Dulce Digital-COVID Aware (DD-CA) Discharge Texting Platform for US/Mexico Border Hispanics With Diabetes + COVID-19

June 2, 2025 updated by: Athena Philis-Tsimikas, Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute
The COVID-19 pandemic has triggered extremely high hospitalization rates where mitigation strategies are urgently necessary to aid vulnerable Hispanic and Latino populations who are experiencing health disparities as well as high type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence with poor clinical outcomes when compared to non-Hispanic populations. The supplemental Dulce Digital-COVID Aware (DD-CA) intervention addresses specific barriers in diverse underserved Hispanic and Latino communities to improve glucose control and lower transmission of COVID-19 during a highly vulnerable period post hospitalization discharge, to reduce hospital readmission rates. This supplement will integrate COVID educational messaging with glucose management messaging within a low-cost, easily adoptable digital texting platform and offer critical information in a culturally and linguistically relevant manner to address specific barriers in diverse underserved communities.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Hispanics, a group that shows higher type 2 diabetes (T2D) prevalence, and poor self-management and clinical outcomes, have been disproportionally adversely impacted by COVID-19. The California Department of Public Health reports that Hispanics make up 39% of California's population but an unprecedented 57% of the confirmed COVID-19 cases. This devastating finding is especially notable on the US/Mexico border. Diabetes has emerged as a leading risk factor for severe COVID-19 illness leading to hospitalization, is associated with greater disease severity and mortality and is an independent predictor of intensive care placement and invasive ventilation. It is becoming increasingly clear that maintaining good glucose control improves prognosis of COVID-19 among people with pre-existing T2D. However, social distancing, quarantine, and stay-at-home/lockdown guidelines may impact one's ability to maintain adequate glycemic control. Research is needed to evaluate the effect and clinical outcomes of a flexible, easily adopted low cost digital intervention that improves glucose excursions and provides urgently needed COVID-19 mitigation strategies, among rapidly rising groups of high-risk Hispanics with poorly controlled T2D in US/Mexico border communities. Strong evidence from our parent grant Dulce Digital-Me (DD-ME), supports the use of technology (such as text messaging) alone or in combination with coaching interventions as a viable and desired method of delivering tailored diabetes self-management education and COVID awareness messaging to high-risk, underserved populations in a manner that is more convenient for both patients and staff while having the added benefit of being cost-effective for health systems, especially within low resource settings. However, effective interventions may encounter barriers which preclude guaranteed success upon implementation in the real world. This project, taking place along the San Diego/Tijuana border, historically the busiest land port of entry in the Western Hemisphere, will assess the effect of providing an enhanced digital texting intervention-Dulce Digital-COVID Aware (DD-CA) to N = 172 Hispanic patients with T2D upon discharge from a recent hospitalization. Key outcomes will assess the impact of DD-CA on hospital readmissions at 30, 90 and 180 days post-discharge, glucose control and patient reported outcomes at 90 and 180 days post-discharge while also assessing COVID status and the implementation process. Given that DD-CA offers the potential to address many of the practical barriers to access and extend the reach of diabetes services, while additionally providing COVID awareness support, it offers an ideal low-cost and flexible solution to reduce hospital admissions and re-admissions in US/Mexico border communities significantly and simultaneously affected by COVID-19 and T2D. Implemented in a typical hospital and post-discharge setting, it augments existing care team processes, thus providing a valuable test of real-world effectiveness. More importantly, by helping to reduce existing inequities in access to diabetes and COVID-19 care, this program aims to improve health outcomes on a larger scale.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
172

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Chula Vista, California, United States, 91910
        • Scripps Mercy Hospital Chula Vista

