Improving the Outpatient Referral Process With Electronic Communications

Communication Clinical Trial

Official title:

Improving the Outpatient Referral Process With Electronic Communications

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00129064
• Other study ID #: 2004-P-000710
• Secondary ID: 20010373
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• First received: August 9, 2005
• Last updated: April 23, 2007
• Start date: November 2005
• Est. completion date: March 2007

Study information

• Verified date: April 2007
• Source: Brigham and Women's Hospital
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Institutional Review Board
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

An electronic referral application will be developed and integrated into the existing outpatient information system. The primary goal of this software is to improve the quality and coordination of patient care by increasing physician-to-physician communication. The investigators anticipate that improved communications will also enhance physician and patient satisfaction and provide cost savings. These outcomes will be formally evaluated following implementation of the application.

Description:

A trial will be performed to test and quantify the benefits of electronic referrals. Primary care physicians (PCPs) from 2 community-based clinics will be recruited for enrollment. The control group will initiate referrals using the pre-existing paper forms; physician-to-physician communication can occur by e-mail, phone, or mail at the discretion of the referring physician as is currently the standard. Physicians randomized to the intervention arm will be asked to use the electronic application for every referral during the study period. For 6 months, every new referral initiated within the study groups will be assessed for the completeness of patient information and timing of feedback to the referring physician via physician surveys. In addition, a subgroup of patients in the control and intervention arms will be surveyed to assess the impact of the intervention on patient satisfaction with the referral process.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 200
• Est. completion date: March 2007
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Any referral initiated by a PCP at the study sites for a patient to go to a specialist for the first time

Exclusion Criteria:

• Referrals for repeat specialist visits or referrals not initiated by a PCP

Study Design

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

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Communication
• Interprofessional Relations

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Electronic referral system

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Brigham and Women's	Boston	Massachusetts

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Brigham and Women's Hospital	The Commonwealth Fund

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Percentage of referral requests with complete information
Primary	Percentage of referrals with timely information exchanged
Secondary	Physician satisfaction
Secondary	Patient satisfaction