Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial To Assess the Effectiveness of a Heat Risk Reduction Decision Support Platform and Barriers and Facilitators of Its Implementation

Launched by UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · May 6, 2025

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

This clinical trial is looking into an online tool called CHaRT, designed to help local health departments better prepare for extreme heat events. The tool provides specific information about health risks related to heat in different neighborhoods, helping health departments identify problems and effective solutions tailored to their community. The trial aims to find out if using CHaRT leads to better outreach and effectiveness in heat-related health activities compared to departments that only receive basic information. Researchers will also explore what helps or hinders health departments from using this tool effectively.

To participate, health departments need to be local (like a city or county) and have some independence in planning heat-related programs. The staff involved should be adults who work on these health initiatives. Children and prisoners cannot participate, and health departments in states where public health is managed only at the state level are also excluded. This trial is not currently recruiting participants, but it seeks to improve community responses to extreme heat, which is an important public health issue.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion Criteria:
• • Local (city or county) health department
• • Local (i.e., city or county) health department with at least partial autonomy to pursue the development and implementation of heat-health activities (i.e., not a state where all public health activities are administered at a state level)
• • Availability of a staff member to participate in all elements of the trial. Local health department staff responsible for planning and implementing programming to protect constituents from extreme heat.
• • Adults whose demographics and health status will mirror those of the general population.
• • Current employees of included health departments aged 18 or greater
• Exclusion Criteria:
• • Being in a state where public health activities are exclusively managed at a state level and not having staff availability to participate
• • Children and prisoners