Timely Nudge About Lab Results to Increase myGeisinger Uptake

Health Behavior Clinical Trial

Official title:

Nudging myGeisinger Enrollment Using Timely Email Messaging Reminding Patients of Lab Results Available

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT04333199
• Other study ID #: 2020-0316
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: May 18, 2020
• Est. completion date: July 1, 2020

Study information

• Verified date: May 2021
• Source: Geisinger Clinic
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of the current study is to test whether sending email communications in a timely manner - when patients have laboratory results available to view on the myGeisinger patient portal - increases enrollment in the portal.

Description:

Online patient portals are convenient tools that improve patient access to healthcare services while often reducing burden to both patients and providers. However, many patients have not enrolled in such portals, including Geisinger's patient portal, known as myGeisinger.

The purpose of the current study is to test whether sending myGeisinger enrollment information in a timely manner - when the benefits of enrolling are most readily available - increases enrollment. Specifically, messages will be timely in terms of lab test results having just been made available online, with the added benefit that patients can view their results prior to receiving them via mail. Unenrolled patients who recently had a laboratory procedure ordered and whose results are now ready for sharing will be informed via email that their lab results are available. At the same time, these patients will be reminded that these results can be viewed online through myGeisinger.

The primary outcome measure of interest, myGeisinger enrollment rates, will be compared between the emailed population and a control group that similarly has lab results available but will not be contacted. In addition, two different versions of the email communication will be tested. One will highlight that the patient will have to go through a sign-up process before viewing test results (in the service of transparency). The other will provide a presumed direct link to view those results, via a button that potentially serves as a pre-commitment step to undergo the registration process ("foot in the door" effect). Secondary analyses will assess differences in enrollment rates as well as unsubscribe rates between the email versions. Exploratory analyses will further examine differences in the rates at which patients opened and clicked on enrollment links within the two emails. Statistical analyses will employ generalized linear models with a binary distribution and log-link function.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 5012
• Est. completion date: July 1, 2020
• Est. primary completion date: June 8, 2020
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 18 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Geisinger patient for whom a lab was ordered within 30 days prior to email date

• Patient's lab test result released day before email date

Exclusion Criteria:

• Patient already enrolled in myGeisinger

• Patient has already declined myGeisinger

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Health Behavior
• Telehealth

Intervention

Behavioral:
• Timely
Email
• Transparency
Email
• Foot-in-the-door
Email

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Geisinger	Danville	Pennsylvania

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Geisinger Clinic

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Enrollment - Timely Email (Combined Email Arms) vs. no Intervention	Patient enrolled in myGeisinger (yes / no)	1 week post-intervention
Secondary	Enrollment - Email Including a "Get Started" Button vs. a "View Results" Button	Patient enrolled in myGeisinger (yes / no)	1 week post-intervention
Secondary	Email Opened - Email Including a "Get Started" Button vs. a "View Results" Button	Email was opened (yes / no)	1 week post-intervention
Secondary	Link Clicked - Email Including a "Get Started" Button vs. a "View Results" Button	Link / button to start the enrollment process was clicked (yes / no)	1 week post-intervention
Secondary	Unsubscribed - Email Including a "Get Started" Button vs. a "View Results" Button	Patient unsubscribed from these email communications (yes / no)	1 month post-intervention
Secondary	Enrollment - Timely Email (Combined Email Arms) vs. no Intervention	Patient enrolled in myGeisinger (yes / no)	1 month post-intervention