NCT01435538

European Quality of Care Pathways Study on the Effect of Care Pathways on Interprofessional Teamwork (EQCP-TEAM)

The Impact of Care Pathways on Interprofessional Teamwork: an International Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 984 (actual)
• Sponsor: Dr. Kris Vanhaecht · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: —
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

Care pathways are complex interventions to support the interprofessional team in the redesign of their care process. This international cluster randomised trial will analyse the impact of the development and implementation of care pathways on the interprofessional teamwork.

Detailed description

Background Although care pathways are often said to promote teamwork, high-level evidence that supports this statement is lacking. The objective of the European Quality of Care Pathway (EQCP) study is therefore to study the impact of care pathways on interprofessional teamwork. Methods/design An international post-test-only cluster Randomized Controlled Trial (cRCT), combined with process evaluations, will be performed in Belgium, Ireland, Italy and Portugal. Teams caring for Proximale Femur Fracture (PFF) patients and patients hospitalized with an exacerbation of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) will be randomized into an intervention and control group. The intervention group will implement a care pathway for PFF or COPD containing three active components: a formative evaluation of the actual teams' performance, a set of evidence based key interventions and a training in pathway-development. The control group will provide usual care. As effect measures a set of team input, process and output indicators will be used. Main outcome indicator is the team process indicator relational coordination. Next to these, process measures will be used to evaluate the implementation process. In total, 132 teams agreed to participate, of which 68 were randomly assigned to the intervention group and 64 to the control group. Based on power analysis, a sample of 475 team members per arm is required. To analyze results, multilevel analysis will be performed. Discussion The EQCP-study on teamwork is the first cluster-randomized controlled trial on the impact of care pathways on interprofessional teamwork. Results from our study will enhance understanding on the active components of care pathways. Through this, preferred implementation strategies can be defined.

Conditions

• Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
• Proximal Femur Fracture

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	Care pathway.	The intervention group will implement a care pathway for PFF or COPD containing three active components: a formative evaluation of the actual teams' performance, a set of evidence based key interventions and a training in pathway-development.

Timeline

• Start date: 2009-05-01
• Primary completion: 2014-06-01
• Completion: 2017-01-01
• First posted: 2011-09-16
• Last updated: 2017-10-13

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Belgium