Web-based Weight Management Programs in an Integrated Health Care Setting: A Randomized, Controlled Trial*

BACKGROUND The use of technology has the potential to support the patient´s active participation regarding treatment of hypertension. This might lead to changes in the roles of the patient and health care professional and affect the partnership between them. OBJECTIVE The aim of this qualitative study was to explore the partnership between patients and health care professionals and the roles of patients and professionals in hypertension management when using an interactive web-based system for self-management of hypertension via the patient’s own mobile phone. METHODS Focus group interviews were conducted with 22 patients and 15 professionals participating in a randomized controlled trial in Sweden aimed at lowering blood pressure (BP) using an interactive web-based system via mobile phones. The interviews were audiorecorded and transcribed and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS Three themes were identified: the technology, the patient, and the professional. The technology enabled documentation of BP treatment, mainly for sharing knowledge between the patient and the professional. The patients gained increased knowledge of BP values and their relation to daily activities and treatment. They were able to narrate about their BP treatment and take a greater responsibility, inspired by new insights and motivation for lifestyle changes. Based on the patient’s understanding of hypertension, professionals could use the system as an educational tool and some found new ways of communicating BP treatment with patients. Some reservations were raised about using the system, that it might be too time-consuming to function in clinical practice and that too much measuring could result in stress for the patient and an increased workload for the professionals. In addition, not all professionals and patients had adopted the instructions regarding the use of the system, resulting in less realization of its potential. CONCLUSIONS The use of the system led to the patients taking on a more active role in their BP treatment, becoming more of an expert of their BP. When using the system as intended, the professionals experienced it as a useful resource for communication regarding BP and lifestyle. Patients and professionals described a consultation on more equal grounds. The use of technology in hypertension management can promote a constructive and person-centered partnership between patient and professional. However, implementation of a new way of working should bring benefits and not be considered a burden for the professionals. To establish a successful partnership, both the patient and the professional need to be motivated toward a new way of working. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov NCT03554382; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03554382

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Reducing menopausal symptoms for women during the menopause transition using group education in a primary health care setting—a randomized controlled trial

Maturitas ◽

10.1016/j.maturitas.2017.01.005 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 98 ◽

pp. 14-19 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

Lena Rindner ◽

Gunilla Strömme ◽

Lena Nordeman ◽

Dominique Hange ◽

Ronny Gunnarsson ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Primary Health Care ◽

Care Setting ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Group Education ◽

Primary Health Care Setting ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Primary Health ◽

Menopause Transition

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Recruiting to a Randomized Controlled Trial of a Web-Based Program for People With Type 2 Diabetes and Depression: Lessons Learned at the Intersection of e-Mental Health and Primary Care (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.12793 ◽

2018 ◽

Author(s):

Susan Fletcher ◽

Janine Clarke ◽

Samineh Sanatkar ◽

Peter Baldwin ◽

Jane Gunn ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mental Health ◽

Primary Care ◽

Health Care ◽

General Practice ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Web Based ◽

Recruitment Methods ◽

Face To Face ◽

Randomized Controlled

BACKGROUND E-mental health (eMH) interventions are now widely available and they have the potential to revolutionize the way that health care is delivered. As most health care is currently delivered by primary care, there is enormous potential for eMH interventions to support, or in some cases substitute, services currently delivered face to face in the community setting. However, randomized trials of eMH interventions have tended to recruit participants using online recruitment methods. Consequently, it is difficult to know whether participants who are recruited online differ from those who attend primary care. OBJECTIVE This paper aimed to document the experience of recruiting to an eMH trial through primary care and compare the characteristics of participants recruited through this and other recruitment methods. METHODS Recruitment to the SpringboarD randomized controlled trial was initially focused on general practices in 2 states of Australia. Over 15 months, we employed a comprehensive approach to engaging practice staff and supporting them to recruit patients, including face-to-face site visits, regular contact via telephone and trial newsletters, and development of a Web-based patient registration portal. Nevertheless, it became apparent that these efforts would not yield the required sample size, and we therefore supplemented recruitment through national online advertising and promoted the study through existing networks. Baseline characteristics of participants recruited to the trial through general practice, online, or other sources were compared using the analysis of variance and chi square tests. RESULTS Between November 2015 and October 2017, 780 people enrolled in SpringboarD, of whom 740 provided information on the recruitment source. Of these, only 24 were recruited through general practice, whereas 520 were recruited online and 196 through existing networks. Key barriers to general practice recruitment included perceived mismatch between trial design and diabetes population, prioritization of acute health issues, and disruptions posed by events at the practice and community level. Participants recruited through the 3 different approaches differed in age, gender, employment status, depressive symptoms, and diabetes distress, with online participants being distinguished from those recruited through general practice or other sources. However, most differences reached only a small effect size and are unlikely to be of clinical importance. CONCLUSIONS Time, labor, and cost-intensive efforts did not translate into successful recruitment through general practice in this instance, with barriers identified at several different levels. Online recruitment yielded more participants, who were broadly similar to those recruited via general practice.

