Clinical Trial Details
— Status: Completed
Administrative data
| NCT number |
NCT03970902 |
| Other study ID # |
EC/2019/0578 |
| Secondary ID |
|
| Status |
Completed |
| Phase |
|
| First received |
|
| Last updated |
|
| Start date |
July 1, 2019 |
| Est. completion date |
April 1, 2022 |
Study information
| Verified date |
November 2022 |
| Source |
University Ghent |
| Contact |
n/a |
| Is FDA regulated |
No |
| Health authority |
|
| Study type |
Observational [Patient Registry]
|
Clinical Trial Summary
The researchers will evaluate the effectiveness of a complex intervention composed of
multiple actions targeting primary care healthcare workers and postmenopausal women with
osteoporosis by means of a quasi-experimental design in the form of a cluster-controlled
trial with clustering at family physician level. The study has 2 study arms. In one arm,
osteoporosis stakeholders receive a complex intervention (Integrated Osteoporosis Care(IOC)).
The second study arm serves as control and receives care as usual.
The complex intervention is composed of
- education and provision of educational material for all stakeholders in primary
osteoporosis care (patients, family physicians, nurse-educators, physiotherapists,
dietitians, pharmacists and if present patient's informal caregivers)
- patient self-management support by primary care osteoporosis stakeholders
- the construction of a primary care osteoporosis treatment guideline and care pathway
Effectiveness will be measured by questionnaires and data from the (Electronic Medical
Record)EMR and IMA-database, in patients and family physicians.
Effects measured in family physicians are:
- Identification failure rate
- Percentage of family physicians correctly implementing the osteoporosis treatment
guideline
- Proportion of patients treated correctly as stated in the osteoporosis treatment
guideline
- Proportion of family physicians correctly registering osteoporosis related information
in the EMR
- Intensity of collaborative practices
- Knowledge of osteoporosis management and treatment
Effects measured in patients are:
- Medication Possession Ratio(MPR) (Primary outcome)
- Health literacy
- Self-management efficacy
- Self-reported treatment adherence
- Self-reported nutritional intake
- Intensity of integrated osteoporosis care
- Patient satisfaction with integrated osteoporosis care
- HRQoL
- Functional independence (Activities of Daily Living - ADL)
- Patient resource use The study elapse time is 18 months. Participating family physicians
will receive postgraduate education and start to include patients during consultations
in their doctor's office. The inclusion period is 6 months, patients eligible for
participation are non-institutionalized postmenopausal women with a diagnosis of
osteoporosis who are able to give informed consent.
The follow-up period for patients is 12 months. Follow-up period for family physicians is 18
months.
Description:
Study design:
A quasi-experimental cluster-controlled trial will be conducted with 2 study arms -
intervention vs. control - with clustering at GP-level. The cluster design is imperative
because the intervention is implemented within the community, and data will be collected at
the physician and patient levels. Trial implementation will last 18 months. GPs will be
included prior to the study and will enroll patients during a 6-month period; patients will
be followed for 12 months. In the IOC-arm, multiple interventions, representing an integrated
approach to postmenopausal osteoporosis (PO) management, are offered for implementation. In
the control arm, no intervention will take place and patients will receive CAU. The
IOC-programme will be offered within the greater region of Ghent (GRG), GPs and patients from
the CAU-group will be located outside this region.
Participants:
Participants will be GPs and their patients. For GPs, the only exclusion criterion will be
planned retirement during the study period. For GPs in the IOC-arm, willingness to adhere to
the newly developed PO management guideline is an extra inclusion criterion. In both arms,
GPs engage to enroll 8-12 patients, with requests for participation made to all patients
meeting inclusion criteria. Eligible patients are:
- Postmenopausal women
- With (newly) diagnosis of osteoporosis (BMD T-scores ≤ -2.5) OR eligible for
anti-osteoporosis treatment because of (previous) fragility fracture after the age of 50
years
- Without terminal illness
- Who are able to speak and understand Dutch
- Who are able to give informed consent Patient eligibility will be judged and patients
included by the participating GPs.
