Monetary Incentives and Intrinsic Motivation to Sustain Hypertension Control
| Status: | Completed |
|---|---|
| Conditions: | High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) |
| Therapuetic Areas: | Cardiology / Vascular Diseases |
| Healthy: | No |
| Age Range: | 18 - Any |
| Updated: | 2/8/2015 |
| Start Date: | August 2011 |
| End Date: | September 2013 |
| Contact: | Estivali S. Villa |
| Email: | evilla@mednet.ucla.edu |
| Phone: | 310-874-2800 |
Monetary Incentives and Intrinsic Motivation to Sustain Hypertension Control Pilot Study
Despite unequivocal proof that tight control of blood pressure with antihypertensive
medication can prevent hypertensive complications—including strokes, myocardial infarcts,
heart failure, end-stage renal disease, and death— blood pressure remains uncontrolled in
the majority of individuals with hypertension. We propose a novel patient-centered
intervention that combines monetary incentives and a social psychological intervention to
help patients sustain blood pressure control once incentives are no longer offered by
strengthening intrinsic motivation to control blood pressure among two vulnerable
populations: African Americans, who suffer disproportionately from hypertension, and Mexican
Americans, who have the lowest hypertension control rates of any demographic group in the
United States. If the intervention is successful, it could be adapted as a set of tools to
apply in clinical practice to improve outcomes of a range of chronic diseases, by maximizing
the motivation of patients to optimize their treatment.
medication can prevent hypertensive complications—including strokes, myocardial infarcts,
heart failure, end-stage renal disease, and death— blood pressure remains uncontrolled in
the majority of individuals with hypertension. We propose a novel patient-centered
intervention that combines monetary incentives and a social psychological intervention to
help patients sustain blood pressure control once incentives are no longer offered by
strengthening intrinsic motivation to control blood pressure among two vulnerable
populations: African Americans, who suffer disproportionately from hypertension, and Mexican
Americans, who have the lowest hypertension control rates of any demographic group in the
United States. If the intervention is successful, it could be adapted as a set of tools to
apply in clinical practice to improve outcomes of a range of chronic diseases, by maximizing
the motivation of patients to optimize their treatment.
We propose to test the translation of behavioral economics and social psychology theory and
experience in other domains into an intervention that has the potential to improve control
of hypertension and diminish its health impact. Blood pressure control requires that: (1)
the patient see a physician; (2) the disease be recognized by the physician, (3) a medicine
be prescribed; (4) the patient take the medicine; (5) the patient come back for additional
visits to monitor the treatment; (6) the provider make adjustments as needed in the therapy;
and (7) the patient adhere to the changes and continue to come in for monitoring. Factors
interfere with this chain of events even among patients with a regular source of care, such
as a community clinic. Due to the asymptomatic nature of the disease, lack of awareness of
the consequences of uncontrolled BP, discounting of these consequences because they occur in
the distant future, health beliefs that lead the individual not to believe that the
treatment would be beneficial, competing demands, financial barriers, or medication side
effects, these patients may not monitor their BP as often as they should, press their
physicians about BP control, or adhere to medication regimens. For their part, physicians
may not intensify treatment as indicated.
How would the combination of incentives that we propose in this study work in hypertension
management? Monetary incentives could improve BP control by leading patients to monitor
their BP and make physician visits for hypertension more frequently, "activating" patients
to be more assertive about discussing treatment intensification with their providers when
their BP is elevated or other issues regarding their therapy, and improving medication
adherence. Thus a patient whose BP readings continue to be elevated because he or she is
receiving inadequate monotherapy for their level of hypertension might be more motivated to
remember to take their pills, check their readings regularly, and most importantly, get to
the doctor to intensify the regimen when faced with a monetary incentive to reduce BP.
Similarly, another patient might be more motivated to speak up and tell their physician that
they are having trouble taking their current BP medicine because of its side-effects; rather
that stopping their medication and suffering the consequences of uncontrolled hypertension,
this "activated" patient may stimulate the physician to prescribe a different class of
medicine that effectively controls the BP without side-effects. Although this experience
may give the patient insight that they can get their blood pressure under control and keep
it there for some time, the same concerns that initially interfered with BP control may lead
patients to return to previous habits after the monetary incentive is withdrawn. They may
be busy and not make the time to check their blood pressure, refill prescriptions, take
their medicine, or see their doctor. For this reason, helping the patient identify intrinsic
motivations to control their BP is necessary. Intrinsic motivations would help keep the
patient continually aware of what is at stake (in terms of the people they care about, their
roles in society, and their activities) if they do not take their medicines, fill their
prescriptions, or follow up with the provider when blood pressure readings are not at
target.
