Methods for Increasing Caregiver Training: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Last registered on October 08, 2020
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Pre-Trial

Trial Information

General Information

Title
Methods for Increasing Caregiver Training: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial
RCT ID
AEARCTR-0006553
Initial registration date
October 08, 2020

Initial registration date is when the trial was registered.

It corresponds to when the registration was submitted to the Registry to be reviewed for publication.

First published
October 08, 2020, 8:23 AM EDT

First published corresponds to when the trial was first made public on the Registry after being reviewed.

Locations

Country
United States of America
Region

Primary Investigator

Name
Rebecca Brough
Affiliation
University of Notre Dame
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Other Primary Investigator(s)

PI Name
Christopher Cronin
PI Affiliation
University of Notre Dame
Contact Investigator
PI Name
Ethan Lieber
PI Affiliation
University of Notre Dame
Contact Investigator

Additional Trial Information

Status
In development
Start date
2020-10-08
End date
2021-10-02
Keywords
Behavior, Health
Additional Keywords
JEL code(s)
Secondary IDs
Abstract
This randomized control trial will determine the most cost-effective way to encourage caregivers to participate in online training programs. We will partner with Helping Restore Ability (HRA), a non-profit that supports thousands of caregivers in Texas, as they roll out a new online training program to improve in-home care quality. To encourage training take-up, four treatment arms will receive emails with varying levels of altruistic messaging and financial compensation. Members of the control group will receive a standard email with no incentive for training completion. This study will determine the impact of these messaging strategies and financial incentives on participation and performance in the training program.
External Link(s)

Registration Citation

Citation
Brough, Rebecca, Christopher Cronin and Ethan Lieber. 2020. "Methods for Increasing Caregiver Training: Evidence from a Randomized Controlled Trial." AEA RCT Registry. October 08. https://doi.org/10.1257/rct.6553-1.0
Sponsors & Partners
Experimental Details

Interventions

Intervention(s)
Intervention Start Date
2020-10-08
Intervention End Date
2020-11-27

Primary Outcomes

Primary Outcomes (end points)
The primary outcomes of this experiment are: intervention take-up, training program performance, and training program engagement.
Primary Outcomes (explanation)

Secondary Outcomes

Secondary Outcomes (end points)
Secondary Outcomes (explanation)

Experimental Design

Experimental Design
This study will operate as a randomized-controlled trial. Approximately 1,200 caregivers will be randomly assigned to one of 5 groups: a control group, which will receive a standard email invitation to complete the training; an altruism group, which will receive a tailored email design to prime altruistic behavior; a client contact group, which will receive a promise to have their client be notified if they complete the training; and a monetary compensation group, which will receive either $80 or $130 for completing the training.
Experimental Design Details
Randomization Method
In this study, we use a rerandomization method in which all participants are randomized to treatment assignments 100 times. Of these 100 randomized datasets, we select the randomization assignment dataset that yields the minimum of the maximum t-statistic over select variables to ensure balance across treatment arms. These variables are gender, race, tenure with client, age, relation with client, tenure with employer, employee relationship with HRA (Personal Attendant Services [PAS] or Consumer Directed Services [CDS]), an indicator variable for whether caregiver was on HRA payroll in September 2020, an indicator variable for whether caregiver is required to receive training services from Amerigroup insurance, an indicator variable for whether caregiver has more than one client, and an indicator variable for whether served client has more than one caregiver.

This approach is described in detail by Banerjee et al. (2020). Each of the variables used in the rerandomization process will be controlled for during analysis, as suggested in Bruhn and McKenzie (2009). 
Randomization Unit
Randomization will occur at the individual-level, using rerandomization method.
Was the treatment clustered?
No

Experiment Characteristics

Sample size: planned number of clusters
1143 caregivers
Sample size: planned number of observations
1143 caregivers
Sample size (or number of clusters) by treatment arms
286 control; 286 altruism messaging; 286 offer to contact client upon program completion; 142 $80 monetary incentive; 143 $130 monetary incentive.
Minimum detectable effect size for main outcomes (accounting for sample design and clustering)
Supporting Documents and Materials
IRB

Institutional Review Boards (IRBs)

IRB Name
University of Notre Dame Research Compliance
IRB Approval Date
2020-05-27
IRB Approval Number
20-04-6024
Analysis Plan

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Post-Trial

Post Trial Information

Study Withdrawal

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Intervention

Is the intervention completed?
No
Data Collection Complete
Data Publication

Data Publication

Is public data available?
No

Program Files

Program Files
Reports, Papers & Other Materials

Relevant Paper(s)

Reports & Other Materials