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Trial registered on ANZCTR
Registration number
ACTRN12624001266550
Ethics application status
Approved
Date submitted
5/08/2024
Date registered
16/10/2024
Date last updated
16/10/2024
Date data sharing statement initially provided
16/10/2024
Type of registration
Prospectively registered
Titles & IDs
Public title
Evaluating implementation and clinical outcomes for the Murdoch Childrens Research Institute Concussion Centre
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Scientific title
The Concussion Clinic Trial: Evaluating implementation and clinical outcomes of a digital health application and individualised multimodal interventions in children aged 8-17 years with persistent concussion symptoms
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Secondary ID [1]
312688
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Nil known
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Universal Trial Number (UTN)
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Trial acronym
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Linked study record
This study is a follow up to the Concussion Essentials RCT Study (ACTRN12617000418370) also undertaken at Murdoch Childrens Research Institute from 2019-2024
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Health condition
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied:
Concussion
334689
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Condition category
Condition code
Public Health
331256
331256
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0
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Health service research
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Neurological
331257
331257
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0
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Other neurological disorders
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Intervention/exposure
Study type
Interventional
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Description of intervention(s) / exposure
Phase 1 (less than 2 weeks post-injury):
Parents/participants who are less than 2 weeks at the time of recruitment/referral enrolment will:
1. Be asked to complete pre-treatment questionnaires and download the HeadCheck app. The HeadCheck app requires login details, which allows data entered in the app to be linked to the user. Parents/participants will be asked for consent to access their data from the HeadCheck app. Allowing the study to access this data will be optional. Data will be recorded as missing for parents/participants who do not consent to study access of this data.
2. Complete a phone review with a study staff member at 2-3 weeks (14-21 days) post-injury to monitor symptoms, recovery, and activity participation. A phone review form on REDCap, with prompts will be used to guide this conversation and determine need for further clinical input. Any clinical issues will be escalated to a study clinician who may make additional phone contact with the participant if necessary. A phone review is completed in Phase 1 as it is expected that ~70% of children and adolescents will recover and return to usual activities in the 2-3 weeks post-injury. A phone review will help to distinguish between those who have recovered and those who may benefit from further clinical intervention (i.e., Phase 2).
a. If the parent/guardian reports (i) a complete recovery, (ii) the participant has successfully returned to all usual activities without symptoms, and (iii) family have no concerns, they will be discharged from the service and sent completion questionnaires to complete via REDCap. If the questionnaires are not completed within 1-week of discharge from the service, they will receive two reminder emails/text messages and two reminder phone calls before being considered lost to follow up. REDCap is its own app/database which utilises easily accessible online surveys for research purposes. It is separate to HeadCheck
b. If the parent/guardian reports persisting symptoms and/or does not meet the criteria outlined above, the participant will enter Phase 2.
Phase 2 (>2 weeks to 3 months post-injury):
Parents/participants who are >2 weeks to 3 months post-injury at the time of recruitment/referral enrolment will:
1. Book an initial appointment within the clinic. A link to complete pre-treatment questionnaires will be sent to participants with their appointment email.
2. Complete an initial appointment with the trial team (from 21-days post-injury). This initial appointment will be up to 1.5 hours long and may take up to 2 hours.
3. Continue with the CE/CE+ intervention (until symptom resolution, target discharge date by 8-weeks for those <3 months post-injury, target discharge date by 12-weeks for those >3 months post-injury).
CE and CE+ refer to the names of a three-module intervention for early (CE) and chronic (CE+) persisting post-concussion symptoms. These interventions share the same three treatment modules (Education + Strategies - 'Concussion Essentials', Physiotherapy, Psychology). The key differences between these two interventions are (i) the length of time they were delivered (CE = up to 8 session intervention, CE+ = up to 12 session intervention), and (ii) the psychological treatment adopted (CE = Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, CE+ = Acceptance and Commitment Therapy). The CE/CE+ intervention provide individualised, symptom-targeted treatment. This means that the order and number of modules provided will differ from participant to participant. Every participant completes an initial session, which is interdisciplinary (physio and psychologist present) and includes an education + strategies module and physiotherapy module. Ongoing treatment decisions are made in weekly multi-disciplinary meetings, guided by clinician impression and symptom ratings. Participants and their families will largely complete intervention sessions via face-to-face consultations but where appropriate, will be provided the option to complete sessions via telehealth (e.g. Psychology modules).