Due to current challenges in osteoporosis management, including the unavailability of a
locally applicable univocal treatment guideline for PC osteoporosis management, the limited
awareness of GPs[2] resulting in underdiagnosis[1, 24] and the treatment gap[1, 24, 25], a
guideline for the PC management of PO, hereafter the 'treatment guideline', was developed to
improve awareness and case-finding and to standardise treatment and follow-up.
The researchers performed a thorough literature search and consolidated the information from
the most recent osteoporosis management guidelines and strategies from several western
countries [26-32]. This was subsequently discussed with a scientific steering committee (SSC)
representing medical stakeholders in osteoporosis care and adapted to Belgium reimbursement
criteria for dual X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and pharmacological treatment. Because no
consensus could be reached during the first SSC assembly, the results were presented to two
external osteoporosis experts, and their recommendations incorporated, followed by
re-presentation to the SSC. This process was repeated until final consensus.
Bone Friendly Diet Current nutritional advice for women with PO is often directed towards
sufficient calcium and vitamin D intake and limited alcohol use[26, 27, 29], despite emerging
evidence for other nutritional components impacting BMD[30, 33, 34] or fracture risk[4] and
growing scientific conjecture of the relationship between osteoporosis and chronic
subclinical inflammation[5, 35] which might be modified through diet[11]. These associations
highlight the need for a broader nutritional approach, which has shown to be effective in the
management of other chronic diseases[36-38], and in risk reduction, disease prevention and
health promotion[39, 40].
Based on the evidence for the roles of Vitamin D and calcium in bone mineralisation[1, 4, 33,
41] and other health factors[37, 40] and the beneficial effects of a Mediterranean-like
dietary pattern on diseases and health risks[40, 42, 43], including osteoporosis[11, 34, 44],
a Mediterranean diet-based approach has been developed with contributions of registered
dietitians to result in the Bone Friendly Diet which is incorporated in the patient education
brochure.
Patient information brochure (PIB) A literature search on effective fracture prevention
measures was performed. Non-pharmacological aspects of treatment incorporated in the brochure
are exercise, nutrition, sunlight exposure, limiting alcohol intake and smoking cessation. To
improve patient-friendliness, knowledge on exercise and nutrition were discussed with
physiotherapists and dietitians respectively, and underlying principles translated into
practical recommendations. For the pharmacological treatment, a chapter is dedicated to the
importance of treatment adherence, and scientific information on most frequent incorrect
assumptions of anti-resorptive treatment were incorporated. Together with general information
on osteoporosis, the information and recommendations is summarised in the PIB.
Nurse education information To support the nurse-educators in their role, an educational map
was developed based on the PIB with additional information on epidemiology and
pathophysiology, and material to support self-management in patients with chronic disease.
Clinical phase:
Physician level interventions:
Prior to patient inclusion, a researcher will conduct a 45-minute educational session with
each participating GP in the doctor's office on the clinical aspects and the
multidisciplinary management of PO. Each GP will receive a plasticised A3 version of the
treatment guideline for use during clinical practice. Prior to the education, the GPs will
complete a survey on osteoporosis management.
Three months after patient enrolment, the GPs will participate in an interactive 2-hour
postgraduate education focusing on osteoporosis management, integrated care (IC) for chronic
disease and the role of (nurse-)educators in chronic disease management. They will evaluate
the treatment guideline by means of an adapted version of the AGREE II [45] questionnaire, to
further improve the implementation feasibility. This session will be led by a professor in
family medicine specialised in PC organisation and chronic disease management and a professor
in rheumatology specialised in bone metabolism, densitometry and osteoporosis.
During the study period, GPs will be supported by a nurse-educator and pharmacists who will
have received training in osteoporosis care. They will be encouraged to collaborate with
physiotherapists and dietitians for additional support in the management and maintenance of
patients' lifestyle changes by means of referral indicators incorporated in the treatment
guideline to facilitate collaborative practices.
