveness of a multi-component intervention to facilitate SDM. Hypothesis: An SDM intervention for Veterans with RA will result in higher uptake of SDM in enrolled clinics during the intervention phase, relative to control phase. Aim 3: Conduct a qualitative evaluation of the SDM intervention and local implementation to inform future dissemination.

Methodology: A stepped-wedge, cluster-randomized controlled trial design will be used to evaluate effectiveness of a novel SDM intervention across three sites. Participants: Veterans with RA and rheumatology clinicians; Intervention: multicomponent SDM intervention ; Control: participants at each site during the pre-intervention period; Outcomes: RA disease activity; patient-reported measures of adherence, knowledge, SDM, and an objective measure of SDM. Time: pre-intervention, intervention, and post-intervention phases for each step, measures collected over 42 months.

Implementation/Next Steps: The proposed effectiveness study has the potential to speed the translation of SDM research within VA and nationally to improve quality of care for all persons with RA.

Conditions

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Rheumatoid Arthritis

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

SEQUENTIAL

Stepped wedge cluster randomized trial
Primary Study Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Blinding Strategy

NONE

Study Groups

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Control

Usual care

Group Type NO_INTERVENTION

No interventions assigned to this group

Intervention

Intervention phase

Group Type EXPERIMENTAL

Clinician communication training

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The clinician training is a generic, skills- and attitude-based approach for clinicians to acknowledge their decision making conversations with patients that 1) there is more than one option, and 2) patient's views matter in deciding what to do next. This tools-free approach can be used on the spot when needed and is termed fostering choice awareness (FCA). The one-hour training consists of 4 parts: 1) a knowledge session on evidence and guidelines on effective conversations and SDM, 2) video-review of behaviors which foster or hinder choice awareness, 3) clinical simulations in which clinicians practice fostering choice awareness behaviors, and 4) a reminder card for use in future clinic visits. Video clips will be of patient-clinician conversations around treatment decision making to prompt and probe clinicians' experiences, improve understanding, and improve practice.

Patient activation

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

The patient activation component consists of three questions patients can ask their clinician to help them become more involved: "1. What are my options?; 2. What are the possible benefits and harms of those options?; 3. How likely are each of those benefits and harms to happen to me?" These questions have been used in studies to promote improved communication in a number of conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and women's health.

RA Medication summary guide and RA Choice

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

RA Choice presents information on FDA-approved RA treatments in a set of cards, which can be used alone or in combination based on a patient's preference, values, and the clinician's experience. The RA medication summary guide describes options for medication, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and ways to stay healthy with diet and exercise. Tool development followed key principles of creating low literacy materials that featured icons, short phrases written in plain language, and included topics of interest to RA patients faced with a medication decision. For the proposed study, we will include a paper-based version of the tool, or a web-based version available for telephone or VA Video Connect (VVC) visits. The tools will be updated to include new FDA-approved therapies (e.g., JAK inhibitors).

Interventions

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Clinician communication training

The clinician training is a generic, skills- and attitude-based approach for clinicians to acknowledge their decision making conversations with patients that 1) there is more than one option, and 2) patient's views matter in deciding what to do next. This tools-free approach can be used on the spot when needed and is termed fostering choice awareness (FCA). The one-hour training consists of 4 parts: 1) a knowledge session on evidence and guidelines on effective conversations and SDM, 2) video-review of behaviors which foster or hinder choice awareness, 3) clinical simulations in which clinicians practice fostering choice awareness behaviors, and 4) a reminder card for use in future clinic visits. Video clips will be of patient-clinician conversations around treatment decision making to prompt and probe clinicians' experiences, improve understanding, and improve practice.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Patient activation

The patient activation component consists of three questions patients can ask their clinician to help them become more involved: "1. What are my options?; 2. What are the possible benefits and harms of those options?; 3. How likely are each of those benefits and harms to happen to me?" These questions have been used in studies to promote improved communication in a number of conditions including cardiovascular disease, cancer, and women's health.

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

RA Medication summary guide and RA Choice

RA Choice presents information on FDA-approved RA treatments in a set of cards, which can be used alone or in combination based on a patient's preference, values, and the clinician's experience. The RA medication summary guide describes options for medication, physical therapy, occupational therapy, and ways to stay healthy with diet and exercise. Tool development followed key principles of creating low literacy materials that featured icons, short phrases written in plain language, and included topics of interest to RA patients faced with a medication decision. For the proposed study, we will include a paper-based version of the tool, or a web-based version available for telephone or VA Video Connect (VVC) visits. The tools will be updated to include new FDA-approved therapies (e.g., JAK inhibitors).

