Clinical Research Directory

Efficacy of Physical Therapy Treatment in Endometriosis and Its Relationship to Adherence Rates.

The main objective of this study is to know if the application of both therapies, neuroscience pain education plus therapeutic exercise will modify pain, catastrophizing and quality of life in endometriosis.

Implementing Depression and Adherence Treatment

The goal of this clinical trial is to compare a core set and enhanced set of implementation strategies in increasing the reach of evidence-based treatments to patients with HIV and depression. The main questions it aims to answer are: What proportion of patients start an evidence-based treatment for depression (reach)? What percentage of patients show clinical improvement in depression and what percentage attain viral undetectability within one year (effectiveness)? Researchers will compare high and low reach clinics to further inform tailored implementation strategies for uptake and maintenance. Clinics will be randomized into one of two study arms: core versus enhanced strategies. In both arms, core strategies will be utilized. Enhanced clinics will also receive more resource-intensive training.

Visualization of the Effects of Guideline-directed Medical Therapy (GDMT) on Improving Adherence and Quality of Life in Heart Failure With Reduced Ejection Fraction (HFrEF)

Heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) remains a major public health challenge with substantial morbidity and mortality despite the availability of effective guideline-directed medical therapy (GDMT). Although four major drug classes have been shown to significantly improve survival and reduce hospitalizations, real-world implementation remains suboptimal. In addition to underutilization by healthcare providers, poor medication adherence among patients-reported to range between 29% and 63%-represents a critical barrier to achieving optimal therapeutic benefit. The Visualize-Pro study is a prospective, exploratory pilot study designed to evaluate a simple, patient-centered intervention aimed at improving medication adherence in patients with HFrEF. The intervention consists of patient-friendly graphical visualizations illustrating the survival benefits and risk reduction associated with optimal heart failure therapy. These materials are designed to enhance patient understanding, motivation, and engagement with prescribed treatments. To objectively assess medication adherence, this study incorporates therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) as a gold standard method, in addition to established patient-reported outcome measures such as quality of life and adherence questionnaires. Blood samples will be collected at predefined study visits, and drug levels (or their metabolites) will be analyzed in collaboration with a specialized laboratory to quantify adherence. Participants will be followed over a predefined study period with serial assessments at scheduled visits. The primary objective is to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of the intervention in improving medication adherence. Secondary objectives include assessing changes in patient-reported outcomes and exploring associations between adherence and clinical parameters. As a pilot study, the results are intended to inform the design of a future large-scale, multicenter trial. Ultimately, this approach aims to provide a scalable and low-threshold strategy to improve adherence to life-saving therapies in heart failure, thereby contributing to reduced morbidity and mortality in this high-risk population.

Adherence to Home-Based Exercises in Musculoskeletal Disorders

Home exercise program is recommended by physicians to patients and their relatives to do at home and It is a treatment option in which the physician describes how to do it. Home workout program to be completed at home to complement and reinforce their program in the clinic It is a personalized set of therapeutic exercises that are taught. There are factors that can change exercise compliance; There are some reasons why some patients adhere to the prescribed home exercise program and others do not. Adherence to home exercises is a major issue in rehabilitation and the reasons for this are multifactorial; It includes both psychological and specific conditions factors that vary between each individual and these conditions should be taken into account by clinicians in designing personalized exercise programs. Home exercise programs constitute a fundamental component of rehabilitation and are widely prescribed by physicians support therapeutic gains beyond the clinical environment. These individualized programs aim to maintain functional improvements, reduce symptoms, and promote self-management among individuals with musculoskeletal disorders. Although adherence to home-based exercises is recognized as a key determinant of rehabilitation outcomes, non-adherence remains a persistent challenge. Despite growing emphasis on the importance of exercise compliance, the existing literature provides relatively limited and insufficient evidence regarding the factors that influence adherence across different musculoskeletal conditions, including degenerative, orthopedic, and neurological disorders. Addressing this gap, the present prospective longitudinal cohort study aims to evaluate adherence to individualized home-based exercise programs among patients with diverse musculoskeletal conditions and to determine whether adherence behaviors differ across diagnostic groups. In addition, the study seeks to identify demographic, clinical, psychosocial, and functional factors associated with exercise compliance. By integrating structured clinical evaluations with validated outcome measures, this study aims not only to clarify the determinants of exercise adherence but also to contribute to the development of more effective, condition-specific strategies to enhance sustained engagement in home-based rehabilitation.

