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ThromboembolismPhase 4NCT00794560

Self-management of Low Molecular Weight Heparin Therapy

A Phase 4 study testing patient education in people with Thromboembolism, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 2 sites in Switzerland.

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

There is very little data available on compliance with self-injected low molecular weight heparins (LMWH), but what there is, definitely shows that compliance represents a significant problem. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 18 years and older
Conditions the study is for
Thromboembolism
What is being tested?
patient education
Could I receive a placebo?
No, everyone receives an active treatment
How many people
154 participants
Where
2 sitesSwitzerland
Study dates
Jun 2007to Aug 2009
Phase
Phase 4
Are there results?
Yes, posted in the registrySummary in the doctors' view

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 years and older
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Who may be able to join

  • Patients are recruited from orthopedic clinics, an emergency department and from community pharmacies with a prescription for a LMWH as an outpatient treatment.
  • self-application of the LMWH
  • german / english speaking
  • -> clinical setting:
  • Dalteparin
  • -> daily life setting:
  • all LMWH (ready-to-use syringes)
  • control group: self-application or application by another person (family member, medical person, etc.)

Who cannot join

  • patient's home far away from study center

Trial locations and contacts

2 sites in 1 country.

Switzerland2 sites
  • University Hospital of Basle, Switzerland

    Basel, CH-4031

  • Kantonsspital Baselland, Switzerland

    Bruderholz, CH-4101

Other trials in Switzerland

About this study

Official title: Self-management of Heparin Therapy - Drug Use Problems and Compliance With Self-injected Low Molecular Weight Heparin in Ambulatory Care

There is very little data available on compliance with self-injected low molecular weight heparins (LMWH), but what there is, definitely shows that compliance represents a significant problem. We therefore aim to a) record drug use problems of patients including compliance, b) develop a "SOP" for first instruction by a pharmacist and for subsequent pharmaceutical care and c) to compare intensive pharmaceutical care (intervention) vs. standard care (control) provided in the pharmacy to patients with a prescription for a LMWH as an outpatient treatment.

Hypothesis:

Intensive pharmaceutical care in ambulatory patients who self-inject low molecular weight heparins results in improved compliance, more safety and satisfaction as well as in fewer complications.

Read the detailed description

Patient recruitment in community pharmacies enables the testing of the feasibility of the interventions under daily-practice conditions and facilitates the recruitment of a larger number of patients.

Data collection:

  • telephone interviews with structured questionnaires at the beginning and at the end of the therapy
  • monitored self-injection in the study center or at patient's home (direct observation technique [DOT])
  • compliance measurement: answers from patient interviews, comparing number of used syringes vs. number of prescribed syringes (analogue "pill count"), measuring residual volume in recycled syringes
  • recording of the fine motor skills by the adapted "Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder and Hand" questionnaire (DASH questionnaire)
Conditions
Thromboembolism
Being tested
patient education
Keywords
Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight, compliance, drug safety, self-administration, ambulatory Care, Pharmaceutical Services
Medical subject headings
Thromboembolism, Patient Compliance

What participants receive

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

  • patient educationBehavioural

    Possible, individualized interventions:

    • Improvement of patient's knowledge about medication, therapy and drug application by providing detailed written information material
    • Providing a complete equipment package for self-injection (disinfection patches, patches, plasters, waste disposal box for used syringes)
    • Patient training: oral instructions for self-injection (and application, if required), exercising the injection technique on a phantom
    • First self-injection under control of a specially trained pharmacist
Study groups in NCT00794560
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
clinical setting: interventionExperimentalRecruitment of patients in the hospital into the randomized intervention group. Intervention is done by a trained pharmacist/Doctor of Philosophy-student in the study center (a pharmacy) or at patient's bedside in the hospital. Intervention: patient education
Receives: Behavioral: patient education
clinical setting: standard careNo interventionRecruitment of patients in the hospital into the randomized control group (standard care in community pharmacy)
daily life setting: interventionExperimentalRecruitment of patients in trained community pharmacies into the intervention group. Intervention is done by trained pharmacists. Intervention: patient education
Receives: Behavioral: patient education
daily life setting: standard careNo interventionRecruitment of patients in community pharmacies into control group (standard care in community pharmacy)

What is being measured

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

  1. Drug Use Problems

    During a home visit and at her/his individual injection time, each patient was monitored when self-administering an s.c. injection (directly observed therapy, DOT). Score minimum = -2.00; score maximum = +2.00 for the objective estimation of the application quality. Higher score values represent better outcomes.

    Measured: during the individual drug therapy, an average of 18 days

Secondary outcomes (2)
  1. Compliance

    objectively determined by syringe count Therapy durations varied individually depending on the indication of the drug therapy (days to weeks).

    Measured: at the end of the individual drug therapy, an average of 18 days

  2. Patient Satisfaction

    Measured: at the end of the individual drug therapy, an average of 18 days

Timeline

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

  1. First posted20 Nov 2008 (estimated)
  2. Study startJun 2007
  3. Primary completionAug 2009
  4. Study completionAug 2009

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 4
Primary purpose
Supportive care
Allocation
Randomised
Intervention model
Parallel groups
Masking
None (open label)
Enrolment
154 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00794560
Sponsor's protocol ID
NRA 630 00 23
Other IDs
EKBB 95/07
Status last verified
Nov 2014
First submitted
18 Nov 2008
Last updated
18 Nov 2014
Data monitoring committee
No

Publications

  • Mengiardi S, Tsakiris DA, Molnar V, et al. Impact of Pharmaceutical Care on Self-Administration of Outpatient Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin Therapy. Pharmacology & Pharmacy 5: 372-385, 2014

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

A Phase 4 study testing patient education in people with Thromboembolism, run by University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland at 2 sites in Switzerland.

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 8 inclusion and 1 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 18 Nov 2014. 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 Switzerland. 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.

What does this phase mean?

Phase 4 studies take place after a treatment is approved, to learn more about its long-term benefits and risks in everyday use.

Not every study follows the same path, and some studies (observational studies, device studies) have no phase.

Are results available for this study?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 13 Aug 2014). A summary is in the For doctors view, and the full results are on ClinicalTrials.gov.

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?

Drug Use Problems (time frame: during the individual drug therapy, an average of 18 days). 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 NCT00794560, 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 18 Nov 2014.

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