The nurse-educator will provide assistance to the GPs through:
educating patients with osteoporosis on non- and pharmacological aspects of fracture
prevention and supporting their self-management detailed reporting of patient's idea's,
needs, concerns, difficulties and obstacles related to (non-)pharmacological treatment
adherence supporting collaborative practices between and referral to other PC stakeholders
after assessing patients and their living environments and enhancing patient-physician
communication by supporting patients in addressing difficulties in osteoporosis management in
consultation with their GP and by directly relating important issues to GPs after patient
assessment
The pharmacist will provide assistance to the GP through:
reminding patients who have not collected their medications and motivating them to attend new
GP consultation to obtain required prescriptions and enhancing patient-physician
communication via a standardised referral letter for the pharmacists, that relates
difficulties with treatment adherence, the lack of vitamin D and/or calcium in patients'
medication lists and/or medication interactions.
The physiotherapist will provide assistance to the GPs through:
performing fall risk assessments in patients with decreased mobility, gait disturbances or
other relevant limitations designing personalised exercise programmes for patients to
incorporate in their daily routines supervising patients' exercises during physiotherapist
consultations and addressing patients' fear of falling.
The dietitian will provide assistance to the GP through:
performing dietary assessments in patients not meeting daily caloric and/or nutritional
requirements or suffering from multiple conditions restricting food choices, and providing
meal plans and anti-inflammatory food choices for patients with limited intake of qualitative
food with regard to calories and nutritional value.
Patient-level intervention:
Patients will receive an IOC-programme package including:
the PIB support from a patient-dedicated, trained nurse-educator specialised in osteoporose
care and self-management support, consisting of a home-based 60-90 minute education and
support session after study enrolment, with the emphasis on the importance of treatment
adherence and lifestyle changes to safeguard BMD. This will be done in a patient-centred
manner by addressing all life areas using the 'Zelf-management web' and the setting of
personal goals (e.g. dietary changes, treatment adherence improvement, exercise programme
implementation) person-tailored telephone follow-up on treatment adherence and the
integration of disease management in daily living, beginning 14 days after the educational
session and focusing on enhancing intrinsic motivation and implementing disease management in
daily living, based on patient preferences a follow-up home-based evaluation session 3 months
after the first session to assess progress towards personal goals, set new goals or address
barriers preventing goal achievement and support from their pharmacist, consisting of a
counseling interview on correct medication administration and intake of osteoporosis
medication, the use of calcium and vitamin D, tackling medication side effects and lifestyle
practices for bone health informational brochures developed by federal general association of
pharmacists(APB) on Osteoporosis, the use of bisphosphonates and calcium/vitamin D or the use
of denosumab and calcium/vitamin D - depending on the patients' medications and a referral
letter with which the pharmacist can inform the patient's GP on topics discussed (e.g. side
effects, medication interactions) and propose solutions to support patients in addressing
barriers to treatment adherence.
support from a physiotherapist, consisting of fall risk assessment when indicated due to
factors such as limited mobility, gait disturbance or other factors affecting fall risk
personalised exercises and addressing fear of falling and fall-efficacy, and supervision
during exercises and education on which exercises are safe to perform at home, and support
from a dietitian, consisting of specialised education on dietary decisions in cases of
multiple conditions requiring nutritional adaptations or restricting food choices, and help
in achieving and maintaining a healthy body weight
Pharmacist-level intervention All pharmacists located in GRG will be invited to a
postgraduate education prior to patient inclusion. During this 2-hour session, they will
receive education on osteoporosis and barriers to treatment adherence, and the roles of the
pharmacist in addressing and supporting treatment adherence and communication with patients,
family members and GPs. This will be provided in collaboration with the APB and the
East-Flanders' association of pharmacists(KOVAG) , and led by a physician and a pharmacist
from the APB. The pharmacists will receive patient materials and personal supportive
information on osteoporosis and the counseling interview.
As patients have free choice of pharmacists, and we expect only a fraction of the 240
pharmacists in GRG to attend the postgraduate training, all pharmacists in the intervention
region will be informed about the project and their role by letter. They will receive the
educational material and will be invited to watch the postgraduate training online by means
of PowerPoint presentations with voice-over that will be provided on the APB website.
Physiotherapist-level intervention All physiotherapists in the GRG will be invited to a
postgraduate education prior to patient inclusion. During this 4.5-hour session, they will
receive education on the basic principles and practical management of osteoporosis in
physiotherapy, dealing with patients' fear of falling and supporting patients' adherence to
exercise and rehabilitation programmes. This education will include lectures from a
physician, a university physiotherapy instructor and a PhD researcher. Topics that will be
addressed are BMD and PO, and evidence from the literature on the effects of exercise on BMD
and fear of falling (physician), practical exercises for BMD maintenance (physiotherapy
instructor) and improvement and stimulation of patients' intrinsic motivation to initiate and
adhere to behavioural changes (PhD researcher).
