Cardiovascular Risk Screening and Risk Reduction in Women Vets

February 11, 2025 updated by: VA Office of Research and Development

Facilitating Cardiovascular Risk Screening and Risk Reduction in Women Veterans (QUE 15-272)

Cardiovascular (CV) disease is the number one cause of death in American women, and all adult women are potentially at risk for CV disease. There are clear gender differences in the control of CV risk factors such as lipids, blood pressure, and intermediate diabetes outcomes nationally and within the VA, with women Veterans often at higher CV risk than their male counterparts. The combination of disparities and gender-specific CV risk factors suggest an urgent need for CV risk factor management in women Veterans. As one project in the Enhancing Mental and Physical health of Women through Engagement and Retention (EMPOWER) QUERI, the objectives of "Facilitating Cardiovascular Risk Screening and Risk Reduction in Women Veterans" are to implement and evaluate a CV risk reduction toolkit (CV toolkit) designed to increase identification of CV risk among Women Veterans, enhance patient/provider communication about their risk, and increase Women Veterans' engagement and retention in relevant health services including referrals to key health programs (e.g., MOVE!, dieticians, health coaches, and CV specialists as needed). The initial CV Toolkit includes four components: (1) Patient education/activation tools including educational materials and a patient CV self-screener to help make CV risk discussion a priority for women before they enter the exam room; (2) A CV risk assessment computerized template to systematically capture CV disease risk factor history and data from the medical record and then facilitate referrals to Gateway to Healthy Living program and other CV risk reduction services/programs; (3) Provider information and education programs as well as referral tools to internal services; and (4) The Gateway to Healthy Living, a facilitated goal-setting group tailored for women Veterans. The goal is to implement the CV Toolkit at four VA facilities with comprehensive women's health clinics. The implementation of the CV Toolkit will be evaluated using a non-randomized stepped wedge design and will apply the evidence-based Replicating Effective Programs (REP) implementation strategy. For the nonrandomized stepped wedge design, each phase represents when one site moved from inactive to active implementation. It was pre-specified for the non-randomized design to evaluate the outcomes as the odds ratio of active intervention versus inactive for the overall study period and not by individual site/phase. This is a function of the use of the non-randomized design. Since the order of sites being introduced into the active intervention is not random, probabilistically the individual site results are not as meaningful here as they would be in a randomized stepped wedge design. Also, mixed methods implementation evaluations will focus on investigating primary implementation outcomes of adoption, acceptability, feasibility, and reach. Multilevel stakeholder engagement will be prioritized. Program-wide organizational-, provider-, and patient-level measures and tools will be utilized to enhance synergy, productivity, impact and facilitate spread.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Background: Women Veterans are the fastest growing segment of Veterans Health Administration (VHA) users. This dramatic growth has created challenges for VHA. Gender disparities persist in cardiovascular (CV) and diabetes risk factor control, and rates of depression, anxiety, and mental health comorbidity are disproportionately high among women Veterans. Furthermore, a high rate of women Veterans' attrition from VA care, along with organizational barriers to care, substantiate that organizational changes are needed in order to engage and retain women Veteran VHA users in evidence-based, patient-centered care.

Objectives: The Enhancing Mental and Physical health of Women through Engagement and Retention (EMPOWER) QUERI addresses VHA Blueprint for Excellence Strategy 6, by advancing "personalized, proactive, patient-centered" care models, and Transformational Strategy 7.2.g by implementation of innovative care models in women Veterans' health care. The EMPOWER QUERI Program is designed to improve women Veterans' engagement and retention in evidence-based care for three high priority health conditions, i.e., prediabetes, cardiovascular, and mental health. To achieve this impact goal, we propose a cohesive portfolio of projects with the following aims: (1) To use an evidence-based implementation strategy that emphasizes local tailoring of care models, multilevel stakeholder engagement, and systematic evaluation of complex implementation processes in order to enrich organizational capacity for innovations in women Veterans' VHA health care; (2) To implement personalized, proactive, patient-centered innovations in VHA women's health that are acceptable, feasible, satisfactory, relevant, and effective for both providers and patients, thereby encouraging women Veterans' engagement and retention and sustainability of the innovations; and, (3) To generate implementation "playbooks" for our partners that are scalable and serve as guidance for future implementation of a broader array of evidence-based women's health programs and policy.

