BehaviorNCT03312218
The Study Guide Cluster Randomized Control Trial
A study testing Spaced educational intervention in people with Behavior, run by Jewish General Hospital at 1 site in Canada.
Trial summary
Spaced education is a promising theory-driven strategy to improve clinical competence. Our aim is to improve the clinical competence of Family Physicians, an outcome associated with the quality of care delivered to Canadians. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Any ageHealthy volunteers can take part
- Conditions the study is for
- Behavior
- What is being tested?
- Spaced educational intervention
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 634 participants
- Where
- 1 siteCanada
- Study dates
- 18 Oct 2017to 1 Jul 2019
- Phase
- Interventional
- 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 Any age
- All sexes
- Healthy volunteers accepted
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Who may be able to join
- incoming family medicine residents in Canada (July 2017)
Who cannot join
- not a family medicine resident
- did not start residency on July 1, 2017
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
About this study
Official title: Can an App Improve the Examination Scores of Family Medicine Residents? A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
Spaced education is a promising theory-driven strategy to improve clinical competence. Our aim is to improve the clinical competence of Family Physicians, an outcome associated with the quality of care delivered to Canadians.
Read the detailed description
Research Question: Among family medicine residents, does enhanced feedback through an app providing alerts and test questions (spaced education), compared to the same app without alerts and enhanced feedback (no spaced education), improve competence as measured by the certification examination? In building this proposal for a definitive trial, the investigators have support from coast to coast. In addition to key clinician educators, the team includes knowledge users from the organization responsible for the certification examination in Family Medicine, methodologists and experienced researchers who study how mobile apps can promote engagement with clinical information. The team has the right blend of expertise in medical education and cluster randomized trials.
Approach and Methods: The investigators will follow an organizational participatory research approach, and propose a cluster randomized controlled trial. Setting: All incoming family medicine residents in Canada will be eligible to participate. Intervention site residents will receive alerts through an app to adaptively reinforce the learning of clinical content based on cases and test questions (spaced education). Residents in the control group will receive the same app providing identical clinical cases and test questions-on-demand, but with alerts inactivated (no spaced education). The primary outcome will be scores on the certification examination. This routinely collected data will be provided to the team by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Expected Results and Conclusion: Spaced education will improve examination scores. This will inform educational practice by providing evidence to optimize the training of residents.
- Conditions
- Behavior
- Being tested
- Spaced educational intervention
- Medical subject headings
- Behavior
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Spaced educational interventionBehavioural
A spaced educational intervention will be provided to participants
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Intervention site residents will receive alerts through an app to adaptively reinforce the learning of clinical content based on cases and test questions (spaced education). Receives: Behavioral: Spaced educational intervention |
| Control | No intervention | Residents in the control group will receive the same app providing identical clinical cases and test questions-on-demand, but with alerts inactivated (no spaced education). |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Scores on the Certification Examination
This is the score on the written component of the examination of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. This refers to the grade/score given to participants on the Short Answer Management Problems (SAMP) section of the exam ranging from 0 to 100. Higher values represent a better outcome. The score minimum observed was 53.9 and max is 84.4 for this study.
Measured: 2 years
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted17 Oct 2017
- Study start18 Oct 2017
- Primary completion31 May 2019
- Study completion1 Jul 2019
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, outcome measures and adverse events reported by the sponsor.
