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| ID | Type | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1U19HS024075 | U.S. AHRQ Grant/Contract | View source |
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| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) | FED |
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This two-arm, parallel group randomized controlled trial will assess the impact of written social norms messaging (i.e., behavioral 'nudges') on healthcare organization administrators' decision to access online resources that support the adoption of evidence-based healthcare delivery practices. The healthcare delivery practices include the use of population screening tools, clinical practice guidelines, and shared decision making training.
The purpose of this study is to assess if behavioral 'nudges' impact the likelihood of healthcare organization administrators accessing technical assistance resources to support uptake of care delivery practices that: (1) have the potential to improve patient outcomes; and (2) have already been adopted by most healthcare organizations. A 'nudge' is a change in the way information is presented that attempts to steer people in a certain direction but does not restrict their choices.
The investigator will conduct a randomized controlled trial of written messages to healthcare administrators at three types of healthcare organizations - physician practices, hospitals and healthcare systems - from among 3,402 administrators who completed Dartmouth's National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (NSHOS) in 2017-2018.
In Fall 2019 the investigator will mail a customized report to all NSHOS respondents that compares their organizations' survey responses to their peer organizations. The investigator will randomize the 2,387 respondents whose organizations have not implemented one or more of up to seven chosen care delivery practices to cover letters with or without social norms messaging. The written messaging in the 'control condition' cover letter lists the practices for which the NSHOS team has prepared technical assistance materials in support of practice adoption, and contains a link to these online resources. The 'intervention condition' additionally highlights the organization's performance compared to its peers in adopting the practices using visual data display and explicit social norms messaging.
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| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nudge Letter | Experimental | Participants receive a letter that highlights their performance vs. peer organizations on up to seven care delivery practices featured in the National Survey of Healthcare Organizations and Systems (NSHOS). The letter includes a link to access technical assistance resources and is sent alongside the participant's NSHOS respondent report. |
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| Control Letter | No Intervention | Participants receive a letter with a link to technical assistance resources; the letter is sent alongside the participant's NSHOS survey respondent report. |
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Peer comparison and social norms messaging | Behavioral | This group will receive a letter noting that their organization has not implemented at least one common care delivery practice that a majority their peers have already implemented. The letter will also note the percentage of peer organizations that have implemented the practice. This is done using peer comparison data and social norms messaging. |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Percentage of participants who access the technical assistance resource webpage | The percentage of participants who access the technical assistance webpage will be determined by email and webpage analytics. The primary analysis will be intention to treat (i.e., among all participants sent a letter); a secondary analysis will be a 'per protocol' analysis (i.e., among all participants whose letter was not sent back as undeliverable). Exploratory sub-group analyses will be conducted by each strata characteristic (e.g., whether organization category influences the likelihood of accessing the webpage). | Up to 2 months after letter is sent |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Number of unique resource views on technical assistance resource webpage | The number of unique resources viewed from the webpage, as determined by website analytics. | Up to 2 months after letter is sent |
| Percentage of participants who request connection to peer organizations via the technical assistance resource webpage |
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Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
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| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Amber E Barnato, MD, MPH, MS | Dartmouth College | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center | Lebanon | New Hampshire | 03766 | United States |
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The number of unique organizations that request to be matched with other healthcare organizations that have successfully implemented one of the care delivery practices, in order to learn from their experiences (there will be a clickable link on the webpage for organizations to request this connection). This will be determined by website analytics. |
| Up to 2 months after letter is sent |
| Perceived effect of letter on administrators' intentions | Effect of letter on administrators' intentions and actions, measured by qualitative interviews in a sub-sample of participants. | Up to 4 months after letter is sent |