A Multi-Phase Study Examining Hospital to Home Transitions for Children With Medical Complexity

July 15, 2026 updated by: NYU Langone Health
The overarching objective of this study is to make it easier for parents of children with medical complexity (CMC) to take care of their children after discharge home from the hospital and reduce the chance of post-hospitalization morbidity (meaning bad outcomes such as readmissions) after discharge. CMC, or those with multiple chronic conditions, progressive conditions, or technology dependence, are at high risk for post-hospitalization morbidity.

Study Overview

Status

Status

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

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

This study will take place in 3 phases at 2 sites: Bellevue Hospital Center (BHC) and Hassenfeld Children's Hospital (HCH). Parents of CMC with a prior or current admission will be recruited at these two sites, as well as pediatricians who care for these children in the inpatient setting for the following 3 aims:

  • In Aim 1, parents of CMC and pediatricians will be interviewed to understand their views on what makes it challenging, and what can make it easier, for parents to understand and follow the instructions they get from the hospital about how to take care of their CMC after leaving the hospital. The study team will also ask pediatricians what may make it difficult to provide relevant education to families.
  • In Aim 2, a tool will be designed to make it easier for parents to understand and follow the discharge instructions for their CMC. The study team will use structure of existing tool, findings from Aim 1, and extensive interviews and testing of the tool with parents and pediatricians as the new tool is designed.
  • In Aim 3, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) will be conducted to study the impact of the tool on parent comprehension and adherence (or how well they can follow) their child's discharge instructions, as well as its impact on post-discharge morbidity (such as readmissions and emergency department visits). Parents will be randomized to either receive usual hospital care and instructions or the intervention/tool (in addition to the usual care and instructions). The study team will also ask parents who receive the intervention about its usability.

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 (Estimated)

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.
282

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 Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • New York
      • New York, New York, United States, 10016
        • Recruiting
        • NYU Langone Health
        • Contact:
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Andrew Glick, MD, MS

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

Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Parents

  • English or Spanish-speaking
  • Parent or legal guardian and primary caregiver of child who has medical complexity (defined by significant chronic conditions in ≥2 body systems, progressive conditions associated with decreased life expectancy, dependence on technology for >6 months [e.g., respiratory equipment, central lines, feeding tubes], or progressive/metastatic malignancies) who was admitted to the acute or intensive care units
  • The individual's child is ≤18 years old
  • The individual's child was discharged home or is expected be discharged home on ≥1 daily medication.
  • Willingness to be randomized to intervention group
  • Willingness and ability to participate in study procedures

Exclusion Criteria:

Parents

  • Caregiver <18 years old
  • Poor visual acuity (<20/50 corrected on Rosenbaum screener for in-person recruitment; by subject report for phone recruitment)
  • Self-reported hearing difficulty
  • Previously enrolled.

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: Health Services Research
  • 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.
No Intervention: Usual Care
75 participants will receive standard care, consisting of verbal discharge counseling given by doctors and nurses supplemented by written instructions (all unstandardized).
Experimental: Intervention group
75 participants will be randomized to receive behavioral intervention, consisting of discharge counseling using the health literacy-informed discharge instructions
Behavioral: HELPix Care Plan
A web application tool for CMC - Health literacy-informed, disease and medication-specific, standardized discharge instructions that will: 1) facilitate plain language provider/parent communication at hospital discharge and 2) act as "stand-alone" handouts that parents can use at home.

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
Parent Comprehension of Discharge Instructions
Time Frame: Visit 2 (Day 0-1)
The proportion of parents making errors in comprehension of their child's discharge instructions will be assessed. The visit will consist of a structured survey. Parents will be asked open-ended questions about their child's discharge instructions for their medications, appointments , return precautions , restrictions , equipment. Parents will be encouraged to use their written instructions when answering survey questions. The total proportion of parents making comprehension errors in an individual domain and across domains will be calculated. Errors in domains are defined by parent report of not following instructions properly. Comprehension in a given domain will be dichotomized into no errors vs. ≥1 error
Visit 2 (Day 0-1)
Parent Adherence to Discharge Instructions
Time Frame: Visits 3-4 (Days 1-45)
The proportion of parents making errors in adherence to their child's discharge instructions will be assessed with a structured survey. Parents will be asked open ended questions about their child's discharge instructions for their medications, appointments attended, return precautions, restrictions being followed, and equipment. Parents will be encouraged to use their written instructions when answering questions. Parents will be asked to measure out any liquid medications using a standard medication bottle as they would measure them at home.The total proportion of parents making adherence errors in an individual domain and across domains will be calculated.Medication dosing errors will be defined by >20% deviation from the prescribed dose for ≥1 medication as assessed by visual inspection as part of in-person dosing assessment. Appointment attendance errors will be defined by missing ≥1 scheduled appointment after discharge.
Visits 3-4 (Days 1-45)
Number of CMC with any type of post-discharge morbidity
Time Frame: Visit 4 (Day 30-45)
The total proportion of children with medical complexity (CMC) with any type of post-discharge morbidity (30-day readmissions, ED visits, outpatient visits, adverse drug events, surgical complications, infections) within 30 days of discharge will be calculated. Subjects will be dichotomized into those with no post-discharge morbidity vs. ≥1 type of postdischarge morbidity.
Visit 4 (Day 30-45)

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.
NYU Langone Health

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.
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

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: Alexander F Glick, MD, MS, NYU Langone Health

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.
July 23, 2021

Primary Completion (Estimated)

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.
September 30, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

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.
September 30, 2027

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).
April 28, 2021

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.
April 28, 2021

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.
April 30, 2021

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.
July 16, 2026

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.
July 15, 2026

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.
December 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 21-00180

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article, after deidentification (text, tables, figures, and appendices).

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Beginning 9 months and ending 36 months following article publication or as required by a condition of awards and agreements supporting the research.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

The investigator who proposed to use the data.Upon reasonable request. Requests should be directed to alexander.glick@nyulangone.org. To gain access, data requestors will need to sign a data access agreement.

IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

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.

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