An interventional study of virtual community of practice in Chronic Diseases, sponsored by Gerencia de Atención Primaria, Madrid. Recruiting at 3 sites in Spain. Open to participants aged 30 Years to 60 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-03-12.
Sponsored by Gerencia de Atención Primaria, Madrid · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
Objective: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) via a web-based application versus individual and self-administered online education to improve the activation of middle-aged people with multimorbidity.
Design: Randomized controlled pragmatic clinical trial with two parallel arms and 18 months follow-up.
Setting: Primary health centres and hospitals (Catalonia, Madrid, and the Canary Islands). Population: Middleaged people (30-60 years old) with multimorbidity (≥=2 chronic diseases). Sample size: 240 patients.
Randomization: all participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention (VCoP) or the active control group. Data analysis will be blinded to intervention allocation. Intervention: The intervention group will be offered participation for 12 months in a VCoP based on a gamified web-based application. The control group will receive individual, content-focused education through a web platform that will cover the same topics as the VCoP but will be self-administered and without social interaction within the platform.
Measurements: The main variable will be measured using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) questionnaire at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. Secondary variables: participant sociodemographics, depression (PHQ-9), anxiety (HADS-A), treatment burden (TBQ), quality of life (EQ-5D-5L), variables related to the use of health resources and to the use of the VCoP. Analysis: Mixed-effects linear regression will be used to determine the effects of the VCoP on the changes in patient activation. Scores at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months will be included as a fixed effect variable, and the patient and health professional as random effect variables. Analyses will be performed on an intention-to-treat basis. An economic evaluation will be carried out to analyze the cost-effectiveness of the VCoP compared to active control, from the National Health System and social perspectives.
Objective: To evaluate and compare the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of a Virtual Community of Practice (VCoP) via a web-based application versus individual and self-administered online education to improve the activation of middle-aged people with multimorbidity.
Design: Randomized controlled pragmatic clinical trial with two parallel arms and 18 months follow-up.
Setting: Primary health centres and hospitals (Catalonia, Madrid, and the Canary Islands). Population:
Inclusion criteria:
Exclusion criteria:
Randomization: all participants will be randomly assigned to the intervention (VCoP) or the active control group. Data analysis will be blinded to intervention allocation.
Intervention: The intervention group will be offered participation for 12 months in a VCoP based on a web-based application. The control group will receive individual, content-focused education through a web platform that will cover the same topics as the VCoP but will be self-administered and without social interaction within the platform.
Measurements:
participant sociodemographics variables The main variable will be measured using the Patient Activation Measure (PAM) questionnaire at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months. It consists of 13 items that assess people´s Knowledge, skills and confidence in self-care for their health and medical care, measured using a 1-4 likert scale with a total score that is transferred to a scale between 0 and 100.
Secondary variables:
Patient Health Questionnaire at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months It is a short instrument, designed to be self-administered. It consists of 9 items that evaluate the presence of depressive symptoms present in the last 2 weeks. Each item has a severity index: 0 = "never", 1 = "some days", 2 = "more than half of the days" and 3 = "almost every day". The puntuation is between 0 and 27 (worse puntuation).
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months It is a 14-item questionnaire composed of two sub-scales (HAD-A: anxiety and HAD-D: depression), of 7 items each that are scored from 0 to 3. The puntuation is between 0 and 21 (worse puntuation). The authors recommend points of 8 for possible cases and >10 for probable cases on both subscales.
Treatment Burden Questionnaire at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months It is a questionnaire of 13 items that uses a Likert scale that ranges from 0 (not a problem) to 20 (it is an important problem) and that assesses the burden related to taking medication, self-care, laboratory tests, medical appointments, the need for organization, administrative tasks, compliance with diet and physical activity and the social impact of treatment. The puntuation is between 0 and 260 (worse puntuation).
European quality of life. Euroqol-5D at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months Assesses health-related quality of life (HRQoL) both in the general population and in groups of patients with different pathologies. It comprises 5 dimensions (mobility, self-care, activities of daily living, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression). Each dimension has 3 items that are scored from 1, no problems, to 3, many problems. There is a visual analogue scale that scores from 0 (worst health status imaginable) to 100 (best health status imaginable)
Analysis: Mixed-effects linear regression will be used to determine the effects of the VCoP on the changes in patient activation. Scores at baseline, 6, 12 and 18 months will be included as a fixed effect variable, and the patient and health professional as random effect variables.
Analyses will be performed on an intention-to-treat basis. An economic evaluation will be carried out to analyze the cost-effectiveness of the VCoP compared to active control, from the National Health System and social perspectives.
781 studies on the registry are indexed under Chronic Disease; 144 are open to participants now.
This study's planned enrollment of 240 is above the median of 140 across 582 interventional studies indexed under Chronic Disease.
Browse Chronic Disease studies →Gerencia de Atención Primaria, Madrid is the lead sponsor of 29 studies on the registry; 2 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
The intervention group will be offered participation for 12 months in a VCoP based ona gamified web-based application.
Behavioral: virtual community of practice
The control group will receive individual, content-focused education through a web platform that will cover the same topics as the VCoP but will be self-administered and without social interaction within theplatform.
The intervention group will be offered participation for 12 months in a VCoP based ona gamified web-based application.
the Patient Activation Measure (PAM)
It consists of 13 items that assess people's knowledge, skills, and confidence in self-care for their health and medical care, measured using a 1-4 Likert scale with a total score that is transferred to a scale between 0 and 100.
Time frame: Baseline
the Patient Activation Measure (PAM)
It consists of 13 items that assess people's knowledge, skills, and confidence in self-care for their health and medical care, measured using a 1-4 Likert scale with a total score that is transferred to a scale between 0 and 100.
