Skip to main content
OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05553912

QBSafe: a Randomized Trial of a Novel Intervention to Improve Care for People Living With Type 2 Diabetes.

Glycemic control is often the main indicator of successful diabetes care, but a singular focus on glycemic control may lead to patients' overall health and wellbeing being overlooked or undervalued. The investigators have previously developed an intervention comprised of (a) a set of conversation cards designed to enable patients to identify aspects of life with diabetes important to them and to share them with their clinician to obtain their input; and (b) materials that help clinicians respond to patient concerns. The investigators will now conduct a randomized clinical trial to test the feasibility of the research procedures and efficacy of the intervention with respect to patient reported outcome measures.

Completed

Looking for future studies?

Notify Me

Key information

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Fair Haven Community Health Center

New Haven, Connecticut, 06510, United States

About this study

The goal of this study is to assess the feasibility and efficacy of usual care with the QBSafe intervention compared to usual care alone within a cluster randomized clinical trial among patients with type 2 diabetes.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

Clinicians

  • any physicians, residents, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants who participate in the care of patients with type 2 diabetes (DM2) management (DM2) and prescribe medications for them

Participants

  • diagnosed with DM2
  • able to sign informed consent
  • fluent in either English or Spanish
  • HbA1c >8%

Exclusion criteria

  • Participants for whom an HbA1c target >8% is clinically reasonable (e.g., those with limited life expectancy) and/or aligned with goals/preferences

Treatment and study plan

QBSafe

Behavioral

an intervention comprised of (a) a set of conversation cards (QBSafe ASK) designed to enable patients to identify aspects of life with diabetes important to them and to share them with their clinician to obtain their input; and (b) materials that help clinicians respond to patient concerns.

Primary outcomes

  1. Illness intrusiveness measured by the Illness Intrusiveness Ratings Scale (IIRS) at Month 6

    Time frame: Month 6

    The change in illness intrusiveness measured by the validated Illness Intrusiveness Ratings Scale (IIRS). IIRS is comprised of 13 items that ask participants to rate the degree to which their "illness and/or its treatment" interfere with life domains central to quality of life. the score is calculated by summing the 13 items creating a value between 13 to 91, where higher scores indicate increased illness intrusiveness. Analysis will assess the 6 months response as the outcome adjusting for arm and the initial score

  2. HbA1c at Month 6

    Time frame: Month 6

    HbA1c value at month 6. Analysis will model the 6 month HbA1c assessment adjusting for arm and the initial score.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Diabetes distress will be measured using the Diabetes Distress Scale (DDS-17) at Month 6

    Time frame: Month 6

    The DDS is a validated 17-item self-report instrument where each item is rated on a 6-point Likert scale from (0) "not a problem" to (6) "a serious problem." The scale yields a total DDS score, plus scores for 4 subscales: emotional burden, regimen distress, physician distress, and interpersonal distress. Total and subscale scores are calculated using mean item scores, which are then categorized as little or no distress (< 2.0), moderate distress (greater than or equal to 2.0 and less than or equal to 2.9) and high distress (greater than equal to 3.0). Moderate and high distress are considered 'clinically significant.'

  2. Treatment burden will be assessed using the Treatment Burden Questionnaire (TBQ) at Month 6

    Time frame: Month 6

    The TBQ is a self-reported questionnaire assessing the burden of treatment without restricting its scope to a single condition or treatment context. It is composed of 15 items rated on a Likert scale ranging from 0 (no impact) to 10 (considerable impact) related to the burden associated with taking medicine, self-monitoring, laboratory tests, physician visits, need for organization, administrative tasks, following advice on diet and physical activity, and social impact of the treatment. Item scores can be summed into a global score, ranging from 0 to 150. Higher scores reflect higher treatment burden.

  3. Quality of life was assessed using the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) at Month 6.

    Time frame: Month 6

    To assess global quality of life, a single-item VAS survey will be used with scale ranging from 0 (worst possible)-to-100 (best possible).

  4. Hypoglycemia measured at month 6

    Time frame: Month 6

    Hypoglycemia will be measured by asking participants about the frequency of any hypoglycemia (defined by a glucose level below 70 mg/dl [Level 1 hypoglycemia] or symptoms consistent with hypoglycemia), any blood glucose level below 54 mg/dl (Level 2 severe hypoglycemia), or any hypoglycemia requiring assistance from another person to treat.

  5. Quality of communication assessed using 3 questions from the CAHPS Clinician and Group survey

    Time frame: up to 6 months

    The quality of communication will be assessed with a modified version of 3 questions from the CAHPS Clinician and Group survey. These questions indicate the extent to which the communication is patient-centered, covering technical (explain things in a way you could understand) and affective (show respect for what you have to say) communication.

Other outcomes

  1. Patient satisfaction survey

    Time frame: up to 6 months

    Patients will rate their satisfaction with the approach used during the encounter on a 5-point Likert scale, which could have been usual care alone or usual care with the QBSafe ASK.

  2. Clinician satisfaction survey

    Time frame: up to 6 months

    Clinicians will rate their satisfaction with the approach used during the encounter on a 5-point Likert scale, which could have been usual care alone or usual care with the QBSafe ASK.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Yale University

Other

Collaborators

  • National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Registry information

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2025
Study completion
2025
First posted
Sep 26, 2022
Registry last updated
Jul 9, 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.

Published trials that share one or more normalized conditions with this study.