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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03431259

Inpatient Enrollment of Patient Portal App

This study aims to determine if inpatient enrollment into a patient communication app improves clinic follow-up of orthopedic trauma patients and improves survey completion rates after orthopedic trauma.

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Key information

Conditions

Orthopedic Disorder Musculoskeletal Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Massachusetts General Hospital

Boston, Massachusetts, 02114, United States

About this study

Follow-up in trauma is historically poor. As a result, outcomes from trauma are difficult to collect via surveys and are often significantly influenced by selection bias. Patient interaction apps like Patient Gateway are thought to facilitate greater participant involvement and adherence to treatment regimens. The investigators will explore if inpatient enrollment into Patient Gateway would improve clinic follow-up rates. Increasing follow-up rates could improve the quality of care delivered.

In addition, self-administered survey questionnaires are an important data collection tool in clinical practice, public health research and epidemiology. However, survey completion rates are typically poor in orthopaedic trauma.

With the evaluation of modern technology, electronic applications are being increasingly used in both hospital and personal settings. In outpatient clinics, questionnaires to measure outcomes and monitor quality of care are administered by staff members using hospital owned tablet devices. Recently, applications to complete these surveys on personal devices have been developed.

In a recent Cochrane review on the comparison of self-administered survey questionnaire responses collected using mobile apps versus other methods it was concluded that there are no data available on response rates. The investigators will attempt to address this question.

All Patient Gateway naïve patients aged 18 years or older able to consent for themselves and admitted to the hospital for an orthopedic condition with the need for outpatient follow-up will be invited to participate in this study. Exclusion criteria will be patients unable to consent for themselves, inability to communicate in English, and no possession of a smartphone.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • admitted to the hospital for an orthopedic condition with the need for outpatient follow-up
  • able to consent for themselves

Exclusion criteria

  • unable to consent for themselves
  • inability to communicate in English
  • no possession of a smartphone

Treatment and study plan

Patient Gateway

Other

Patients will be enrolled in the Patient Gateway app.

Primary outcomes

  1. Return to Clinic

    Time frame: 3 months postoperative

    The number of patients enrolled who return to clinic for a followup visit at 3 months postop. It will be a count and proportion of the occurrence of a patient returning to clinic for followup

  2. Use of Any the Patient Gateway Portal at 3 Months

    Time frame: 3 months postoperative

    The number of patients who used the patient gateway portal for any purpose at 3 months. This will be a count of participants.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Massachusetts General Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Does Inpatient Enrollment Into a Patient Communication App (Patient Gateway) Result in Improved Follow-up and Survey Completion Rates After Orthopaedic Trauma?

Important dates

Study start
2018
Primary completion
2020
Study completion
2020
First posted
Feb 13, 2018
Registry last updated
Nov 18, 2022

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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