Education + Strategies - 'Concussion Essentials' module: Participants will receive education, strategies, and recommendations to manage various common symptoms following concussion, including headaches, fatigue, and sleep difficulties. Return to school and return to physical activity support is also provided within this module.
Physiotherapy module: Participants will receive treatment targeting physiological, vestibular, ocular-motor, and cervicogenic systems, as required. This includes supported graded return to aerobic exercise. Participant may also receive a high-level return to play session dependent on the sport that they are returning to. This treatment is delivered by a physiotherapist and/or exercise physiologist with specific experience and training in concussion management.
Physiotherapy exercises may include cervical, ocular, physiological, vestibular, or sport-specific drills/exercises. Treatment approaches of these physical systems are outlined below:
• Physiological treatment: gradual increase in sub symptom cardiovascular exercise. A daily program of cardiovascular exercise (walk, run, bike, circuit etc.) may be prescribed at 85% of the treadmill sub-maximal test heart rate cut-off (monitored by heart rate monitors). Advice will be given on gradual exercise progression.
• Cervicogenic treatment: Manual therapy may be administered at the clinic reviews. Home program may include sensorimotor training, strengthening, motor control exercises.
• Ocular-motor treatment: Treatment involves ocular motor retraining. Daily home program may include the following ocular exercises: saccades, vergence, and smooth pursuit.
• Vestibular treatment: Treatment will focus on simple vestibular exercises which will progress to more complex tasks. Daily home program may be prescribed which could include balance exercises, and motion sensitivity exercises. (NB. If participants have significant impairment in the cervical and ocular modules they will not be able to commence vestibular management until their other systems normalise.)
• Return to sport: Specific return to sport drills incorporating the systems above may be prescribed to facilitate appropriate return to sport. Note that there will be slightly different protocols dependent on sports.
Psychology module: Participants will receive evidence-based treatment based on principles of cognitive behaviour therapy (CBT) and/or Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). This module targets psychological symptoms (e.g., anxiety, depression, stress, avoidance) and is delivered by psychologists with specific experience and training in concussion management.
a. Intervention sessions will be delivered weekly.
b. Sessions may range from 30-to-90-minutes in length and include one or two of the available treatment modules.
c. Specialist medical consultation will be available, if required (e.g., RCH rehab medicine, RCH psychiatry).
d. Discharge - refer to discharge information.
4. Following discharge from the service, families will be sent completion questionnaires and complete an optional semi-structured interview.
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Intervention code [1]
329215
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Rehabilitation
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Comparator / control treatment
No control group
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Control group
Uncontrolled
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Outcomes
Primary outcome [1]
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Acceptability
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Assessment method [1]
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This outcome will measure satisfaction with the trialled clinical service model. Relating to the integrated service and specific interventions, constructs such as content, complexity, comfort, delivery, affective attitude, burden, ethicality, intervention coherence, opportunity costs, perceived effectiveness, and self-efficacy will be examined. Acceptability will be measured from the perspective of parents and children. The theoretical framework of acceptability (TFA) questionnaire, as well as semi-structured interviews will be used to measure acceptability. The TFA questionnaire will be administered to adolescents (ages 13 years and older) and parents. Acceptability from a clinician perspective will be ascertained via clinician focus groups. Acceptability will be measured as a composite of all data collected from children, parents and clinicians.
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Timepoint [1]
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Conducted post discharge from intervention – timeframe will differ for each participant depending on amount of intervention needed. Participants are offered up to a maximum of 16-weeks of the CE/CE+ intervention.
