Expansion of Abbreviations and Acronyms for Patients

Heart Failure Clinical Trial

Official title:

Effect of Expansion of Abbreviations and Acronyms on Patient Comprehension of Their Health Records: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT05297942
• Other study ID #: 1804019182
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: February 1, 2020
• Est. completion date: August 31, 2021

Study information

• Verified date: June 2022
• Source: Weill Medical College of Cornell University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

This is a prospective, two-arm, parallel, individually randomized controlled trial to estimate the effect of expansion on patient comprehension (primary outcome) of abbreviations and acronyms in their health records. English-speaking adult patients with diagnosed heart failure who receive primary care at three urban hospitals in New York City will be considered. The investigators hypothesize that expansion will significantly increase patient comprehension of abbreviations and acronyms in the health record.

Description:

Importance: In 2020, an estimated 100 million Americans accessed their own health records online. That number likely increased beginning April 2021, when U.S. federal rules implemented the 21st Century Cures Act requiring electronic health information to be made freely accessible. Medical abbreviations and acronyms may limit patient understanding of health records. Automated expansion is one potential solution, however, the magnitude of its effect on patient comprehension has not been estimated.

Objective: To estimate the effect of expansion on patient comprehension of abbreviations and acronyms in their health records.

Design: Prospective, two-arm, parallel, individually randomized controlled trial.

Participants: Patients who receive primary care at one of three urban hospitals. A purposive sample representative on age, gender, and race will be enrolled between February 2020 and August 2021. To isolate the main effect, the investigators will include only English-speaking adult patients with diagnosed heart failure.

Intervention: Participants will be randomized to receive clinical text with abbreviations (control group, n=30) or with expansions (intervention group, n=30). The abbreviations and expansions included "hrs" (hours), "MD" (medical doctor), "BP" (blood pressure), "ED" (emergency department), "yo" (year old), "pt" (patient), "HF" (heart failure), "hx" (history), "HTN" (hypertension), "MI" (myocardial infarction).

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 60
• Est. completion date: August 31, 2021
• Est. primary completion date: August 31, 2021
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: All
• Age group: 21 Years and older

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Adult (21 years or older)

• Confirmed diagnosis of heart failure

• Able to read and speak English

• Willing and able to provide informed consent

• Receives primary care from participating provider

Exclusion Criteria:

• Healthcare professional (MD, DO, RN, etc.)

• No telephone number or email address

• Severe cognitive impairment or clinical diagnosis of dementia

• Major psychiatric illness, including active psychosis

• Other illness that would preclude participation

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Heart Failure

Intervention

Other:
• Expansion of Abbreviations and Acronyms
Expansion of Abbreviations and Acronyms

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Weill Cornell Medicine	New York	New York

Sponsors (2)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Weill Medical College of Cornell University	Columbia University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (1)

Grossman Liu L, Russell D, Reading Turchioe M, Myers AC, Vawdrey DK, Masterson Creber RM. Effect of Expansion of Abbreviations and Acronyms on Patient Comprehension of Their Health Records: A Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Netw Open. 2022 May 2;5(5):e221 — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Overall comprehension	count of the total number of abbreviated or expanded terms comprehended by the each participant	Day 1, at the time of the intervention administration