Clinical trial NCT02625129: Effectiveness of and Satisfaction With a Pharmacist-managed Travel Medicine Clinic
Official title: Determining the Clinical Effectiveness and Patient Satisfaction of a Pharmacist-managed Travel Medicine Clinic Under an Expanded Scope of Practice
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Travel Medicine
Lead sponsor: University of Waterloo
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: University of Mississippi Medical Center
name: Travel Health Network
First posted: 2015-12-09
Enrollment: 103
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: NON_PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: The study population will consist of individuals presenting for travel consultations at the Travel Health Network. No restrictions will be placed related to patient demographics, destinations, or travel itineraries; however, travellers with an expected return date after September 1, 2016 will be excluded, to ensure complete follow-up and data analysis within the proposed project time frame. A convenience sample of 100 patients will be consecutively enrolled .

Brief summary: This study will evaluate the clinical effectiveness of, and patient satisfaction with, pre-travel consultations provided by a pharmacist with specialty training in travel medicine and the authorization to prescribe medications and administer vaccinations.

Detailed description: The study will be conducted at the Travel Health Network, a full-service travel medicine clinic located in St. Albert, Alberta. Care will be provided by a pharmacist with a specialized practice in travel medicine, authorization to prescribe vaccines and prescription drugs, and authorization to administer vaccines by injection.

The study will be a prospective mixed-methods cohort study, describing patients receiving care from a pharmacist-managed travel medicine clinic and their travel health needs, and evaluating their adherence to recommended vaccines and oral therapies, satisfaction with the care provided, and their health status and management of health issues arising while travelling. Chart reviews will elicit descriptive quantitative data related to patients' travel medicine needs and adherence to recommended vaccinations and oral pharmacotherapy, followed by surveys containing open-ended qualitative questions to elicit overall patient satisfaction and the management of any health issues encountered during travel. Due to the nature of the study involving patients presenting to the clinic for a consultation, neither a control group nor blinding is possible.

A convenience sample of 100 subjects will be enrolled.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Receiving a pre-travel consultation at the Travel Health Network clinic in St. Albert, Alberta, Canada

Exclusion Criteria:

* Travellers with an expected return date after September 1, 2016
* Those receiving consultations as part of a group with the same itinerary (e.g., families, group vacations) will be asked to identify one member to participate in order to minimize repetition among participants.

Primary outcomes:
measure: The proportion of recommended pre-travel vaccinations administered before departure according to chart review
timeFrame: Up to 7 months.
measure: The proportion of recommended pre-travel oral pharmacotherapies dispensed before departure by a community pharmacy according to electronic health record
timeFrame: Up to 7 months.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Average satisfaction (along 1-5 scale) with care provided elicited through an online survey post-travel
timeFrame: 1 week following return from travel according to participant's planned itinerary
measure: Frequency of reason(s) for declining any recommended vaccines or medications according to participant self-report through an online survey
timeFrame: 1 week following return from travel according to participant's planned itinerary
measure: Number of reports of any health issues over the course of travel according to participant self-report through an online survey
timeFrame: 1 week following return from travel according to participant's planned itinerary
measure: Frequency of management strategies of any health issues over the course of travel according to participant self-report through an online survey
timeFrame: 1 week following return from travel according to participant's planned itinerary
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: St. Albert
country: Canada
facility: Travel Health Network
state: Alberta
Study officials:
References: