Table 3 Comparison of the first ‘BETTER’ trial to ‘BETTER HEALTH: Durham’

Physical location of prevention practitioner (PP)

In Family Health Team clinics

Imbedded in Durham Region Health Department, for community outreach

Identification of participants

From electronic medical record (EMR)

Community-based recruitment strategies in low income areas

Informed consent

For collection of personal health information, by prevention practitioner

For collection of self-reported personal health information, by research assistant

Identification of completed and current behaviours and activities

Abstraction from EMR, and from self-report in self-administered survey

From self-report responses to survey administered by research assistant, in the community

Survey data collection

Paper, by patient

Electronic, self-report responses to survey administered by research assistant, in the community

Identification of risk factors

Lab tests, survey, EMR

From self-report, as above

Identification of eligible CDPS actions

Prevention practitioner manually extracted and compiled

Electronically identified and compiled from self-report, as above

Prevention meeting and goal-setting by participants

By prevention practitioner in primary care team clinics

By prevention practitioners at various community locations

Strategy to find primary care provider for participants who lack provider.

Not applicable

Prevention practitioners supported by primary care strategy engaging primary care providers near the participant.

Height, weight, waist circumference, blood pressure

EMR entry or by prevention practitioner or primary care provider

By prevention practitioner or primary care provider, self-report on baseline or 6 month survey

Specimen collection for laboratory-based screening

In laboratories by requisition from primary care providers

In laboratories by requisition from primary care providers or from nurse practitioner for participants without primary care provider

Facilitation of goal achievement

Clinic staff, prevention practitioner, links, and self

Prevention practitioners, links, and self

Followup of abnormal results

By primary care physician

By primary care providers, or by nurse practitioners engaged by study if prevention practitioners unable to link participant with primary care provider

Ascertainment of outcomes

Abstraction from EMR and self-report responses at repeat self-administered survey by prevention practitioner

Self-report responses to 6-month survey administered by research assistant

Primary outcome measure