ATTACH in Denmark: A Feasibility Randomized Controlled Trial

The goal of this feasibility randomized controlled pilot trial is to learn whether the trial can be done as planned, and to investigate if the 10-session parenting program "ATTACH(TM) increases mentalizing skills (the ability to reflect on thoughts and feelings) in parents of children between 0-5 years of age, who are receiving support for psychosocial problems in their municipal family treatment center. The main questions the trial aims to answer are: * How many eligible parents agree to participate in the random allocation to treatment? * How many parents allocated to receive "ATTACH(TM) will have completed the program 5 months after allocation (at least 7 out of 10 sessions)? * How many parents complete the data collection 5 months after allocation on the primary exploratory clinical outcome, i.e., parental mentalizing skills? * Do parents who received the ATTACH(TM) program show more increase in their mentalizing skills, compared to parents, who did not receive treatment with ATTACH(TM)? Researchers will compare ATTACH, added to Treatment as Usual, with Treatment as Usual without ATTACH in three municipal family treatment centers located in the Capital Region of Denmark. Participants will: 1. Take part in baseline data collection with a survey, video observation of parent-child interaction, and an interview assessing mentalizing skills. 2. Be randomly allocated to receive treatment in their local family center with or without ATTACH. 3. Take part in data collection 5 months after being allocated to either group, as well as participate in an interview about their experiences with the treatment they received. 4. After one year, the research group will follow up on the current treatment/support needs of the families, who were allocated to either group.

Enhanced Mentor Mother Strategy for Pregnant and Postpartum Women Living With HIV

Mentor Mothers (MMs) are peer supporters who help pregnant and postpartum women living with HIV (WLHIV) as they receive prevention of mother-to-child transmission of HIV (PMTCT) services in resource-limited settings like Kenya. Differentiated service delivery (DSD) is a care model that tailors services based on clients' needs, helping to improve both the quality and efficiency of care. This hybrid implementation-effectiveness study will test whether an enhanced MM strategy that uses DSD can be successfully carried out and improve health outcomes for mothers and infants. The study will take place at Burnt Forest Sub-District Hospital (BFSDH) in Kenya. Researchers will ask: * Can the enhanced MM strategy be delivered as planned and accepted by patients and staff? * Does the strategy improve clinical outcomes like keeping mothers in PMTCT care, achieving HIV viral suppression, completing infant HIV testing, and preventing HIV transmission to infants? Researchers will compare health outcomes before and after the strategy is introduced at BFSDH, and also compare outcomes at other similar clinics that continue with standard MM services. Women who choose to participate will meet with a MM during their routine antenatal and postnatal clinic visits. They will be offered the enhanced MM support, but can choose to receive standard care if they prefer.

Leveraging Technology to Improve Medication Adherence in Youth With Kidney or Liver Transplant

Can the investigators create an effective way to improve adherence to immunosuppressant medication and reduce rejection, graft loss, and death in adolescents and young adults who have undergone kidney or liver transplantation? The investigators' mobile technology intervention uses real-time electronic pillbox-assessed dose timing and text message prompts to address antirejection medication nonadherence when nonadherence is detected.

SmartSteps: A Context-Aware, PrEP Adherence Intervention for Individuals With Substance Use Disorder

This is a single-arm, observational study of HIV-negative MSM with substance use disorder. Those who meet pre-screening criteria will attend a Screening Visit (Visit 1), where the informed consent process will be conducted and study eligibility will be confirmed. Eligible participants will attend three additional visits over the course of the study - the Enrollment Visit (Visit 2), Month 1 Visit (Visit 3), and Month 2 Visit (Visit 4). Participants will take one PrEP digital pill per day, for 60 days total, while using the digital pill system (DPS) and Beiwe, a digital phenotyping app. On nonadherent days, participants will receive brief surveys prompting them to report the reasons for their missed dose, as well as their engagement in substance use and sexual activity. Timeline followback will be conducted at the Month 1 and Month 2 Visits to understand the context of any nonadherence. Qualitative user experience exit interviews and dried blood spots (DBS) will be conducted at the Month 2 Visit.

