Study to Improve Veterans Decisions About Virtual and In-Person Primary Care Visits Using Personalized Messages and Clinician Coaching

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating how virtual care options in Primary Care can better meet the needs and preferences of Veterans. This study aims to improve understanding of the benefits and costs of different visit types, such as face-to-face, telephone, and video appointments, by using surveys and interviews with Veterans and their Primary Care physicians PCPs. The study will test a new approach called the Advancing Decisions about Virtual Service Encounters ADViSE intervention to help Veterans and PCPs make better-informed decisions about care options. The ADViSE intervention includes sending personalized interactive text messages to Veterans for 6 months, guided by a library of messages developed in earlier research. PCPs will also receive coaching sessions twice during the intervention. The study uses a stepped wedge cluster randomized controlled trial design, gradually introducing the intervention to different care teams in random order. Each Veteran will have a 6-month intervention period compared to a 6-month control period before the intervention. Participants will engage in surveys and receive text messages while their healthcare use and outcomes are monitored over time. Researchers will assess Veterans perceptions of healthcare value, satisfaction, preferences for virtual care, types of healthcare encounters, and various health measures such as blood pressure and cancer screenings. The study will also look at healthcare costs and time and travel expenses for Veterans, comparing data from before and after the intervention to understand its impact.

Advancing Decisions About Virtual Service Encounters