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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03645083

Patient Adherence to Acupuncture Treatment

Adherence to treatment recommendation remains low among acupuncture patients. This study aims to examine whether implementing a post-initial visit follow-up strategy can improve adherence rate. Adult patients visiting the acupuncture clinic for a new treatment will be randomized to receive a telephone call or a text-message three days after their initial visit against a control group. We will enroll up to 160 participants between February and December 2017, to ensure we can reach 120 subjects in the analysis who completed the baseline survey. Participants recruitment will take place at the Emperor's College of Traditional Oriental Medicine Acupuncture Clinic. Assessments will be conducted via surveys at four times points, Day 0 (date of enrollment), Day 3, Day 10 and Day 30. Additional data will also be collected via chart review. Primary outcome will be assessing whether participants return for any follow-up visit within 30 days after the initial treatment. Secondary outcomes will examine if factors such as expectations, intention, satisfaction, and potential barriers would predict the primary outcome.

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Key information

Conditions

Adherence, Patient Behavior Health Behavior Patient Acceptance of Health Care Patient Compliance Treatment Adherence and Compliance

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California, 90033, United States

About this study

This randomized controlled trial will deliver two interventions: (1) telephone call reminder and (2) text messaging reminder.

Participants who meet study eligibility criteria based on intake assessment will be recruited and complete baseline assessment immediately after they receive acupuncture treatment. There will be 40 participants in each of the two intervention groups and the no intervention control group.

Participants will be adults who visit the Emperor's College Acupuncture Clinic for a new treatment consultation on the date of the enrollment.

The telephone call and text messaging intervention is a one-time reminder system delivered to the participants based on the study random assignment, three days after the initial visit. A research assistant will be contacting the participants based on the assigned interventions.

There are three data collection points, 1) baseline (during initial visit), 2) 10 days after the initial visit, and 3) 30 days after the initial visit. Data will be collected via a tablet (baseline) and online survey (Day 10 and Day 30) through a secure online survey platform. Baseline assessment will occur prior to randomization, and post-intervention assessments will occur at 10 to 30 days after the initial visit.

Number of follow-up treatments for the same health concern will be collected for all enrolled participants from the participants' clinical record.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Outside patients seeking acupuncture treatment at Emperor's College Clinic
  • Age 18 and above
  • English-speaking
  • Starting a new treatment at the day of recruitment
  • Own a mobile device
  • Mobile device has text-messaging capability
  • Visiting the Master's Clinic at Emperor's College

Exclusion criteria

  • Emperor's College's students or staffs seeking acupuncture treatment
  • Patients visiting the faculty observation theater, ear acupuncture clinic and private clinic
  • Patients returning for a follow-up acupuncture visit at the day of recruitment

Treatment and study plan

telephone call

Behavioral

Participants in the intervention group receive a one-time telephone call reminder to attend follow-up treatment at the acupuncture clinic

Text Message

Behavioral

Participants in the intervention group receive a one-time text messaging reminder to attend follow-up treatment at the acupuncture clinic

Primary outcomes

  1. Attendance to follow-up treatment

    Time frame: Within 30 days after participants' initial visit

    Participants attending acupuncture follow-up treatments

Secondary outcomes

  1. Total number of follow-up treatments

    Time frame: Within 30 days after participants' initial visit

    The total number of follow-up treatments by participants

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Southern California

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Improving Treatment Adherence in Acupuncture Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trail

Important dates

Study start
2017
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Aug 24, 2018
Registry last updated
Aug 24, 2018

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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