Electronic Cardiac Rehabilitation (eCardiacRehab) Feasibility Study

In Norway, more than 11,000 patients undergo percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) annually. However, a very recent study utilizing registry data show a national average of cardiac rehabilitation (CR) participation of only 14%, despite its proven beneficial effects on readmissions, physical capacity, psychological distress, self-management, and quality of life. CR is strongly recommended in European guidelines. However, uptake is low and is not systematically identifying those in most need of CR. The primary objective of eCardiacRehab is to meet rehabilitation needs of large patient populations regardless of their access to traditional place-based rehabilitation by developing and evaluating the efficacy and cost effectiveness of an interdisciplinary and comprehensive home-based eCardiacRehab programme. eCardiacRehab address patient- and system level challenges in order to increase access to CR. The investigators give particular attention to older patients, women, and those with comorbidities or mental health challenges. Aspects related to continuity of care between specialist and primary care services, health literacy, adherence to treatment, cost effectiveness and ethics are investigated. The investigators will 1) continue to develop the programme with patients, general practitioners, healthcare experts from both specialist and primary care services, and technology developers, 2) develop treatment modules, 3) establish information and communication infrastructure, 4) evaluate the process and efficacy of treatment modules, 5) ensure knowledge development and transfer of competence to the municipalities, and 6) contribute to fulfil the innovation potential for health service and industry partners. eCardiacRehab has the potential to improve interaction and collaboration between primary and secondary care, modernise and digitalise work processes, and develop more coherent and tailored patient pathways. The vision of the home-based eCardiacRehab is to make CR available to all.

Efficacy of a Home-based Stretching Program on Fibromyalgia Symptoms: a Randomised Controlled Trial

This randomised controlled trial will examine the clinical efficacy of a six-week, novel, home-based stretching programme compared to usual care on the effect of symptoms experienced by patients with fibromyalgia.

Impact of the Implementation of a Telemedicine Program on Patients Diagnosed with Asthma

Introduction: Asthma is one of the most common chronic respiratory diseases worldwide. Despite the extensive knowledge of the condition and available therapeutic options, severe asthmatic patients have poor disease control in 50% of cases. Objective: To assess the impact of implementing a mobile application (ESTOI) in patients diagnosed with asthma on disease control, treatment adherence, and perceived quality of life. Methodology: A 52-week randomized clinical trial involving asthma patients receiving care at a highly specialized hospital in Spain. A total of 108 patients will be included and divided into two groups. The intervention group will receive more comprehensive monitoring than usual, including access to the ESTOI application. The Asthma Control Test (ACT) questionnaire will be used as the primary assessment variable. Other variables to be studied include the Inhaler Adherence Test (TAI), the number of exacerbations, peak expiratory flow, exhaled nitric oxide examination, hospital anxiety and depression scale, asthma quality of life questionnaire, forced spirometry parameters (FVC, FEV1, and reversibility), and analytical parameters (eosinophilia and IgE).

Smartphone Assisted Self-management Education for Adult Burn Patient At Aftercare

Burn rehabilitation management is dependent on the patients themselves, non-treatment adherence may delay the optimal timing of burn rehabilitation and it may not be regained easily. The inevitable sequelae of increasing joint stiffness and tethered soft-tissue glide become more devastating over time. It has a major impact on clinical outcomes such as scarring, deformity and dysfunction, which result in lower quality of life compared to general population There is a growing body of research on patient-centered interventions including the concept of self-management. Such phenomenon is consistent with burn patients' needs at aftercare. The proposed smartphone self-management program is to change the paradigm from paternalistic to collaborative relationship. Self-management is to build up patient equipping ability in problem solving, decision making, and appropriate use of resources and has led to improved patient engagement, adherence, and better quality of care. The investigators hypothesize that, upon intervention completion and compared with the control group, burn patients in the intervention group will report: 1. Higher level of health-related quality of life, 2. Higher level of self-efficacy 3. Higher level of score in Burn Rehabilitation Knowledge 4. Lower pain level, as measured by Numeric Pain Rating Scale; and 5. Lower level of itchiness The desired smart phone assisted self-management intervention will be carried out by principal investigator to selected adult burn patients before discharge and post discharge period. Before discharge, ward nurses will provide discharge pamphlet and individual face to face education to both groups as usual care. After discharge, instant messaging supportive enquiry service will be provided to both groups via smartphone apps. For intervention group, principal investigator will assess subject health care needs prior to intervention. Two extra sessions, 20 minutes, face to face, individual self-management education with aid of computer, track log sheet will be provided to intervention group. Concept of motivational interviewing will be incorporated as complement teaching strategy to facilitate self-management learning. Principal investigator will be responsible to deliver burn self-management education upon discharge. Intervention group will receive "Rehabilitation Booklet for Burn Patients" upon discharge. After discharge, only intervention group subject receives two sessions, 10 minutes, telephone follow up calls and five personalized chat-based messaging follow up will be provided. Besides that, self-management education information will be delivered to intervention group via instant messaging service as well. Ad-hoc instant messaging support will be provided to both groups if required.

