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Clinical and Economic Evaluation of Point-of-care Ultrasound-guided Infiltration for Subacromial and Carpal Tunnel Syndromes in Primary Care: a Cluster-randomized Study Protocol. (Q-EPICAP)

2. juli 2026 opdateret af: Marta Ortega Bravo, Fundacio d'Investigacio en Atencio Primaria Jordi Gol i Gurina

The aim of this clinical trial is to determine whether point-of-care ultrasound-guided corticosteroid injection is more effective than conventional injection guided by anatomical landmarks or standard oral medication for patients with upper-extremity conditions (subacromial impingement syndrome [SAS] or carpal tunnel syndrome [CTS]) in primary care.

The main questions this study seeks to answer are:

Does ultrasound-guided injection provide superior long-term pain relief compared to blind anatomical injection and oral medication?

Does ultrasound-guided injection lead to better functional recovery and improved health-related quality of life in patients?

Is ultrasound-guided injection a cost-effective strategy from both the healthcare system and societal perspectives (including reducing sick leave)?

This study represents the quantitative phase of the mixed-methods Q-EPICAP study. Researchers will compare three parallel groups across 23 primary care centers to determine the most effective and efficient treatment strategy.

Participants will:

Receive one of three assigned treatments: blind anatomical infiltration (Group I), ultrasound-guided infiltration (Group UI), or standard oral drug therapy (Group P).

Attend follow-up assessments at baseline and at 15, 30, 90, and 180 days after the initial intervention.

Complete questionnaires to assess pain intensity (Visual Analog Scale), upper limb function (ASES or Boston Disability Assessment Questionnaire), and quality of life (EQ-5D-5L).

Provide data on medical resource utilization and sick leave to assess socioeconomic costs.

Studieoversigt

Status

Aktiv, ikke rekrutterende

Betingelser

Intervention / Behandling

Detaljeret beskrivelse

Upper extremity pathologies, particularly subacromial impingement syndrome (SAS) and carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), represent a significant clinical and socioeconomic burden for primary care systems, primarily due to functional disability and prolonged sick leave.

Although corticosteroid injections are frequently used, traditional blind injections guided by anatomical landmarks often lack anatomical precision. Point-of-care ultrasound-guided injections offer greater accuracy and better short-term clinical outcomes; however, their cost-effectiveness in routine clinical practice has not yet been adequately assessed.

This pragmatic, prospective, multicenter, cluster-randomized clinical trial includes 23 participating primary care centers (clusters) in Lleida, Spain, with a 6-month longitudinal follow-up. This study constitutes the quantitative phase of the mixed-methods Q-EPICAP project.

A total of 225 adult patients diagnosed with SAS or CTS and presenting with baseline pain (VAS ≥ 3) were divided into three parallel groups:

  1. Group I: Anatomical landmark-guided infiltration.
  2. Group UI: Ultrasound-guided infiltration performed by family physicians.
  3. Group P: Standard oral pharmacological treatment.

Data collection was performed at baseline and at 15, 30, 90, and 180 days post-intervention. The primary outcome measure was pain intensity (VAS). Secondary outcomes included upper limb function (ASES and Boston questionnaires), health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), and a comprehensive economic evaluation (cost-effectiveness and cost-utility indices) that integrates the perspectives of healthcare systems and society.

Undersøgelsestype

Interventionel

Tilmelding (Anslået)

225

Fase

  • Fase 4

Kontakter og lokationer

Dette afsnit indeholder kontaktoplysninger for dem, der udfører undersøgelsen, og oplysninger om, hvor denne undersøgelse udføres.

Studiesteder

    • Lleida
      • Lleida, Lleida, Spanien, 25100
        • Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Atención Primaria (IDIAP Jordi Gol)

Deltagelseskriterier

Forskere leder efter personer, der passer til en bestemt beskrivelse, kaldet berettigelseskriterier. Nogle eksempler på disse kriterier er en persons generelle helbredstilstand eller tidligere behandlinger.

