Controlling Hypertension Outcomes by Improved Communication & Engagement

Summary

This randomized control study tested the feasibility of two communication enhancement interventions: one with veterans who had a stroke and demonstrated poorly controlled hypertension; the other with VA primary care providers who provided routine outpatient medical care to these veterans. This study intervened with both members of the provider-patient dyad in an attempt to improve the self-management of hypertension by improving communication during visits to the VA outpatient clinic, specifically by enabling veterans to communicate their questions and concerns about chronic disease self-management to their providers more effectively, and to help providers improve their ability to communicate more effectively with this population of veterans.

Conditions

• Hypertension
• Stroke

Interventions

OTHER

Informational Guide for Patients

Veterans received a copy of the NIA guide for "Talking with Your Doctor". This pamphlet was specifically developed for this purpose (updated in 2002). It has pictorials and is written at an 8th grade level.

BEHAVIORAL

Video-Assisted Coaching

Physicians participated in an audiotaped intensive 30 minute, one-on-one educational intervention with PI Frankel after their first set of visits from their three participating patients, but before seeing them for follow-ups. The main goal of this video-assisted coaching session was to review and discuss the analysis of the physician's videotaped visits using the Four Habits framework, with a particular focus on improving communication about self-management.

OTHER

Monograph for Physicians

Primary care providers randomly assigned to the "Intervention-Physicians" arm of this study received a copy of the Four Habits of Highly Effective Physicians. The Four Habits provided practical evidence-based advice for improving patient-physician communication.

BEHAVIORAL

Educational Coaching

an educator met with each Veteran in the intervention arm individually for 20-30 minutes to review the material in the pamphlet and develop a plan for enhancing communication about self-management of hypertension with their doctor \[Coaching\]. To facilitate communication change, the educator assisted the patient in setting a goal to achieve during their visit. The educator also provided telephone follow-up within 24 hours to review satisfaction and effectiveness of the visit and assess barriers and facilitators to communicating about self-management.

OTHER

Control

The primary care providers randomly assigned to the "Control-Physicians" arm did not receive any additional coaching or resources and conducted their practice as usual.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• VA Office of Research and Development

  lead FED

Principal Investigators

• Richard M. Frankel, PhD · Richard L. Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis, IN

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH

Masking

NONE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Max Age

99 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

No

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2009-09-01

Primary Completion

2012-09-30

Completion

2017-01-30

Countries

• United States

Study Locations