Individually Tailored Web-Based Program to Improve Blood Pressure Control
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT00377208 |
Recruitment Status :
Completed
First Posted : September 18, 2006
Last Update Posted : February 20, 2013
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Hypertension | Behavioral: Web-Based Intervention | Not Applicable |
High blood pressure affects a third of the United States population; it is one of the most common health problems in this country. With proper treatment, including weight loss, diet, exercise, or medication, individuals can usually maintain adequate blood pressure control. A large percentage of people, however, do not have their blood pressure under sufficient control. Prompting individuals to ask their doctors specific medical questions has proven effective in improving overall preventive medical care, but its effect on blood pressure control among hypertensive individuals has not been evaluated. "My Expert Doctor" is a web-based program that helps patients to ask the right questions regarding specific tests and treatments during their doctor visits. Upon entering medication and treatment information into the web site, patients are provided with individualized feedback and recommended questions to ask their doctor. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of the individualized, web-based intervention in improving blood pressure control in individuals with high blood pressure.
Both physicians and their patients will be enrolled in this 1-year study. Participating physicians will be randomly assigned to either the web-based intervention group or a control group. Recruitment materials describing the study will be mailed to their patients who have high blood pressure. Eligible patient participants will attend a baseline study visit, which will include blood pressure measurements and self-report questionnaires. Patient participants in the intervention group will receive access to the interactive section of the web site for 1 year. They will have the ability to enter their medication history, blood pressure measurements, and blood test results. This information will then be analyzed against a database containing the National Institutes of Health (NIH) blood pressure control guidelines. Questions that participants may want to ask their physician, reasons for asking the questions, and links to reputable web sites (e.g., American Heart Association) will then be displayed. Automated email reminders will encourage participants to use the web site on a monthly basis and prior to any doctor visits. Participants in the control group will be given access to an area of the web site that does not provide individualized feedback, but does contain information related to the prevention of high blood pressure. Baseline evaluations will be repeated at a Year 1 study visit. Study researchers will review participants' medical records to analyze serum creatinine test results and blood pressure measurements during the 1-year study and 1 year prior to the study.
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Actual Enrollment : | 500 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | Triple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator) |
Primary Purpose: | Health Services Research |
Official Title: | Efficacy of Web-Based Feedback to Improve Blood Pressure Control |
Study Start Date : | January 2007 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | August 2010 |
Actual Study Completion Date : | August 2010 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Active Comparator: Intervention Condition
Receives web-based feedback specific to their blood-pressure and other health-related conditions.
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Behavioral: Web-Based Intervention
"My Expert Doctor" is a web-based program that helps patients to ask the right questions regarding specific tests and treatments during their doctor visits. Upon entering medication and treatment information into the web site, patients are provided with individualized feedback and recommended questions to ask their doctor. |
No Intervention: Control Condition
The control group receives preventative feedback, general to the population.
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- Percentage of participants with controlled blood pressure, as defined by the following criteria: less than 130/80 mm Hg for participants with diabetes or chronic kidney disease; less than 140/90 mm Hg for all other participants [ Time Frame: Measured at Year 1 ]
- Other markers of hypertension quality of care [ Time Frame: Measured at Year 1 ]
- Serum creatinine levels [ Time Frame: Measured at Year 1 ]
- Urine protein levels [ Time Frame: Measured at Year 1 ]
- Referral to a specialist when appropriate [ Time Frame: Measured at Year 1 ]

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 21 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
- History of hypertension
- At least one blood pressure value that is greater than recommended in the year prior to study entry
- An enrolled physician has provided care for managing the participant's blood pressure for at least 1 year prior to study entry
- Access to the internet at home or at work
- Personal email account
- At least one blood pressure value greater than 140/90 mm Hg (130/90 mm HG for diabetes patients) in the one year prior to study entry
Exclusion Criteria:
- Unable to speak and read English
- Pregnant or plans to become pregnant in the year following study entry
- Cognitively impaired
- Currently incarcerated
- Participating in another clinical research study
- Planning on moving out of the area in the year following study entry

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT00377208
United States, Pennsylvania | |
Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center | |
Hershey, Pennsylvania, United States, 17033 |
Principal Investigator: | Christopher N. Sciamanna, MD, MPH | Penn State College of Medicine, Penn State Hershey Medical Center |
Responsible Party: | Christopher Sciamanna, MD, MPH, Professor of Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Milton S. Hershey Medical Center |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT00377208 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
424 05F-570 R01HL083432-01 ( U.S. NIH Grant/Contract ) |
First Posted: | September 18, 2006 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | February 20, 2013 |
Last Verified: | February 2013 |
Blood Pressure, High |
Hypertension Vascular Diseases Cardiovascular Diseases |