- Other trials for BehaviorStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
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
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Participant, Investigator
- Enrolment
- 634 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Jewish General Hospital
- Sponsor type
- University, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Western University, Canada, College of Family Physicians of Canada, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Université de Montréal, University of Ottawa, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, University of Toronto, McMaster University, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, Université de Sherbrooke, University of Calgary
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Roland Grad, Jewish General Hospital
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03312218
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- The Study Guide Trial 2017
- Status last verified
- Jan 2021
- First submitted
- 6 Oct 2017
- Last updated
- 12 Feb 2021
- Results posted
- Yes, on ClinicalTrials.gov
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- FDA-regulated drug
- No
- FDA-regulated device
- No
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 12 Feb 2021. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Can an App Improve the Examination Scores of Family Medicine Residents? A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT03312218
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- The Study Guide Trial 2017
- Conditions
- Behavior
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 634 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Jewish General HospitalUniversity, hospital or other
- Collaborators
- Western University, Canada, College of Family Physicians of Canada, Memorial University of Newfoundland, Université de Montréal, University of Ottawa, Queen's University, Kingston, Ontario, University of Toronto, McMaster University, University of British Columbia, University of Alberta, Université de Sherbrooke, University of Calgary
- Study start
- 18 Oct 2017 (actual)
- Primary completion
- 31 May 2019 (actual)
- Study completion
- 1 Jul 2019 (actual)
- First posted
- 17 Oct 2017 (actual)
- Results
- Posted 12 Feb 2021
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
Spaced education is a promising theory-driven strategy to improve clinical competence. Our aim is to improve the clinical competence of Family Physicians, an outcome associated with the quality of care delivered to Canadians.
Detailed description
Research Question: Among family medicine residents, does enhanced feedback through an app providing alerts and test questions (spaced education), compared to the same app without alerts and enhanced feedback (no spaced education), improve competence as measured by the certification examination? In building this proposal for a definitive trial, the investigators have support from coast to coast. In addition to key clinician educators, the team includes knowledge users from the organization responsible for the certification examination in Family Medicine, methodologists and experienced researchers who study how mobile apps can promote engagement with clinical information. The team has the right blend of expertise in medical education and cluster randomized trials.
Approach and Methods: The investigators will follow an organizational participatory research approach, and propose a cluster randomized controlled trial. Setting: All incoming family medicine residents in Canada will be eligible to participate. Intervention site residents will receive alerts through an app to adaptively reinforce the learning of clinical content based on cases and test questions (spaced education). Residents in the control group will receive the same app providing identical clinical cases and test questions-on-demand, but with alerts inactivated (no spaced education). The primary outcome will be scores on the certification examination. This routinely collected data will be provided to the team by the College of Family Physicians of Canada.
Expected Results and Conclusion: Spaced education will improve examination scores. This will inform educational practice by providing evidence to optimize the training of residents.
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Other
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (participant, investigator)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Intervention | Experimental | Behavioral: Spaced educational interventionIntervention site residents will receive alerts through an app to adaptively reinforce the learning of clinical content based on cases and test questions (spaced education). |
| Control | No intervention | –Residents in the control group will receive the same app providing identical clinical cases and test questions-on-demand, but with alerts inactivated (no spaced education). |
Who may qualify
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Accepted
- Age groups
- Child, Adult, Older adult
Key inclusion criteria (1 listed)
- incoming family medicine residents in Canada (July 2017)
Key exclusion criteria (2 listed)
- not a family medicine resident
- did not start residency on July 1, 2017
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Spaced educational interventionA spaced educational intervention will be provided to participants | Behavioural | Intervention |
Primary outcome
Scores on the Certification Examination
Time frame: 2 years
This is the score on the written component of the examination of the College of Family Physicians of Canada. This refers to the grade/score given to participants on the Short Answer Management Problems (SAMP) section of the exam ranging from 0 to 100. Higher values represent a better outcome. The score minimum observed was 53.9 and max is 84.4 for this study.
Results and safety
Loading the posted results from ClinicalTrials.gov…
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 12 Feb 2021.
- Posted resultsParticipant flow, baseline, all outcome measures and adverse events.
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
The record lists no contact. Use the official record to reach the sponsor.
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Spaced educational intervention in people with Behavior, run by Jewish General Hospital at 1 site 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 1 inclusion and 2 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 12 Feb 2021. 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 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?
Yes. Results are posted in the registry (first posted 12 Feb 2021). 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?
Scores on the Certification Examination (time frame: 2 years). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
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 12 Feb 2021.