Methods: Three projects will be conducted by an experienced multidisciplinary team. "Tailoring VA's Diabetes Prevention Program to Women Veterans' Needs" is a one-year QI project to be conducted in VA Greater Los Angeles women's health clinics. Women Veterans with prediabetes will select an in-person, peer-led or online gender-specific, evidence-based diabetes prevention program to address their risk behaviors and health conditions. "Facilitating Cardiovascular Risk Screening and Risk Reduction in Women Veterans" will increase identification of CV risk among women Veterans, enhance patient/provider communication and shared decision-making about CV risk, and provide a supportive, coordinated health coaching intervention to facilitate women Veterans' engagement and retention in appropriate health services. "Implementation of Tailored Collaborative Care for Women Veterans" will evaluate implementation of an evidence-based collaborative care model tailored to enhance provider- and system-level capabilities to address women Veterans' anxiety and depression treatment needs, thereby improving organizational primary care-mental health integration (PC-MHI) effectiveness and women Veterans' engagement and retention in PC-MHI. Both implementation research studies will use a non-randomized stepped wedge design and will apply the evidence-based Replicating Effective Programs (REP) implementation strategy. For the nonrandomized stepped wedge design, each phase represents when one site moved from inactive to active implementation. It was pre-specified for the non-randomized design to evaluate the outcomes as the odds ratio of active intervention versus inactive for the overall study period and not by individual site/phase. This is a function of the use of the non-randomized design. Since the order of sites being introduced into the active intervention is not random, probabilistically the individual site results are not as meaningful here as they would be in a randomized stepped wedge design. Mixed methods implementation evaluations will focus on investigating primary implementation outcomes of adoption, acceptability, feasibility, and reach. Multilevel stakeholder engagement will be prioritized. Program-wide organizational-, provider-, and patient-level measures and tools will be utilized to enhance synergy, productivity, and impact. The original protocol proposes the administration of a follow-up survey that includes four secondary outcome measures (PROMIS Global Health; Patient Satisfaction; Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS); and Depression Screen (PHQ-4)). However, the follow-up survey was not administered (data not collected) due to patient burden and COVID-19. As a coherent program of women's health implementation research and quality improvement, the proposed EMPOWER QUERI will constitute a major milestone in achieving BPE strategies and realizing women Veterans' engagement and, ultimately, empowerment in our VHA system.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Actual)

6009

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

  • United States
    • California
      • Sepulveda, California, United States, 91343
        • VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Sepulveda, CA
      • West Los Angeles, California, United States, 90073
        • VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, West Los Angeles, CA
    • Connecticut
      • West Haven, Connecticut, United States, 06516
        • VA Connecticut Healthcare System West Haven Campus, West Haven, CT
    • Texas
      • San Antonio, Texas, United States, 78229
        • South Texas Health Care System, San Antonio, TX

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

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • For Patient Activities: Women VA patients with any cardiovascular risk factors
  • For Key Stakeholder Activities: VA staff affiliated with the Women's Health Clinic

Exclusion Criteria:

  • For Patient Activities: Men & Patients with cognitive impairment precluding informed consent
  • For Key Stakeholder Activities: non- VA staff

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: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Sequential Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Active implementation of the CV Toolkit
The investigators will use a non-randomized stepped wedge design to evaluate the implementation in four VA Women's Practice Based Research Network sites. In this design, the intervention is "turned on" when a primary care provider at the site first engages in the Cardiovascular (CV) Toolkit (i.e. uses a CV screening template which maps to the patient CV self-screener). This design relies on sequential roll-out to participating sites over time, while using other sites as controls until they begin implementation. - The non-randomized design explicitly considers the timing of implementation spread and addresses the statistical issues introduced by lack of randomization in implementation starts and processes. The investigators will analytically compensate for the design by collecting patient-, provider-, and site-level data that may be associated with timing of the adoption of each intervention.
Behavioral: CV Toolkit Components
  • Patient completes a CV self screener.
  • Patient discusses CV risks factors with primary care providers and CV risks are documented and discussed for action steps and referrals.
  • Patient will be recommended to attend a gender tailored facilitated workgroup - Gateways to Healthy Living to make specific SMART goals and commit to patient preferred services or program