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Are a patient admitted to a Scripps Mercy Hospital,
  • Consider yourself Hispanic/Latino, of any race
  • Are 18 years of age or older,
  • Speak English or Spanish,
  • Have type 2 diabetes and A1c ≥ 7% in the last 90 days, and
  • Have a cellphone that can receive/send text messages.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Are pregnant,
  • Are currently participating in another diabetes or COVID-19 related study, or
  • Do not meet all eligibility inclusion criteria.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Prevention
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: DD-CA
In the DD-CA arm, participants will be offered a proven digital texting platform in their language of preference (Spanish/English) as part of the diabetes transitions discharge program with added COVID support messages.
Behavioral: Hospital: DD-CA
In the DD-CA group, participants will be offered a proven digital texting platform in their language of preference (Spanish/English) as part of the diabetes transitions discharge program with educational, motivational and medication adherence messaging that is currently an arm of our parent DD-ME grant with added COVID support messages that provide information addressing identified barriers in Hispanic underserved communities (e.g. obtaining testing supplies and medications, accessing routine medical care, and completing other important diabetes self-management behaviors such as healthful eating, exercise, social distancing, quarantine, and stay-at-home/lockdown guidelines).
Active Comparator: Usual Care (UC)
UC participants will not receive the added COVID support messages, both arms will have a referral placed to the Diabetes Transitions Service (DTS) as part of usual care at the time of discharge.
Behavioral: Hospital: Usual Care (UC)
In the UC group, participants will not receive the added COVID support messages, both groups will have a referral placed to the Diabetes Transitions Service (DTS) at the time of discharge as part of usual care. Participants will be contacted by a peer health coach following protocol to coordinate care with outpatient health and other community resources.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hospital Readmission Rate Within 30 Days of Discharge
Time Frame: Within 30 days of discharge
Number of Participants With at Least 1 Hospital Readmission Within 30 Days After Enrollment, analyzed for full study sample
Within 30 days of discharge
Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) - Change From Baseline to 90 Days
Time Frame: 90 days from baseline
Change in Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) 90 days from baseline. A negative mean indicates positive change in HbA1c.
90 days from baseline
Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) - Change From Baseline to 180 Days
Time Frame: 180 days from baseline
Change in Glycosylated Hemoglobin (HbA1c) 180 days from baseline. A negative mean indicates positive change in HbA1c.
180 days from baseline

