Study of a Nurse-led Program to Prevent Complications in Adults Starting Long-Term Corticosteroid Therapy

What this Trial Is About

Researchers are evaluating the long-term benefits of a nurse-led prevention program for adults starting extended corticosteroid therapy. This therapy is commonly used in various medical conditions but can cause serious side effects including bone, metabolic, and infectious complications. The study aims to compare this nurse-led program to routine care in reducing these adverse events and improving quality of life over one year. Participants are randomly assigned to one of two groups one group receives standard care plus a general summary sheet of preventive measures without individual assessment the other group participates in a nurse-led prevention program that includes an educational video, personal nurse interviews, dietitian consultations, tailored preventive advice sheets for patients and their doctors, and follow-up phone calls at 12, 24, and 36 weeks. Both groups are monitored for 52 weeks. Throughout the study, participants will attend baseline and week-52 visits involving clinical evaluations, routine lab tests, bone density scans, and quality of life questionnaires. Corticosteroid use is tracked continuously via a dedicated notebook. An independent physician blinded to group assignment assesses the overall burden of corticosteroid-related adverse events at the end of the study using the glucocorticoid toxicity index. The study will also monitor the occurrence of specific complications, adherence to preventive measures, and cumulative steroid dosage.

Evaluation of a Nurse-led Program for the Prevention of Complications of Long-term Corticosteroid Therapy