Berettigelseskriterier

Aldre berettiget til at studere

  • Voksen
  • Ældre voksen

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Beskrivelse

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Patients aged 18 years or older presenting in primary care. Clinical diagnosis of subacromial impingement syndrome (shoulder pain from tendon compression) or carpal tunnel syndrome (wrist nerve compression). Moderate to severe pain intensity, defined as a score of greater than or equal to 3 on the Visual Analog Scale (VAS >= 3) at baseline. Patient must understand the study procedures and provide written informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Previous corticosteroid infiltration in the target joint/structure within the last 6 months. History of major trauma, active infection, or previous surgery in the affected shoulder or wrist. Underlying systemic inflammatory diseases (for example, rheumatoid arthritis, polymyalgia rheumatica). Known hypersensitivity or contraindications to corticosteroids (Betamethasone) or local anesthetics (Mepivacaine). Pregnancy or breastfeeding. Red flags suggesting tumor, fracture, or severe neurological deficit.

Studieplan

Dette afsnit indeholder detaljer om studieplanen, herunder hvordan undersøgelsen er designet, og hvad undersøgelsen måler.

Hvordan er undersøgelsen tilrettelagt?

Design detaljer

  • Primært formål: Behandling
  • Tildeling: Randomiseret
  • Interventionel model: Parallel tildeling
  • Maskning: Enkelt

Våben og indgreb

Deltagergruppe / Arm
Intervention / Behandling
Aktiv komparator: Standard Oral Treatment
Patients in this cohort are treated exclusively with standard systemic oral drug treatment of routine clinical practice and physiotherapy recommendations according to established clinical guidelines, without receiving local procedures.

Prescription of systemic oral pharmacological treatment according to standard clinical practice and guidelines, which may include individual or combined use of the following therapies, or no pharmacological prescription if deemed appropriate by the clinician:

  1. Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs): Ibuprofen (400 mg or 600 mg), Naproxen (500 mg or 550 mg), or Dexketoprofen (25 mg).
  2. Non-opioid analgesics: Paracetamol (500 mg, 650 mg, or 1 g) or Metamizole (575 mg).
  3. Step 2 weak opioids: Tramadol (50 mg, 100 mg, or 200 mg).
  4. Co-analgesics for neuropathic pain components: Gabapentin (300 mg, 400 mg, or 600 mg).
Aktiv komparator: Conventional Infiltration
Patients in this cohort receive a corticosteroid infiltration, blinded to anatomical landmarks, for subacromial impingement syndrome or carpal tunnel syndrome, administered by primary care physicians following standard clinical practice.

Local infiltration consisting of a combination of a corticosteroid and a local anesthetic, administered in a 1:1 volume ratio (1 ml + 1 ml, total volume 2 ml):

  1. Corticosteroid: Betamethasone (administered as 1 ml of solution).
  2. Local anesthetic: Mepivacaine (administered as 1 ml of solution).

In the Conventional Infiltration group, the solution is injected using the standard anatomical landmark technique (blind technique).

Aktiv komparator: Ultrasound-Guided Infiltration
Patients in this cohort receive an ultrasound-guided corticosteroid infiltration, performed by advanced-trained primary care physicians, ensuring anatomical accuracy during the procedure, and following standard clinical practice.

Local infiltration consisting of a combination of a corticosteroid and a local anesthetic, administered in a 1:1 volume ratio (1 ml + 1 ml, total volume 2 ml):

  1. Corticosteroid: Betamethasone (administered as 1 ml of solution).
  2. Local anesthetic: Mepivacaine (administered as 1 ml of solution). In the Ultrasound-Guided Infiltration group, 1 ml of betamethasone + 1 ml of mepivacaine are administered under real-time ultrasound guidance to ensure precise deposition in the target anatomical structure (subacromial space or carpal tunnel).

Hvad måler undersøgelsen?

Primære resultatmål

Resultatmål
Foranstaltningsbeskrivelse
Tidsramme
Change from Baseline in Pain Intensity using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS)
Tidsramme: Baseline (Day 0), 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months post-intervention.
Pain intensity will be assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS), where patients rate their pain on a line from 0 (no pain) to 10 (worst possible pain). The primary endpoint is the change in the score from baseline to 3, 6, and 9 months. Higher scores indicate greater pain intensity.
Baseline (Day 0), 3 months, 6 months, and 9 months post-intervention.