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Hospital Readmission Rate Within 90 Days of Discharge
Time Frame: Within 90 days of discharge
Number of Participants With at Least 1 Hospital Readmission Within 90 Days After Enrollment, analyzed for full study sample.
Within 90 days of discharge
Diabetes Distress Scale - Change From Baseline to 90 Days
Time Frame: 90 days from baseline
Diabetes distress as reported by patient; 90 days from baseline. The minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 6 with a higher score representing worse outcome or greater diabetes related emotional stress. A negative mean indicates a positive change in the diabetes distress score.
90 days from baseline
Diabetes Distress Scale - Change From Baseline to 180 Days
Time Frame: 180 days from baseline
Diabetes distress as reported by patient; 180 days from baseline. The minimum score is 1 and maximum score is 6 with a higher score representing worse outcome or greater diabetes-related emotional stress. A negative mean indicates a positive change in the diabetes distress score.
180 days from baseline
Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities - Diet - Change From Baseline to 90 Days
Time Frame: 90 days from baseline
Diabetes self-care activities related to Diet as reported by patient; 90 days from baseline; The minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 7 with a higher score representing better adherence to diabetes diet self-management behaviors. A positive mean indicates a positive change in the diet self-care activities.
90 days from baseline
Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities - Exercise - Change From Baseline to 90 Days
Time Frame: 90 days from baseline
Diabetes self-care activities related to Exercise as reported by patient; 90 days from baseline; The minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 7 with a higher score representing better adherence to diabetes exercise self-management behaviors. A positive mean indicates a positive change in exercise self-care activities.
90 days from baseline
Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities - Blood Sugar - Change From Baseline to 90 Days
Time Frame: 90 days from baseline
Diabetes self-care activities related to Blood Sugar as reported by patient; 90 days from baseline; The minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 7 with a higher score representing better adherence to diabetes blood sugar self-management behaviors. A positive mean indicates a positive change in blood sugar self-care activities.
90 days from baseline
Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities - Diet - Change From Baseline to 180 Days
Time Frame: 180 days from baseline
Diabetes self-care activities related to Diet as reported by patient; 180 days from baseline; The minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 7 with a higher score representing better adherence to diabetes diet self-management behaviors. A positive mean indicates a positive change in diet self-care activities.
180 days from baseline
Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities - Exercise - Change From Baseline to 180 Days
Time Frame: 180 days from baseline
Diabetes self-care activities related to Exercise as reported by patient; 180 days from baseline; The minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 7 with a higher score representing better adherence to diabetes exercise self-management behaviors. A positive mean indicates a positive change in exercise self-care activities.
180 days from baseline
Summary of Diabetes Self-Care Activities - Blood Sugar - Change From Baseline to 180 Days
Time Frame: 180 days from baseline
Diabetes self-care activities related to Blood Sugar as reported by patient; 180 days from baseline; The minimum score is 0 and maximum score is 7 with a higher score representing better adherence to diabetes blood sugar self-management behaviors. A positive mean indicates a positive change in blood sugar self-care activities.
180 days from baseline
COVID-19 Patient Survey (Phenix Toolkit) Within 90 Days of Discharge
Time Frame: Within 90 days of discharge
COVID-19 Patient Survey was used to assess COVID-19 diagnosis status and determine whether new infections occurred in the 90-day post-discharge time frame.
Within 90 days of discharge
COVID-19 Patient Survey (Phenix Toolkit) Within 180 Days of Discharge
Time Frame: Within 180 days of discharge
COVID-19 Patient Survey was used to assess COVID-19 diagnosis status and determine whether new infections occurred in the 180-day post-discharge time frame.
Within 180 days of discharge
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 Health Scale - Physical - Change Between Baseline and 90 Days
Time Frame: 90 days from baseline
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 Health Scale was a measure of overall score patient-reported physical health collected at baseline and 90 days. The minimum score on this scale is 0 and maximum score is 100. A higher score indicates a better outcome/higher quality of life. When the means are calculated between baseline and 90 days, a positive mean indicates a better outcome/higher quality of life.
90 days from baseline
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 Health Scale - Mental - Change Between Baseline and 90 Days
Time Frame: 90 days from baseline
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 Health Scale was a measure of overall score patient-reported mental health 90 days from baseline. The minimum score on this scale is 0 and maximum score is 100. A higher score indicates a better outcome/higher quality of life. When the means are calculated between baseline and 90 days, a positive mean indicates a better outcome/higher quality of life and a negative mean indicates a worse outcome/lower quality of life.
90 days from baseline
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 Health Scale - Physical - Change Between Baseline and 180 Days
Time Frame: 180 days from baseline
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 Health Scale was a measure of overall score patient-reported physical health 180 days from baseline. The minimum score on this scale is 0 and maximum score is 100. A higher score indicates a better outcome/higher quality of life. When the means are calculated between baseline and 180 days, a positive mean indicates a better outcome/higher quality of life.
180 days from baseline
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 Health Scale - Mental - Change Between Baseline and 180 Days
Time Frame: 180 days from baseline
Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Global-10 Health Scale was a measure of overall score patient-reported mental health 180 days from baseline. The minimum score on this scale is 0 and maximum score is 100. A higher score indicates a better outcome/higher quality of life. When the means are calculated between baseline and 180 days, a positive mean indicates a better outcome/higher quality of life, and a negative mean indicates a worse outcome/lower quality of life.
180 days from baseline
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Toward COVID-19 Survey - Change From Baseline to 90 Days
Time Frame: 90 days from baseline
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Toward COVID-19 Survey was used to measure knowledge and attitudes related to COVID-19 at 90 days from baseline. The minimum score on this scale is 0 and maximum score is 12, with higher scores indicating greater knowledge of COVID-19. A negative mean indicates lesser knowledge of COVID-19.
90 days from baseline
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Toward COVID-19 Survey - Change From Baseline to 180 Days
Time Frame: 180 days from baseline
Knowledge, Attitudes and Practice Toward COVID-19 Survey was used to measure knowledge and attitudes related to COVID-19 at 180 days from baseline. The minimum score on this scale is 0 and maximum score is 12, with higher scores indicating greater knowledge of COVID-19. A negative mean indicates lesser knowledge of COVID-19.
180 days from baseline

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Readmission Rate
Time Frame: 90-days, 180-days
Exploratory analyses will be conducted similarly to our Primary Outcome. The EMR will be used to identify readmissions during each patient's unique follow up period. Unadjusted between group differences will first be analyzed by comparing proportion of patients with any hospital readmissions within the 90-day period by a Fisher's exact t-test. Followup analyses will be conducted using multiple logistic regression models to account for gender, ethnicity, race, comorbid conditions including COVID-19, medication use, and baseline glycemic control, in addition to study arm, as fixed effects in predicting the exploratory outcome, rate of readmissions within 90 and 180-days.
90-days, 180-days

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Athena Philis-Tsimikas, MD, Scripps Whittier Diabetes Institute

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
February 1, 2021

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 31, 2022

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 31, 2022

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
October 5, 2020

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
October 15, 2020

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
October 19, 2020

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
June 18, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
June 2, 2025

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
June 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 3R01DK112322-05S1 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

Clinical Trials on Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2

Clinical Trials on Hospital: DD-CA

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Cookie Settings

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. For more details carefully read our Privacy and Cookies Policy. ...>>>You can change your preferences or withdraw your consent at any time by deleting the cookies from your website or computer as described in the policy. Please accept it and choose your preferences by ticking the corresponding boxes in the "Manage Settings" section below. Please carefully read our Terms of Service before you proceed with using any part of this website.
«Manage Settings