Intervention Type BEHAVIORAL

Other Intervention Names

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fostering choice awareness AskShareKnow

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Meet administrative data definition of rheumatoid arthritis (see recruitment section)
* Receive rheumatology outpatient care at participating clinics and seen at least once in prior 12 months
* Age 18 years or older
* English speaking
* Moderate to high RA disease activity within 18 months prior to enrollment


-Rheumatology attendings, fellows or advanced practice partners (nurse practitioners or physicians assistants) at the respective clinics


* Have held a leadership position within their respective institution for minimum of 12 months prior to enrollment
* Have worked in the rheumatology clinic setting at their respective institution for minimum of 12 months prior

Exclusion Criteria

* Cognitive impairment
* Inability to speak


-none


* Have held a leadership position within their respective institution for \<12 months
* Have worked in a clinic setting other than rheumatology
* Have worked in a clinic setting \<12 months
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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VA Office of Research and Development

FED

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Jennifer Barton, MD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR

Locations

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San Francisco VA Medical Center, San Francisco, CA

San Francisco, California, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Wilmington VA Medical Center, Wilmington, DE

Wilmington, Delaware, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

VA Portland Health Care System, Portland, OR

Portland, Oregon, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Corporal Michael J. Crescenz VA Medical Center, Philadelphia, PA

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States

Site Status RECRUITING

Countries

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United States

Central Contacts

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Jennifer Barton, MD

Role: CONTACT

(503) 220-8262 ext. 54785

Alexandra P Bennett

Role: CONTACT

(503) 220-8262

Facility Contacts

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Gabriela Schmajuk, MD

Role: primary

415-221-4810 ext. 24817

Anna Montgomery

Role: backup

4152214810 ext. 24432

Madhavi Valiveti, MD

Role: primary

302-994-2511 ext. 4632

LaShaunda Isaac, MBA

Role: backup

3029942511 ext. 4457

Benjamin J Morasco, PhD MA

Role: primary

(503) 220-8262 ext. 57625

Alexandra P Bennett

Role: backup

(503) 220-8262

Joshua Baker, MD

Role: primary

215-823-5800

Mariana Olave, BA

Role: backup

2158235800

References

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Barton JL, Markwardt S, Niederhausen M, Schue A, Dougherty J, Katz P, Saha S, Yelin EH. Are We on the Same Page? A Cross-Sectional Study of Patient-Clinician Goal Concordance in Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2023 Mar;75(3):625-633. doi: 10.1002/acr.24794. Epub 2022 Nov 16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 34569172 (View on PubMed)

Morrison T, Foster E, Dougherty J, Barton J. Shared decision making in rheumatology: A scoping review. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2022 Oct;56:152041. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2022.152041. Epub 2022 Jun 3.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 35738040 (View on PubMed)

Hulen E, Larsen C, Matsumoto R, Katz P, Barton JL. "You can't touch, you can't bond": Exploring COVID-19 pandemic impacts on rheumatoid arthritis patient goals and communication with clinicians. Musculoskeletal Care. 2023 Mar;21(1):244-248. doi: 10.1002/msc.1689. Epub 2022 Sep 8. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36073563 (View on PubMed)

Singh N, Grivas P, Makris UE, Suarez-Almazor ME, O'Hare AM, Barton JL. Use of Disease-Modifying Antirheumatic Drugs in Rheumatoid Arthritis: Supporting Shared Decision-Making Between Patients With Cancer and Clinicians. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2023 Jun;5(6):305-307. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11552. Epub 2023 May 11. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37166652 (View on PubMed)

Baker R, Mantilla B, Graf J, Katz PP, Goglin S, Barton JL, Liew JW, Wysham KD. Racial and Ethnic Differences in a Biochemical Marker of Rheumatoid Arthritis Disease Activity. ACR Open Rheumatol. 2023 Mar;5(3):142-148. doi: 10.1002/acr2.11524. Epub 2023 Feb 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36754575 (View on PubMed)

McGoldrick J, Molina-Ochoa D, Schwab P, Edwards ST, Barton JL. An Evaluation of Burnout Among US Rheumatology Fellows: A National Survey. J Rheumatol. 2023 Sep;50(9):1185-1190. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.221114. Epub 2023 Mar 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 36921966 (View on PubMed)

England BR, Smith BJ, Baker NA, Barton JL, Oatis CA, Guyatt G, Anandarajah A, Carandang K, Chan KK, Constien D, Davidson E, Dodge CV, Bemis-Dougherty A, Everett S, Fisher N, Fraenkel L, Goodman SM, Lewis J, Menzies V, Moreland LW, Navarro-Millan I, Patterson S, Phillips LR, Shah N, Singh N, White D, AlHeresh R, Barbour KE, Bye T, Guglielmo D, Haberman R, Johnson T, Kleiner A, Lane CY, Li LC, Master H, Pinto D, Poole JL, Steinbarger K, Sztubinski D, Thoma L, Tsaltskan V, Turgunbaev M, Wells C, Turner AS, Treadwell JR. 2022 American College of Rheumatology Guideline for Exercise, Rehabilitation, Diet, and Additional Integrative Interventions for Rheumatoid Arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2023 Aug;75(8):1603-1615. doi: 10.1002/acr.25117. Epub 2023 May 25.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37227116 (View on PubMed)

Barton JL. Unequal Treatment: Physical Therapy Utilization in Rheumatoid Arthritis. J Rheumatol. 2023 Nov;50(11):1359-1361. doi: 10.3899/jrheum.2023-0814. Epub 2023 Sep 15. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37714545 (View on PubMed)

