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Completed

NCT Number: NCT05852054

Supporting Transitions to Primary Care Among Under-resourced, Postpartum Women (STEP-UP)

STEP-UP will promote linkage to primary care and ongoing chronic disease evaluation for postpartum women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and/or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP).

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Key information

Conditions

Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Cardiovascular Diseases Diabetes Mellitus Diabetes, Gestational Dysglycemia Endocrine System Diseases Female Urogenital Diseases and Pregnancy Complications Glucose Metabolism Disorders Hypertension Hypertension in Pregnancy Hypertension, Pregnancy-Induced Metabolic Diseases Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases Pregnancy Complications Urogenital Diseases Vascular Diseases

Age range

18 year and older

Sex eligibility

Female

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Phase 3

Primary location

AllianceChicago, Chicago, Illinois, United States

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About this study

STEP-UP will promote linkage to primary care and ongoing chronic disease evaluation for postpartum women with prior gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) and/or hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP) by promoting:

  • counseling and referral to primary care, during OB visits, via electronic health record (EHR)-based clinical decision support (CDS)
  • dysglycemia testing for women with prior GDM, prompted via CDS during both OB and primary care visits
  • dissemination of understandable information on future risk and the need for ongoing evaluation generated automatically via the EHR and printed for patients with after-visit summaries (AVS)
  • motivational messaging and reminders supporting transitions of care delivered directly to patients via short message service (SMS) text messages
  • individualized outreach and support for those who need additional help arranging a primary care visit

We will utilize a stepped wedge design to achieve the study's specific aims, which are to:

Aim 1 Test the effectiveness of STEP-UP, compared with usual care, to improve patient: 1) knowledge of reproductive risks associated with T2DM and recommended self-care activities; 2) engage in self-care behaviors, including diet, physical activity, adherence to diabetes medications, and use of folic acid and most or moderately effective contraception, when indicated; and 3) clinical measures, including hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, and LDL cholesterol.

Aim 2 Investigate the heterogeneity of STEP-UP intervention effects by patients' race, ethnicity, and language.

Aim 3 Assess the reach, adoption, implementation, maintenance and costs of STEP-UP components.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

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

Inclusion criteria

  • Delivered during an accrual period,
  • Had a chart diagnosis during their index pregnancy of GDM and/or HDP,
  • Attended at least 1 prenatal care visit at a study site in the 6 months prior to delivery,
  • Speak English or Spanish,
  • Age 18 or older

Treatment and study plan

OB Provider Clinical Decision Support (CDS)

Behavioral

When an eligible patients' chart is opened by a provider, the provider will be alerted to counsel patients about future risk for T2D and hypertension and the need to establish a primary care medical home. The alert will include a 'referral' to primary care and a brief guide with 'key points for counseling'. For patients with prior GDM, this will also include an option to order guideline-recommended oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT) with a single click.

Patient Education (OB Visit)

Behavioral

A 1-page document will be printed or delivered electronically for eligible patients after every postpartum OB visit during the STEP-UP condition. The document will encourage patients to know the risk and will describe the importance of routine primary care and chronic disease evaluation and management. It will also provide tips for lowering risk through lifestyle changes. Patient materials will be delivered in English or Spanish based on the structured EHR variable for preferred language.

Text messaging

Behavioral

At 3 months postpartum, all eligible patients who have not scheduled a primary care visit will receive a motivational text to prompt scheduling; a second text will be sent for those who still have not made an appointment. Among those who schedule a visit, a reminder text will be sent before the visit. Texts will be in English or Spanish based on patients' preferred language field in the EHR and written at a <5th grade reading level.

Patient outreach

Behavioral

Patients who have not scheduled a primary care visit by 4 months postpartum will receive outreach from a trained coordinator who will assist with scheduling and help patients troubleshoot common barriers, such as concerns about transportation or cost.

Primary Care Provider Clinical Decision Support (CDS)

Behavioral

The CDS will notify the provider that the patient had a recent high-risk pregnancy and signal the need to counsel the individual about their future risk for T2D and/or hypertension and the need for ongoing care. A brief guide with 'key points for counseling' described in plain language will be provided. For patients with prior GDM, the CDS will also include an easy to access 'smartset' to order appropriate testing (A1c, FG, or OGTT) based on time since delivery and provider discussions with the patient.

Patient Education (Primary Care Visit)

Behavioral

A 1-page material will again be automatically printed or delivered electronically for eligible patients after their first primary care visit; it will replicate content from prior material provided after the OB visit.

Primary outcomes

  1. Primary care visit (PCV) completion

    Time frame: 6 months

    Assess completion of a primary care visit (yes/no) within 6 months of delivery. Using procedures from a pilot study, the investigator will consider an encounter a PCV if it occurred by 6 months after the delivery date; had an assigned provider type of "nurse practitioner," "physician," "internal medicine," "family medicine," and/or "physician assistant;" and did not have an assigned provider type of "OB/GYN" and/or "certified nurse midwife." The PCV rate across STEP-UP vs. UC will be calculated by dividing eligible patients with greater than or equal to 1 PCV (numerator) by the denominator of all eligible patients.

Secondary outcomes

  1. Completion of dysglycemia testing

    Time frame: 6 months

    Assess rates of testing for dysglycemia among eligible women who had a diagnosis of GDM in their index pregnancy. This binary outcome (yes/no) will be ascertained by the presence of a value from any dysglycemia test (e.g. A1c, fasting glucose, oral glucose tolerance test) at any time within the 6-month follow-up period. The testing rate across STEP-UP vs. UC will be calculated by dividing this numerator by the denominator of all eligible patients with GDM in their index pregnancy.

  2. Orders for dysglycemia testing

    Time frame: 6 months

    Assess whether eligible patients have an order for any dysglycemia test (e.g. A1c, fasting glucose, oral glucose tolerance test) at any time during the 6-month follow-up period. This dichotomous outcome largely assesses the effectiveness of the provider-facing STEP-UP components. The investigator ascertain orders in this same way across STEP-UP and UC conditions. As an exploratory outcome, the investigator will examine the proportion of total tests ordered through the CDS versus the routine lab order entry mechanism. The investigator will also examine the association of orders with patient characteristics (e.g. age, BMI, race, ethnicity, language) and provider characteristics available in the EHR (i.e. physician vs. advanced practice provider, patient panel size).

  3. Dysglycemia and hypertension cases detected

    Time frame: 6 months

    Assess the rate of dysglycemia and hypertension cases detected among eligible patients. Rate of detection for dysglycemia will be determined by the proportion of eligible patients with a prior diagnosis of GDM (i.e. denominator) who have a test value indicating dysglycemia according to ADA guidelines during follow-up (i.e. numerator). The rate of dysglycemia cases detected will be compared between STEP-UP and UC conditions. The investigator will run similar analyses for hypertension, using 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association criteria (hypertension: systolic blood pressure (SBP) greater than or equal to 130 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP)greater than or equal to 80 mmHg; stage 2 hypertension defined as SBP greater than or equal to 140 mmHg or DBP greater than or equal to 90 mmHg).

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Northwestern University

Other

Collaborators

  • AllianceChicago
  • Cook County Health

Registry information

Official study title

Supporting Transitions to Primary Care Among Under-resourced, Postpartum Women: The STEP-UP Trial

Important dates

Study start
2023
Primary completion
2024
Study completion
2025
First posted
May 10, 2023
Registry last updated
Jun 22, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

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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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