A randomised controlled trial of changing radiology referrals across the primary secondary interface
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN96334088 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN96334088 |
| Secondary identifying numbers | PSI B-9 |
- Submission date
- 23/01/2004
- Registration date
- 23/01/2004
- Last edited
- 09/11/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data
Plain English summary of protocol
Not provided at time of registration
Contact information
Prof Martin Eccles
Scientific
Scientific
Centre for Health Services Research
University of Newcastle Upon Tyne
21 Claremont Place
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE2 4AA
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)191 222 6780 |
|---|---|
| martin.eccles@ncl.ac.uk |
Study information
| Study design | Randomised controlled trial |
|---|---|
| Primary study design | Interventional |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Study setting(s) | Hospital |
| Study type | Screening |
| Scientific title | A randomised controlled trial of changing radiology referrals across the primary secondary interface |
| Study objectives | Our aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of two methods of changing general practitioners' radiology ordering behaviour as active strategies for implementing the Royal College of Radiologists (RCR) guidelines. One of these (audit and feedback) is widely used alone and is of questionable effectiveness and the other (investigation specific prompts) is seldom used routinely but of unknown impact in combination with audit and feedback. The prior hypothesis was that either intervention alone would be more effective than the control intervention (a postal copy of the guidelines) and that both interventions together would be more effective than either alone. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Not provided at time of registration |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Radiology referrals |
| Intervention | 1. Control - postal paper copy of guidelines covering radiographs of the knee and lumbar spine 2. Intervention practices received in addition postal audit and feedback on use of the target investigations and investigation specific educational reminder messages about the relevant use of the investigation |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure | The main study outcome was the rate of ordering of x-rays measured over two 12 month periods, the second of which formed the intervention period. |
| Secondary outcome measures | Secondary outcomes were a costing study from the perspective of radiology departments and an assessment of the concordance of x-ray requests with criteria derived from guidelines. |
| Overall study start date | 01/10/1997 |
| Completion date | 31/01/2000 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Not Specified |
| Sex | Not Specified |
| Target number of participants | 244 |
| Total final enrolment | 244 |
| Key inclusion criteria | The study was based in six radiology departments (in both district general and teaching hospitals) in the north east of England and Grampian region in Scotland. All 247 general practices, with the exception of one university practice, that were served entirely by these radiology departments were included in the study. |
| Key exclusion criteria | Not provided at time of registration |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/10/1997 |
| Date of final enrolment | 31/01/2000 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- England
- United Kingdom
Study participating centre
Centre for Health Services Research
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE2 4AA
United Kingdom
NE2 4AA
United Kingdom
Sponsor information
Record Provided by the NHS R&D 'Time-Limited' National Programme Register - Department of Health (UK)
Government
Government
The Department of Health
Richmond House
79 Whitehall
London
SW1A 2NL
United Kingdom
| Website | http://www.doh.gov.uk |
|---|
Funders
Funder type
Government
NHS Primary and Secondary Care Interface National Research and Development Programme (UK)
No information available
Results and Publications
| Intention to publish date | |
|---|---|
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not provided at time of registration |
| Publication and dissemination plan | Not provided at time of registration |
| IPD sharing plan | Not provided at time of registration |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 05/05/2001 | Yes | No | ||
| Other publications | 01/04/2003 | Yes | No |
Editorial Notes
09/11/2022: Total final enrolment added.
