NCT06624163

Evaluation of Patient Coach Support for Older Adults With Obesity

• Status: Active Not Recruiting
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 19 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Michigan · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 60 Years – 85 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

The purpose of the present pilot is to evaluate the outcomes of adding a patient coach to support the Optimal Health Weight and Lifestyle (OHWL) Clinic plan developed by PI Dewar, specifically to address barriers and facilitators of adherence to the plan. This will be accomplished via a coach who is not embedded in clinic care and is supported by pilot research funds. Evaluation of the coach activities, conducted by research personnel, will include compiling data from the electronic health record, a short set of patient report and performance measures, and qualitative interviews.

Detailed description

A patient coach added to the OHWL Clinic plan as part of the pilot will help patients who are being treated for weight loss to achieve their goals, help address barriers and facilitators of adherence to referred services such physical therapy and nutritionist appointments and various specialists and links to community services as needed. Evaluation of the coach activities will be conducted by research personnel, which will also include data compilation from the electronic health record, a short set of patient report and performance measures, and qualitative interviews. This project will provide pilot data for future funding proposals.

Conditions

• Obesity

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
BEHAVIORAL	OHWL Clinic Activities (Standard of Care)	Following a directed history and physical at the initial visit, the OHWL Care provider (OCP) develops a medical and weight management plan, which includes laboratory testing (such as for Hemoglobin A1C (HbA1c), consultant referrals (e.g. sleep, heart failure clinics) and referral to nutritionists and physical therapy (PT). The OCP begins the process of establishing patient goals, which will be followed up by the coach. The OCP reviews patient progress with the goals during face-to-face visits (some by telehealth) at two, four and six months. As part of the standard initial clinic evaluation, a medical assistant evaluates grip strength (using a hand dynamometer) the timed up and go mobility test; these are repeated at the 6-month visit.
BEHAVIORAL	Coach Activities	A patient coach follows patients outside of clinic to ensure adherence with referral appointments and use of recommended community services. The coach assesses the participant at baseline, 3 months, and 6 months using the Patient-Specific Functional Scale and follows up with patients via phone over 6 months. The coach utilizes S.M.A.R.T. (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-bound) goals to facilitate, for example, transportation, barriers to scheduling, etc. The coach follows up on specialist referral recommendations, physical therapy, and nutrition program, as well as social work recommendations. Barriers and facilitators to program adherence are identified and addressed.

Timeline

• Start date: 2023-06-08
• Primary completion: 2025-09-30
• Completion: 2026-03-01
• First posted: 2024-10-02
• Last updated: 2025-11-06

Locations

1 site across 1 country: United States