Clinical Research Directory

Guided Physical Activity Counseling: A Pilot Study

This 1-arm pilot study will test the feasibility of recruitment and use of the Physical Activity Counseling Tool (PACT) in 40 UC San Diego Health patients.

Improved Treatment for Patients With Long-term Opioid Therapy for Non-cancer Pain in Primary Care

The goal of this clinical trial is to reduce inappropriate long term opioid treatment (LTOT) and to optimize pain management in patients with LTOT for chronic non-cancer pain in primary care through a new person-centred and team-based approach. The main question it aims to answer is: What are the effects of a new person-centred and team-based approach on pain interference in patients with LTOT for chronic non-cancer pain in primary care? Researchers will compare a new person-centred and team-based approach to usual care to see if pain interference is lower. Participants will receive a person-centred team-based treatment consisting of: * Phase 1 (investigation and assessment, week 1-3): A medication review, pain analysis and other assessments through separate visits to a pharmacist, general practitioner, physiotherapist, psychologist and care manager * Phase 2 (treatment plan, week 3-4): A team consultations with all healthcare personnel involved in Phase 1 including the patient where an individualized rehabilitation plan is made based. * Phase 3 (treatment and follow-up, week 4-24): Implementation of the individualized rehabilitation plan with frequent follow-up contacts (1 per 1-3 weeks) by phone with the care manager.

Brief Training Program for General Practitioners on Malnutrition and Adapted Physical Activity

This randomized, parallel-group interventional study evaluated the impact of brief targeted training on general practitioners' knowledge and professional practices regarding malnutrition and adapted physical activity (APA). Final-year GP residents and practicing GPs in the Pays de la Loire region were randomly assigned to either a malnutrition training group or an APA training group. Each group served as an active control for the topic not received. Knowledge and self-reported practices were assessed using an online questionnaire before and one month after training.

Maternal Health Assessment in Pediatric Care

The major goal of this study is to develop and pilot M-HARP (Maternal Health Assessment and Referral Integrated into Pediatric Care). M-HARP will adapt a successful US-based health screening and referral protocol to fit the needs of new mothers at Clínica de Familia La Romana, Dominican Republic.

Connecting Families

Living in poverty has a profound negative impact on parenting stress and children's health. When poverty occurs early in childhood and continues for a long time, the impact on child health can be lifelong. Child poverty is common, affecting about 20% of Canadian children. Many low income families may not be receiving all the social benefits for which they are eligible. There are calls for primary care providers to ask patients if they have difficulty making ends meet at the end of the month and to intervene if poverty is identified, but it is not known if intervening can improve parent's and children's health. This study will test whether a Community Support Worker who helps families with young children navigate the social service system by reviewing social needs (like food, housing or energy insecurity) and income supports can lead to increased family income, reduced parenting stress and an improvement in their child's health. The Community Support Worker will help families complete income tax, apply for benefits and community supports for which they are eligible. The investigators will also study the effect of this intervention on health care utilization. Our study will be conducted in Toronto and Kingston in primary care practices participating in the TARGet Kids! primary care research network. Results from this study will help health care providers and policy makers understand whether Community Support Workers are an effective way to integrate the health and social service systems to improve parent and child health.

Fixed-Dose Combinations Pragmatic Randomized Implementation Trial for Blood Pressure Control

The proposed study is an effectiveness-implementation hybrid type II trial designed to evaluate the impact of provider- and patient-directed interventions on FDC use. The trial will test the effectiveness of theory-driven nudges tailored to address provider and patient barriers. All interventions will be pharmacist-driven, with pharmacists delivering information via nudges to providers and via nudges or more intensive interventions (i.e., CPA) to patients. Data to evaluate outcomes will be extracted from electronic health records.

eAMS-Eco: Implementation of a Tool for Climate Conscious Inhaler Prescribing

The goal of this study is to determine whether an 'eco' version of the Electronic Asthma Management System (eAMS) can reduce inhaler carbon emissions in primary care, in patients with asthma. The existing eAMS uses patient-specific criteria (asthma control, asthma flare-up risk, and current medications) to provide guideline-based computerized clinical decision support to clinicians, to improve the delivery of asthma care. The eAMS-Eco includes embedded cues and messaging on the environmental impact of inhaler medications and links to a patient-friendly conversation aid that facilitates shared decision-making and climate-conscious prescribing. The study will evaluate the implementation of the eAMS-Eco in two primary care clinics that have been using the existing eAMS, using an interrupted time-series analysis (one year pre- and post-launch of the eAMS-Eco). The investigators will assess system uptake and user feedback on the eAMS-Eco, as well as changes in inhaler prescriptions (including resulting changes in carbon emissions and costs) and changes in asthma control, in the implementation period (eAMS-Eco) compared to the baseline period (eAMS).

