Virtual Care Optimization for COPD Management

(VC-OPTIONS Trial)

Recruiting at 1 trial location

Overseen By Saige M Calkins, MA BA

Age: 18+

Sex: Any

Trial Phase: Academic

Sponsor: VA Office of Research and Development

Disqualifiers: Prior participation, others

No Placebo Group All trial participants will receive the active study treatment (no placebo)

Compensation: Varies

Number of Visits: 5

Duration: 12 weeks

40 Participants Needed

Trial Summary

Will I have to stop taking my current medications?

The trial information does not specify whether you need to stop taking your current medications. It seems focused on virtual care services for managing COPD, so it's likely you can continue your current treatment, but you should confirm with the trial organizers.

What data supports the effectiveness of the treatment VC-OPTIONS for COPD management?

The research suggests that using virtual care, like remote monitoring and telemedicine, can help manage COPD by potentially reducing hospital stays and improving care quality. Engaging healthcare providers with online tools and feedback has shown to improve care delivery and reduce costs, which may support the effectiveness of VC-OPTIONS. ^{1 2 3 4 5}

How does the Virtual Care Optimization treatment for COPD differ from other treatments?

The Virtual Care Optimization treatment for COPD is unique because it uses telemedicine to provide care remotely, including virtual consultations, telemonitoring, and home-based rehabilitation. This approach allows for continuous monitoring and personalized care without the need for frequent hospital visits, potentially reducing healthcare costs and improving patient engagement. ^{3 4 6 7 8}

What is the purpose of this trial?

VA is a leader in virtual care (VC), including the patient portal, mobile apps, and telehealth programs. VC has great utility for managing chronic conditions like chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, adoption of many VC services has been slow. Lack of awareness about these services is one of the most prominent patient- and healthcare team-facing barriers to adopting VC. This study will develop, refine, and pilot a stakeholder-informed multicomponent implementation strategy to support adoption of VC, referred to as VC-OPTIONS (Virtual Care for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Adoption Support). This feasibility trial will pilot the VC-OPTIONS implementation strategy to assess feasibility and acceptability and gather preliminary effectiveness data to inform a larger hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial. The core component of VC-OPTIONS will be the provision of information via VA's Annie texting program to empower patients with knowledge about the array of VC services and how they can be used to support COPD management. It is hypothesized that this strategy will be acceptable and feasible. This work will improve patient and team awareness of and communication about VC services, and support patient access to VC services for COPD management.

Research Team

Stephanie Robinson, PhD

Principal Investigator

VA Bedford HealthCare System, Bedford, MA

Eligibility Criteria

This trial is for US Veterans who are users of the Veterans Health Administration (VHA), have been diagnosed with COPD, can communicate in English, and own a text-enabled phone. It's not open to those who've already taken part in research preparing for this intervention.

Inclusion Criteria

the ability to speak and understand English

This criterion is not clear. Can you please provide more context or specify what "VHA user" refers to in this context?

I have been diagnosed with COPD.

Exclusion Criteria

Prior participation in preparatory research for the development of the intervention

Timeline

Screening

Participants are screened for eligibility to participate in the trial

2-4 weeks

Treatment

Participants receive educational content about virtual care for COPD via Annie text messaging

12 weeks

Text messages up to 5 times per week

Follow-up

Participants are monitored for changes in awareness and intention to adopt virtual care services

4 weeks

Treatment Details

Interventions

• VC-OPTIONS

Trial Overview The study is testing VC-OPTIONS, an approach designed to increase virtual care use for managing COPD. It involves sending information through VA's Annie texting program to educate patients about virtual services available for their condition.

Participant Groups

Group I: VC-OPTIONS Experimental Treatment 1 Intervention

Participants will be enrolled in the Annie texting VC-OPTIONS protocol

Who Is Running the Clinical Trial?

VA Office of Research and Development

Lead Sponsor

Trials

1,691

Recruited

3,759,000+

Findings from Research

A pilot study involving 10 COPD patients showed that a long-term telerehabilitation program, including home exercise training and telemonitoring, was feasible and maintained participant engagement over more than a year with no drop-outs.

The program led to a significant 27% reduction in COPD-related hospital costs, indicating potential benefits in healthcare utilization and positive feedback from participants about the service.

NCBI (Pubmed)

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Long-term telerehabilitation of COPD patients in their homes: interim results from a pilot study in Northern Norway. Zanaboni, P., Lien, LA., Hjalmarsen, A., et al.[2013]

References

1. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Initiative to Improve Evidence-Based Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Hospitalist Care Using a Novel On-Line Gamification Patient Simulation Tool: A Prospective Study. [2021]

2. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Pilot study of remote telemonitoring in COPD. [2022]

3. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Impact of COVID-19 shielding on physical activity and quality of life in patients with COPD. [2021]

4. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Implementation of Activity Sensor Equipment in the Homes of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients. [2018]

5. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Review: clinical inertia in the management of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. [2018]

6. England pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Long-term telerehabilitation of COPD patients in their homes: interim results from a pilot study in Northern Norway. [2013]

7. United States pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Patient-Assessed Quality of Virtual Consultations as Follow-Up on Long-Term Oxygen Therapy for Patients With COPD. [2023]

8. Switzerland pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The Role of Telemedicine in Extending and Enhancing Medical Management of the Patient with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease. [2021]