Empowering Adolescents and Young Adults With Sickle Cell Disease as Partners in Treatment Decision Making (EMPOWER-AYA) (EMPOWER-AYA)

June 15, 2026 updated by: Aimee Hildenbrand, Nemours Children's Clinic
This study will evaluate the acceptability, feasibility, and preliminary efficacy of a shared decision making intervention for adolescents and young adults (AYAs) with sickle cell disease (SCD). 60 AYAs with SCD ages 15-25 and their caregivers and 8 SCD providers will participate in the pilot pragmatic trial. AYAs, caregivers, and providers will be recruited from Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware (NCH-DE), Nemours Children's Hospital in Orlando, FL (NCH-ORL), and Nemours Children's Health at Wolfson Children's Hospital in Jacksonville, FL (NCH-JAX). NCH-DE participants (n=30) will receive the SDM intervention including a virtual reality patient health education component, whereas NCH-ORL and NCH-JAX participants (n=30) will receive the SDM intervention with standard patient education materials (print, video). SCD providers will be trained to use the toolkit components and will introduce decision aids during an outpatient clinic visit for AYAs who are candidates for one or more disease-modifying therapies.

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.

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.
68

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
    • Delaware
      • Wilmington, Delaware, United States, 19803
        • Recruiting
        • Nemours Children's Hospital, Delaware

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

15 years and older (Child, Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients diagnosed with SCD ages 15-25 years receiving treatment at Nemours and their caregivers will be included. Patients must be deemed candidates for initiation of one or more disease-modifying therapies by their SCD healthcare provider.
  • Nemours SCD healthcare providers will also be included.
  • English language fluency is a requirement for all participants.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients/ caregivers who previously participated in usability testing of the intervention will be excluded.
  • Patients will also be excluded if they have history of seizures, if their medical status or cognitive functioning preclude completion of interviews, or if no legal guardian is available to provide consent (for patients < 18 years).
  • Providers still completing training will be excluded.

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: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Non-Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

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: Shared Decision Making Toolkit including VR
Behavioral: SCD Shared Decision-Making Toolkit for AYAs - including VR
The SCD Shared Decision-Making Toolkit for AYAs (SDMT-AYA) targets multi-level barriers to uptake of disease-modifying therapies by providing technology-enhanced tools for: 1) clinicians (i.e., training in motivational interviewing, values elicitation, and cultural humility); 2) AYAs and caregivers (i.e., user-centered multimedia decision aids, including virtual reality, online (videos, animations, articles), and print materials); and 3) implementation (e.g., clinic audit and feedback strategies).
Experimental: Shared Decision Making Toolkit without VR
Behavioral: SCD Shared Decision-Making Toolkit for AYAs - without VR
The SCD Shared Decision-Making Toolkit for AYAs (SDMT-AYA) targets multi-level barriers to uptake of disease-modifying therapies by providing technology-enhanced tools for: 1) clinicians (i.e., training in motivational interviewing, values elicitation, and cultural humility); 2) AYAs and caregivers (i.e., user-centered multimedia decision aids, including online videos, animations, and articles as well as print materials); and 3) implementation (e.g., clinic audit and feedback strategies).

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
Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM)
Time Frame: Within 2 weeks post-intervention
Questionnaire assessing healthcare provider perspectives on acceptability of the intervention. Total score ranges from 4-20, with higher scores indicating greater acceptability.
Within 2 weeks post-intervention
Patient/Caregiver Satisfaction Questionnaire
Time Frame: Within 2 weeks post-intervention
Survey assessing patient/caregiver satisfaction with the intervention. Survey will be developed by the research team, and additional details will be included here once items and scoring are finalized.
Within 2 weeks post-intervention
Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM)
Time Frame: Within 2 weeks post-intervention
Questionnaire assessing healthcare provider perspectives on the feasibility of the intervention. Total score ranges from 4-20, with higher scores indicating greater feasibility.
Within 2 weeks post-intervention
Participant Recruitment Rate
Time Frame: Time of enrollment through study completion, approximately 12 months
Rate of participant enrollment and retention in the study
Time of enrollment through study completion, approximately 12 months
Shared Decision Making Questionnaire (SDM-Q-9)
Time Frame: Within 2 weeks post-intervention
Questionnaire assessing patient- and caregiver-reported engagement in decision making. Total score ranges from 0 to 100, with higher scores indicating greater engagement in decision making.
Within 2 weeks post-intervention
Disease-Modifying Therapy Knowledge Questionnaire
Time Frame: Within 2 weeks post-intervention
Questionnaire assessing patient and caregiver knowledge of disease modifying-therapies for sickle cell disease. Survey will be developed by the research team, and additional details will be included here once items and scoring are finalized.
Within 2 weeks post-intervention

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
Initiation of disease-modifying therapy
Time Frame: Within 6 months post-intervention
Proportion of patients who agree to initiate a disease-modifying therapy following use of the shared decision making intervention
Within 6 months post-intervention

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
Acute healthcare utilization
Time Frame: Within 6 months post-intervention
ED visits and hospitalizations for sickle cell-related complications during 6 months following the intervention
Within 6 months post-intervention

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.
Nemours Children's Clinic

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.
November 26, 2024

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.
December 31, 2026

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.
June 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).
May 9, 2022

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.
May 17, 2022

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.
May 20, 2022

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 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.
June 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.
June 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • 348507

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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