Outcomes To measure the impact of and IOC-programme on patients, healthcare providers and
society, outcomes will be measured using surveys, data from the InterMutualistisch Agentschap
(IMA) and data retrieved from the electronic medical record (EMR).
Primary outcome:
The primary research outcome is the patient's medication possession ratio (MPR) for all
antiresorptive treatments during the 12-month study period, starting 12 months prior to the
inclusion day and lasting 3 months thereafter, for full coverage of the study period. Patient
data on MPR for anti-resorptive treatment will be collected from the IMA-database in a
pseudomized manner and a between-group comparison will be performed.
Secondary outcomes:
Secondary outcomes are measured in GPs and patients. Over an 18-month period, the following
GP outcomes will be measured in both study arms:
identification failure rate; defined as the proportion of patients eligible for DXA in whom
no DXA was performed correct use of the treatment guideline; defined as osteoporosis
management in patients who gave informed consent proportion of patients in whom PO is managed
appropriately; defined as the proportion of patients eligible for anti-resorptive treatment
in whom pharmacological treatment was initiated and/or continued during the study time period
correct EMR registration of osteoporosis and -related outcomes; defined as the correct EMR
registration of osteoporosis as diagnosis, outcomes of technical investigations (laboratory
results, X-ray, DXA, …) and pharmacological treatment for osteoporosis intensity of
collaborative practices; defined as the proportion of patients referred to caregivers from
the primary or secondary multidisciplinary bone health team by the GP and knowledge of
osteoporosis management and treatment
During a 12-month period, the following patient outcomes will be measured using self-reported
methods:
health-related competencies in patients (health literacy and self-management efficacy)
treatment adherence nutrition medication intake intensity of IOC patient satisfaction with
osteoporosis care patient HRQoL and ADL and use of social and healthcare services Economic
evaluation
A cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) from a healthcare payer perspective will be performed
with respect to the current modelling guideline in osteoporosis[46]. Cost-effectiveness of
IOC will be assessed at a treshold of €40,000 per QALY gained, based on Belgium gross
domestic product (GDP)[47] as recommended by the WHO[48]. An age-dependent state-transition
model will be used to assess incremental costs, expected QALYs and expected fracture risk
after the implementation of IOC compared to CAU. A cycle-length of 1 year and time horizon of
10 years will be applied, in accordance with the 10-year fracture probabilities as calculated
with FRAX® and maximum recommended treatment length with bisphosphonates[49]. Fracture risk
probabilities at baseline will be calculated with data obtained from both study groups while
fracture risk reduction (FRR) for the different therapeutic regimens will be obtained from
the literature. Real-world FRR, which also accounts for adherence, will be calculated using
study's MPR-data, thereby stratifying adherence into "high" (MPR >80%), "moderate" (50% ≤ MPR
≤ 80%) and "low" (MPR <50%)[50]. Transition probabilities for each state will be obtained
from the literature and adjusted for therapeutic regimen and MPR-category.
In both study arms, costs of osteoporosis care will be calculated. For the IOC-group, these
include a yearly GP visit, the cost of anti-resorptive treatment multiplied with the MPR, the
cost of a 5-yearly DXA, 2 2-hourly visits from a nurse-educator annually and a yearly
pharmacist counseling interview. Resource use data collected within the study will be used to
calculate average accompanying costs. In the CAU-group, a similar calculation will be
conducted, leaving out costs for a nurse-educator and annual pharmacist counseling interview.
Cost per QALY gained will be calculated using the Incremental cost-effectiveness ratio
(ICER):
ICER = (Cost(IOC)-Cost(CAU))/(QALY(IOC)-QALY(CAU)) Based on the KCE (Belgian Health Care
Knowledge Centre) guidelines for health-economic evaluations in Belgium, future costs will be
discounted at 3% and future QALYs at 1.5%[51].