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
New Participation in MOVE! (Among Women Aged 65 and Older)
Time Frame: 46 months
The study utilized a non-randomized stepped wedge design, and in this design, there are two arms: the not-active CV Toolkit arm and the active ("turned on") CV Toolkit arm. All five sites were in both arms at some point in the study period. The determination of when a study was in a particular arm was determined using the non-randomized step wedge design. In this design, all sites begin in the not-active arm and then cross-over to the active arm at a time when they are organized to do so (not a random event). In the non-randomized stepped wedge design (which is very similar to the crossover clinical trial) results are not analyzed separately by arm as is done for standard randomized controlled trials. The analysis also considered stratification of the women by age (< and ≥ 65 years of age). The main outcomes examined participation in MOVE! and HPDP and/or CIH services for each age strata.
46 months
New Participation in MOVE! (Among Women Less Than 65 Years Old)
Time Frame: 46 months
The study utilized a non-randomized stepped wedge design, and in this design, there are two arms: the not-active CV Toolkit arm and the active ("turned on") CV Toolkit arm. All five sites were in both arms at some point in the study period. The determination of when a study was in a particular arm was determined using the non-randomized step wedge design. In this design, all sites begin in the not-active arm and then cross-over to the active arm at a time when they are organized to do so (not a random event). In the non-randomized stepped wedge design (which is very similar to the crossover clinical trial) results are not analyzed separately by arm as is done for standard randomized controlled trials. The analysis also considered stratification of the women by age (< and ≥ 65 years of age). The main outcomes examined participation in MOVE! and HPDP and/or CIH services for each age strata.
46 months
Participation in HPDP/CIH Programs (Among Women Aged 65 and Older)
Time Frame: 46 months
The study utilized a non-randomized stepped wedge design, and in this design, there are two arms: the not-active CV Toolkit arm and the active ("turned on") CV Toolkit arm. All five sites were in both arms at some point in the study period. The determination of when a study was in a particular arm was determined using the non-randomized step wedge design. In this design, all sites begin in the not-active arm and then cross-over to the active arm at a time when they are organized to do so (not a random event). In the non-randomized stepped wedge design (which is very similar to the crossover clinical trial) results are not analyzed separately by arm as is done for standard randomized controlled trials. The analysis also considered stratification of the women by age (< and ≥ 65 years of age). The main outcomes examined participation in MOVE! and HPDP and/or CIH services for each age strata.
46 months
Participation in HPDP/CIH Programs (Among Women Less Than 65 Years Old)
Time Frame: 46 months
The study utilized a non-randomized stepped wedge design, and in this design, there are two arms: the not-active CV Toolkit arm and the active ("turned on") CV Toolkit arm. All five sites were in both arms at some point in the study period. The determination of when a study was in a particular arm was determined using the non-randomized step wedge design. In this design, all sites begin in the not-active arm and then cross-over to the active arm at a time when they are organized to do so (not a random event). In the non-randomized stepped wedge design (which is very similar to the crossover clinical trial) results are not analyzed separately by arm as is done for standard randomized controlled trials. The analysis also considered stratification of the women by age (< and ≥ 65 years of age). The main outcomes examined participation in MOVE! and HPDP and/or CIH services for each age strata.
46 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Altarum Consumer Engagement (ACE)
Time Frame: 6 months
Brief measure of patient engagement in care
6 months
PROMIS Global Health
Time Frame: 6 months
Brief measure of global health
6 months
Patient Satisfaction
Time Frame: 6 months
Global rating of patient satisfaction/quality of care
6 months
Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS)
Time Frame: 6 months
Brief measure of anxiety
6 months
Depression screen (PHQ-4)
Time Frame: 6 months
Brief measure of depression symptoms
6 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

VA Office of Research and Development

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Bevanne A Bean-Mayberry, MD MHS, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, West Los Angeles, CA
  • Principal Investigator: Melissa M Farmer Coste, PhD MS, VA Greater Los Angeles Healthcare System, Sepulveda, 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.

General Publications

Helpful Links

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)

November 15, 2016

Primary Completion (Actual)

September 30, 2020

Study Completion (Actual)

September 30, 2020

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 9, 2016

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 9, 2016

First Posted (Estimated)

December 13, 2016

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

March 25, 2025

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 11, 2025

Last Verified

February 1, 2025

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • QUX 16-007

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

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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