Texts and navigators: a new way to get taxi drivers to the doctor?
NCT ID NCT02508363
First seen Aug 05, 2026 · Last updated Aug 06, 2026 · Updated 1 time
Summary
This study tests whether adding extra support—like personal case management or mobile text reminders—to usual health fair follow-up helps taxi drivers in New York City get a regular primary care doctor and attend important medical appointments. About 756 male drivers aged 21 to 85 will be randomly assigned to one of three groups: usual care, usual care plus navigation and a health promoter, or usual care plus text messaging and a health promoter. The goal is to see which approach works best for improving healthcare access in this busy, hard-to-reach group.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Behavioral interventions: Navigation Case Management (NCM), mobile text messaging (mTECH), and Taxi health Improvement Promoter (TIP), compared to usual health fair follow-up alone.
- What this could lead to
- If effective, these support strategies could become a model for helping taxi drivers—and other hard-to-reach workers—get regular primary care and keep important health appointments.
- What could go wrong
- The trial is early-stage and relies on self-reported measures in some cases, which may reduce accuracy. Results may not apply to all driver populations or other settings.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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756 people
The number who actually took part.
- Start date
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Jul 2015
- Expected to finish
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Jul 2027
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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21 to 85 years
- Sex
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Male participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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Accepted
You do not need to have the condition being studied to take part.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: Garage/Enrollment Site Inclusion: * Located in the NYC Borough of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, or the Bronx * Has a roster of at least 100 drivers or is a site frequented by drivers Driver Inclusion: * Male * Between 21 to 85 years of age (We are selecting participants older than three years past the legal driving age of 18, as younger drivers tend to change jobs more often) * Planning on remaining in NYC for at least 1 year, (with no vacations or trips to exceed two months) * Licensed taxi driver for at least three months * Affillated with a NYC garage or frequents at a study enrollment site * Speaks English, Bengali, Urdu, Spanish, or French * Owns a cell phone that can receive text messages and is willing to receive text messages for this study. * Does not have a usual primary care provider(PCP) at baseline * Has not seen a doctor for an annual physical within the last year not including annual required physical for work at baseline TIPs Inclusion: * Between 21 to 85 years of age * Male * Planning on remaining in NYC for at least 1 year, (with no vacations or trips to exceed one month) * Licensed taxi driver for at least two years * Affilliated with a NYC garage or frequents at a study enrollment site * Speaks English, (English proficiency required for TIPs training) * Willing and able to attend in person TIPs training sessions * As per study team judgment, based upon the TIPs screening tool, is socially active among fellow taxi drivers, cares about health issues, and wants to help others improve their health Exclusion Criteria: Garage/Site Exclusion: * Does not agree to holding screening health fairs on location (e.g. does not sign enrollment form, or send email confirming agreement, or verbally agree to study team management) Driver Exclusion: * Part-time driver (drives fewer than 30 hours per week) Although it is highly unlikely for NYC taxi drivers to work for multiple garages at study baseline, drivers may switch jobs and/or their garage base affiliation while participating in this study. New jobs and/or garage base affiliations will be tracked during follow-up assessments and noted for potential limitations with study retention and intervention contamination. Drivers will be allowed to continue the study even if they are no longer working with the initial garage base.
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Genom att skicka in godkänner du våra Användarvillkor
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
New York, New York, 10021, United States