Sekundære resultatmål

Resultatmål
Foranstaltningsbeskrivelse
Tidsramme
Change from Baseline in Shoulder Function using the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) Score
Tidsramme: Baseline (Day 0), 3, 6, and 9 months post-intervention.
The ASES score evaluates shoulder pain and activities of daily living. It consists of a patient-reported section (10 items) and a clinical assessment. The total score ranges from 0 to 100, where 100 indicates better shoulder function and less pain. We will assess the change in this score relative to baseline.
Baseline (Day 0), 3, 6, and 9 months post-intervention.
Change from Baseline in Carpal Tunnel Symptoms and Function using the Boston Carpal Tunnel Questionnaire (BCTQ)
Tidsramme: Baseline (Day 0), 3, 6, and 9 months post-intervention.
The BCTQ consists of two scales: the Symptom Severity Scale (11 items) and the Functional Status Scale (8 items). Each item is scored from 1 (mildest) to 5 (most severe). The final score is the average of the responses. Higher scores indicate more severe symptoms and greater functional impairment.
Baseline (Day 0), 3, 6, and 9 months post-intervention.
Change from Baseline in Health-Related Quality of Life (EQ-5D-5L)
Tidsramme: Baseline (Day 0), 3, 6, and 9 months post-intervention.
The EQ-5D-5L questionnaire assesses 5 dimensions of health (mobility, self-care, usual activities, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression) across 5 levels of severity. It also includes a Visual Analog Scale (EQ-VAS) from 0 (worst imaginable health) to 100 (best imaginable health). Higher index values and VAS scores represent better health status.
Baseline (Day 0), 3, 6, and 9 months post-intervention.

Samarbejdspartnere og efterforskere

Det er her, du vil finde personer og organisationer, der er involveret i denne undersøgelse.

Sponsor

Samarbejdspartnere

Efterforskere

  • Ledende efterforsker: Marta Ortega Bravo, MD, PhD, Institut Català de la Salut. Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Atención Primaria (IDIAP Jordi Gol)

Publikationer og nyttige links

Den person, der er ansvarlig for at indtaste oplysninger om undersøgelsen, leverer frivilligt disse publikationer. Disse kan handle om alt relateret til undersøgelsen.

Generelle publikationer

Datoer for undersøgelser

Disse datoer sporer fremskridtene for indsendelser af undersøgelsesrekord og resumeresultater til ClinicalTrials.gov. Studieregistreringer og rapporterede resultater gennemgås af National Library of Medicine (NLM) for at sikre, at de opfylder specifikke kvalitetskontrolstandarder, før de offentliggøres på den offentlige hjemmeside.

Studer store datoer

Studiestart (Faktiske)

1. juni 2026

Primær færdiggørelse (Anslået)

31. december 2027

Studieafslutning (Anslået)

30. juni 2028

Datoer for studieregistrering

Først indsendt

2. juli 2026

Først indsendt, der opfyldte QC-kriterier

2. juli 2026

Først opslået (Faktiske)

9. juli 2026

Opdateringer af undersøgelsesjournaler

Sidste opdatering sendt (Faktiske)

9. juli 2026

Sidste opdatering indsendt, der opfyldte kvalitetskontrolkriterier

2. juli 2026

Sidst verificeret

1. juli 2026

Mere information

Begreber relateret til denne undersøgelse

Andre undersøgelses-id-numre

  • code 22/050-EOm
  • PROJ-22/13 (Andet bevillings-/finansieringsnummer: Jordi Gol Primary Care Research Institute (IDIAPJGol))
  • PIC-26/7 (Andet bevillings-/finansieringsnummer: Jordi Gol Primary Care Research Institute (IDIAPJGol))

Plan for individuelle deltagerdata (IPD)

Planlægger du at dele individuelle deltagerdata (IPD)?

JA

IPD-planbeskrivelse

Anonymized individual participant data that support the results to be published in the future will be available to qualified researchers who reasonably request them for academic research purposes. Data sharing will be subject to a formal request to the corresponding author, approval from the Institutional Ethics Committee, and the signing of a data access agreement.

IPD-delingstidsramme

Data will be available beginning 12 months after publication of the main results in the scientific journal and will remain accessible for a period of 3 years.

IPD-delingsadgangskriterier

  • Who: Qualified academic researchers with a methodologically sound proposal and approved institutional affiliation.
  • What: Anonymized individual participant data (IPDs) that support the primary results, along with the Study Protocol and Statistical Analysis Plan (SAP).
  • How: Access requests must be formally submitted via email to the corresponding author. To obtain the data, the requester must obtain approval from their own Institutional Ethics Committee and sign a legally binding Data Access Agreement to ensure data confidentiality and guarantee that the data will only be used for the approved research purpose.

IPD-deling Understøttende informationstype

  • STUDY_PROTOCOL
  • SAP

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