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Primary outcome [2]
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Adoption
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Assessment method [2]
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This outcome will be measured in two ways:
a. Uptake and utilisation of the trialled clinical service. Using administrative data, the study will measure the number of patients referred (i.e., those who are referred to the service by the RCH ED or another health care provider and proceed with participation in the service).
b. Treatment adherence. At each session with the service, participants will be questioned about their adherence to treatment recommendations (i.e., asked to rate how frequently they were implementing recommendations and strategies provided in treatment). Participants will be asked to rate the percentage of their adherence to exercises and treatment recommendations each week. Parents and participants will also be asked about overall treatment adherence and barriers and facilitators to treatment adherence in semi-structured interviews. Administrative data will also be collected on the number of sessions missed (for participant reasons) and the reasons for missed sessions.
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Timepoint [2]
339129
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Administrative data will be collected ongoing during participation period of the study for each individual participant.
Semi-structured interviews will be conducted post discharge from the study at resolution of symptoms or referral to another specialist health service.
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Primary outcome [3]
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Appropriateness
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Assessment method [3]
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This outcome will measure perceived fit, relevance and suitability of the trialled service and its interventions (e.g., are the intervention components perceived to be appropriate / a good fit for the treatment of PCS and the participant’s specific symptoms?). Appropriateness will be measured from the perspective of parents and children via the use of semi-structured interviews, and from the perspective of clinicians via clinician focus groups. Appropriateness will be measured as a composite of all data collected from children, parents and clinicians.
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Timepoint [3]
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Semi-structured interviews will be conducted post discharge from the study at resolution of symptoms or referral to another specialist health service.
Clinical focus groups to be conducted at 6 and then 12 months after beginning of the study.
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Secondary outcome [1]
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Change in post-concussive symptoms
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Assessment method [1]
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Melbourne Paediatric Concussion Scale (MPCS)
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Timepoint [1]
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Collected weekly during participation period of the study for each individual participant, up to a maximum of 16 weeks post-intervention commencement.
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Secondary outcome [2]
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Return to school
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Assessment method [2]
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A survey created specifically for this study will be used to assess return to school. The survey will ask whether the child/adolescent has ‘not returned’, ‘partially returned’, or ‘fully returned’ to school activities. Anyone who endorses ‘partially returned’ or ‘fully returned’ responses will also be prompted to provide a date of return.
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Timepoint [2]
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Collected weekly during participation period of the study for each individual participant, up to a maximum of 16 weeks post-intervention commencement.
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Secondary outcome [3]
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Accessibility of the Sports Concussion Office Assessment Tool (SCOAT) 6 (child and parent)
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Assessment method [3]
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The accessibility and feasibility of the tool will be evaluated through analysis of the assessment conducted, analysis of questionnaires collected pre- and post-treatment, and through clinician focus groups. These surveys have been designed specifically for this study.
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Timepoint [3]
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The Child SCOAT6 and SCOAT6 are assessment tools that will be administered once, on entry to the treatment phase of the concussion clinic (i.e., Phase 2). Questionnaires that are included in the SCOAT assessment will be re-administered at discharge from the intervention.
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Secondary outcome [4]
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Feasibility (additional primary outcome)
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Assessment method [4]
438669
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This outcome will be measured in two ways:
a. Viability of the service. Using administrative data, the study will measure:
i. Trends in the number of participants utilising the service each week.
ii. The proportion of participants who are discharged within a timely manner (i.e., discharged by target discharge date). Achievement of 80% timely discharge will be defined as clinically feasible.
iii. The proportion of participants who complete their health care journey through the trialled service (i.e., discharged by the service, not lost to follow-up). Completion to discharge of 80% will be defined as clinically feasible.
b. Ability for the service to meet service demands. Using administrative data, the study will measure the proportion of participants who are seen within a timely manner (i.e., within 2 weeks of follow-up milestone or referral), and the proportion of sessions missed due to provider reasons (e.g., insufficient staff, staff unavailable etc.).
