search
Back to results

Spaced Education to Optimize Prostate Cancer Screening

Primary Purpose

Prostate Cancer

Status
Completed
Phase
Not Applicable
Locations
United States
Study Type
Interventional
Intervention
Online spaced education
Sponsored by
Harvard University Faculty of Medicine
About
Eligibility
Locations
Arms
Outcomes
Full info

About this trial

This is an interventional health services research trial for Prostate Cancer focused on measuring Medical Education, Educational Technology, Clinical Practice Guideline, Prostate specific antigen

Eligibility Criteria

18 Years - undefined (Adult, Older Adult)All SexesDoes not accept healthy volunteers

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Primary care providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) from the 8 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals in the New England region (Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 [VISN-1]) were eligible to enroll.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Primary care providers (PCPs) who ordered PSA as a screen for prostate cancer less than 10 times each year were excluded.

Sites / Locations

  • Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System

Arms of the Study

Arm 1

Arm 2

Arm Type

Experimental

No Intervention

Arm Label

Spaced education clinicians - cohort 1

Control clinicians - cohort 2

Arm Description

Spaced education clinicians receive four isomorphic cycles of 9 spaced education emails over 36-weeks (0-2 emails per week). Each email contained one question-explanation.

Control clinicians received no intervention

Outcomes

Primary Outcome Measures

Percentage of inappropriate prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening performed by clinicians
The primary outcome measure was the difference in the percentage of inappropriate PSA screening performed by clinicians in the spaced education and control cohorts. Based on published clinical guidelines and reports, inappropriate PSA utilization was defined as the use of PSA for prostate cancer screening in patients >76 or <40 years old, or with an estimated life expectancy of less than 10 years.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Change in test scores between cohorts measured in weeks 1-36
Change in spaced education performance measured in weeks 1-36
Clinicians' intention to participate in future spaced education programs
Assessed on end-of program survey at week 36
Time required by clinicians to complete the spaced education questions-explanations
Assessed on end-of program survey at week 36

Full Information

First Posted
July 20, 2010
Last Updated
August 6, 2010
Sponsor
Harvard University Faculty of Medicine
Collaborators
US Department of Veterans Affairs, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), American Urological Association, Astellas Pharma US, Inc., National Institutes of Health (NIH), Wyeth is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer
search

1. Study Identification

Unique Protocol Identification Number
NCT01168323
Brief Title
Spaced Education to Optimize Prostate Cancer Screening
Official Title
Spaced Education to Optimize Prostate Cancer Screening
Study Type
Interventional

2. Study Status

Record Verification Date
July 2010
Overall Recruitment Status
Completed
Study Start Date
January 2007 (undefined)
Primary Completion Date
February 2009 (Actual)
Study Completion Date
February 2009 (Actual)

3. Sponsor/Collaborators

Name of the Sponsor
Harvard University Faculty of Medicine
Collaborators
US Department of Veterans Affairs, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), American Urological Association, Astellas Pharma US, Inc., National Institutes of Health (NIH), Wyeth is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Pfizer

4. Oversight

Data Monitoring Committee
No

5. Study Description

Brief Summary
Two memory research findings (the spacing and testing effects) can dramatically improve retention of learning, but they have largely have been ignored by educators. The researchers have developed a novel form of online education (termed 'spaced education') based on these two effects which has been shown in randomized trials to improve knowledge acquisition and boost learning retention. Using prostate cancer screening as an experimental system, the researchers investigated whether spaced education could durably improve clinicians' behaviors, not just their knowledge.

6. Conditions and Keywords

Primary Disease or Condition Being Studied in the Trial, or the Focus of the Study
Prostate Cancer
Keywords
Medical Education, Educational Technology, Clinical Practice Guideline, Prostate specific antigen

7. Study Design

Primary Purpose
Health Services Research
Study Phase
Not Applicable
Interventional Study Model
Parallel Assignment
Masking
None (Open Label)
Allocation
Randomized
Enrollment
95 (Actual)

8. Arms, Groups, and Interventions

Arm Title
Spaced education clinicians - cohort 1
Arm Type
Experimental
Arm Description
Spaced education clinicians receive four isomorphic cycles of 9 spaced education emails over 36-weeks (0-2 emails per week). Each email contained one question-explanation.
Arm Title
Control clinicians - cohort 2
Arm Type
No Intervention
Arm Description
Control clinicians received no intervention
Intervention Type
Behavioral
Intervention Name(s)
Online spaced education
Intervention Description
Spaced education is currently delivered via periodic emails that contain clinical case scenarios and multiple-choice questions. Upon submitting answers to each question online, clinicians receive immediate feedback and educational material. The questions are then repeated over spaced intervals of time to harness the pedagogical benefits of the spacing effect.
Primary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Percentage of inappropriate prostate-specific antigen (PSA) screening performed by clinicians
Description
The primary outcome measure was the difference in the percentage of inappropriate PSA screening performed by clinicians in the spaced education and control cohorts. Based on published clinical guidelines and reports, inappropriate PSA utilization was defined as the use of PSA for prostate cancer screening in patients >76 or <40 years old, or with an estimated life expectancy of less than 10 years.
Time Frame
Weeks 1-108
Secondary Outcome Measure Information:
Title
Change in test scores between cohorts measured in weeks 1-36
Time Frame
Weeks 1-36
Title
Change in spaced education performance measured in weeks 1-36
Time Frame
Weeks 1-36
Title
Clinicians' intention to participate in future spaced education programs
Description
Assessed on end-of program survey at week 36
Time Frame
Week 36
Title
Time required by clinicians to complete the spaced education questions-explanations
Description
Assessed on end-of program survey at week 36
Time Frame
Week 36

10. Eligibility

Sex
All
Minimum Age & Unit of Time
18 Years
Accepts Healthy Volunteers
No
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: Primary care providers (physicians, nurse practitioners, and physician assistants) from the 8 Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals in the New England region (Veterans Integrated Service Network 1 [VISN-1]) were eligible to enroll. Exclusion Criteria: Primary care providers (PCPs) who ordered PSA as a screen for prostate cancer less than 10 times each year were excluded.
Overall Study Officials:
First Name & Middle Initial & Last Name & Degree
B. Price Kerfoot, MD EdM
Organizational Affiliation
VA Boston Healthcare System, Harvard Medical School
Official's Role
Principal Investigator
Facility Information:
Facility Name
Veterans Affairs Boston Healthcare System
City
Boston
State/Province
Massachusetts
ZIP/Postal Code
02130
Country
United States

12. IPD Sharing Statement

Citations:
PubMed Identifier
20965387
Citation
Kerfoot BP, Lawler EV, Sokolovskaya G, Gagnon D, Conlin PR. Durable improvements in prostate cancer screening from online spaced education a randomized controlled trial. Am J Prev Med. 2010 Nov;39(5):472-8. doi: 10.1016/j.amepre.2010.07.016.
Results Reference
derived

Learn more about this trial

Spaced Education to Optimize Prostate Cancer Screening

We'll reach out to this number within 24 hrs