Trial Phase: Syndemic Adapted Medly Uganda (SAMU)

April 6, 2026 updated by: Yale University

An mHealth Implementation Strategy to Address the Syndemic of Mental Illness, Hypertension, and HIV in Uganda, Clinical Trial: Syndemic Adapted Medly Uganda (SAMU)

The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the Syndemic-Adapted Medly Uganda (SAMU) in improving mental health care among adults living with HIV and hypertension in Uganda. In sub-Saharan Africa (SSA), there is a high prevalence of depression and anxiety among people living with HIV (PLHIV) as well as alcohol use disorder (AUD). PLHIV who experience depression are less likely to link to HIV care, adhere to antiretroviral therapy, and achieve viral suppression. Building on research conducted to adapt Medly Uganda for mental health using a syndemic framework, this study aims to assess the effectiveness of SAMU on mental health screening and diagnosis. This will be accomplished through a two-arm trial in which 1. participants will be enrolled, screened, re-screened, and assessed for diagnosis and linkage to care for depression, anxiety and AUD and 2. evaluate the factors impacting sustained engagement in the SAMU program, through mixed methods.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet 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

All staff will be trained in mental health screening prior to the trial launch, and all clinics will be equipped with health education materials to raise awareness of mental health, self-care and available resources in the clinic and community

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.
1500

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 Contact Backup

Study Locations

  • Uganda
      • Kampala, Uganda
        • Nsambya Hospital
      • Kampala, Uganda
        • Kawaala Hospital
      • Kampala, Uganda
        • Naguru Hospital

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patient at a participating HIV clinic site
  • Currently living in Uganda with no intention of moving abroad in next 2 years
  • Access to a mobile phone
  • Basic reading skills in one or more of the offered languages (English, Luganda) as determined by the Research Assistant.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No access to a mobile phone
  • Inability to provide informed consent based on assessment by the onsite Research Assistant or HCW

Healthcare Workers/Caregivers Criteria:

  • Age >=18 years
  • Healthcare worker at participating site or caregiver for study participant at site
  • Basic reading skills in one or more of the offered languages (English, Luganda) as determined by the Research Assistant

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: Treatment
  • Allocation: 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: SAMU intervention
Participants will receive the SAMU digital mental health screening intervention and SMS reminders to complete a SAMU session over the duration of trial consistent with their level of need.
Device: Syndemic-Adapted Medly Uganda (SAMU)
Participants will receive an SMS reminding them to enter a SAMU screening session at a regular basis, based on their initial screening scores. Subsequent screeners will trigger a tailored message based on the participants' inputs.
No Intervention: Control
Participants will receive screening, diagnosis and linkage to care that is consistent with the standard of care provided by the facility.

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
Number of participants diagnosed
Time Frame: up to 18 months
Number of participants screened and diagnosed with anxiety and/or depression.
up to 18 months

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
Number of participants linked to care
Time Frame: up to 18 months
Number of participants linked to care for mental health, alcohol use disorder, HIV and/or hypertension.
up to 18 months
Mean score Alcohol Use Disorders Identification Test- C (AUDIT-C)
Time Frame: Baseline and 6, 12, 18 months
3-item alcohol screening tool (abbreviated version of the 10-question AUDIT) that identifies hazardous drinking or active alcohol use disorders. It is scored 0-12. Higher scores indicate a higher likelihood of harmful alcohol consumption.
Baseline and 6, 12, 18 months
Mean systolic blood pressure
Time Frame: Baseline and 6, 12 months
Mean systolic blood pressure in mmHg
Baseline and 6, 12 months
Mean diastolic blood pressure
Time Frame: Baseline and 6, 12 months
Mean diastolic blood pressure in mmHg
Baseline and 6, 12 months
Number of participants with HIV viral load suppression
Time Frame: Baseline and 6, 12 months
HIV viral load suppression defined as having <200 copies/mL of HIV RNA in the blood
Baseline and 6, 12 months
Self-reported medication adherence
Time Frame: Baseline and 6, 12 months
Assessed as mean days adherent in the last 7 days
Baseline and 6, 12 months

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.
Yale University

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 Mental Health (NIMH)

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: Jeremy Schwartz, MD, Yale University

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 (Estimated)

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.
June 1, 2026

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.
October 1, 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.
December 1, 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 6, 2026

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 6, 2026

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 13, 2026

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.
April 13, 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.
April 6, 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.
April 1, 2026

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.
  • 2000042286
  • 1R21MH134565-01 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)
  • 4R33MH134565-03 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

YES

IPD Plan Description

Partial, individualized data sets will be made available based on specific requests. All data to be shared will be fully deidentified, will undergo rigorous cleaning and quality control prior to sharing, will be accompanied by a data dictionary to prevent misunderstanding or misuse, and will be encoded using common standards. Audio recordings will not be shared, however final transcripts will be shared. The project website will include all necessary information concerning data sharing, including direct links to the data repository.

IPD Sharing Time Frame

Data will be shared beyond the study team once approved by the PIs and a data sharing team, members to be determined. The project website will include all necessary information concerning data sharing, including direct links to the data repository.

IPD Sharing Access Criteria

Data will be accessible to any researcher or non-researcher who submits a data access request form as described above. Once data are cleared for sharing by the data sharing team, they will be moved to a federally sanctioned repository. All repository rules for requesting data sets will need to be followed by requesting individuals.

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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