Clinical Reminders in Test Reports to Improve Guideline Compliance

April 6, 2015 updated by: US Department of Veterans Affairs
Although beta-blockers are known to prolong survival for patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, their use in the community and the VA is suboptimal.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background:

Although beta-blockers are known to prolong survival for patients with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, their use in the community and the VA is suboptimal.

Objectives:

To determine if a reminder attached to the echocardiography report would increase the use of beta-blockers among patients with depressed left ventricular function.

Methods:

We are randomizing consecutive patients undergoing echocardiography at one of three VA echocardiography laboratories with reduced left ventricular ejection fraction (<40%) and no echocardiographic contraindication to beta-blockers (e.g. aortic stenosis) to a reminder for use of beta-blockers or to no reminder. The reminder gives starting doses for two commonly used beta-blockers (carvedilol and metoprolol). Patients are excluded from the analysis if they leave the health care system or die within three months of randomization. The primary outcome is a prescription for a beta-blocker between three and nine months following echocardiography

Status:

The project is complete.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Anticipated)

1500

Phase

  • 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

    • California
      • Palo Alto, California, United States, 94304-1290
        • VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA

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

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Those undergoing echocardiography at one of the participating laboratories with an ejection fraction < 45%.

Exclusion Criteria:

aortic stenosis, mitral stenosis

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

  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Other: Arm 1

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Prescription for any beta-blocker

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Prescription for carvedilol or metoprolol succinate

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Paul A. Heidenreich, MD MS, VA Palo Alto Health Care System, Palo Alto, CA

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

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

May 1, 2001

Study Completion (Actual)

June 1, 2006

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 19, 2006

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 20, 2006

First Posted (Estimate)

December 21, 2006

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

April 7, 2015

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 6, 2015

Last Verified

December 1, 2006

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • IIR 01-108

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 Heart Failure, Congestive

Clinical Trials on Clinical Reminder

Subscribe