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Clinical Trials/NCT03713151
NCT03713151
Completed
Not Applicable

Feasibility of a Blended Therapy Approach: Face-to-face Physiotherapy Sessions Combined With an Interactive Tablet-based Exercise Program for People With Rare Diseases.

University of Zurich1 site in 1 country30 target enrollmentFebruary 27, 2019

Overview

Phase
Not Applicable
Intervention
Not specified
Conditions
Telemedicine
Sponsor
University of Zurich
Enrollment
30
Locations
1
Primary Endpoint
Number of patients recruited in the study
Status
Completed
Last Updated
5 years ago

Overview

Brief Summary

Exercise is an important part of therapy guidelines in the rehabilitation of rare diseases (RDs) as Haemophilia and Myositis. The aim of this study is not to evaluate a new therapy intervention, but to evaluate the delivery of this intervention. In clinical practice, patients are usually instructed to perform an exercise program at home. Normally, a physiotherapist (PT) provides an instruction (paper-) sheet. In this study, the investigators evaluate the feasibility of an interactive tablet-based way of delivery. The exercise program is - as usual in physiotherapy - individually tailored by the PT.

Detailed Description

Myositis and haemophilia belong with a prevalence rate of 0.4-17.3 of 100'000 and 2-12 of 100'000, respectively to the group of RDs. The fact that a RD affects only a small number of people, indicates that rehabilitation knowledge outside the specialised medical centers is rare. Thus, since many people with RD do not live nearby these institutions, they do not have direct acces to rehabilitation programmes. The University Hospital Zurich (USZ) offers medical treatment and Rehabilitation Support in such reference centers, among others for people with myositis (PWM) and for people with haemophilia (PWH). Although these two diseases differ strongly in their underlying cause, affected persons are confronted with similar problems: PWM and PWH suffer from musculoskeletal problems and therefore, a physically active lifestyle is essential to maintain good health. Nevertheless, PWM and PWH were previously discouraged from participating in physical exercise. Consequently, both groups are less physically active, have a lower fitness level and a higher risk for comorbidities, compared to healthy people. Nowadays, the beneficial effects of exercise in PWH and in PWM are well accepted and there is evidence that PWH and PWM profit from physical exercise programs. Despite the encouraging benefits of physical exercise in PWH and PWM, these may be challenged with more barriers to start and maintain an exercise program, compared to healthy persons, e.g. due to reduced accessibility of specialised physiotherapists. Telerehabilitation (TR), a subfield of telemedicine, may help to overcome some of the barriers to exercise regularly and connect PWH/PWM with specialised physiotherapists. TR is defined as the provision of rehabilitation services from a distance using telecommunication technologies as the delivery medium. This approach may optimize the timing, intensity and sequencing of interventions and provide opportunities for individuals to receive rehabilitation in their own social and professional environments from disease-specialised caregivers. An additional advantage of TR is the possibility to implement different persuasive technologies such as personalisation, self-monitoring, tailoring, goal setting, comparison and conditioning through positive and negative reinforcement in the development of exercise programmes. These technologies help to make exercise programmes more enjoyable and, therefore, enhance patients' motivation to exercise regularly. Furthermore, the importance of individual and social support has been emphasized in several reviews evaluating health behaviour change for example becoming more active. This kind of support can be integrated in the design of a TR program and it can further be enhanced by blending TR with face-to-face sessions. The so-called blended therapy is a promising approach combining the advantages from traditional rehabilitation and new technologies. The aim of this study is to evaluate feasibility of a blended therapy approach, combining a tablet-based exercise program, called "Dividat Fit" with face-to-face therapy sessions for PWH and PWM.

Registry
clinicaltrials.gov
Start Date
February 27, 2019
End Date
April 30, 2020
Last Updated
5 years ago
Study Type
Interventional
Study Design
Single Group
Sex
All

Investigators

Responsible Party
Sponsor

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

  • Diagnosis of mild Haemophilia or Myositis
  • able to walk 20 meters without walking aids
  • currently exercising less than one training session per week (training = vigorous activity)
  • maintenance of a stable medical regimen for 4 weeks prior to initiation of study and considered to maintain a stable regimen for the course of the study
  • signed informed consent to participate in the study

Exclusion Criteria

  • Clinically significant concomitant disease states (e.g., renal failure, hepatic dysfunction, severe cardiovascular and/or pulmonary disease, severe osteoporosis, pulmonary hypertension, pain syndrome, paresis)
  • Contraindications to physical exercise for People with Haemophila: Factor-prophylaxis-regimen, inhibitor positive, less than 6 months after arthroplasty surgery, acute joint or muscle bleeding within the last 30 days for People With Myosites: acute exacerbation of inflammation
  • Known or suspected non-compliance, drug or alcohol abuse,
  • Inability to follow the procedures of the study, e.g. due to language problems, psychological disorders, dementia, etc. of the participant,
  • Participation in another study with investigational drug within the 30 days preceding and during the present study
  • Known pregnancy or breastfeeding

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Number of patients recruited in the study

Time Frame: Will be assessed approximately 6 months after start of study

Recruitment rate, reasons for denial and exlusion and drop-outs

Secondary Outcomes

  • Adherence to the "Dividat Fit" exercise program(Will be assessed approximately 6 months after start of study)
  • Perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use of Dividat Fit(10 Minutes for each patient after the end of the 12-week intervention program)
  • Perceived satisfaction of Dividat FIT(10 Minutes for each patient after the end of the 12-week intervention program)
  • Hand-held dynamometry(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)
  • Manual Muscle testing(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)
  • Expanded Timed Get-up-and-Go(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)
  • 30 second chair stand(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)
  • 30 second arm curl(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)
  • Functional Index 2 Test (FI2) : Number of repetitions for muscle endurance(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)
  • Stanford Health Assessment Questionnaire Disability Index (HAQ)(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)
  • Haemophilia & Exercise Project-Test-Questionnaire (HEP-Test-Q)(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)
  • Health related disability and quality of life (SF-36)(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)
  • Myositis Activity Profile questionnaire (MAP)(Measurement approximately, two weeks before the start of the exercise intervention and after the end of the 12-week intervention program.)

Study Sites (1)

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