Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study to Improve Clopidogrel Adherence
![]() |
The safety and scientific validity of this study is the responsibility of the study sponsor and investigators. Listing a study does not mean it has been evaluated by the U.S. Federal Government. Read our disclaimer for details. |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01609842 |
Recruitment Status
:
Active, not recruiting
First Posted
: June 1, 2012
Last Update Posted
: April 11, 2018
|
- Study Details
- Tabular View
- No Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) is a common invasive cardiovascular procedure performed in the VA with over 13,000 procedures in FY10. Clopidogrel is a critical adjuvant therapy following PCI with stent placement and is generally recommended for up to 1 year following the procedure. Despite the evidence supporting clopidogrel use, studies both outside and within the VA suggest that poor adherence to clopidogrel is common. However, prior interventions targeting non-adherence have not specifically focused on clopidogrel adherence among PCI patients.
There are many potential reasons for early clopidogrel discontinuation that involve patient and healthcare system factors. Patients reported the following reasons for discontinuing clopidogrel within 1 month after drug-eluting stent (DES) implantation: 1) misunderstanding the intended treatment duration; 2) conflicting recommendations about intended duration; 3) cost of the medication; and 4) patients' own decision to stop. In contrast, patients who continued to take clopidogrel reported the following as helpful: 1) communication such as letters from their physician; and 2) receiving specific instructions on clopidogrel use. These findings suggest that there are specific interventions that can be implemented to improve clopidogrel adherence.
Multi-modal interventions that incorporate frequent follow-up, especially with pharmacists and use interactive voice response (IVR) technology have improved medication adherence. IVR technology is a computer-based telephone system which initiates calls, receives calls, provides information, and collects data from users. IVR is currently a mainstay in the VA where patients frequently interact with these automated systems to get clinic appointments and/or refill prescriptions. IVR as part of multi-modal interventions have been well received by patients, increased adherence to medications (e.g., statins), and improved clinical outcomes (e.g., blood pressure, diabetes symptoms, health status). In addition, the investigators have successfully used IVR as part of a multi-modal, multi-site intervention including pharmacists to improve blood pressure levels among hypertensive patients. Accordingly, the investigators have designed the intervention to improve clopidogrel adherence that builds on the investigators' prior work and other successful adherence interventions from the literature.
The investigators propose a hybrid effectiveness-implementation study of a multi-faceted intervention to improve clopidogrel adherence at VA PCI centers. The investigators will use the VA's Cardiovascular Assessment Reporting and Tracking (CART-CL), a uniform cath lab procedure reporting tool at all VA cath labs. The intervention consists of 4 components: a) an alert from CART-CL will be sent to an inpatient pharmacist prior to discharge that a patient has received a stent; b) a pharmacist will bring clopidogrel to the patient's bedside prior to hospital discharge as well as educate the patient on the importance of and adherence to clopidogrel following PCI; c) interactive voice response (IVR) calls will be made to patients prior to the time of clopidogrel refill to remind patients and to facilitate refills during follow-up; and d) a Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) member will contact patients who delay filling clopidogrel.
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
Cardiovascular Disease Acute Coronary Syndrome | Other: Multifaceted Intervention with pharmacist and IVR | Not Applicable |

Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 2500 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Health Services Research |
Official Title: | Hybrid Effectiveness-Implementation Study to Improve Clopidogrel Adherence |
Actual Study Start Date : | January 20, 2014 |
Actual Primary Completion Date : | October 31, 2017 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | March 30, 2020 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Phone reminders and pharmacist
An alerted inpatient pharmacist or a designated study team member will bring the clopidogrel medication to the patient who has received a coronary stent. The patient will return home and receive IVR refill reminder calls.
|
Other: Multifaceted Intervention with pharmacist and IVR
An alerted inpatient pharmacists will bring the clopidogrel medication to the patient who has received a stent. The patient will return home and receive IVR messages about the importance of their medication as well as a refill reminder call.
|
Usual Care
The sites will have no interaction with the study personnel. The investigators will use database information to compare with the intervention sites
|
Other: Multifaceted Intervention with pharmacist and IVR
An alerted inpatient pharmacists will bring the clopidogrel medication to the patient who has received a stent. The patient will return home and receive IVR messages about the importance of their medication as well as a refill reminder call.
|
- Medication adherence [ Time Frame: 12 months ]The proportion of patients whose clopidogrel prescription is filled at hospital discharge following the PCI stent placement as well as the proportion of patients who are adherent based on the pharmacy refill data (ReComp) in the year after hospital discharge.

