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Completed

NCT Number: NCT03002610

Presenting Summary Information From Cochrane Systematic Reviews to Physicians

The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of infographics, compared to standard PLS and scientific abstract format, in presenting information, in terms of understanding and remembering research results by physicians.

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Key information

Conditions

Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice Behavior

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

University of Split

Split, 21000, Croatia

About this study

The investigators will conduct a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with three different formats of the same systematic review summary (Infographics, PLS, scientific abstract). The content of these three formats is based on the same systematic review, but the ways of data presentation will differ: visual presentation in plain language, plain language only, and text with scientific abbreviations. The interventions will be delivered online in January 2016, with physicians who are currently working at Clinical Hospital Split. The trial will be preformed online, and it will be voluntary and anonymous. The survey will consist of 5 parts, in the following order: 1) one format of the summary (randomly assigned), 2) health numeracy, 3) demographic data 4) comprehension test of the information given in the summary, and 5) user friendliness of information and overall satisfaction with the given summary assessed by survey.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

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

Inclusion criteria

  • physicians who are working at Clinical Hospital Split

Exclusion criteria

  • none

Treatment and study plan

PLS

Other

Text format with simple explanation of the survey topic main findings and is intended for lay audience.

Infographics

Other

Cochrane started developing infographics, where short textual information about research is supported by visual representations of the main findings and is also aimed at the lay public The investigators will examine whether this format is better in information uptake than standard PLS.

Scientific abstract

Other

Scientific abstract the text written for the academic population and practitioners, with scientific abbreviations which enables experts to go into more detail about the topic.

Primary outcomes

  1. Understanding of the Content of Summary Format

    Time frame: One month (30 days)

    The questions will focus on understanding the benefits and risks of the intervention and the quality of evidence described in the systematic review. In total, there will be 10 open ended questions, and the total score will be the sum of the correct answers (minimum 0, maximum 10). Higher scores would indicate higher understanding.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Reading Experience

    Time frame: One month (30 days)

    This section of the survey will include 5 questions about the experience of participants about the text they read, measured on a 10-point Likert type scale, where 1 means do not agree at all and 10 means fully agree. The total score is the sum of scores on all five answers (minimum 5, maximum 50). Higher scores would indicate higher, or more positive, reading experience.

  2. User Friendliness

    Time frame: One month (30 days)

    This section of the survey will have 5 questions concerning how easy it was for the participant to find relevant information, measured by a 10-point Likert type scale where the answer 1 means I do not agree at all and 10 means I fully agree. The total score is the sum of scores on all the answers (minimum 5, maximum 50). Higher scores would indicate greater, or more positive user friendliness, meaning that participants consider that format as easier to find relevant information.

Other outcomes

  1. Health Numeracy

    Time frame: One month (30 days)

    This section will use 6-item General health numeracy test (Osborne et al., 2013) in order to determine how much our participants understand the basic health instructions regarding numeracy dimension. For each correct answer, the participants receive one point and the total score is the sum of all correct answers.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University Hospital of Split

Other

Collaborators

  • University of Liverpool

Registry information

Official study title

Presenting Summary Information From Cochrane Systematic Reviews to Physicians: Protocol for Research of Infographics Presentation vs. Plain Language Summary

Important dates

Study start
2016
Primary completion
2017
Study completion
2017
First posted
Dec 26, 2016
Registry last updated
Jun 3, 2019

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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