Gastrointestinal Problem Clinical Trial
Official title:
Effectiveness of Western Medicine Outpatient Consultations in Primary Care - A Comparison With Chinese Medicine Consultations
Verified date | April 2009 |
Source | The University of Hong Kong |
Contact | n/a |
Is FDA regulated | No |
Health authority | China: Ethics Committee |
Study type | Observational |
Background:
Primary care plays an important role in health care delivery, but there is little research
on its effectiveness. Western medicine is the most widely used and Traditional Chinese
medicine (TCM) is gaining popularity. The investigators recent study showed that TCM
consultations at the TWH were effective in improving the quality of life of patients in
primary care. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the effectiveness of Western
Medicine (WM) in primary care for comparison with the effectiveness of TCM consultations, so
that policy makers and the public can be better informed.
Objectives:
To evaluate whether WM consultation can significantly improve the quality of life of
patients in primary care and to find out whether there is any difference in the
effectiveness of WM and TCM, overall and for different health problems.
Design, Setting & Subjects:
A prospective study on 700 patients recruited from the TWH and the Ap Lei Chau primary care
outpatient clinics (OPC) in Hong Kong.
Methods:
All patients consulting for a new episode of illness at the study OPC will be recruited if
they meet the selection criteria and consent to participate. Each patient will be asked to
complete a structured questionnaire on socio-demography, morbidity and service utilization,
the Hong Kong version of the Chinese Quality of Life instrument (ChQOL-HK), the Chinese
(Hong Kong) SF-36 (SF-36-HK) and the PEI-2 before the consultation. Each subject will be
followed up two weeks later either at the clinic or by telephone to complete the ChQOL-HK
and the SF-36-HK again together with the Patient Enablement Instrument (PEI), the Global
Rating Scale (GRS) on change of the condition, and a questionnaire on service utilization
Outcome Measures and Data Analysis:
The primary outcome measures are the changes in ChQOL-HK and SF-36-HK scores after the
consultation. The GRS and PEI scores will be secondary outcomes. The ChQOL -HK and SF-36-HK
scores will be correlated with the the GRS and PEI. Multivariate regressions will be carried
out to identify factors that are associated with effectiveness. The outcomes will be
compared with those obtained from the previous study on the TCM primary care clinics.
Results:
This is the first study in Hong Kong to evaluate the effectiveness of WM in primary care
with a validated generic outcome measure, HRQOL. It will provide information on the benefit
and limitations of WM, and allow a direct comparison between WM and TCM.
Status | Completed |
Enrollment | 1469 |
Est. completion date | December 2007 |
Est. primary completion date | December 2007 |
Accepts healthy volunteers | No |
Gender | Both |
Age group | 18 Years and older |
Eligibility |
Inclusion Criteria: - Age = 18 years old - Patient consulted the primary care clinic for the first time or a new episode of illness - Gave consent to take part in the study Exclusion Criteria: - The visit to the primary care clinic was a follow up consultation - Unable to communicate in Cantonese or Chinese - Too ill to complete an interview - Refused to take part in the study |
Observational Model: Cohort, Time Perspective: Prospective
Country | Name | City | State |
---|---|---|---|
China | Two General Outpatient Clinics | Hong Kong | Hong Kong |
Lead Sponsor | Collaborator |
---|---|
The University of Hong Kong | The Tung Wah Group of Hospitals |
China,
Type | Measure | Description | Time frame | Safety issue |
---|---|---|---|---|
Primary | The change in ChQOL-HK and SF-36-HK Scores, from baseline to 2 weeks The Chinese Quality of Life Questionnaire (ChQOL) The Hong Kong version of the Chinese Quality of Life Questionnaire (ChQOL - HK) was adapte | day 0 and day 14 | No | |
Secondary | The Patient enablement instrument score and the Global rating of change score | day 0 and day 14 | No |
Status | Clinical Trial | Phase | |
---|---|---|---|
Recruiting |
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