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Varicose UlcerNCT00656383

Effectiveness and Efficiency of Two Models of Delivering Care to a Chronic Wound Population

A study testing Clients randomized to nurse-led clinic and Clients receive leg ulcer care in their homes in people with Varicose Ulcer, run by Queen's University at 2 sites in Canada.

Completed

Finished. The study has ended and is not enrolling. Results may be posted on the official record.

Official record
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Trial summary

Individuals referred to home care for leg ulcer management were randomized to nurse home visits (usual care) or nurse-run community clinics (intervention). The primary outcome will be the time to healing rates at three months. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 to 90 years
Conditions the study is for
Varicose Ulcer
What is being tested?
Clients randomized to nurse-led clinic and Clients receive leg ulcer care in their homes
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
401 participants
Where
2 sitesCanada
Study dates
Oct 2000to Mar 2005
Phase
Interventional
Are there results?
None posted in the registry

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 18 to 90 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • The client:
  • Admission to home care for care of a venous leg ulcer (below the knee to the foot)
  • Ability to travel to clinic
  • No major contraindication for clinic care (eg not being able to leave an ill spouse, refusal, etc.)

Who cannot join

  • Treatment is contraindicated
  • The ulcer in question is not venous
  • The client cannot travel outside the home or travel is impeded

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

Canada2 sites
  • Ottawa Carleton Community Care Access Centre

    Ottawa, Ontario, K1J 7T2

  • Victorian Order of Nurses, Ottawa-Carleton

    Ottawa, Ontario, K1K 3B8

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Individuals referred to home care for leg ulcer management were randomized to nurse home visits (usual care) or nurse-run community clinics (intervention). The primary outcome will be the time to healing rates at three months. Secondary outcomes are: time to healing of all ulcers within the 12 month follow-up period, time to first recurrence of a healed ulcer, the number of weeks patients were free from ulcers, function, pain, and health related quality of life, client and provider satisfaction. We hypothesize that nurse-run neighborhood clinics result in better healing rates, more cost-effective care, and improved client and provider satisfaction than the home visiting model.

Read the detailed description

The management of chronic wounds in the community is a pressing issue for home care authorities. The care of leg ulcers represents a considerable expense to the health care system. It has been estimated that the care of venous leg ulcers alone consumes 1% of the national health care budgets of the UK and France. A one-month prevalence study in the Ottawa Carleton region (pop. 750,000) revealed that 126 Community Care Access Centre Clients (CCAC - the regional health care authority) received over 1500 home nursing visits. During the course of a year this represents more than $600,000 in home nursing visits for this condition in just one Ontario region. There is evidence supporting effective wound management but this is not necessarily what patients receive. As well, appropriate evidence-based, efficient, community-based care must be supported by ready access to specialized facilities. Research from other countries suggest that reorganization of services which includes nurse-run clinic care near to home, evidence-based protocols, and enhanced linkages with secondary and tertiary services may result in improvements in healing rates and reductions in expenditures. These international studies provide optimism that with reorganization of care within the Canadian context we can deliver community services for improved outcomes. However, only with a rigorous evaluation of the effectiveness and efficiency can we understand if such changes in the Canadian context are beneficial.

Objective:

To evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of two models of service delivery: traditional single service delivery model (home visiting) compared to nurse-led community clinics.

Research Questions:

  1. What are the health outcomes (healing, function, plain and quality of life) for two models of care (nurse-run neighbourhood clinics vs. home care) for the population with leg ulcers?
  2. What are health services utilization and expenditures associated with the two models of care?
  3. What is client and provider satisfaction with the nurse-run neighbourhood clinics and home nursing care?
  4. What are the barriers and supports to implementing neighbourhood leg ulcer clinics?

Study Design and Method:

A randomized health services controlled trial of nurse-run neighbourhood leg ulcer clinics (intervention) and home care (current practice) with a cost-effectiveness analysis. A repeated measures design will be used to assess healing and ulcer improvement, quality of life and patient satisfaction over time.

Outcome measures:

The primary outcome measure is the proportion of limbs healed by three months. Secondary outcome measures are: time to complete healing, ulcer size, ulcer recurrence, function, pain, quality of life, client and provider satisfaction.

Conditions
Varicose Ulcer
Being tested
Clients randomized to nurse-led clinic, Clients receive leg ulcer care in their homes
Keywords
venous ulcer, leg ulcer, stasis ulcer
Medical subject headings
Varicose Ulcer, Leg Ulcer

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

  • Clients randomized to nurse-led clinicOther

    Also called Usual Care, Best Practice, Venous Leg Ulcer treatment

    Clients receive leg ulcer care in a nurse-led clinic; both groups are treated by the same health care providers using the same protocol

  • Clients receive leg ulcer care in their homesOther

    Also called Leg Ulcer Care, Usual Care, Best Practice

    Clients receive leg ulcer care in at home; both groups are treated by the same health care providers using the same protocol

Study groups in NCT00656383
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
1Active comparatorClient is randomized to receive leg ulcer treatment in the home
Receives: Other: Clients receive leg ulcer care in their homes
2Active comparatorClient randomized to receive leg ulcer care in the clinic
Receives: Other: Clients randomized to nurse-led clinic

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Proportion in each study arm of ulcerated limbs completely healed at 3 months

    Measured: 3 months

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Time to complete healing, ulcer size, and ulcer recurrence over 12 months

    Measured: 12 months

  2. Client function, pain and health-related quality of life

    Measured: 12 months

  3. Client and provider satisfaction

    Measured: 12 months

  4. Health services expenditure and utilization

    Measured: 12 months

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted11 Apr 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startOct 2000
  3. Primary completionMar 2004
  4. Study completionMar 2005

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Interventional
Phase
Phase N/A
Primary purpose
Treatment
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
401 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00656383
Sponsor's protocol ID
MOP-42497
Status last verified
Nov 2015
First submitted
7 Apr 2008
Last updated
20 Nov 2015
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Harrison MB, Graham ID, Lorimer K, Vandenkerkhof E, Buchanan M, Wells PS, Brandys T, Pierscianowski T. Nurse clinic versus home delivery of evidence-based community leg ulcer care: a randomized health services trial. BMC Health Serv Res. 2008 Nov 26;8:243. doi: 10.1186/1472-6963-8-243.

    PubMed 19036149

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A study testing Clients randomized to nurse-led clinic and Clients receive leg ulcer care in their homes in people with Varicose Ulcer, run by Queen's University at 2 sites in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 4 inclusion and 3 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 20 Nov 2015. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 2 sites in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Proportion in each study arm of ulcerated limbs completely healed at 3 months (time frame: 3 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?

On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT00656383, which also lists 1 linked publication.

Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 20 Nov 2015.

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