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NCT Number: NCT07015463

Evaluation of a Health Literacy Intervention on Patients Suffering From Hypertension in Primary Care

Hypertension affects 30% of the French population, but only 25% of hypertensive patients meet therapeutic targets, largely due to a limited adherence to lifestyle and medication guidelines (34%). Improving adherence is crucial to better blood pressure control and preventing complications. Health literacy (HL), defined by Sørensen as the ability to access, evaluate, and use health information for decision-making, has been proved associated with better adherence. Various tools, such as the "Teach-Back" method, can enhance HL but are underutilized in France due to lack of awareness and training. The objective of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a multi-component intervention aimed at increasing the health literacy of patients suffering from hypertension, in achieving the target blood pressure goal three months after the start of the intervention in poorly controlled hypertensive patients. The intervention will include tools (such as communication techniques) enabling physicians to enhance the health literacy of their patients.

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Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

About this study

The study comprises two phases. The first phase will involve a qualitative analysis, during which semi-structured interviews will be conducted to understand the constraints, expectations, and needs of both physicians and patients for the intervention. After this phase, an intervention following the Health Literacy Intervention Model will be constructed, through a consensus method .

The second phase of the study will be a mixed-method evaluation of the intervention's effectiveness. Initially, a cluster-randomized trial will be conducted. Thirty-six physicians will participate and randomized into either the control group or the intervention group. Each physician will recruit approximately 5 patients. Patients will undergo a pre-inclusion visit, an inclusion visit, and then three follow-up visits (at 3 and 6 months). Finally, all participating physicians and a subsample of 30 patients will take part in the qualitative study to assess the perceived effectiveness of the intervention.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

Phase 1: Co-construction of the Intervention

o In this phase, physicians and patient representatives from patient associations or recruited through physicians will be enrolled.

Phase 2: Evaluation of the Intervention's Effectiveness

Inclusion criteria

for Investigating Physicians

General practitioners practicing:

  • In individual offices, in non-multidisciplinary group practices
  • Or in multidisciplinary health centers or health centers
  • In Nice, Bordeaux, and Lille
  • Who have expressed their non-opposition
  • Willing to participate in the qualitative evaluation

Inclusion criteria

for Patients

  • Adult French-speaking patients, able to read and write
  • Suffering from essential uncontrolled and treated hypertension treated measured by home self-monitoring
  • Owning a mobile phone (to be contacted for the study and to receive reminder by phone)
  • Able to self-measure his/her blood pressure at home
  • Who have expressed their non-opposition

Inclusion for qualitative interviews Only individuals from the intervention group will be asked to participate in these interviews.

  • All physicians who recruited patients for the trial will be invited to participate.
  • A subsample of 30 patients (10 per city), selected according to the principle of maximum variation (ensuring diversity in age and gender)

Exclusion criteria

Phase 1: Co-construction of the intervention

No exclusion criteria will be applied for this phase.

Phase 2: Evaluation of the effectiveness of the intervention

Exclusion criteria

for Investigating Physicians

  • GP who participated in the first phase of co-construction.
  • GP from a health center where a collaborator has already been recruited for the study.
  • GP working in collaboration with an Asalée nurse.

Exclusion criteria

for Patients

  • Patient suffering from secondary hypertension.
  • Patient with severe cognitive impairment or dementia.
  • Patients already performing regular self-monitoring of their blood pressure.
  • Healthcare professionals.
  • Patient under legal protection, guardianship, or curatorship.

Treatment and study plan

Multi-component intervention in health literacy

Other

Multi-component intervention aiming at increasing the health literacy of patients suffering from hypertension, in achieving the target blood pressure goal three months after the start of the intervention in poorly controlled hypertensive patients

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportion of patients with a home-measured blood pressure within the therapeutic target

    Time frame: three months after the implementation of the intervention

    Proportion of patients with a home-measured blood pressure within the therapeutic target three months after the implementation of the intervention (systolic blood pressure below 140 mm Hg for patients under 80 years old or below 150 mm Hg for patients 80 years and older).

Secondary outcomes

  1. Improvement in achieving the target blood pressure six months after the start of the intervention

    Time frame: six months after the intervention

    Proportion of patients with blood pressure,within the therapeutic target (defined as systolic blood pressure <140 mmHg for patients under 80 years old, or <150 mmHg for patients aged 80 and over), in both groups (intervention vs. control).

  2. Improvement in achieving the target blood pressure at three months after the start of the intervention, in GPs

    Time frame: Three months after the intervention

    Proportion of patients with blood pressure within the therapeutic target of the intervention (defined as systolic blood pressure <140 mmHg for patients under 80 years old, or <150 mmHg for patients aged 80 and over), in both groups (intervention vs. control), measured in general practitioners' offices on the day of the follow-up visit.

  3. Improvement in achieving the target blood pressure at six months after the start of the intervention, in GPs

    Time frame: Six months after the intervention

    Proportion of patients with blood pressure within the therapeutic target of the intervention (defined as systolic blood pressure <140 mmHg for patients under 80 years old, or <150 mmHg for patients aged 80 and over), in both groups (intervention vs. control), measured in general practitioners' offices on the day of the follow-up visit.

  4. Health Literacy Level

    Time frame: 6 months after the intervention

    Patients' health literacy level regarding hypertension measured by the score obtained on the HLS-EU16

  5. Adherence to treatment scale using Girerd questionnaire

    Time frame: Baseline, three and six months

    Adherence will be assessed by an investigator over the phone

  6. Effect of the Intervention by Social Categories

    Time frame: Baseline, three and six months

    The proportion of patients with blood pressure within the therapeutic target will be assessed in relation to an individual index of social disadvantage (EPICES score and income level measured at baseline). The proportion of patients achieving the target blood pressure will be described by EPICES score quintiles and income level categories at each of the three time points.

  7. Effective adoption of tools in the intervention group

    Time frame: At the end of the follow-up, for each patient

    Frequency of use of the recommended tools for each patient, and eventually extended use for other conditions

  8. Perceived effectiveness by patients

    Time frame: During the six months after the end of the trial

    Patients' appropriation of the intervention and its impact on health-promoting behaviors, their experience and perceptions in managing the disease, and the evolution of their representations regarding their care.

  9. Perceived effectiveness from the perspective of healthcare professionals

    Time frame: During the six months after the end of the trial

    Actual implementation of the intervention by professionals in the intervention group. And professionals' perceived appropriation of the intervention and its impact on professional and organizational practices

  10. Choose and adapt tools of intervention to the context of primary care

    Time frame: Before the beginning of the randomized trial

    Proposition of a theory-based intervention using qualitative interviews. A standardized intervention based on the Health Literacy Intervention Model, developed in collaboration with physicians and hypertensive patients, which can be easily integrated into general practitioners' practices will be developped.

  11. Investigate the factors influencing the acceptability and effectiveness of the LS intervention

    Time frame: Before the beginning of the randomized trial

    Understanding of implementation contexts/ Usual behaviors of healthcare professionals/Difficulties encountered in practice and with existing health literacy tools/Needs and expectations regarding the intervention, as expressed by patient representatives and physicians (working in general practices or multidisciplinary health centers)

Study contacts

Contact information is provided by the study sponsor or research team.

Florence FRANCIS-OLIVIERO, MD

CONTACT

[email protected]

+33637932188

Pierre POULIZAC

CONTACT

[email protected]

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital, Bordeaux

Other

Registry information

Acronym: IHTALi

Important dates

Study start
2025
Primary completion
2027
Study completion
2028
First posted
Jun 11, 2025
Registry last updated
Jul 31, 2025

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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