None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
In this cluster randomized controlled study, five government hospitals in the eastern province (Eastern area (n=4) and Al Ahsa area (n=1)) will be randomly assigned to an intervention group or control group based on the hospital size (number of beds) using paper and envelopes. Randomization will be performed by an independent person. Physicians in the five hospitals who are providing COPD care will be asked to participate and to give informed consent. Our study assesses the effects of GOLD-guideline training on knowledge, readiness to change and the actual implementation of the guidelines in physicians who are providing COPD care in these government hospitals. Assessments will be performed at baseline, directly after the intervention, and12 months after the intervention.
Interventions
Physicians of the ‘intervention hospitals’ who agreed to participate in the study were provided a link to the GOLD statement training modules via the Virtual Medical Academy website and asked to complete all five modules within a two week period. A maximum of three emails and two phone calls were used as reminders to complete the modules. In the control group, the physicians were asked to continue with their usual care of COPD management.
The primary aim of the education intervention was to incr
Physicians of the ‘intervention hospitals’ who agreed to participate in the study were provided a link to the GOLD statement training modules via the Virtual Medical Academy website and asked to complete all five modules within a two week period. A maximum of three emails and two phone calls were used as reminders to complete the modules. In the control group, the physicians were asked to continue with their usual care of COPD management. The primary aim of the education intervention was to increase physicians’ awareness and knowledge of COPD guideline recommendations (i.e. GOLD and SICAD). The online GOLD statement training was presented over five modules: 1) introduction to the GOLD training modules 2) specific recommendations regarding COPD management; 3) spirometry; 4) pulmonary rehabilitation; and 5) training in the use of a flowsheet that included the main GOLD and SICAD recommendations during consultations with patients with COPD. The five modules included one to six short presentations (approximately five to 20 minutes each) completed by three of the investigators (MA, PF, and PC) and senior respiratory scientists. The information contained in the GOLD Statement 2014 (1) was adapted by the investigators (MA and PF). Recordings of the presentations were composed at Flinders University. The PowerPoint slides and a hardcopy of the GOLD statement (2014) were also provided in the online training modules. The physicians were allowed to download the intervention materials, so they had access to it throughout the entire study period. Physicians were encouraged to use a flowsheet in their practice. An optional two hour live interactive general discussion lecture was provided (by PF) via Virtual Medical Academy two weeks after completion of the initial training.
Sponsors
Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Educational / counselling / training
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
0 to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Physicians will be included if they: 1) Work at the Department of Internal Medicine in one of the five selected government hospitals in the eastern province in Saudi Arabia. 2) Evaluate, treat and provide care for patients with COPD with a minimum of 10 cases per year.
Exclusion criteria
physicians do not meet the inclusion criteria
Outcome results
None listed