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Supporting Self-Care for Families of Children With Eczema With a Web-Based Intervention Plus Health Care Professional Support: Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/jmir.3035 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 16 (3) ◽

pp. e70 ◽

Cited By ~ 27

Author(s):

Miriam Santer ◽

Ingrid Muller ◽

Lucy Yardley ◽

Hana Burgess ◽

Hannah Selinger ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Care ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Health Care Professional ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Self Care ◽

Professional Support ◽

Web Based ◽

Randomized Controlled ◽

Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial

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Coach-Facilitated Web-Based Therapy Compared With Information About Web-Based Resources in Patients Referred to Secondary Mental Health Care for Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial

Journal of Medical Internet Research ◽

10.2196/15001 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 22 (6) ◽

pp. e15001

Author(s):

Sarah MacLean ◽

Daniel J Corsi ◽

Sadie Litchfield ◽

Julia Kucharski ◽

Kira Genise ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Web Based ◽

Randomized Controlled

Background Depression is a common mental disorder with a high social burden and significant impact on suicidality and quality of life. Treatment is often limited to drug therapies because of long waiting times to see psychological therapists face to face, despite several guidelines recommending that psychological treatments should be first-line interventions for mild to moderate depression. Objective We aimed to evaluate, among patients on a waitlist to receive secondary mental health care services for depression, how effective coach-guided web-based therapy (The Journal) is, compared with an information-only waitlist control group, in reducing depression symptoms after 12 weeks. Methods We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 2 parallel arms and a process evaluation, which included interviews with study participants. Participants assigned to the intervention group received 12 weeks of web-based therapy guided by a coach who had a background in social work. Patients in the control group receive a leaflet of mental health resources they could access. The primary outcome measure was a change in depression scores, as measured by the Patient-Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Results A total of 95 participants were enrolled (intervention, n=47; control, n=48). The mean change in PHQ-9 scores from baseline to week 12 was −3.6 (SD 6.6) in the intervention group and −3.1 (SD 6.2) in the control group, which was not a statistically significant difference with a two-sided alpha of .05 (t91=−0.37; P=.72, 95% CI −3.1 to 2.2). At 12 weeks, participants in the intervention group reported higher health-related quality of life (mean EuroQol 5 dimensions visual analogue scale [EQ-5D-VAS] score 66.8, SD 18.0) compared with the control group (mean EQ-5D VAS score 55.9, SD 19.2; t84=−2.73; P=.01). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in health service use following their initial consultation with a psychiatrist. The process evaluation showed that participants in the intervention group completed a mean of 5.0 (SD 2.3) lessons in The Journal and 8.8 (SD 3.1) sessions with the coach. Most participants (29/47, 62%) in the intervention group who completed the full dose of the intervention, by finishing 6 or more lessons in The Journal, were more likely to have a clinically important reduction in depressive symptoms at 12 weeks compared with the control group (Χ21=6.3; P=.01, Φ=0.37). Participants who completed the interviews reported that the role played by the coach was a major factor in adherence to the study intervention. Conclusions The results demonstrate that the use of guided web-based therapy for the treatment of depression is not more effective than information-only waitlist control. However, it showed that the coach has the potential to increase adherence and engagement with web-based depression treatment protocols. Further research is needed on what makes the coach effective. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02423733; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02423733

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Coach-Facilitated Web-Based Therapy Compared With Information About Web-Based Resources in Patients Referred to Secondary Mental Health Care for Depression: Randomized Controlled Trial (Preprint)

10.2196/preprints.15001 ◽

2019 ◽

Author(s):

Sarah MacLean ◽

Daniel J. Corsi ◽

Sadie Litchfield ◽

Julia Kucharski ◽

Kira Genise ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Quality Of Life ◽

Mental Health ◽

Health Care ◽

Randomized Controlled Trial ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Intervention Group ◽

Control Group ◽

Web Based ◽

Randomized Controlled

BACKGROUND Depression is a common mental disorder with a high social burden and significant impact on suicidality and quality of life. Treatment is often limited to drug therapies because of long waiting times to see psychological therapists face to face, despite several guidelines recommending that psychological treatments should be first-line interventions for mild to moderate depression. OBJECTIVE We aimed to evaluate, among patients on a waitlist to receive secondary mental health care services for depression, how effective coach-guided web-based therapy (The Journal) is, compared with an information-only waitlist control group, in reducing depression symptoms after 12 weeks. METHODS We conducted a randomized controlled trial with 2 parallel arms and a process evaluation, which included interviews with study participants. Participants assigned to the intervention group received 12 weeks of web-based therapy guided by a coach who had a background in social work. Patients in the control group receive a leaflet of mental health resources they could access. The primary outcome measure was a change in depression scores, as measured by the Patient-Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). RESULTS A total of 95 participants were enrolled (intervention, n=47; control, n=48). The mean change in PHQ-9 scores from baseline to week 12 was −3.6 (SD 6.6) in the intervention group and −3.1 (SD 6.2) in the control group, which was not a statistically significant difference with a two-sided alpha of .05 (t91=−0.37; P=.72, 95% CI −3.1 to 2.2). At 12 weeks, participants in the intervention group reported higher health-related quality of life (mean EuroQol 5 dimensions visual analogue scale [EQ-5D-VAS] score 66.8, SD 18.0) compared with the control group (mean EQ-5D VAS score 55.9, SD 19.2; t84=−2.73; P=.01). There were no statistically significant differences between the two groups in health service use following their initial consultation with a psychiatrist. The process evaluation showed that participants in the intervention group completed a mean of 5.0 (SD 2.3) lessons in The Journal and 8.8 (SD 3.1) sessions with the coach. Most participants (29/47, 62%) in the intervention group who completed the full dose of the intervention, by finishing 6 or more lessons in The Journal, were more likely to have a clinically important reduction in depressive symptoms at 12 weeks compared with the control group (Χ21=6.3; P=.01, Φ=0.37). Participants who completed the interviews reported that the role played by the coach was a major factor in adherence to the study intervention. CONCLUSIONS The results demonstrate that the use of guided web-based therapy for the treatment of depression is not more effective than information-only waitlist control. However, it showed that the coach has the potential to increase adherence and engagement with web-based depression treatment protocols. Further research is needed on what makes the coach effective. CLINICALTRIAL ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT02423733; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02423733

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