One-hoUr Troponin Using a High-sensitivity Point-Of-Care Assay in Emergency Primary Care

Acute chest pain is a prevalent medical emergency in primary emergency care settings. Triage of chest pain prior to hospital admission presents significant challenges due to the absence of sufficiently sensitive diagnostic tools. Clinical signs, symptoms, risk assessment scores, or a normal electrocardiogram (ECG) can reliably exclude acute myocardial infarction (MI). This diagnostic uncertainty has resulted in chest pain being the second most common cause for acute hospital referrals from Norwegian emergency primary care, even though chest pain is frequently non-cardiac in origin. In acute MI events, cardiac troponins are released into the bloodstream from the damaged myocardium, where low values are used to exclude MI. Until recently, such testing has necessitated using high-sensitivity cardiac troponin (hs-cTn) assays, which have been limited to hospital laboratories. However, recent technological advancements in point-of-care (POC) testing allow access to whole-blood assays that meet high-sensitivity criteria. In this upcoming project, the investigators will evaluate the implementation of a whole-blood POC assay (QuidelOrtho TriageTrue hs-cTnI) across six Norwegian emergency primary care clinics. The study plans to enrol 2,500 patients over a period of 1.5 years. The clinical performance of the novel strategy will be investigated, as well as its impact on healthcare utilization and hospital referrals compared to standard care. Additionally, the investigators will assess the prevalence of persistent chest pain and its effects on quality of life, alongside psychological stress and anxiety, through validated questionnaires. This project aims to offer better and more comprehensive management of the large group of emergency primary care patients with acute chest pain, contributing to reduced hospital referrals, improved quality of life, and more sustainable use of healthcare services.

"Effectiveness of Supervised and Unsupervised mHealth-based Exercise Interventions on Clinical Outcomes in Adults With Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity Within a Primary Care Context"

Type 2 diabetes (T2D) and obesity are two of the most common chronic conditions worldwide, and they frequently occur together. Both conditions are closely linked to physical inactivity, which is currently recognized as a major risk factor for a wide range of diseases. Although structured exercise programs have shown benefits for people living with these conditions, maintaining long-term participation remains a significant challenge. The rise of mobile health (mHealth) technologies - such as smartphone apps and wearable devices - offers a promising new way to support people in becoming and staying more physically active. This study aims to compare the effects of two different 20-week exercise intervention programs versus standard medical care in adults aged 30 to 65 who have been diagnosed with both T2D and obesity. Participants will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: Group 1 (Supervised Training): Participants will attend two in-person, supervised exercise sessions per week at a local sports facility, each lasting 60 minutes. Sessions will be led by a qualified trainer and will include strength, flexibility, and functional exercises. Participants will also receive weekly motivational text messages and group health coaching. Group 2 (Unsupervised mHealth Training): Participants will follow the same exercise plan independently using a mobile application (ActiVital), which is part of the Andalusian Physical Activity Prescription Plan (PAPEF). They will receive their weekly training schedule through the app and will also receive text messages and group health coaching. Group 3 (Control Group): Participants will continue with their usual medical care without any structured exercise program. All participants across the three groups will be provided with a Fitbit Charge 6 wearable device to monitor daily physical activity and health indicators. The study's central hypothesis is that both structured supervised exercise and app-guided unsupervised exercise will lead to meaningful improvements in clinical indicators - such as blood glucose levels, glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c), blood lipids, and blood pressure - as well as in body composition, physical fitness, sleep quality, and overall quality of life, when compared to standard care alone. It is also hypothesized that the mHealth approach will show particular benefits in terms of adherence, self-management, and scalability. A total of 126 participants will be recruited through the Primary Care Center of Osuna (Seville, Spain), with measurements taken before and after the 20-week intervention period. The study will help determine which type of exercise program is most effective and feasible for people managing both type 2 diabetes and obesity in a primary care setting.

