Effect of Storytelling on Questionnaire Completion and Quality of Collected Data in an E-Cohort (PEGASYS)

PEGASYS (Projet d'Expérimentation Sur la Gamification et Analyse du StorYtelling Sur SKEZIA): Randomized Controlled Trial Assessing the Effect of Storytelling on Questionnaire Completion and Data Quality Within the E-Cohort SKETHIS

This study is a randomized controlled trial, nested in the SKETHIS e-cohort, aiming to evaluate whether adding a modest, narrative-driven, strorytelling introduction to a Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaire increases completion without compromising data quality.

This trial is led by SKEZI, a DeepTech start-up which markets a data collection solution and carries out the InnoPRO program, aimed at generating new knowledge in the field of e-cohorts.

Study Overview

• Status: Not yet recruiting
• Conditions: General Population (no Specific Condition or Disease)
• Intervention / Treatment: Other: Storytelling questionnaire

Detailed Description

SKETHIS is a national e-cohort that serves as an observatory of health-related quality of life in France. Launched in September 2023 by SKEZI, the cohort is built as a secure health-data warehouse hosted on the SKEZIA data-collection solution. While its primary aim is to monitor health-related quality of life, its trajectories and determinants, SKETHIS is also the opportunity for SKEZI to carry out its InnoPRO program, an initiative dedicated to generate new knowledge in the field of e-cohorts.

Gamification, i.e. the integration of game-design elements, such as points, levels, or badges into non-game contexts, has been shown to increase usage, prolong retention and improve adherence to e-health services. Storytelling is a specific gamification tool that employs narrative techniques (voices, story characters, suspense, etc.) to structure a coherent, accessible and engaging participants' experience.

Improving and maintaining participant engagement is a major challenge for large-scale e-cohorts. Although gamification and storytelling have been empirically used to boost participation, the effect of storytelling on self-administered patient reported outcome questionnaires has not been evaluated in a rigorously designed randomized clinical trial.

Purpose of the study To determine whether adding a modest, narrative-driven storytelling introduction to a Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaire increases questionnaire completion without compromising data quality.

How the study will be done

This study is a parallel-group randomized controlled trial nested within SKETHIS. All eligible SKETHIS participants (i.e. participants who have completed the first questionnaire and socio-demographic questionnaire) will be randomly assigned to one of two groups:

1. Intervention: Patient-Reported Outcome Questionnaire with storytelling
2. Control: Patient-Reported Outcome Questionnaire without storytelling The same Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaire (French version of the Global Physical Activity Questionnaire [GPAQ]) will be used in both groups (with the same questions). The introduction page and design of the questionnaire will differ between the two groups: short narrative with minimal visual design (color palette, icons, illustrations) for the intervention group; neutral (plain text, no narrative, no visual embellishment) for the control group.

Questions the study will answer

• Does the storytelling increase completion rate of the questionnaire (proportion of participants who fully completed the questionnaire) within 30 days, compared to the neutral (control) version?
• Does the storytelling improve participants' self reported satisfaction (Net Promoter Score) after questionnaire completion?
• Does the storytelling reduce the drop out (abandonment) rate - i.e., the proportion of participants who start the questionnaire but do not finish it - within 30 days of receipt?
• Does the storytelling affect the quality of the data collected?

Hypothesis Investigators hypothesized that the integration of storytelling in self-reported Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaire will increase completion rates and participants' satisfaction, without negatively impacting data quality.

Why this matters Finding ways to increase engagement in SKETHIS, and other online cohorts, will help improving the quantity and quality of the data that can be used for future health research. The results will be shared in a peer reviewed scientific article and could guide the design of future e cohort studies worldwide.

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Estimated): 500
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

• Study Contact: Name: Jean-Philippe Bertocchio, MD, PhD; Phone Number: +33649174259; Email: jean-philippe.bertocchio@skezi.eu

Study Locations

• France
  • Paris, France
    • SKEZI
    • Contact: Jean-Philippe Bertocchio, MD, PhD; Phone Number: +33649174259; Email: jean-philippe.bertocchio@skezi.eu

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: Yes

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Being a current SKETHIS participant (eligibiliy criteria: being 18 or older, living in France, reading and understanding French, having a digital device with internet access and a valid e-mail address)
• Having completed the main SKETHIS questionnaire and the socio-demographic information questionnaire
• Providing consent to participate to the study

Exclusion Criteria:

- Answering "I am unable to walk out" to the EQ-5D mobility item part of the main SKETHIS questionnaire (cannot complete Global Physical Activity Questionnaire)

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Other
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Triple

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Storytelling; Self-administrated Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaire (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire) enhanced by storytelling with a short narrative introduction and minimal visual design (color palette, icons, illustrations).	Other: Storytelling questionnaire; In the context of the SKETHIS e-cohort, participants receive an email inviting them to complete a new online questionnaire regarding their physical activity. Participants are unaware that the experiment is being conducted or that the questionnaire uses storytelling.
No Intervention: Neutral; Self-administrated Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaire (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire) presented as is (no narrative, no visual embellishment).

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Completion rate	Proportion of participants who complete the Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaire within 30 days after the questionnaire is first sent, calculated as number of participants who fully completed the questionnaire divided by total number of participants included in the study (or arm)	30 days after sending the questionnaire

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Completion rate for non-mandatory questions	Number of participants who answered additional non-mandatory questions divided by number of participants who validated the questionnaire	30 days after sending the questionnaire
Ratio number of answered questions over time spent on the questionnaire	Number of answered questions divided by time spent on the questionnaire	30 days after sending the questionnaire
Internal validity of the Patient-Reported Outcome questionnaire	Cronbach alpha and "floor and ceiling effects" for the Patient Reported Outcome questionnaire (Global Physical Activity Questionnaire)	30 days after sending the questionnaire

Other Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Global Physical Activity Questionnaire (GPAQ) Score	Score for level of physical activity calculated as per the WHO GPAQ questionnaire guideline	30 days after sending the questionnaire
Participants' satisfaction	Net promoter score: "On a scale of 0 to 5, how likely are you to recommend participation to SKETHIS to a friend or colleague?"	30 days after sending the questionnaire
Participants' satisfaction open-ended question	Number of dimensions identified by grounded theory analysis for the responses to the open-ended question on satisfaction: "What would you change to make the questionnaire more enjoyable to complete?"	30 days after sending the questionnaire
Perceived scientificity of the questionnaire	Score for the question: "On a scale of 0 to 5, how serious do you take this scientific questionnaire?"	30 days after sending the questionnaire
Abondon rate	Number of non completed questionnaires divided by number of started questionnaires	30 days after sending the questionnaire

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: SKEZI

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Estimated): March 1, 2026
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: March 11, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 14, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 16, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 16, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 14, 2026
• Last Verified: March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: RCT; response rate; gamification; storytelling; completion; e-cohort; data quality
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Pathologic Processes; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Disease
• Other Study ID Numbers: SKETHIS-INNOPRO-001

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No