Evaluation of a new Healthcare Social Media platform (ZWIP) for frail elderly: improving care coordination and self-management
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN11165483 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN11165483 |
| Protocol serial number | 311050201 |
| Sponsor | ZonMw (Netherlands) |
| Funder | ZonMw (Netherlands) |
- Submission date
- 26/11/2012
- Registration date
- 21/12/2012
- Last edited
- 18/01/2019
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Other
Plain English summary of protocol
Background and study aims
Frail elderly people often face considerable difficulties in navigating the healthcare system. Care is fragmented, with involvement from a constantly changing group of professionals from a variety of care settings. Because of this fragmentation, general practitioners, specialists, nurses and other professionals are frequently unaware of the fact that they provide care for the same patients. There needs to be better coordination between professionals through sharing information about the patients in order to improve their care. Intensive communication between the professionals, the patients and their caregivers is also necessary for shared decision-making and self-management, which lead to better patient outcomes. In order to realize such goals, professionals have to be aware of the patient’s goals, and they should be able to provide care in accordance with such goals. Elderly patients generally wish to be informed about their care and appreciate if they wishes are taken into account when decisions are made. Also, accurate and timely information is necessary for shared decision-making. However, with the current organization of care, patients often do not receive continuous care, engage in shared decision-making or practice self-management. For this reason interventions are being developed to address this problem. ZWIP is intended to facilitate both patients’ self-management and collaboration between professionals. ZWIP is a healthcare social-media network for frail older people, their caregivers and professionals. A main feature of ZWIP is that patients are central in the system - patients and their caregivers decide which professionals join their network, and professionals can exchange messages with the patients and each other. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of ZWIP compared to standard care.
Who can participate?
Frail elderly patients aged over 70 living in the east of the Netherlands.
What does the study involve?
Participants in general practices using ZWIP are compared with participants in practices using standard care. Participants are assessed by questionnaire.
What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
Patients can communicate with their professionals through ZWIP. There are no risks or side effects involved.
Where is the study run from?
The study is run from the Radboud University Medical Centre, and about 11 GP practices in the east of the Netherlands take part in the study.
When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
January 2011 to December 2012.
Who is funding the study?
ZonMw, Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development.
Who is the main contact?
René Melis
rene.melis@radboudumc.nl
Contact information
Scientific
Post box 9101
Reinier Postlaan
Route 934
Nijmegen
6500 HB
Netherlands
| Phone | +31 (0)24 3616772 |
|---|---|
| rene.melis@radboudumc.nl |
Study information
| Primary study design | Observational |
|---|---|
| Study design | Non-randomized controlled trial with before and after measurement |
| Secondary study design | Non randomised controlled trial |
| Study type | Participant information sheet |
| Scientific title | A controlled clinical trial to evaluate the Health and Welfare Information Portal: improved information for and about frail elderly and their caregivers |
| Study acronym | ZWIP |
| Study objectives | ZWIP will lead to improved patient outcomes as compared to standard care. |
| Ethics approval(s) | Radboud University Medical Centre Medical Ethics Council |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Frail elderly living at home |
| Intervention | ZWIP is a complex intervention, intended to facilitate both patient's self-management and collaboration between professionals. ZWIP is a healthcare social-media network for multi-disciplinary communication for frail older people, their caregivers and professionals. The system registers patient goals and action plans which are associated with the goals in consultation with the patients. A main feature of the ZWIP is that patients are central in the system, patients and their caregivers decide which professionals join their network. Professionals can exchange messages with the patients and each other using ZWIP. In the control group, frail elderly receive standard care. |
| Intervention type | Behavioural |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
Katz-15 IADL, SF-36 social functioning, SF-36 psychological functioning after 1 year of usage |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
1. Patient and caregiver experience with being informed |
| Completion date | 01/12/2012 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Senior |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 1044 |
| Key inclusion criteria | Frail elderly as identified by the EASYcare-Two step Older people Screening diagnostic instrument. Development of an instrument for the identification of frail elderly as a target population for integrated care. |
| Key exclusion criteria | Does not meet inclusion criteria |
| Date of first enrolment | 13/01/2011 |
| Date of final enrolment | 01/12/2012 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- Netherlands
Study participating centre
6500 HB
Netherlands
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not provided at time of registration |
| IPD sharing plan |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | results | 01/08/2011 | 17/01/2019 | Yes | No |
| Results article | results of a mixed methods process evaluation of use of the Health and Welfare portal | 17/12/2014 | 17/01/2019 | Yes | No |
| Results article | results of first experiences with a two-step method for discussing goals with community-dwelling frail older people | 01/10/2015 | 17/01/2019 | Yes | No |
| Results article | results of reducing fragmentation in the care of frail older people | 01/04/2013 | 17/01/2019 | Yes | No |
| Results article | results of the development of the Health and Welfare Information Portal (ZWIP) | 19/09/2012 | 17/01/2019 | Yes | No |
| Results article | results of the effectiveness of an online health community (OHC) intervention for older people with frailty aimed at facilitating multidisciplinary communication | 23/06/2014 | 17/01/2019 | Yes | No |
| Results article | results of the impact of interprofessional education on collaboration attitudes, skills, and behaviour among primary care professionals | 01/06/2012 | 17/01/2019 | Yes | No |
| Results article | results of the process evaluation of ZWIP implementation | 15/08/2012 | 17/01/2019 | Yes | No |
| Participant information sheet | Participant information sheet | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
| Study website | Study website | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
18/01/2019: The following vhanges have been made to the trial record
1. The contact details have been updated
2. The trial website has been changed
3. The plain English summary was updated to reflect the changes above
17/01/2019: Publication references have been added
