Clinical trial NCT01427829: Computer-assisted Psychosocial Risk Assessment (CaPRA) for Refugee Health and Settlement
Official title: Computer-assisted Psychosocial Risk Assessment (CaPRA) for Refugee Health and Settlement - Evaluation Phase
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Computer
Screening
Decision Support System
Primary Care
Psychosocial
Refugees
Keywords: pilot
randomized controlled trial
RCT
computer
screening
community heath center
psychosocial
immigrant
Lead sponsor: University of Toronto
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2011-09-02
Enrollment: 50
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Brief summary: The purpose of this study was to examine preliminary effect of Computer-assisted Psychosocial Risk Assessment tool (CaPRA) among Afghan refugees visiting medical professionals (family physicians or nurse practitioners) at a Community Health Center. The investigators examined the tool's acceptability among patients and its impact on patient satisfaction and patient intention to visit a psychosocial counselor as a proxy of potential to integrate medical and social care.

Detailed description: The recent waves of refugees to Canada belong to regions of prolonged conflict and, thus arrive in compromised state of mental, physical, and social health. This complexity asks for provision of integrated medical and social care to newly arrived refugees. With this aim, a university-community initiative developed a Computer-assisted Psychosocial Risk Assessment tool (CaPRA) in Dari/Farsi for Afghan refugees. This innovative eHealth approach is first of its kind for Canadian refugees accessing primary care. In this model of care, patients complete an interactive multi-risk iPad computer survey in their own language before seeing the provider. The computer then generates individualized recommendation sheet for patients and a risk-report for providers at the point of care. The tool was developed through a collaborative process by working with Access Alliance Multicultural Health and Community Services and advisory board with community representatives.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Afghan refugee patients
* Over 18 years of age
* Speak and read Dari /Farsi or English language
* Eligible for federal or provincial health care program
* Visiting a participating medical practitioner

Exclusion Criteria:

* Patient visiting a provider who has not consented for the study
* Patient accompanied by a family member for interpretation
* New patients
* Patients unable to receive study details due to logistical issue (e.g, no private room)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Patient intention to visit a psychosocial counselor
timeFrame: July to October post-visit
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Patient satisfaction
timeFrame: July to October post-visit
measure: Patient acceptability
timeFrame: July to October post-visit
Other outcomes:
Locations:
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Toronto / York University
name: Farah Ahmad, MBBS, MPH, PhD
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: