An investigation into the merits of using a computer in the clinical assessment of children

ISRCTN	ISRCTN74743772
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN74743772
Protocol serial number	N0129118585
Sponsor	Department of Health (UK)
Funder	Central Manchester and Manchester Children's University Hospitals NHS Trust (UK)

Submission date: 12/09/2003
Registration date: 12/09/2003
Last edited: 30/10/2019

Recruitment status: No longer recruiting
Overall study status: Completed
Condition category: Mental and Behavioural Disorders

Prospectively registered

Protocol

Statistical analysis plan

Results

Individual participant data

Record updated in last year

Plain English summary of protocol

Not provided at time of registration

Contact information

Mr David Chantry
Scientific

School of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Manchester University
2 Church Lane
Ipstones
Stoke-on-Trent
ST10 2LD
United Kingdom

Phone	+44 (0)1538 266613
Email	david.chantry@lineone.net

Study information

Primary study design	Interventional
Study design	Randomised controlled trial
Secondary study design	Randomised controlled trial
Scientific title	An investigation into the merits of using a computer in the clinical assessment of children
Study objectives	The project aims to assess the merits of an established computer-assisted interview for children, the MacInterview, developed by Calam et al. (2000). The MacInterview will be compared with an equivalent paper-based interview, with particular focus on the child's engagement with the interview, the amount of information derived, the time-efficiency of the procedure, and the child's enjoyment of the procedure.
Ethics approval(s)	Not provided at time of registration
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied	Mental and Behavioural Disorders: child psychology
Intervention	A. MacInterview B. Interview using equivalent material presented in a paper-based format The study will use an experimental (between-subjects) design involving two groups of children. One group will receive the MacInterview, the other will receive an interview using equivalent material presented in a paper-based format. Allocation to the groups will be randomised. Each child will be interviewed on one occasion for approximately 45 minutes. The interview format will involve the child in activities including: 1. Choosing an image to represent her-/himself from a range of outline drawings of children of different sizes and ethnic origins 2. Choosing drawings to represent home and school settings which s/he has experienced and people connected with those settings 3. Working with outline faces depicting different emotional expressions (happy, sad, worried, etc) 4. Selecting representations of particular people s/he associates with particular emotions in each setting All interviews will be video-taped to enable data to be obtained from subsequent analysis of the tapes by the researcher.
Intervention type	Other
Primary outcome measure(s)	Comparison in each interview format of: 1. The number and length (word count) of the child's verbal utterances 2. The amount of time spent "on task", as opposed to attending to external distractions 3. The amount of "standard" information obtained (i.e. information provided in answering the interview questions) 4. The amount of "additional" information obtained (i.e. information volunteered by the child over and above that given in response to the interview questions) 5. The amount of "emotion-focused" information obtained (i.e. information relating to the child's feelings or emotional states) 6. The amount of time required to complete the procedure 7. The child's rating of his/her enjoyment of the interview
Key secondary outcome measure(s)	Not provided at time of registration
Completion date	04/11/2003

Eligibility

Participant type(s)	Patient
Age group	Child
Lower age limit	7 Years
Upper age limit	11 Years
Sex	Not Specified
Key inclusion criteria	Children aged between seven and 11 years (inclusive) referred to the Child and Adolescent Psychology Department, Carol Kendrick Unit, Withington Hospital, Nell Lane, West Didsbury, Manchester.
Key exclusion criteria	Not applicable
Date of first enrolment	04/11/2002
Date of final enrolment	04/11/2003

Locations

Countries of recruitment

United Kingdom
England

Study participating centre

School of Psychiatry and Behavioural Sciences, Manchester University

Stoke-on-Trent
ST10 2LD
United Kingdom

Results and Publications

Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share	No
IPD sharing plan summary	Not provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Editorial Notes

30/10/2019: No publications found, all search options exhausted, study status unverified.