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: | 18 Years to 91 Years (Adult, Senior) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
At the PCI sites, the investigators will include
- all patients undergoing PCI with either a bare-metal (BMS) or drug-eluting stent (DES) and are prescribed clopidogrel regardless of the intended treatment duration
- other potential anti-platelet medications (thienopyridines) used following PCI to accommodate changes in practice (e.g., prasugrel or ticagrelor or ticlopidine).
- all patients undergoing PCI and receiving clopidogrel at the randomized sites, regardless of gender, ethnicity or race. Based on data from the national CART Program, the investigators anticipate ~23% minorities (African American 16.8%, Hispanic 4.4%, Asian/American Indian 1.4%) and 3.1 women will be included in the study.
Exclusion Criteria:
The investigators will exclude
- sites with low PCI volume,
- less than 20 PCI procedures performed during the last fiscal year (n=3),

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): NCT01609842
United States, Colorado | |
VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO | |
Denver, Colorado, United States, 80220 | |
United States, District of Columbia | |
Washington DC VA Medical Center, Washington, DC | |
Washington, District of Columbia, United States, 20422 | |
United States, Florida | |
North Florida/South Georgia Veterans Health System, Gainesville, FL | |
Gainesville, Florida, United States, 32608 | |
United States, Georgia | |
Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur, GA | |
Decatur, Georgia, United States, 30033 | |
United States, Iowa | |
Iowa City VA Health Care System, Iowa City, IA | |
Iowa City, Iowa, United States, 52246-2208 | |
United States, Michigan | |
VA Ann Arbor Healthcare System, Ann Arbor, MI | |
Ann Arbor, Michigan, United States, 48105 | |
United States, Mississippi | |
G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery VA Medical Center, Jackson, MS | |
Jackson, Mississippi, United States, 39216 | |
United States, New Mexico | |
New Mexico VA Health Care System, Albuquerque, NM | |
Albuquerque, New Mexico, United States, 87108-5153 | |
United States, New York | |
Manhattan Campus of the VA NY Harbor Healthcare System, New York, NY | |
New York, New York, United States, 10010 | |
United States, North Carolina | |
Durham VA Medical Center, Durham, NC | |
Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705 | |
United States, Ohio | |
Cincinnati VA Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH | |
Cincinnati, Ohio, United States, 45220 | |
Louis Stokes VA Medical Center, Cleveland, OH | |
Cleveland, Ohio, United States, 44106 | |
United States, Oklahoma | |
Oklahoma City VA Medical Center, Oklahoma City, OK | |
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, United States, 73104 | |
United States, Texas | |
Michael E. DeBakey VA Medical Center, Houston, TX | |
Houston, Texas, United States, 77030 | |
United States, Virginia | |
Salem VA Medical Center, Salem, VA | |
Salem, Virginia, United States, 24153 |
Principal Investigator: | P. Michael Ho, MD PhD | VA Eastern Colorado Health Care System, Denver, CO |
Publications of Results:
Responsible Party: | VA Office of Research and Development |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT01609842 History of Changes |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
SDP 12-179 |
First Posted: | June 1, 2012 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | April 11, 2018 |
Last Verified: | April 2018 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | Undecided |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No | |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No | |
Product Manufactured in and Exported from the U.S.: | No |
Keywords provided by VA Office of Research and Development:
Acute Coronary Syndrome adherence |
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Cardiovascular Diseases Acute Coronary Syndrome Myocardial Ischemia Heart Diseases Vascular Diseases Clopidogrel Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors |
Purinergic P2Y Receptor Antagonists Purinergic P2 Receptor Antagonists Purinergic Antagonists Purinergic Agents Neurotransmitter Agents Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Physiological Effects of Drugs |