Time frame: 12 months
the Patient Activation Measure (PAM)
It consists of 13 items that assess people's knowledge, skills, and confidence in self-care for their health and medical care, measured using a 1-4 Likert scale with a total score that is transferred to a scale between 0 and 100.
Time frame: 18 months
Patient Health Questionnaire-9
It is a short instrument, designed to be self-administered. It consists of 9 items that evaluate the presence of depressive symptoms present in the last 2 weeks. Each item has a severity index: 0 = "never", 1 = "some days", 2 = "more than half of the days" and 3 = "almost every day". The puntuation is between 0 and 27 (worse puntuation).
Time frame: Baseline
Patient Health Questionnaire-9
It is a short instrument, designed to be self-administered. It consists of 9 items that evaluate the presence of depressive symptoms present in the last 2 weeks. Each item has a severity index: 0 = "never", 1 = "some days", 2 = "more than half of the days" and 3 = "almost every day". The puntuation is between 0 and 27 (worse puntuation).
Time frame: 12 months
Patient Health Questionnaire-9
It is a short instrument, designed to be self-administered. It consists of 9 items that evaluate the presence of depressive symptoms present in the last 2 weeks. Each item has a severity index: 0 = "never", 1 = "some days", 2 = "more than half of the days" and 3 = "almost every day". The puntuation is between 0 and 27 (worse puntuation).
Time frame: 18 months
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
It is a 14-item questionnaire composed of two sub-scales (HAD-A: anxiety and HAD-D: depression), of 7 items each that are scored from 0 to 3. The puntuation is between 0 and 21 (worse puntuation). The authors recommend points of 8 for possible cases and \>10 for probable cases on both subscales.
Time frame: Baseline
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
It is a 14-item questionnaire composed of two sub-scales (HAD-A: anxiety and HAD-D: depression), of 7 items each that are scored from 0 to 3. The puntuation is between 0 and 21 (worse puntuation). The authors recommend points of 8 for possible cases and \>10 for probable cases on both subscales.
Time frame: 12 months
Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS)
It is a 14-item questionnaire composed of two sub-scales (HAD-A: anxiety and HAD-D: depression), of 7 items each that are scored from 0 to 3. The puntuation is between 0 and 21 (worse puntuation). The authors recommend points of 8 for possible cases and \>10 for probable cases on both subscales.
Time frame: 18 months
Treatment Burden Questionnaire-TBQ
It is a questionnaire of 13 items that uses a Likert scale that ranges from 0 (not a problem) to 20 (it is an important problem) and that assesses the burden related to taking medication, self-care, laboratory tests, medical appointments, the need for organization, administrative tasks, compliance with diet and physical activity and the social impact of treatment. The puntuation is between 0 and 260 (worse puntuation). on the self-administered Treatment Burden Questionnaire - TBQ
Time frame: Baseline
Treatment Burden Questionnaire-TBQ
It is a questionnaire of 13 items that uses a Likert scale that ranges from 0 (not a problem) to 20 (it is an important problem) and that assesses the burden related to taking medication, self-care, laboratory tests, medical appointments, the need for organization, administrative tasks, compliance with diet and physical activity and the social impact of treatment. The puntuation is between 0 and 260 (worse puntuation). on the self-administered Treatment Burden Questionnaire - TBQ
Time frame: 12 months
Treatment Burden Questionnaire-TBQ
It is a questionnaire of 13 items that uses a Likert scale that ranges from 0 (not a problem) to 20 (it is an important problem) and that assesses the burden related to taking medication, self-care, laboratory tests, medical appointments, the need for organization, administrative tasks, compliance with diet and physical activity and the social impact of treatment. The puntuation is between 0 and 260 (worse puntuation). on the self-administered Treatment Burden Questionnaire - TBQ
Time frame: 18 months
European quality of life-5 dimensions. E5-5D-5L questionnaire
Assesses health-related quality of life (HRQoL) both in the general population and in groups of patients with different pathologies. It comprises 5 dimensions (mobility, self-care, activities of daily living, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression). Each dimension has 3 items that are scored from 1, no problems, to 3, many problems. There is a visual analogue scale that scores from 0 (worst health status imaginable) to 100 (best health status imaginable)
Time frame: Baseline
European quality of life-5 dimensions. E5-5D-5L questionnaire
Assesses health-related quality of life (HRQoL) both in the general population and in groups of patients with different pathologies. It comprises 5 dimensions (mobility, self-care, activities of daily living, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression). Each dimension has 3 items that are scored from 1, no problems, to 3, many problems. There is a visual analogue scale that scores from 0 (worst health status imaginable) to 100 (best health status imaginable)
Time frame: 12 months
European quality of life-5 dimensions. E5-5D-5L questionnaire
Assesses health-related quality of life (HRQoL) both in the general population and in groups of patients with different pathologies. It comprises 5 dimensions (mobility, self-care, activities of daily living, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression). Each dimension has 3 items that are scored from 1, no problems, to 3, many problems. There is a visual analogue scale that scores from 0 (worst health status imaginable) to 100 (best health status imaginable)
Time frame: 18 months
Plan to share: No
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Started Jun 2024 (actual). Primary completion is estimated for Dec 2025, 18 months after the start.
Of 318 non-industry interventional studies with no phase under Chronic Disease, half reached primary completion within 21 months of starting (the median), counting those still running; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 33. This study's planned 18 months is below that.
Counting every sponsor, half of 328 studies reached it within 21 months; a quarter within 11 and three quarters within 33.
Chronic Disease covers many different conditions, not one, so the studies compared here vary widely. Read these figures as a rough guide.
How these figures are worked out, and which studies are left out of them.
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Gerencia de Atención Primaria, Madrid