Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41813422›Full record

Trial reportJMIR mHealth and uHealth2026

App-Based Training Module on Guiding Physicians' Prescription for Antibiotic Treatment of Gonorrhea: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.

Ting-Ting Jiang, Xiao-Bin Zhang, Pei-Zhen Zhao, Li-Juan Fei, Hui-Min Chen, Yun-Qing Yang, Man-Hong Jia, Cheng Wang, Yun-Liang Shen, Yu-Jun Xu and 3 more

Abstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
In one paragraph

Trial report in JMIR mHealth and uHealth, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

13 authors.

Ting-Ting JiangHospital for Skin Diseases, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 12 Jiangwangmiao Street, Nanjing, 210042, China, 86 2585478901.ORCID 0000-0002-0789-8816
Xiao-Bin ZhangYunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming, China.ORCID 0009-0001-3289-258X
Pei-Zhen ZhaoDermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0002-9334-3744
Li-Juan FeiZhejiang Provincial Institute of Dermatology, Huzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-7334-0637
Hui-Min ChenHainan Fifth People's Hospital, Haikou, China.ORCID 0009-0003-5847-7020
Yun-Qing YangGuangzhou Dermatology Hospital, Guangzhou, China.ORCID 0009-0001-3783-2359
Man-Hong JiaYunnan Center for Disease Control and Prevention, Kunming, China.ORCID 0009-0004-2747-0560
Cheng WangDermatology Hospital, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-8000-9969
Yun-Liang ShenZhejiang Provincial Institute of Dermatology, Huzhou, China.ORCID 0000-0001-5463-4963
Yu-Jun XuHainan Fifth People's Hospital, Haikou, China.ORCID 0009-0004-3455-3620
Yan HanHospital for Skin Diseases, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 12 Jiangwangmiao Street, Nanjing, 210042, China, 86 2585478901.ORCID 0000-0002-4848-4361
Yue-Ping YinHospital for Skin Diseases, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 12 Jiangwangmiao Street, Nanjing, 210042, China, 86 2585478901.ORCID 0000-0003-1700-2750
Xiang-Sheng ChenHospital for Skin Diseases, Institute of Dermatology, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, 12 Jiangwangmiao Street, Nanjing, 210042, China, 86 2585478901.ORCID 0000-0003-3927-2065

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Background: The Chinese National Guidelines on Diagnosis and Treatment of Gonorrhea (2020) recommend ceftriaxone 1 g intramuscularly as a single dose for the treatment of uncomplicated gonococcal infections. However, nonadherence to the guidelines remains common among physicians in China, partly due to their poor awareness of the recommendations. Objective: This trial aimed to (1) assess the effectiveness of an app-based training tool in improving adherence to guideline-recommended treatment regimens and (2) identify reasons for nonadherence among physicians who used the training tool. Methods: Using a cluster randomized controlled trial design, we randomly allocated 72 hospitals (clusters) from 4 provinces to the intervention (n=36, 50%) or control (n=36, 50%) arms in a 1:1 ratio. In the intervention arm, physicians received free app-based training via smartphones for 6 months, while the control arm continued routine training. The primary outcome was the proportion of prescriptions adherent to the regimens for treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea recommended by the national guidelines. We analyzed cluster-level summary outcomes at endline using methods appropriate for stratified cluster randomized controlled trials with relatively few clusters per group, accounting for between-cluster variation. A postintervention survey was administered to all intervention-arm physicians to evaluate their experience with the app-based training module. Additionally, face-to-face interviews were conducted with 32 purposely selected nonadherent physicians from the intervention arm to explore reasons for nonadherence. Results: A total of 715 physicians (n=343, 48% in the control arm and n=372, 52% in the intervention arm) participated in the study. Over the 6-month intervention period, the adherence to 1 g ceftriaxone for the treatment of uncomplicated gonorrhea increased from 53.6% to 54.8% in the intervention arm, whereas the rate decreased from 43.9% to 42.5% in the control arm. The mean difference (5.5%, 95% CI -7% to 18%; P=.37) in changes in the adherence rate between intervention and control arms was not statistically significant (risk ratio 1.12, 95% CI 0.93-1.35; P=.23). Among the 32 (19%) nonadherent physicians from the intervention arm, the primary reason for nonadherence was their concern regarding the sufficiency of the currently recommended dosage of generic ceftriaxone for treating gonorrhea. Conclusions: In our study, the implementation of an app-based training tool did not improve adherence to treatment recommendations. Concern regarding the efficacy of generic ceftriaxone may be one of the intrinsic factors associated with nonadherence.

Indexed as

Anti-Bacterial AgentsGonorrheaGuideline AdherenceMobile ApplicationsPhysiciansAdultCeftriaxoneChinaCluster AnalysisFemaleHumansMalePractice Patterns, Physicians'Surveys and QuestionnairesAnti-Bacterial AgentsCeftriaxonegonorrheainterviewmobile appnonadherenceonline trainingprescribingrandomized controlled trialsurveytreatment guideline

Identifiers

PMID41813422
PMCPMC12978911

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.