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RecruitingNCT06515301Updated Jun 10, 2025

Key Interventions to Improve the Follow-up Adherence Post Cervical Precancerous Lesion Treatment in Ethiopia

An interventional study of Intervention 1: Structured nurse-led telephone call reminders. Intervention 2: Home-visit reminders by health extension workers. Intervention 3: Application-based automated SMS text reminders. in Suspicious Cervical Cancer Lesions Follow up Adherence, sponsored by Addis Ababa University. Recruiting at 1 site in Ethiopia. Open to female participants aged 25 Years to 49 Years. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2025-06-10.

Sponsored by Addis Ababa University · Not applicable, Interventional, and Prevention

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
466
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
25 Years to 49 Years
Sex
Female
01

Study summary

The goal of this pragmatic randomized control trial is to evaluate the effectiveness of three interventions in improving follow-up adherence among women treated for suspicious cervical lesions in primary healthcare settings in Ethiopia. The interventions include structured nurse-led telephone call reminders, home-visit reminders led by health extension workers, and application-based automated SMS text reminders. The main questions it aims to answer are:

  • Does structured nurse-led telephone call reminders improve follow-up adherence among women treated for suspicious cervical lesions compared to standard care?
  • Does home-reminder visits led by a Health Extension Worker (HEW) improve follow-up adherence among women treated for suspicious cervical lesions compared to standard care?
  • Does app-based automated SMS reminders improve follow-up adherence among women treated for suspicious cervical lesions compared to standard care?

Structured Nurse-Led Telephone Call Reminders

  • Participants will receive proactive phone call reminders for scheduled follow-up visits.
  • The intervention includes three rounds: initially at 4 months post-recruitment, then every 4 months for HIV-negative women over a year, and every 2 months for 6 months for women living with HIV.

Home-Reminder Visits Led by HEW Health Extension Workers (HEWs) will conduct door-to-door visits to remind participants of their scheduled follow-up appointments.

  • Door-to-door Visits will occur initially at 4 months (for HIV-negative women) and 2 months (for HIV-positive women) post-recruitment, then every 2 months for 6 months for HIV-positive and every 4 months for 12 months for HIV-negative participants.

App-Based Automated SMS Reminders

  • Participants will receive SMS-based reminders for their follow-up visits.
  • The intervention consists of three rounds: initial texts at 4 months and 2 months post-recruitment for HIV-negative and HIV-positive women, respectively, followed by reminders every 2 months for 6 months for HIV-positive women and every 4 months for 12 months for HIV-negative women.
02

Conditions studied

  • Suspicious Cervical Cancer Lesions Follow up Adherence
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
25 Years to 49 Years
Sexes eligible
Female
Accepts healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

  • Women aged 30-49 (HIV-negative).
  • Women over 25 (HIV-positive).
  • Treated for suspicious cervical lesions after a positive VIA screening.

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • History of hysterectomy.
  • Diagnosis of other histological invasive cervical cancer.
  • Suspicious cervical cancer cases.
  • Pregnancy.
  • Prior screening history.
  • Vaginal bleeding.
  • Lack of consent.
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Prevention
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
None (open label)
Enrollment
466 participants (estimated)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Structured nurse-led telephone call reminders plus standard care.

    Participants in this arm will receive proactive telephone call reminders from nurses for their scheduled follow-up visits. Reminders will be administered initially at 4 months post-recruitment and then every 4 months for a year for HIV-negative women. For women living with HIV, reminders will be administered every 2 months for 6 months after recruitment.

    Behavioral: Intervention 1: Structured nurse-led telephone call reminders. Intervention 2: Home-visit reminders by health extension workers. Intervention 3: Application-based automated SMS text reminders.

  • Experimental
    Home-visit reminders by health extension workers plus standard care.

    Health Extension Workers (HEWs) will conduct home visits to remind participants of their scheduled follow-up appointments. Scheduled initially at 4 months post-recruitment for HIV-negative women and 2 months for HIV-positive women, followed by visits every 2 months for 6 months for HIV-positive individuals and every 4 months for 12 months for HIV-negative individuals.

    Behavioral: Intervention 1: Structured nurse-led telephone call reminders. Intervention 2: Home-visit reminders by health extension workers. Intervention 3: Application-based automated SMS text reminders.

  • Experimental
    Application-based automated SMS text reminders plus standard care.

    Participants will receive automated SMS text reminders via a mobile application for their follow-up visits. SMS reminders will be sent initially at 4 months and 2 months post-recruitment for HIV-negative and HIV-positive women, respectively. Subsequent reminders will be sent every 2 months for 6 months for HIV-positive women and every 4 months for 12 months for HIV-negative women.

    Behavioral: Intervention 1: Structured nurse-led telephone call reminders. Intervention 2: Home-visit reminders by health extension workers. Intervention 3: Application-based automated SMS text reminders.

  • Active comparator
    Standard care only

    Participants in the control group will receive standard follow-up care according to the guidelines outlined by the Ethiopian Ministry of Health and current clinical practices of the country.These women will be orally informed of their follow-up appointment dates and will receive a post-treatment follow-up card at the baseline. Apart from this information and routine care, no additional interventions will be provided.

    Behavioral: Intervention 1: Structured nurse-led telephone call reminders. Intervention 2: Home-visit reminders by health extension workers. Intervention 3: Application-based automated SMS text reminders.

Interventions

  • BehavioralIntervention 1: Structured nurse-led telephone call reminders. Intervention 2: Home-visit reminders by health extension workers. Intervention 3: Application-based automated SMS text reminders.

    Information already available

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Proportion of adherence to follow up recommendations in the intervention and standard group after suspicious cervical cancer lesion treatment.

    Follow up adherence will be measured re-screening (VIA) after one year (11-13 months after first screening). We will use objective measurement thorough review of the comprehensive records maintained within the cervical cancer screening follow-up registry.Accordingly, women who fail to return for their scheduled follow-up visit will be categorized as "Lost to Follow-Up", while those who do attend will be categorized as "Follow-Up Adherent

    Time frame: re-screening (VIA) after one year (11-13 months)

06

Study locations

1 of 1 sites recruiting
  • Worabe Health Center
    Silte, Southern Ethiopia, Ethiopia
    Recruiting
07

References and documents

Individual participant data

Plan to share: No — Individual participant data (IPD) will not be shared to maintain participant confidentiality and comply with ethical guidelines. However, aggregated, de-identified data will be made available upon reasonable request after study completion and publication. Requests should be directed to the corresponding author, and data access will be provided in line with institutional policies and BMJ Open's data-sharing policy requirements.

No publications or documents are linked to this record.

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT06515301
Lead sponsor
Addis Ababa University
Responsible party
Alemnew Destaw Mezgebu (Mr, Addis Ababa University) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jul 23, 2024
Start date
Nov 20, 2024
Primary completion
Nov 20, 2025 (estimated)
Completion
Dec 30, 2025 (estimated)
Last update
Jun 10, 2025

Study contacts

Mr.Alemnew Destaw Mezgebu, MPH
Contact
alemrondesta66@gmail.com
+251979695905
Dr.Muluken Gizaw Turago, PhD
Contact
muluken.gizaw@yahoo.com
+251966809345

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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