Nasrallah C, Schmajuk G, Hamblin A, Wilson C, Kersey E, Young C, Katz P, Bajaj P, Downey C, Bartels C, Zell J, Danila MI, Ferguson S, Barton JL, DeQuattro K, Yazdany J. Leveraging the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research to Develop the American College of Rheumatology's Toolkit for Implementation of Rheumatoid Arthritis Outcome Measures in Clinical Practice: A Qualitative Study. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2024 Dec;76(12):1647-1656. doi: 10.1002/acr.25410. Epub 2024 Sep 5.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 39099213 (View on PubMed)

Decary S, de Wit M, Naye F, Barton JL, Fraenkel L, Li LC, Brooks P, Stacey D, Maxwell LJ, Campbell W, Hofstetter C, Voshaar M, Meara A, Christensen R, Boonen A, Suarez-Almazor ME, Meade T, March L, Jull JE, Alten R, Morgan EM, Stewart Hazlewood G, Barber CEH, Guillemin F, El-Miedany Y, Mittoo S, Robertson TW, Bartlett SJ, Singh JA, Mannion M, Nasef SI, Boel A, Adebajo A, Arnaud L, Gill TK, Moholt E, Burt J, Jayatilleke A, Hmamouchi I, Berthelsen DB, Blanco FJ, Mather K, Maharaj A, Sharma S, Caso F, Beaton D, Shea B, Fong C, Fernandez AP, Mackie S, Nikiphorou E, Jones A, Greer-Smith R, Sloan VS, Akpabio A, Strand V, Lee RR, Umaefulam V, Monti S, Abaza N, Schultz G, Stones S, Gossec L, Nielsen SM, Cavallo S, Srinivasalu H, Constien D, Evans V, Tugwell P, Toupin-April K. Consensus on the definitions and descriptions of the domains of the OMERACT Core Outcome Set for shared decision making interventions in rheumatology trials. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2024 Apr;65:152381. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2024.152381. Epub 2024 Jan 15.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 38306813 (View on PubMed)

Maxwell LJ, Wright GC, Schultz G, Grosskleg S, Barton JL, Campbell W, Guillemin F, Hofstetter C, Shea BJ, Simon LS, Adebajo A, Barnabe C, Goel N, Hurley P, Nikiphorou E, Petkovic J, Tugwell P. Embracing unity at OMERACT: Valuing equity, promoting diversity, fostering inclusivity. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2024 Jun;66:152422. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2024.152422. Epub 2024 Feb 29.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 38461757 (View on PubMed)

Naye F, Toupin-April K, de Wit M, LeBlanc A, Dubois O, Boonen A, Barton JL, Fraenkel L, Li LC, Stacey D, March L, Barber CEH, Hazlewood GS, Guillemin F, Bartlett SJ, Berthelsen DB, Mather K, Arnaud L, Akpabio A, Adebajo A, Schultz G, Sloan VS, Gill TK, Sharma S, Scholte-Voshaar M, Caso F, Nikiphorou E, Nasef SI, Campbell W, Meara A, Christensen R, Suarez-Almazor ME, Jull JE, Alten R, Morgan EM, El-Miedany Y, Singh JA, Burt J, Jayatilleke A, Hmamouchi I, Blanco FJ, Fernandez AP, Mackie S, Jones A, Strand V, Monti S, Stones SR, Lee RR, Nielsen SM, Evans V, Srinivasalu H, Gerard T, Demers JL, Bouchard R, Stefan T, Dugas M, Bergeron F, Beaton D, Maxwell LJ, Tugwell P, Decary S. OMERACT Core outcome measurement set for shared decision making in rheumatic and musculoskeletal conditions: a scoping review to identify candidate instruments. Semin Arthritis Rheum. 2024 Apr;65:152344. doi: 10.1016/j.semarthrit.2023.152344. Epub 2023 Dec 16.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 38232625 (View on PubMed)

England BR, Smith BJ, Baker NA, Barton JL, Oatis CA, Turner AS. Reply. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2024 Mar;76(3):438-439. doi: 10.1002/acr.25255. Epub 2023 Dec 17. No abstract available.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 37818722 (View on PubMed)

Schue A, Matsumoto R, Barton J. Goal Concordance in Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients with Depression - What Do Patients Prioritize? [Abstract]. Arthritis & rheumatology (Hoboken, N.J.). 2023 Nov 14; 75(Suppl 9):2032.

Reference Type BACKGROUND

Barton JL, Niederhausen M, Tuepker A, Schmajuk G, Baker J, Lovejoy TI, Morasco BJ, Kunneman M, Scholl I. Implementation of shared decision making in rheumatoid arthritis: study protocol for RAiSeD (Rheumatoid Arthritis Shared Decision Making) stepped wedge, cluster-randomized trial. Trials. 2025 Sep 29;26(1):381. doi: 10.1186/s13063-025-09015-1.

Reference Type DERIVED
PMID: 41024266 (View on PubMed)

Other Identifiers

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IIR 20-162

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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