Bridging the Adherence Gap in Internet Interventions: A Randomized Controlled Trial Protocol

Low adherence in self-guided internet interventions might lead to worse outcomes. This randomized controlled trial aims to test whether adherence can be improved if self-efficacy regarding adherence to internet interventions is boosted before the intervention starts. It is expected that enhancing this specific type of self-efficacy will increase people's adherence and help them fully benefit from the intervention, namely experience lower job stress and higher work engagement.

Adherence to Physiotherapy Scoliosis Specific Exercises in Adolescents With Spine Deformity: Development of a New Questionnaire

This study aims to develop a new instrument capable of providing an efficient measure of the quality and quantity of adherence to Physiotherapy Scoliosis Specific Exercises performed at home by growing patients with spinal deformity undergoing conservative treatment at a specialized institution. The development of a questionnaire in a Rasch environment and specifically developed for this population will ensure greater sensitivity and specificity of the questionnaire.

Rehabilitation Training Games for Children With Amblyopia

A gamification product was developed to guide children with amblyopia to develop rehabilitation training habits by combining cognitive evaluation theory and occlusion therapy. A randomized controlled trial was conducted to examine the ease of use, acceptability and treatment compliance of the game.

Effect of Smart Watch and App on PAP Adherence in OSA (Watch-OSA)

Continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) is highly effective in treating obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). However, this treatment modality relies heavily on patient adherence, and poor adherence to the treatment limits its effectiveness in treating OSA. Strategies to augment adherence are needed in the management of OSA. The smart watch and linked app provide various health information, including sleep, snoring or oxygen saturation during sleep, exercise, blood pressure, and electrocardiogram. The smart watch and linked app could potentially improve adherence to positive airway pressure (PAP) treatment. This randomized controlled trial (RCT) aimed to examine whether the use of smart watch and app can increase PAP adherence in patients with OSA.

A Nutrition and Exercise Lifestyle Intervention Program Participant Choice Approach

Interventions that target excessive gestational weight gain (EGWG) with nutrition and exercise behavior change struggle with low program adherence. The investigators recently examined adherence in a randomized controlled trial to a previously established lifestyle program called the Nutrition and Exercise Lifestyle Intervention Program (NELIP) and found that those individuals with high adherence to the program were more likely to prevent EGWG. Perhaps offering participants a choice to intervention strategies may improve adherence. The current research question is: What impact does participant choice have on adherence to the introduction of nutrition and exercise components during 3 intervention strategies offered to pregnant individuals compared to no choice and does choice maintain pregnancy health outcomes? The strategies are: Group A - introducing both the nutrition and exercise components simultaneous at baseline (12-18 weeks of pregnancy) that is followed to delivery (NELIP); Group B - introducing the nutrition component first and then at 25 weeks adding the exercise component; or Group C - starting with the exercise component first, followed with introducing the nutrition component at 25 weeks. Both Groups B and C follow the full NELIP from 25 weeks to delivery (final intervention measures will occur at 34-36 weeks gestation). Follow-up will occur at birth (6-18 hours), 2, 6 and 12 months post delivery.

Clinical Outcomes From Treatment and Evaluation of Obstructive Sleep Apnoea in Children With Down Syndrome

The goal of this observational study is to learn about the use of non-invasive ventilation for treatment of obstructive sleep apnoea syndrome in children with Down Syndrome. The main questions it aims to answer are: * What is the impact of non-invasive ventilation on sleep behaviours and quality of life? * What barriers are faced by children and their families in establishing tolerance to non-invasive ventilation? Participants will be asked to complete questionnaires before and after starting treatment. Researchers will compare this data with the results of sleep studies and non-invasive ventilator downloads recorded as part of standard medical care. A sub-group of up to 20 participants will be invited to take part in 45-60 minute interviews exploring expectations, experiences and barriers encountered during non-invasive ventilation therapy.