Effectiveness of a Joint General Practitioner-Pharmacist Intervention on Benzodiazepine Deprescribing in the Elderly

Benzodiazepines or related drug (BZDR) are consumed for hypnotic or anxiolytic purposes in most cases. The consequences of BZDR are multiple with an increased risk of daytime sedation, balance disorders leading to falls and fractures, cognitive disorders, road accidents and dementia. Given their comorbidities, physiological changes, and multiple medications, the elderly are more at risk of suffering from BZDR adverse events. Interprofessional collaboration has shown efficacy in improving prescribing appropriateness and may affect patients outcomes positively. Morever, motivational interviews (MI) may reduce the extent of substance abuse compared to no intervention.

KanSurvive 2.0: Testing Enhanced Models of Cancer Survivorship Care for Rural Cancer Survivors in Primary Care Practice

Rural cancer survivors experience a higher risk of negative health outcomes and require coordinated care to address the many effects of cancer and its treatment. Primary care providers recognize the importance of providing high-quality, evidence-based survivorship care and are well-positioned to meet survivor needs, however, these needs are often unmet due to limitations in knowledge, lack of resources, and administrative demands. Practical strategies are needed to help PCPs improve cancer survivorship care, and this proposal will test implementation strategies to optimize the adoption of evidence-based practices for cancer survivorship care in rural primary care settings.

Pilot Trial of Clinic-based Dating Violence Prevention Program for Adolescents and Caregivers

ETHR V 2.0 pilot trial is a one-arm, multi-site pilot trial to assess the acceptability and feasibility of Engaging Together for Healthy Relationships, a caregiver-adolescent dating violence prevention program delivered within pediatric primary care.

Peer Recovery Support for Opioid Use Disorder Treatment Retention

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn whether adding peer recovery support services to standard opioid use disorder (OUD) treatment in primary care helps patients stay in treatment longer. The main question it seeks to answer is whether it is feasible to deliver a peer recovery support intervention alongside medication-assisted treatment (buprenorphine) in a Philadelphia primary care clinic. Participants will receive standard OUD treatment (buprenorphine) combined with peer recovery support services for 180 days. They will attend study visits at baseline, weekly for the first 2 weeks, then every 2 weeks, then monthly, and complete assessments about substance use, medication adherence, self-efficacy, resilience, and coping. Participants will also take part in brief periodic interviews about their experience with peer support.

MEVA Cognitive Wellness Platform Study for Adults

The goal of this observational study is to evaluate the reliability, usability, and feasibility of the MEVA Cognitive Wellness Platform in community-dwelling adults aged 55 to 75. The main questions it aims to answer are: How consistent is the MEVA Global Cognitive Index when participants complete the MEVA activities again approximately 14 days later? How usable and acceptable is the MEVA platform for older adults in community settings? What completion rates, data quality patterns, and participant feedback are observed during use of the platform? Participants will: Complete a baseline study visit lasting approximately 45 to 60 minutes Complete a 7-activity digital cognitive wellness battery Answer questionnaires about usability, technology acceptance, and wellness experience Complete the Saint Louis University Mental Status (SLUMS) examination as an exploratory comparison measure If selected for the retest group, return approximately 14 days later to complete the MEVA activities again MEVA is being evaluated as a cognitive wellness platform. It is not intended to diagnose, treat, prevent, screen for, or monitor any disease or medical condition.