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Timepoint [4]
438669
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Collected ongoing during individuals participation in the study.
Target and actual discharge date will be recorded in REDCap. Date of referral and date of first appointment will also be recorded in REDCap.
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Secondary outcome [5]
438670
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Fidelity (additional primary outcome)
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Assessment method [5]
438670
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This outcome will be measured in two ways:
a. Adherence – will measure that the trial interventions are being delivered as intended. This will be measured via REDCap clinical notes and multi-disciplinary meeting notes. Clinicians will report specific treatment delivered each session and this will be audited to ensure relevant components of intervention are being delivered, within the confines of intended dose (amount of intervention) delivered.
b. Quality - quality of the intervention delivered will be monitored through the supervision of clinic staff by a Senior Clinician. This supervision may involve direct observation of the clinician in a clinic session, or 1:1/group supervision about a specific participant, including discussion of trajectory through the clinic, clinical justification for treatment delivered, challenges or complexities encountered, plan for the participant moving forward. Supervision will occur monthly
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Timepoint [5]
438670
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At the conclusion of the study
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Secondary outcome [6]
438671
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Implementation costs (additional primary outcome)
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Assessment method [6]
438671
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This outcome will be measured by examining:
a. Staff requirements and costs – using administrative data, clinician staff time and service utilisation will be measured.
b. Consumer costs – via parent questionnaires, parents will be asked (i) whether they have private health insurance and (ii) what cost they’d be willing to pay for per appointment for this service (less than $100; $100-$200; $200-$300), to help evaluate potential future fees/funding models of the clinical service. These questionnaires will be designed specifically for the purposes of this study.
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Timepoint [6]
438671
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Staff costs will be assessed at the conclusion of the study.
Individual participant consumer costs will be collected at discharge from study.
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Secondary outcome [7]
438676
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Return to sport/leisure
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Assessment method [7]
438676
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A survey created specifically for this study will assess return to sport/leisure activities
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Timepoint [7]
438676
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Collected weekly during participation period of the study for each individual participant, up to a maximum of 16 weeks post-intervention commencement.
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Eligibility
Key inclusion criteria
• Age between 8-17 years (or 18 year olds who are still in high school)
• Diagnosis of concussion, confirmed by:
o Evidence of a blow to the head or impulsive force transmitted to the head, and
o One or more of the following:
Symptoms
• Somatic (e.g., headaches)
• Cognitive (e.g., feeling like in a fog)
• Emotional symptoms (e.g., lability)
Physical signs
• Loss of consciousness
• Amnesia
- Balance impairment (e.g., gait unsteadiness)
- Behavioural changes (e.g., irritability)
- Cognitive impairment (e.g., slowed reaction times)
- Sleep/wake disturbance (e.g., somnolence, drowsiness)
o No abnormalities on CT or MRI brain imaging, if performed
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Minimum age
8
Years
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Maximum age
18
Years
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Sex
Both males and females
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Can healthy volunteers participate?
No
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Key exclusion criteria
The presence of any comorbidity that clinicians deem will be more appropriate for exclusive treatment within another health service/department (e.g., a patient with Functional Neurological Disorder (FND) may be referred to the FND team within the Victorian Paediatric Rehabilitation Service at Monash Health; or a patient with severe psychiatric diagnosis may be referred to RCH Psychiatry).
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Study design
Purpose of the study
Treatment
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Allocation to intervention
Non-randomised trial
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Procedure for enrolling a subject and allocating the treatment (allocation concealment procedures)
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Methods used to generate the sequence in which subjects will be randomised (sequence generation)
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Masking / blinding
Open (masking not used)
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Who is / are masked / blinded?
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Intervention assignment
Other
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Other design features
Phase 1 (HeadCheck) is for any potential study participant referred via ED or other source with a concussion who uses the app. Phase 2 (the intervention) is for participants with concussion who have persistent symptoms (PCS).
