The Impact of Just-in-time Information on Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) Discharges

Patient Discharge Clinical Trial

Official title:

The Impact of "Just-in-time" Information on NICU Discharges

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT01091688
• Other study ID #: H-25701
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: March 18, 2010
• Last updated: July 24, 2015
• Start date: March 2010
• Est. completion date: June 2011

Study information

• Verified date: July 2015
• Source: Baylor College of Medicine
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

We, the investigators, will provide "Just-in-Time" information, physician educational material, to primary care pediatricians of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) graduates at the time of NICU discharge. We will follow the rate of adverse events (deaths, re-hospitalizations, emergency room visits, and missed appointments) for 6 months after NICU discharge. We will assess levels of physician comfort in caring for NICU specific diseases, as well as physician satisfaction with the discharge process. We hypothesize that the provision of "Just-in-Time" information will decrease the rate of adverse events, and make physicians more comfortable in caring for complicated NICU graduates, and more satisfied with the discharge process.

Description:

The purpose of this protocol is to evaluate the impact of providing "Just-in-Time" information, or physician educational material at the time of discharge, to primary care pediatricians caring for Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) graduates. The material provided will be tailored to the needs of each infant. The educational material will be sent to the physicians via email and facsimile on the day of discharge, and a hard copy will be sent with the parents to bring to their first clinic appointment. Outcomes, including emergency room visits, hospital readmissions, deaths, missed appointments, and improvements in care in the areas of intervention will be assessed. Levels of physician comfort in caring for various disorders specific to NICU graduates will be assessed, and satisfaction with the discharge process will also be evaluated pre- and post- intervention.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 229
• Est. completion date: June 2011
• Est. primary completion date: June 2011
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: N/A and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Pediatric care providers will be identified when they accept into their practices babies who are part of a related study of an enhanced discharge process in the Texas Children's Hospital (TCH) NICU (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01088945)

• Participating providers must be part of Texas Children's Pediatrics Associates (TCPA), or accept Texas Children's Health Plan (TCHP) insurance.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Providers who are not part of Texas Children's Pediatrics Associates (TCPA), or do not accept Texas Children's Health Plan (TCHP) insurance.

Study Design

Allocation: Non-Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Patient Discharge

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Just-in-Time information
Infants and physicians assigned to the intervention group will receive Just-in-Time information at the time of NICU discharge, by email and facsimile, and the parents will receive a copy to bring to their first clinic appointment.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Newborn Center, Texas Children's Hospital	Houston	Texas

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Virginia Moyer	Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Adverse events	The rates of death, rehospitalization, emergency room visits, and missed appointments will be calculated for infants in the first 6 months after discharge from the NICU.	6 months from hospital discharge	Yes
Secondary	Physician comfort levels	Physicians will complete pre- and post- intervention surveys that consist of 5-point Likert scales that measure comfort levels with various disorders specific to former premature infants.	1 year	No