Evaluation of a Nurse-led Program for the Prevention of Complications of Long-term Corticosteroid Therapy

To join this study, people must be 18 years old or older and just starting a long course of corticosteroid treatment – specifically, within the last 30 days. You would also need to be a member of the social security system in France, where the study is taking place. The total amount of corticosteroids you're expected to take needs to be at least 2000mg over time.

There are also some reasons why you wouldn't be able to join. For example, if you've taken long-term corticosteroids before, or if you're taking them for cancer treatment. If you have severe kidney problems, have had an organ transplant, or if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, you also wouldn't be eligible. It's also important to be able to talk on the phone and understand what the study involves, so people who struggle with this or are under guardianship cannot take part.

If you join this study, you'll be randomly assigned to either receive the new nurse-led prevention program or continue with your usual care. You'll have regular visits at the start of the study and again after 52 weeks (about a year). During these visits, doctors will check your general health, do some blood tests, and measure your bone density with a special scan called a DEXA scan. You'll also be asked to fill out questionnaires to assess your quality of life.

You'll be asked to keep a record of how much corticosteroid medicine you take throughout the year. At your final visit after 52 weeks, an independent doctor, who won't know whether you were in the nurse-led program or the usual care group, will assess any side effects you might have experienced from the corticosteroids. The total duration of your participation in the assessments will be one year.