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Decision Aid for Patients With Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

The Effectiveness of a Web-based Decision Aid for Patients With Generalized Anxiety Disorder: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Status
Completed
Phases
NA
Study type
Interventional
Source
ClinicalTrials.gov
Registry ID
NCT04364958
Acronym
ECA-TAG
Enrollment
73
Registered
2020-04-28
Start date
2021-05-07
Completion date
2023-04-13
Last updated
2023-04-18

For informational purposes only — not medical advice. Sourced from public registries and may not reflect the latest updates. Terms

Conditions

GAD, Generalized Anxiety Disorder

Keywords

Generalized Anxiety Disorder, Patient decision aids, Patient-centred care, Randomized controlled trial, Shared decision making, Web-based intervention, Primary Care

Brief summary

The main goal of this study is assess the effectiveness of a PtDA for patients with GAD.

Detailed description

Background: Patients with Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) have concerns and needs about their health and the health care they receive. Patient decision aids (PtDAs) are tools that assist patients in making health decisions, when there is uncertainty about treatment choice, incorporating their personal preferences and values about the available treatment options. PtDAs can improve shared decision-making (SDM) and lead to better treatment outcomes. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based PtDA for patients with GAD in primary care. Methods and analysis: The general study design comprises two stages: i) Development of a web-based PtDA for patients with GAD, derived from an evidence-based Clinical Practice Guideline and, ii) Assessment of the effectiveness of the PtDA employing in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) design, in primary care centres of Tenerife (Spain). This RCT will be carried out with 156 patients with GAD with a score ≥8 in the GAD-7 questionnaire, comparing the PtDA to usual care (fact sheet with general information on mental health). Patients will review the PtDA accompanied by a researcher. Post-intervention survey will be administered immediately after the intervention. The primary outcome will be decisional conflict (immediately after intervention and 3 months after intervention). Secondary outcomes will include knowledge about GAD and its treatment (immediately after intervention and 3 months after intervention), treatment preference (immediately after intervention), actual treatment choice (3 months after intervention), concordance between preferred and chosen (3 months after intervention) decision quality with the decision-making process (3 months after intervention), and GAD symptoms (3 months after intervention).

Interventions

OTHERA web based-Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) (shown on the computer)

Patient decision aids (PtDAs) are tools that assist patients in making health decisions, when there is uncertainty about treatment choice, incorporating their personal preferences and values about the available treatment options. This PtDA will include information about GAD symptoms, diagnosis, causes, and benefits and risks associated to psychological and pharmacological treatments for GAD (based on the Clinical Practice Guidelines-GAD). It will also include a values clarification exercise, in which patients will have to rate the importance attributed to the different aspects of treatments (e.g., mode of administration, benefits, risks, time to improvement, probability of relapse).

OTHERA web-based fact sheet (one page shown on the computer) with general information on mental health as a part of usual care.

Patients in the control group will receive a fact sheet (one page) with general information on mental health as a part of usual care provided by the Canary Islands Health Service.

Sponsors

Servicio Canario de Salud
Lead SponsorOTHER

Study design

Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
HEALTH_SERVICES_RESEARCH
Masking
NONE

Intervention model description

Assignment

Eligibility

Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No

Inclusion criteria

* Adult (≥ 18 years) with a diagnosis of GAD (ICD-10 or DSM-V codes: 300.02; F41.1), with a score ≥8 in the GAD-7 questionnaire, with ability to speak and read Spanish, and who accept to participate and sign the informed consent

Exclusion criteria

* Patients with a primary diagnosis other than GAD, a score \<8 in the GAD-7, those with significant physical or mental disability that prevents from completion of study activities or those participating in other trials related with GAD treatment or education, will be excluded

Design outcomes

Primary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Decisional conflict regarding the treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, measured by the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS)Change from Baseline at 3 months after interventionDCS includes 16 items and five subscales: feeling informed, clear values about benefits or risks, support, uncertainly and effective decision. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with higher scores indicating more conflict.

Secondary

MeasureTime frameDescription
Knowledge about the disorder and treatment alternativesChange immediately after interventionA10-item scale will be include to assess patients' knowledge of the disorder and treatments based on the contents of the PtDA.
Treatment preferenceChange immediately after interventionAssessed with one item with four response alternatives: (pharmacological treatment, psychological treatment, combined pharmacological and psychological treatment, or unsure).
Actual treatment choiceChange from Baseline at 3 months after interventionAssessed with one item with four response alternatives: (pharmacological treatment, psychological treatment, combined pharmacological and psychological treatment, or unsure).
Decisional conflict regarding the treatment for Generalized Anxiety Disorder, measured by the Decisional Conflict Scale (DCS)Change immediately after interventionCS includes 16 items and five subscales: feeling informed, clear values about benefits or risks, support, uncertainly and effective decision. Scores are transformed to a 0-100 scale, with higher scores indicating more conflict.
Decision qualityChange from Baseline at 3 months after interventionAssessed by a binary variable (yes/no) defined as a combination of adequate knowledge (≥60% of correct responses) and concordance between values and intention.
GAD symptomsChange from Baseline at 3 months after interventionAssessed with the Generalized Anxiety Disorder questionnaire (GAD-7)
Concordance between preference and choiceChange from Baseline at 3 months after interventionAssessed by a binary variable (concordant/non-concordant) derived from the congruence between preference and choice.

Countries

Spain

Outcome results

None listed

Source: ClinicalTrials.gov · Data processed: Feb 17, 2026