The challenge of achieving and sustaining hypertension control might usefully borrow
terminology from clinical oncology, in which many treatments have 3 phases: induction,
consolidation, and maintenance. For hypertension, we can envision a similar framework:
induction of normal blood pressure through initiation and adjustment of medications and
adherence to them (for which we expect monetary incentives to be most effective);
consolidation in which the patient maintains a normal blood pressure for a period of time
(reinforced by frequent feedback, ongoing incentives, and interventions aimed at making
intrinsic motivations salient); and maintenance after withdrawal of the incentives, which
can be reinforced by success reducing blood pressure coupled with identity priming and
identity labeling to engender strong intrinsic motivation to continue.
experience in other domains into an intervention that has the potential to improve control
of hypertension and diminish its health impact. Blood pressure control requires that: (1)
the patient see a physician; (2) the disease be recognized by the physician, (3) a medicine
be prescribed; (4) the patient take the medicine; (5) the patient come back for additional
visits to monitor the treatment; (6) the provider make adjustments as needed in the therapy;
and (7) the patient adhere to the changes and continue to come in for monitoring. Factors
interfere with this chain of events even among patients with a regular source of care, such
as a community clinic. Due to the asymptomatic nature of the disease, lack of awareness of
the consequences of uncontrolled BP, discounting of these consequences because they occur in
the distant future, health beliefs that lead the individual not to believe that the
treatment would be beneficial, competing demands, financial barriers, or medication side
effects, these patients may not monitor their BP as often as they should, press their
physicians about BP control, or adhere to medication regimens. For their part, physicians
may not intensify treatment as indicated.
How would the combination of incentives that we propose in this study work in hypertension
management? Monetary incentives could improve BP control by leading patients to monitor
their BP and make physician visits for hypertension more frequently, "activating" patients
to be more assertive about discussing treatment intensification with their providers when
their BP is elevated or other issues regarding their therapy, and improving medication
adherence. Thus a patient whose BP readings continue to be elevated because he or she is
receiving inadequate monotherapy for their level of hypertension might be more motivated to
remember to take their pills, check their readings regularly, and most importantly, get to
the doctor to intensify the regimen when faced with a monetary incentive to reduce BP.
Similarly, another patient might be more motivated to speak up and tell their physician that
they are having trouble taking their current BP medicine because of its side-effects; rather
that stopping their medication and suffering the consequences of uncontrolled hypertension,
this "activated" patient may stimulate the physician to prescribe a different class of
medicine that effectively controls the BP without side-effects. Although this experience
may give the patient insight that they can get their blood pressure under control and keep
it there for some time, the same concerns that initially interfered with BP control may lead
patients to return to previous habits after the monetary incentive is withdrawn. They may
be busy and not make the time to check their blood pressure, refill prescriptions, take
their medicine, or see their doctor. For this reason, helping the patient identify intrinsic
motivations to control their BP is necessary. Intrinsic motivations would help keep the
patient continually aware of what is at stake (in terms of the people they care about, their
roles in society, and their activities) if they do not take their medicines, fill their
prescriptions, or follow up with the provider when blood pressure readings are not at
target.
The challenge of achieving and sustaining hypertension control might usefully borrow
terminology from clinical oncology, in which many treatments have 3 phases: induction,
consolidation, and maintenance. For hypertension, we can envision a similar framework:
induction of normal blood pressure through initiation and adjustment of medications and
adherence to them (for which we expect monetary incentives to be most effective);
consolidation in which the patient maintains a normal blood pressure for a period of time
(reinforced by frequent feedback, ongoing incentives, and interventions aimed at making
intrinsic motivations salient); and maintenance after withdrawal of the incentives, which
can be reinforced by success reducing blood pressure coupled with identity priming and
identity labeling to engender strong intrinsic motivation to continue.
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adults aged 18 or older who are receiving ongoing medical care at the clinic (one or
more routine visits in the year prior to the visit during the study enrollment period
at which their blood pressure is found to be abnormal), are capable of giving
consent, and live at a fixed address.
- Must state that they intend to continue to receive care in the clinic.
- Measured BP is greater than 140mm systolic or 90mm diastolic (or 130/80 respectively
for "high risk" subjects with: diabetes, established coronary artery disease, prior
cardiovascular event, left ventricular hypertrophy by ECG, chronic kidney disease, or
diagnosed heart failure).
Exclusion Criteria:
- Those whose BP's have returned to normal 1-2 weeks after the original obtained
average reading.
- Children, prisoners, institutionalized individuals, or pregnant women.
We found this trial at
2
sites
Los Angeles, California 90007
Click here to add this to my saved trials
Click here to add this to my saved trials