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ScreeningMPIBNCT00981019

Doctors' Understanding of Survival Statistics

An observational study of Screening, run by Max Planck Institute for Human Development at 1 site in Germany.

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

The probably most commonly used measure for expressing the pay-offs of early detection and treatment are survival rates. Yet, over time and groups this metric comes with several biases and thus, is not reliable for judging such benefits. Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 30 to 65 years
Conditions the study is for
Screening
How many people
778 participants
Where
1 siteGermany
Study dates
Dec 2009to Dec 2009
Phase
Observational
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 30 to 65 years
  • All sexes
  • No healthy volunteers
  • Adult, Older adult

Study population: 301 primary care physicians (internal, general, and family medicine physicians)

Who may be able to join

  • primary care physicians (internal, general, and family medicine physicians)

Who cannot join

  • all other types of physicians

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country.

Germany1 site
  • Max Planck Institute for Human Development

    Berlin, 14195

Other trials in Germany

About this study

Official title: Study of Primary Care Physicians' Understanding and Use of Different Survival Measures

The probably most commonly used measure for expressing the pay-offs of early detection and treatment are survival rates. Yet, over time and groups this metric comes with several biases and thus, is not reliable for judging such benefits. Epidemiologists recommend using reduction of disease-specific mortality rates instead, which is unbiased. The purpose of the study is to investigate how primary care physicians understand and use different survival measures for determining the benefit of cancer screening tests.

Conditions
Screening
Keywords
survival rates, risk communication, screening counselling, screening recommendation, understanding of medical risk

What participants receive

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

Study groups in NCT00981019
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
mortality*incidence*5-year survival*early stagePhysicians will be faced in scenarios about screening with information on mortality and 5-year survival, followed by information on mortality*incidence and 5-year survival*early stage in a random order.

What is being measured

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

  1. Number of Physicians (=Participants) Recommending the Screening

    The aim of the study was to learn how different medical cancer screening statistics would influence doctors' recommendation behavior and their effectiveness judgments of screening tests. For that reason the online survey study presented physicians with four different medical statistics (e.g., 5-year survival) within four successive scenarios and asked after each scenario whether they would recommend the screening to a (hypothetical) patient given the data. Options to answer are: Definitely yes, Probably yes, Probably no, Definitely no, Can't decide.

    Measured: 25 minutes (mean duration of the survey)

Secondary outcomes (1)
  1. Number of Physicians (= Participants) Assuming a Benefit of Screening

    Physicians are faced with four different medical statistics about the effect of screening (e.g., 5-year survival) within four successive scenarios and after each scenario asked whether they assume the screening to be beneficial given the statistical information. Options to answer are: yes, no, can't decide. If yes, then participants are further asked to describe this benefit by the following categories: Very large, large, moderate, small, very small.

    Measured: 25 minutes (mean duration of the survey)

Timeline

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

  1. First posted22 Sep 2009 (estimated)
  2. Study startDec 2009
  3. Primary completionDec 2009
  4. Study completionDec 2009

Resources

More details

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

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Ecologic or community
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
778 participants (actual)
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT00981019
Sponsor's protocol ID
MPIB-01-SM
Acronym
MPIB
Status last verified
Jul 2011
First submitted
18 Sep 2009
Last updated
15 Aug 2011
Data monitoring committee
Yes

Publications

  • Wegwarth O, Schwartz LM, Woloshin S, Gaissmaier W, Gigerenzer G. Do physicians understand cancer screening statistics? A national survey of primary care physicians in the United States. Ann Intern Med. 2012 Mar 6;156(5):340-9. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-156-5-201203060-00005.

    PubMed 22393129

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Screening, run by Max Planck Institute for Human Development at 1 site in Germany.

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 1 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 15 Aug 2011. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Germany. 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?

Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 15 Aug 2011). 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?

Number of Physicians (=Participants) Recommending the Screening (time frame: 25 minutes (mean duration of the survey)). 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 NCT00981019, 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 15 Aug 2011.

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