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Understanding the Value of Community Vital Signs in Primary Care
NCT02512835 · View on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗
Study Summary
Social determinants of health (e.g. the income, education, and environment of patients) may exert greater influence on health outcomes than traditional clinical factors (e.g. lab results, diagnoses, and family history). Calls for integrating primary care and public health are therefore increasing, but merging these domains of care is logistically difficult. Research is lacking on the incremental benefit of adding public health data at the practice level-- in improving either health outcomes or care delivery. This proof of concept pilot will merge data from electronic health records (EHRs) with community vital signs, a set of metrics that describes key community resources that affect health. The investigators will identify resource poor communities, or cold spots, based on four variables (education, poverty, life expectancy, and access to healthy foods) at the census tract level - referred to as a community vital sign. The hypothesis is that patients coming from cold spots are more likely to have worse health outcomes and that clinicians will deliver better care if they know a patient's community context and his/her specific social needs. This study will involve 12 primary care practices in Northern Virginia that care for more than 170,000 patients. Patient addresses will be geocoded for each practice and determine which patients reside in cold spots for each community vital sign. The variation for each community vital sign for each practice's patients will be calculated and a bivariate and regression analyses will be used to determine whether coming from a cold spot is associated with worse clinical quality metrics. 15 clinicians will be alerted when they see a patient from a cold spot, patients will complete a social needs survey, and clinicians will prospectively document through surveys whether such knowledge affects interpersonal interactions (such as time spent with patients and the use of clearer language) or clinical management (such as referrals to care coor
Conditions Studied
Interventions
- OTHER Community vital signs
Study Locations (2)
Virginia
- Fairfax Family Practice Centers — Fairfax
- Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network — Richmond
Trial Details
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Enrollment Target | 120 participants |
| Start Date | 2015-10 |
| Est. Completion | 2016-11-01 |
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Full Details on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗What the Registry Record Tells You About NCT02512835
The ClinicalTrials.gov registry entry for NCT02512835 describes a study currently listed as completed. It is categorized as an unspecified phase, which is the standard way researchers label where a study sits along the investigational pathway from early safety work through later efficacy and post-marketing evaluation. The registered enrollment target is 120 participants, a figure that helps gauge the scale of data the investigators plan to collect. The listed sponsor is Virginia Commonwealth University, which has 513 total studies on file at ClinicalTrials.gov, and sponsors are the parties responsible for study design, oversight, and regulatory filings.
The record links to 5 conditions, with Breast Cancer appearing as the primary indexed condition, and to 1 intervention — of which Community vital signs is the first listed. Interventions can include drugs, devices, procedures, behavioral programs, or observational arms, and each is tracked as a separate registry field so that downstream queries can filter accurately. When a trial lists multiple interventions, it usually reflects a multi-arm design or a comparison protocol rather than a single treatment being tested in isolation. The brief summary published in the registry is the clearest source of protocol intent and should be read before drawing conclusions from any sidebar tags.
Geographic footprint matters for practical reasons: NCT02512835 reports 2 study locations spanning 1 distinct geographic area — top geographies include Virginia. A larger site network tends to correlate with broader recruitment capacity, but it does not imply anything about study quality, and site-level enrollment status can diverge from the overall registry status shown above. Every data point on this page comes from the public ClinicalTrials.gov dataset and is reproduced here for reference only; it is not a medical recommendation, an endorsement of the sponsor, or an invitation to enroll. Verify current status, eligibility criteria, and contact details directly at ClinicalTrials.gov, and discuss any participation decision with your own healthcare provider.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is clinical trial NCT02512835 about?
NCT02512835 is a clinical study titled "Understanding the Value of Community Vital Signs in Primary Care". Social determinants of health (e.g. the income, education, and environment of patients) may exert greater influence on health outcomes than traditional clinical factors (e.g. lab results, diagnoses, and family history). Calls for integrating primary care and public health are therefore increasing, b...
What is the current status of trial NCT02512835?
This trial is currently completed. The enrollment target is 120 participants. The study started on 2015-10. Estimated completion is 2016-11-01.
What conditions does trial NCT02512835 study?
This clinical trial studies the following conditions: Breast Cancer, Prostate Cancer, Cervical Cancer, Cardiovascular Disease, Colon Cancer. These conditions were identified from the trial registry and reflect the primary focus areas of the research.
What interventions are being tested in trial NCT02512835?
The interventions under investigation include: Community vital signs (OTHER). Each intervention is being evaluated for safety and efficacy as part of this clinical study.
Who is sponsoring clinical trial NCT02512835?
This trial is sponsored by Virginia Commonwealth University, which has 513 total clinical trials registered on ClinicalTrials.gov. The sponsor is responsible for the study's design, funding, and regulatory compliance.
Where is trial NCT02512835 being conducted?
This trial has 2 study locations across Virginia. Contact the study sites directly through ClinicalTrials.gov for enrollment availability.
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