A Primary Care Survey: Preventive and Chronic Health Status, Psychosocial Factors, and Unmet Social Needs
IRB#: 26-0196
Participant Criteria:
- Adult Primary Care Patients (18 and older)
- Have been a UTMB Health Family Medicine patient for at least 2 years
- Able to speak and understand English
What is the purpose of this research study?
To generate data on the health, social needs, and self-care of primary care patients, especially those living with chronic medical conditions such as obesity, diabetes, depression, and hypertension, within the UTMB Family Medicine clinics.
What are the Research Procedures?
- Recruitment & Enrollment: Potential participants will be identified and recruited during their clinic visits. The survey will be introduced first by research assistants who will meet patients in the waiting room. The research assistant will screen for eligibility and share the Fast Facts Sheet, which explains the study purpose, procedures, compensation, confidentiality, and IRB contact. Individuals who agree to participate will be enrolled and given a copy of the Fast Facts Sheet.
- Study Visit (One-time, ~45 minutes): The survey will collect patient-reported information on demographics, socioeconomic status, comorbidities, health conditions, psychosocial factors, fatalism, unmet social needs, self-care practices, healthcare access, food insecurity, neighborhood characteristics, and perceptions of integrated behavioral health.
- Location & Format: Interviews will be conducted one-on-one in a private conference room after clinical appointments at one of our two Galveston Island Family Medicine clinics (Island East or Island West). There is also the option to complete the survey online via a secured REDCap link.
- Data Collection: A secure web-based data capture platform supported by UTMB, REDCap, will be used to collect participant-reported data. The research assistants will review the study purpose, confirm voluntary participation, and guide the data collection using the study instruments as designed in REDCap.
- Time Commitment: Participation involves a single visit lasting approximately 45 minutes total.
What are the Risks and Benefits?
Every research study involving human participants presents some level of risk; however, there are no known serious risks or adverse effects anticipated from participation in this study. The potential risks are minimal and primarily related to mild emotional discomfort or distress related to answering sensitive survey questions, particularly those involving psychological distress, substance use, social needs, or difficult life circumstances.
Any time information is collected, there is a potential risk for loss of confidentiality. Every effort will be made to keep your information confidential; however, this cannot be guaranteed. You may not receive any personal benefits from being in this study. We hope the information learned from this study will benefit other people with similar conditions in the future.
How will my information be protected?
All data entered into REDCap will be stored on secure, password‑protected servers with role‑based access limited to authorized study personnel. All identifiers collected to identify participants will be stored in REDCap fields, separate from the main analytic dataset to the extent feasible, with access restricted to designated staff. If we publish the results of the study in a scientific journal or book, we will not identify you.
Who can I contact with questions about this research study?
This study has been approved by the UTMB Institutional Review Board (IRB). If you have any complaints, concerns, input or questions regarding your rights as a subject participating in this research study or you would like more information about the protection of human subjects in research, you may contact the IRB Office via email irb@utmb.edu.
For questions about the study:
Principal Investigator: Brittany L. Smalls, PhD, MSHPsych
Office: Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, 409-772-0620
Before you agree to participate, make sure you have read (or been read) the information provided above; your questions have been answered to your satisfaction; you have been informed that your participation is voluntary, and you have freely decided to participate in this research.
DOWNLOAD THE STUDY FLYER HERE