Implementation of a Clinical Decision Support System in Primary Care for the Screening and Assessment of Frailty in Patients Aged 65 and Over

This observational study aims to evaluate the real-life use of a digital tool (Fragiclic) by general practitioners (GPs) and nurses to screen and assess frailty in adults aged 65 and over. Frailty is a syndrome that increases the risk of loss of autonomy, falls, hospitalizations, or death. The tool includes simple screening questionnaires (such as SEGAm) and a comprehensive assessment (CGA - Comprehensive Geriatric Assessment) to better manage patients' health. The main question it aims to answer is: * What proportion of patients aged 65 and over will benefit from frailty screening or assessment using Fragiclic over 12 months? A secondary question is \- Does the use of Fragiclic reduce the risk of unplanned hospitalizations or death in these patients? For the secondary question, researchers will compare patients who received screening or assessment (with or without a Personalized Care Plan (PCP)) to those who did not, to determine if Fragiclic improves their health outcomes. Participants will not have additional tasks: Their GP or nurse will use Fragiclic during routine consultations. Some patients may be asked to provide information about their health or quality of life (via their healthcare provider). All data will be collected anonymously and securely

DEDICATE: aDvancing carE Management aDoption In Community heAlTh cEnters

DEDICATE will refine and test the effectiveness of evidence-based implementation support strategies designed to support care management teams' sustained use of electronic health record (EHR)-based functionalities to address unmet non-medical health-related needs through improved clinical-community linkages. This study will test the hypothesis that providing implementation support to health center care management teams will lead to increased adoption of EHR functionalities and increased screenings and referrals to community organization to address unmet non-medical health-related needs needs through a cluster-randomized trial. This study's results will have implications for patients with non-medical health-related needs receiving care management in primary care settings.

Navigator Program for Homeless Adults

Individuals experiencing homelessness often have complex health and social needs. This population also faces disproportionate systemic barriers to accessing health care services and social supports, such as not having primary care providers, needing to meet other competing priorities, and difficulties affording medications. These barriers contribute to discontinuities in care, poor health outcomes, and high acute healthcare utilization after hospitalization among this population. This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effect of a case management intervention (the Navigator program) for individuals experiencing homelessness who have been admitted to hospital for medical conditions. This study will examine outcomes over a 180-day period after hospital discharge, including follow-up with primary care providers, acute healthcare utilization, quality of care transitions, and overall health.

Latin America Network for Primary Palliative Care

Palliative care is the holistic care provided to individuals and their families who experience health related suffering related to life-limiting conditions. Palliative care is practiced by speciality level clinicians and also non-specialists. The term Primary Palliative Care (PPC) refers to the palliative care provided in primary care by primary care staff. In Latin America (LA), palliative care services have shown strong growth over the past two decades, but remain established and integrated in only a few localised areas across the region. Building on the success of the UoE's Global Access to Palliative Care Latin America (GAP - LA) Project led by the Usher Institute and funded by the UK Medical Research Council (grant number MR/V021400/1), primary care has been identified as a natural area for capacity building and strengthening to reduce health related suffering from serious illness and improve end of life care in Latin America. The researchers will collaborate with Pallium Latin America (PLA), a LA association involved in advocacy, education and clinical care in the region. The objectives of this study are: 1. To explore the facilitators and barriers to the implementation of a Latin American contextualised primary palliative care from the perspective of family medicine doctors 2. To list and describe the models in which palliative care is delivered within primary care 3. To define the process and outcome measures which would be meaningful for measurement of primary palliative care A Participatory Action Research (PAR) framework will be employed, combining both qualitative and quantitative components over 24 months. 30 to 50 primary care health professionals across LA will be recruited from the network already established by PLA to become co-researchers in line with the PAR methodology. 1. Online case-based discussion meetings (around 12 every 6 to 8 weeks) and post-meeting survey 2. Online individual semi-structured interviews (20-30) 3. Online co-researcher focus group discussions (3-5) 4. Co-researcher surveys 5. Documentary analysis Online meetings, interviews and focus group discussions will be recorded, translated and transcribed. Transcripts and surveys will be the data for analysis using NVivo, RedCap and MS Excell software.

