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OpenTrials
Completed

NCT Number: NCT05241847

Starzl Network Patient Reported Outcomes

This study uses a smartphone application/web interface (RealTime Clinic; RTC) to collect patient and parent reports of a pediatric liver transplant recipient's quality of life (QOL), and examines the extent to which QOL evaluations can be integrated into care with the help of the application. The QOL measure that is used in this study is the Pediatric Liver Transplant Quality of Life (PeLTQL) questionnaire. Utilization, effectiveness, and efficiency data are evaluated.

Hypotheses are fully described in the protocol. The primary hypothesis is that 80% of recruited child-proxy dyads will have at least one RTC-enabled PeLTQL score at 12 months. Other hypotheses look at implementation metrics and patient outcomes.

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Key information

Age range

8 year–20 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Toronto Sick Kids, Toronto, Ontario, Canada

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About this study

Despite evidence supporting the benefits of QOL assessments and the availability of many QOL assessment instruments, the integration of these instruments into clinical practice has not yet become standard of care.

The Pediatric Liver Transplant Quality of Life (PeLTQL), the study measure, is a condition-specific 26-item questionnaire; the investigators will be evaluating both total scores as well as subdomain scores and, importantly, discrepancies between child and parent reports of the child's QOL.

The Electronic Platform: Real-Time Clinic (RTC). The platform will furnish providers with the total scores, subscale scores, thresholds ("met" vs. "not met"), discrepancy scores, and any question that has scores which may concern the clinician/clinical team.

This information will be available before the clinic visit and can guide and inform discussion and problem-solving between patient and clinical team. The study does not standardize the response to the results and will not suggest a preferred way of action. Interpretation of the results, as well as actions related to them are completely left to clinician's discretion.

The setting of this study - the Starzl Network for Excellence in Pediatric Transplantation (SNEPT Centers). SNEPT is a learning healthcare network that was established in 2018 to accelerate improvement in transplant outcomes by incorporating innovation, technology and the patient voice to address gaps in care that were identified by the collaborative transplant centers and family representatives.

Study Aims

The primary aim is successful implementation of the RTC app-based tool to obtain PeLTQL scores from pediatric liver transplant recipients and their parents or caregivers.

The investigators also aim to assess the usability, impact, and ease of use (both for clinicians and patients/families) of the RTC platform and app-based version of the PeLTQL. The investigators will evaluate clinicians' subjective views on the platforms' ease of use, their time spent evaluating results, both in clinic and before patient visits, as well as the app's impact on back-end clinic workflow.

Impact on patient outcomes will be evaluated using pre-post comparisons on adherence (determined by the objective medication level variability index, MLVI) as well as on the PeLTQL.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

The patient must meet all of below criteria to be eligible for enrollment in the study:

  • The patient is > 8 at enrollment and < 20 years of age at 2 year post enrollment.
  • The patient received a liver transplantation at least 1 year prior to enrollment.
  • The patient and parent/ guardian have internet access either through a smartphone, tablet or computer.
  • The patient and at least one guardian speaks English or Spanish at a level that allows them to understand the study procedures and consent to the study.

Exclusion criteria

None of the following may be present if the patient is to be eligible for enrollment in the study:

  • The patient is expected to transition to another service (e.g., adult clinic, another hospital) in the year following enrollment.
  • The guardian or patient (in a developmentally-appropriate manner) do not understand the study procedures. This will be verified by asking both guardian and adolescent to repeat the study procedures.

Treatment and study plan

PeLTQL delivery via electronic means

Behavioral

Delivery of PeLTQL scoring information to clinicians via electronic means.

Other names: Real Time Clinic mobile application

Primary outcomes

  1. Implementation metric

    Time frame: 12 months

    The proportion of participants who complete the Pediatric Liver Transplant Quality of Life (PeLTQL) measure (either parent or child), at least once

Secondary outcomes

  1. Patient baseline quality of life (child report on PeLTQL)

    Time frame: Time of enrollment

    PeLTQL = Pediatric Liver Transplant Quality of Life questionnaire. Range of scores (after transformation), range (0-100) Higher score = Better QoL

  2. Patient quality of life (child report on PeLTQL)

    Time frame: 12 months post-enrollment

    PeLTQL = Pediatric Liver Transplant Quality of Life questionnaire. Range of scores (after transformation), range (0-100) Higher score = Better QoL

  3. Proxy report of child's quality of life using PeLTQL

    Time frame: Time of enrollment

    PeLTQL = Pediatric Liver Transplant Quality of Life questionnaire. Range of scores (after transformation), range (0-100) Higher score = Better QoL

  4. Proxy report of child's quality of life using PeLTQL

    Time frame: 12 months post-enrollment

    PeLTQL = Pediatric Liver Transplant Quality of Life questionnaire. Range of scores (after transformation), range (0-100) Higher score = Better QoL

  5. Medication level variability index (MLVI)

    Time frame: Calculated for year following implementation (12 month period following enrollment)

    Degree of fluctuation in immunosuppressant medication levels. Higher MLVI =worse adherence to medication.

  6. PeLTQL discrepancy score

    Time frame: First administration of PeLTQL in year 1

    The discrepancy score is defined as the parent score minus the child's score on the PELTQL. PeLTQL = Pediatric Liver Transplant Quality of Life questionnaire

  7. PeLTQL discrepancy score

    Time frame: Second administration of PeLTQL within 24 months

    The discrepancy score is defined as the parent score minus the child's score on the PELTQL. PeLTQL = Pediatric Liver Transplant Quality of Life questionnaire

  8. Implementation metric

    Time frame: 18 months

    Percentage of patient-proxy dyads (amongst all enrolled) who completed the PeLTQL at least once.

  9. Implementation metric

    Time frame: 24 months

    Percentage of participating parent-child dyads (amongst all dyads) in which both the parent and the child completed one or more questionnaires during the study period.

Other outcomes

  1. Rejection

    Time frame: 24 months

    Incidence of rejection of the transplanted liver

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

University of Pittsburgh

Other

Collaborators

  • Columbia University
  • Emory-Children's Center
  • Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • Seattle Children's Hospital
  • The Hospital for Sick Children
  • University of San Francisco

Registry information

Official study title

Starzl Network for Excellence in Pediatric Transplantation (SNEPT) Implementation of a QoL Measure in Pediatric Transplant Recipients

Acronym: SPaRO

Important dates

Study start
2022
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2025
First posted
Feb 16, 2022
Registry last updated
Jan 8, 2026

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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