COPE

COPE Is an Effective, Affordable, Time Saving Tool

What is COPE?

COPE is a telephone-based eight week, self-help program for people with mild to moderate depression. COPE can be offered by managed care organizations, Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs), or individual clinicians. COPE is also an effective, standardized component of clinical trials for antidepressants, for both pre and post-study treatment.

How is COPE used in a clinical trial?

• COPE can be used before a trial to enrich the sample with subjects unresponsive to effective psychotherapy.
• COPE can also be used as a post-study treatment to increase recruitment and reduce dropouts, leading to more rapid completion of trials. COPE can be used alone or to complement post-study pharmacotherapy for depression.

Other questions:

• What are the advantages of using COPE in my clinical trials?
• Who developed COPE?
  
• What kinds of reports does COPE provide?
  
• What advantages are there to my patients in using COPE?
  
• How do my study subjects use COPE?
  
• What do my study subjects receive with the COPE program?
  
• What if I have more questions about COPE?
• What is it?
• Publications on COPE
  

What are the advantages in using COPE in my clinical trials?

• COPE simplifies the collection and management of study data. COPE supplies you with timely reports to summarize study subject status.
• COPE provides sponsors with immediate feedback and summary data based on subjects' responses through faxed reports.
• COPE requires little staff time. Patients guide themselves through the self-directed program.
• COPE helps bond patients to study sites, making long-term follow up easier.
• Offering COPE as a value added program can help increase the number of study subjects recruited over a given period of time, since even subjects getting placebo will have access to treatment after the study.
• COPE contributes to more consistent, reliable, and valid patient evaluations: If your protocols include psychotherapy for depression, COPE offers advantages of standardization and provides three separate techniques. Each has been shown to be effective when used independently:
  • 1. Cognitive-Behavior Therapy (Constructive Thinking)
  • 2. Assertive Communication
  • 3. Pleasant Activities.

Who developed COPE?

The COPE program was developed by John Greist, MD (Madison, Wisconsin); Isaac Marks, MD (London, England); Lee Baer PhD and Deborah Osgood-Hynes, PsyD (Boston, Massachusetts).

Healthcare Technology Systems (HTS), the developer of COPE as a computer-administered tool, is the leader in providing clinical IVR systems in health care settings. HTS is the only company providing self-help programs using this sophisticated technology. Our research in computer-based clinical programs has spanned over 30 years.

What kinds of reports does COPE provide?

• COPE provides assessments at baseline and at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 8. Reports can be e-mailed or faxed weekly, or after completion of each assessment, as preferred.
• These periodic progress reports help enhance the study subject-site relationship, provide monitoring and give you feedback on study subjects' progress.
• All data are stored directly in an Oracle relational database, and can be accessed at any time. Data sets can be delivered at specified intervals and at the end of your project.

What advantages are there to my patients in using COPE?

COPE links computer technology to an ordinary telephone, using Interactive Voice Response (IVR) technology. The program consists of personalized and interactive telephone calls along with seven (7) easy-to-read guides. During the calls, subjects record their thoughts and practice skills to help them overcome their depressed mood. Study subjects can call the COPE phone system 24 hours a day from any touch-tone phone in the United States or Canada, via a toll-free number.

• 24-hour availability: Over 68% of calls to COPE are made after 5:00 p.m. and before 9:00 a.m., or on weekends, times when clinicians are not always available.
• Confidentiality is carefully protected through individual ID numbers and self-selected passwords, and patient acceptance of this method is high.
• Patient satisfaction: During a 12 week clinical study, over three-fourths of the patients who completed COPE reported it was helpful and easy to use (Journal of Clinical Psychiatry 59: 358-365, 1998).

  1. How comfortable were you using COPE? 89% reported very or somewhat comfortable.
  2. How well could you describe how you felt? 79% reported very or somewhat well.
  3. How easy was it to answer COPE questions? 89% reported very easy or easy.
  4. How useful were the COPE guides? 85% reported very or somewhat useful.

How do my study subjects use COPE?

COPE is confidential, convenient, and simple to use. It includes seven guides and unlimited toll-free access to the COPE phone system for six months. COPE begins with a Starter Packet to introduce the program and show individuals how to make COPE telephone calls. The acute phase of COPE treatment lasts eight weeks. The COPE ID entitles the subject to six full months of access to the telephone system. A yearlong course of treatment including continuation and maintenance phases is also available.

Our studies show that patients and study subjects feel comfortable using the IVR system, find it easy to use, and find the guides very helpful.

What do my study subjects receive with the COPE program?

• 11 interactive telephone calls that can be repeated and customized as often as they like over 6 months
• 7 easy-to-read guides
• Around-the-clock access to the sophisticated COPE telephone system when they need it
• Technical assistance from a live operator if they have questions about the system

What if I have more questions about COPE?

If you have more questions or would like to order COPE, please call us at 1-800-316-2414 or E-mail us at cope@healthtechsys.com. We'll be glad to talk with you and submit a proposal for your use of COPE.