Developing a Learning Health System for Primary Care in Thailand

Research question: Can a Learning Health System (LHS) approach improve delivery of care and reduce inequalities in outcomes for people with hypertension and related non-communicable diseases (NCDs) compared to routine care in primary care settings in Thailand? Background: NCDs account for 74% of all deaths in Thailand. Electronic health record data is used in Thailand to monitor how well whole regions deliver care, but is not directly available to healthcare teams in an actionable format which allows them to identify individuals in need of earlier, or more active management. LHS' are an effective framework for empowering healthcare teams to drive quality improvement (QI), reduce inequalities, and translate electronic health record data into actionable clinical insight. Aims and objectives: The investigators will conduct a stratified cluster randomized controlled trial to compare the LHS approach to routine care in two Thai provinces. The investigators will randomize 16 primary care units to the intervention over three phases: targeting management of people with hypertension in phase 1, type 2 diabetes in phase 2 and chronic kidney disease (CKD) in phase 3. In each phase, the investigators will: 1. Co-design a LHS with healthcare teams, policymakers, researchers and the public 2. Train healthcare and analytic teams to deliver the LHS and establish local champions to support it 3. Trial the LHS approach for 12 months 4. Compare performance between intervention and control practices and evaluate the benefits and costs of implementing the LHS 5. Identify provider and patient barriers and facilitators to inform long-term QI for NCDs Methods: The investigators will create four strata of primary care units according to practice size and case-mix. Within each stratum, the investigators will randomize four practices to the intervention arm. In each of the three phases of the intervention, the investigators will hold a series of stakeholder workshops to co-design quality improvement pathways, training materials, and computerised decision support tools (Aim 1); train multidisciplinary healthcare, analytic and research teams to implement the LHS and establish clinical and community champions to support it (Aim 2). The investigators will trial the LHS for 12 months. Monthly data on key metrics will be used to monitor progress and iterate the LHS based on data analytics and shared learning across healthcare teams (Aim 3). The investigators will conduct formal statistical comparisons between intervention and control arms, undertake health economic and mixed-methods realist evaluations to understand what works in promoting change and associated costs and benefits. (Aims 4 \& 5). Timeline: Trial setup (months 0-6), Hypertension (months 3-21), Diabetes (months 15-33), CKD (months 24-45), Evaluation (months 24-48) Impact and dissemination: Results will be disseminated via publication in high-impact journals, conference presentations, stakeholder meetings, and the media. The investigators will co-produce locally relevant educational materials and clinical guidelines. Impact will include the generation of longitudinal epidemiological data on management and outcomes of NCDs, including factors which facilitate continuous QI, and associated costs and benefits. The decision support tools, training resources, and economic evaluative frameworks will be made freely available by the Thai Ministry of Health and the regional WHO office. Capacity building will ensure the next generation of clinical, community, and research leaders promulgate this way of working across the region.

Feasibility Study of a Patient-centered CDS for Recommended Screenings in Primary Care

Primary care professionals (PCPs) are responsible for identifying patients who are eligible for all recommended screenings. Eligibility is difficult, given the number of screenings recommended by the French National Authority for Health (HAS), and the complexity of defining risk groups. When eligibility for one or more screenings is identified, the PCP informs the patient and can help him or her make the decision, considering his or her values and preferences. Lack of information for patients and lack of time for PCPs are the main obstacles to prevention in primary care (PC). Another barrier identified is the lack of opportunity for patients who do not consult their PCP very often, as they are less likely to be approached for preventive interventions due to other more urgent reasons for consultation. A Medical Decision Support System (MDSS) is a software application designed to be a direct aid to clinical decision-making, in which an inference engine matches individual patient characteristics with a computerized knowledge base or machine-learning algorithm to propose a risk assessment or adapted recommendations to the healthcare professional and/or patient. The aim of the ADER-F research program is to support the development and evaluation of a complex intervention centred on the use of a MDSS called "Lianeli". This complex intervention will ultimately contribute to structuring new consultations dedicated to prevention in general practice, by improving the physician's sense of self-efficacy in conducting the shared screening decision, and reducing the patient's decision-making conflict.

Efficacy of Artificial Intelligence for Gatekeeping in Referrals to Specialized Care

In Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, the demand for specialty care referrals has increased sharply with the adoption of the electronic regulatory system, especially in rural areas. In 2023 alone, over 79,000 referrals were submitted monthly, totaling 1.7 million annual gatekeeping decisions. Due to workforce limitations, nearly 70% of referrals are authorized automatically, often without clinical validation. This leads to delays for high-risk patients, unnecessary specialist visits, and a growing backlog, currently over 172,000 pending referrals. To address this, an AI algorithm was developed to triage referrals based on urgency and appropriateness. The investigators propose a prospective controlled study with randomized implementation of the AI tool across selected specialty queues in the electronic referral system. The population will consist of referrals from specialties waitlists from municipalities in Rio Grande do Sul. Specialties to be included will be selected by the State Health Department prospectively according to gatekeeping needs. The intervention will be an AI-based triage algorithm. The control will be a standard gatekeeping process. The primary outcome is the proportion of referrals with a final decision (authorized or redirected to primary care) within six months; secondary outcomes include time to decision and appointment, system-level performance metrics. Referrals will be randomly assigned to algorithmic or human gatekeeping with a 1:1 ratio. The algorithm classifies referrals into two groups: not authorized (pending more data or teleconsultation), authorized. Authorization cases are further divided into routine and high-risk referrals to help the manage demand. Each AI prediction provides a probability from 0 to 1 of authorization (or deferring). The implementation threshold is set at 0.8; cases below this level will be classified as low confidence for decision and will not be included. According to the State Health Department's decisions, several referral lines are expected to be selected for the intervention. A sample size 934 (467 per arm) for each included specialty was calculated to detect a 1.2 relative risk for the primary outcome with 90% power and 5% significance.

Diagnostic Stewardship Intervention to Reduce Inappropriate Antibiotic Use for Urinary Tract Infections in Primary Care

Urine culture is the most common microbiological test in the outpatient setting in the United States. Unfortunately, contamination during collection is prevalent and undermines test accuracy, leading to incorrect diagnosis, unnecessary treatment, wasted laboratory resources, and inflated costs. Unnecessary antibiotic treatment increases the risk of developing antimicrobial resistance, one of the most serious threats to patients and public health. The goal of this clinical trial is to test whether a bilingual (English and Spanish) educational intervention, an animated video and pictorial flyer, can reduce urine culture contamination and associated inappropriate antibiotic use in adult patients visiting safety-net primary care clinics. The main questions it aims to answer are: 1. Does providing patients with a bilingual educational intervention reduce urine culture contamination rates? 2. Does the intervention lead to fewer unnecessary urinary antibiotic prescriptions? 3. Does providing patients with a bilingual educational intervention reduce contaminated urinalyses? Researchers will compare patients randomized to receive the educational intervention (video and flyer) to those receiving usual care to see if the intervention improves urine collection accuracy and reduces inappropriate antibiotic use. Participants will watch a short, animated video with step-by-step instructions for proper midstream clean-catch urine (MSCC) collection, receive a pictorial flyer (with stills from the video) reinforcing the instructions, and provide a urine sample for culture. Hypothesis: patients who receive the educational intervention will have: lower urine culture contamination rates (primary outcome), fewer urinary antibiotic prescriptions (secondary outcome), and fewer contaminated urinalyses (secondary outcome). The objectives are to (1) develop educational tools: Create an animated video and pictorial flyer with step-by-step urine collection instructions for women and men, developed through an iterative, stakeholder-engaged process, (2) assess acceptability: Use mixed methods (quantitative surveys and qualitative interviews) to evaluate and refine the tools for usability and cultural/linguistic appropriateness, and (3) test effectiveness: Conduct a randomized controlled trial to assess the intervention's impact on urine contamination rates, antibiotic prescribing, and patient satisfaction.

A Swiss Interprofessional Network for Reviewing Inappropriate Medication in Primary Care

The aim of the SINERGIC pilot study is to assess the feasibility in the Swiss context of implementing interprofessional medication reviews between GP and pharmacists, as part of a shared decision-making process with patients. The acceptability and potential effectiveness of such an intervention will also be assessed. This assessment will enable the investigators to take into account the determining factors for setting up a large-scale study to support the sustainable financing of this service in the long term.

Arrival Time Implementation

This is a prospective clinical trial evaluating how behaviorally informed message framing can improve patient on-time arrival for outpatient visits. This trial is being implemented in conjunction with UCLA Health's broader operational quality improvement (QI) efforts to enhance clinic flow and patient experience. The main question it aims to answer is how displaying an explicit arrival time (set to 15 minutes before the scheduled appointment) affects when patients arrive for their appointments, compared to a control condition where only the appointment time is displayed and patients are encouraged to arrive 15 min before the appointment (without an explicit arrival time).