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Phase
Not Applicable
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Type of endpoint/s
Safety/efficacy
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Statistical methods / analysis
Our previous research suggests that an achievable recruitable rate of approximately 260 children per year. This number is both financially and logistically feasible. With N=260, we will have accuracy of 0.12 standard deviations (SD) around mean estimates, and 2% to 6% for proportions (depending on base rate).
In order to achieve this sample size, we found an attrition rate of 18.75%. Using a more conservative 20%, N=325 will be approached and consented into the trial.
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Recruitment
Recruitment status
Not yet recruiting
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Date of first participant enrolment
Anticipated
17/10/2024
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Actual
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Date of last participant enrolment
Anticipated
28/02/2026
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Actual
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Date of last data collection
Anticipated
29/05/2026
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Actual
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Sample size
Target
325
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Accrual to date
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Final
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Recruitment in Australia
Recruitment state(s)
VIC
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Recruitment hospital [1]
26902
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The Royal Childrens Hospital - Parkville
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Recruitment postcode(s) [1]
42960
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3052 - Parkville
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Funding & Sponsors
Funding source category [1]
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Government body
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Name [1]
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Victorian Government Department of Health in partnership with Australian Department of Health and Aged Care, Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF)
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Address [1]
317120
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Country [1]
317120
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Australia
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Primary sponsor type
Other
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Name
Murdoch Childrens Research Institute
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Address
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Country
Australia
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Secondary sponsor category [1]
319379
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None
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Name [1]
319379
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Address [1]
319379
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Country [1]
319379
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Ethics approval
Ethics application status
Approved
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Ethics committee name [1]
315874
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The Royal Children’s Hospital Human Research Ethics Committee
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Ethics committee address [1]
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http://www.rch.org.au/ethics
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Ethics committee country [1]
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Australia
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Date submitted for ethics approval [1]
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05/08/2024
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Approval date [1]
315874
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02/10/2024
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Ethics approval number [1]
315874
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Summary
Brief summary
Clinical trial examining implementation outcomes (acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, feasibility, fidelity, implementation costs) and clinical outcomes of an intervention, delivered within a concussion clinic model. The trial will offer an innovative, integrated stepped-care model that provides individualised, evidence-based intervention and continuity of care for children and adolescents following the initial assessment and diagnosis of concussion in Emergency or Primary Care settings. Concussion Essentials is a proven effective intervention for treating concussion symptoms and can be implemented in routine clinical practice.
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Trial website
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Trial related presentations / publications
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Public notes
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Contacts
Principal investigator
Name
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Prof Vicki Anderson
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Address
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Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052
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Country
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Australia
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Phone
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+61 408347240
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Fax
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Email
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[email protected]
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Contact person for public queries
Name
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Nick Anderson
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Address
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Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052
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Country
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Australia
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Phone
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+61421920612
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Fax
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Email
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[email protected]
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Contact person for scientific queries
Name
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Nick Anderson
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Address
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Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, 50 Flemington Rd, Parkville, VIC, 3052
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Country
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Australia
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Phone
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+61421920612
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Fax
136056
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Email
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[email protected]
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Data sharing statement
Will individual participant data (IPD) for this trial be available (including data dictionaries)?
Yes
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What data in particular will be shared?
Individual participant data that underlie the results reported in this article after de-identification (text, tables, figures and appendices)
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When will data be available (start and end dates)?
Available for 5 years after completion of study
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Available to whom?
Researchers from MCRI whose proposed use of the data has been ethically reviewed and approved by an independent committee and who accept MCRI’s conditions for access
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Available for what types of analyses?
For secondary analysis of pre-post intervention treatment data.
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How or where can data be obtained?
As data will be shared within MCRI, data will be available to access from secure MCRI data severs with permission from the study PI Vicki Anderson (
[email protected]
(
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What supporting documents are/will be available?
No Supporting Document Provided
Results publications and other study-related documents
Documents added manually
No documents have been uploaded by study researchers.
Documents added automatically
No additional documents have been identified.
Download to PDF