Protocol for a randomised controlled trial examining the impact of a web-based personally controlled health management system on the uptake of influenza vaccination rates

Abstract

BackgroundOnline social networking and personally controlled health management systems (PCHMS) offer a new opportunity for developing innovative interventions to prevent diseases of public health concern (e.g., influenza) but there are few comparative studies about patterns of use and impact of these systems.Methods/DesignA 2010 CONSORT-compliant randomised controlled trial with a two-group parallel design will assess the efficacy of a web-based PCHMS called Healthy.me in facilitating the uptake of influenza vaccine amongst university students and staff. Eligible participants are randomised either to obtain access to Healthy.me or a 6-month waitlist. Participants complete pre-study, post-study and monthly surveys about their health and utilisation of health services. A post-study clinical audit will be conducted to validate self-reports about influenza vaccination and visits to the university health service due to influenza-like illness (ILI) amongst a subset of participants. 600 participants older than 18 years with monthly access to the Internet and email will be recruited. Participants who (i) discontinue the online registration process; (ii) report obtaining an influenza vaccination in 2010 before the commencement of the study; or (iii) report being influenced by other participants to undertake influenza vaccination will be excluded from analysis. The primary outcome measure is the number of participants obtaining influenza vaccination during the study. Secondary outcome measures include: number of participants (i) experiencing ILI symptoms, (ii) absent from or experiencing impairment in work or study due to ILI symptoms, (iii) using health services or medications due to ILI symptoms; (iv) expressing positive or negative attitudes or experiences towards influenza vaccination, via their reasons of receiving (or not receiving) influenza vaccine; and (v) their patterns of usage of Healthy.me (e.g., frequency and timing of hits, duration of access, uptake of specific functions).DiscussionThis study will provide new insights about the utility of online social networking and PCHMS for public health and health promotion. It will help to assess whether a web-based PCHMS, with connectivity to a health service provider, containing information and self-management tools, can improve the uptake of preventive health services amongst university students and staff.Trial registrationACTRN12610000386033 (Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry)

Patient testing of a mobile health app and review of educational materials designed for gout patient self-management (Preprint)

“…Healthy.me Gout is a modified version of Healthy.me, a general health app that has been shown to improve influenza vaccination rates and address the needs of breast cancer survivors [17][18][19]. Healthy.me Gout was developed after interviews with patients regarding their current gout management [20], a review of commercially available apps for patient selfmanagement of gout [15], and subsequent feedback from gout patients of these apps and the generic version of Healthy.me [21].…”

A randomised controlled trial of a consumer-focused e-health strategy for cardiovascular risk management in primary care: the Consumer Navigation of Electronic Cardiovascular Tools (CONNECT) study protocol

“…This raises concerns about their external validity and sustainability. One Australian system which features a personal health record, tools to assist with making decisions, organising tasks and a social networking feature has been shown in a community-based trial to promote improved uptake of influenza vaccination among university students 38. We are not aware of any RCTs that have incorporated multiple e-health components as part of a multifaceted, complex intervention for chronic disease management and prevention.…”

“…One Australian system which features a personal health record, tools to assist with making decisions, organising tasks and a social networking feature has been shown in a community-based trial to promote improved uptake of influenza vaccination among university students. 38 We are not aware of any RCTs that have incorporated multiple e-health components as part of a multifaceted, complex intervention for chronic disease management and prevention. Critically, there are no trials involving Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and attempts to integrate consumer strategies with Australian primary healthcare electronic health records are at a very early stage.…”

Social and Self-Reflective Use of a Web-Based Personally Controlled Health Management System

“…While trials of PCHMSs are emerging in various health settings such as in vitro fertilization [18], hypertension [19], diabetes [20,21], influenza vaccination [22-24], medication accuracy [25], breast cancer management [26], physical and emotional well-being[27], and asthma [28], with some demonstrating acceptance and/or significant benefits among patients and consumers [18,20,21,23,26,27], there remains a lack of literature on how patients and consumers actually use these systems in their everyday settings and how the use of the PCHMS might affect their health behaviors and decisions.…”