Improving Follow-Up Adherence in a Primary Eye Care Setting

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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This study aims to examine the effectiveness of three different ways of helping patients attend their recommended eye care appointments.

Detailed Description
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The three ways are 1) usual care, which involves a standard reminder letter; 2) automated telephone calls, which utilizes a machine to automatically call patients one month prior to their recommended follow-up date; 3)personalized telephone calls, which utilizes a staff member to personally call patients and offer them the opportunity to schedule at the time of the telephone call.

Official Title
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Improving Follow-Up Adherence in a Primary Eye Care Setting: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial

Conditions
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Eye Diseases

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Automated Telephone System
* Behavioral: Personalized Telephone Call
* Behavioral: Usual Care


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Age: Over 18 years Primary Eye Care Patients who were recommended for a 6-month, 12-month, or 24-month follow-up appointment during September 2013 through November 2013. Access to a telephone Exclusion Criteria: Does not speak English

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 18 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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No

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Automated Telephone System<br>In addition to a standardized reminder letter, participants also received a telephone call from an automated system to remind them of a recommended follow-up appointment. | Behavioral: Personalized Telephone Call<br>* Participants receive reminder phone calls by study staff.<br>* Other names: Study staff phone call;Behavioral: Usual Care<br>* Participants receive a standard reminder letter in the mail.<br>* Other names: Reminder letter sent in the mail.;|
| Experimental: Personalized Telephone Call<br>In addition to the usual care letter, a staff member called participants one month prior of recommended follow-up appointment. During this call, participants were given the option to schedule an appointment. | Behavioral: Automated Telephone System<br>* Participants receive automated reminder phone calls.<br>* Other names: Patient appointment message 2000;Behavioral: Usual Care<br>* Participants receive a standard reminder letter in the mail.<br>* Other names: Reminder letter sent in the mail.;|
| Active Comparator: Usual Care<br>Participants randomized to this arm receive a usual care letter which is a standard reminder letter from the primary eye care office. This is usual practice in many primary eye care facilities. | Behavioral: Usual Care<br>* Participants receive a standard reminder letter in the mail.<br>* Other names: Reminder letter sent in the mail.;|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Appointment Adherence | A research assistant examines the Electronic Medical Records (EMR) system to assess recommended appointment adherence. | 3 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Scheduling Appointment | Tracking whether the patient made an appointment within 1 month of the reminder letter (usual care), automated phone call, or personalized phone call. | 1 month | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Eye care adherence, health care utilization