Research Abstract Usefulness in Clinical Decision-making

Family Nurse Practitioner Perception of Journal Abstract Usefulness in Clinical Decision-making: a Randomized Controlled Trial

To better understand the extent to which family nurse practitioners (FNPs) might use research abstracts in shaping their clinical decision-making under simulated conditions. A secondary point is to examine if and how FNPs might use full-text manuscripts (associated with the abstracts) if made available to them.

Study Overview

• Status: Unknown
• Conditions: Clinical Decision-making
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Access to EBN-Search (without full-text manuscripts)

Detailed Description

The study will recruit the approximate 25 - 1st year and 25 - 2nd year family nurse practitioner students of the Graduate School of Nursing. After being presented an overview of the study and informed consent document, those electing to participate will draw a sealed envelope indicating whether they are assigned to group A (intervention group) or group B (control group). The participant will proceed to the associated room, be provided a brief clinical case (appropriate to their training), an iPad device with pre-loaded EBN-Search engine, and a questionnaire. The EBN-Search engine for the intervention group will include 9 research abstracts associated to the case. The EBN-Search for the control group will include both the research abstracts and full-text versions of the manuscripts. The participants will be provided 20 minutes to complete the questionnaire using the information available to them. The questionnaire will require the participant to indicate treatment plan, respond to questions regarding the usefulness of research abstracts, questions regarding the usefulness of full-text (control group only) and recommendations on improving EBN-Search.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Anticipated): 50
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Ronald W Gimbel, PhD; Phone Number: 301-295-3077; Email: rgimbel@usuhs.mil

Study Locations

• United States
  • Maryland
    • Bethesda, Maryland, United States, 20814
      • Uniformed Services University

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: 21 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No
• Genders Eligible for Study: All

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Matriculated family nurse practitioner graduate students of USUHS 2010/2011 academic year

Exclusion Criteria:

• None

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Health Services Research
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: EBN-Search (without full-text manuscripts); In the intervention arm research subjects will be provided access to EBN-Search (a fictitious search engine) with nine abstracts relating to the clinical case but no full-text manuscripts.	Behavioral: Access to EBN-Search (without full-text manuscripts); Family nurse practitioner access to EBN-Search without availability of full-text manuscripts.; Other Names: Research abstracts; Full-text manuscripts
Active Comparator: EBN-Search (with full text manuscripts); Research subjects will be exposed to 9 abstracts and corresponding full-text manuscripts related to the simulated clinical encounter.	Behavioral: Access to EBN-Search (without full-text manuscripts); Family nurse practitioner access to EBN-Search without availability of full-text manuscripts.; Other Names: Research abstracts; Full-text manuscripts

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Measure of perception of abstract usefulness in clinical decision-making	At conclusion of the simulated exercise subjects will complete a data collection instrument indicating their perception of abstract usefulness in their clinical decision-making.	Immediate post-experiment

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Use of full-text manuscripts when available in simulated clinical encounter	For those subjects with ready access to full-text manuscripts (n=25) during the simulated clinical encounter, we will measure how often they are accessed by the subjects.	During experiment

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences
• Investigators: Principal Investigator: Ronald W. Gimbel, PhD, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start: December 1, 2010
• Primary Completion (Anticipated): March 1, 2011
• Study Completion (Anticipated): June 1, 2011

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: December 6, 2010
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2010
• First Posted (Estimate): December 7, 2010

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Estimate): December 7, 2010
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: December 6, 2010
• Last Verified: November 1, 2010

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Clinical decision-making; Search engine; Research abstracts; Full-text manuscripts; Family Nurse Practitioners
• Other Study ID Numbers: R02930-S2