A Self-management Program to Prevent Falls in People With Multiple Sclerosis

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Multiple Sclerosis
• Interventions: Behavioral: fall prevention program; Other: Brochure about falls and fall risk factors

• Registration Number: NCT04317716
• Lead Sponsor: Karolinska Institutet

Brief Summary

This project's overall aim is to develop, deliver, and evaluate feasibility of a fall prevention program for ambulatory and non-ambulatory people with multiple sclerosis. The program will use a comprehensive intervention approach to address a variety of fall risk factors, and utilise self-management strategies. Specific aims are to

1. develop a fall prevention program, that addresses diverse fall risk factors and utilises self-management strategies, for ambulatory and non-ambulatory people with multiple sclerosis using a co-design process.

2. To examine feasibility, acceptability, fidelity, and potential outcome of the online, co-designed self-management fall prevention intervention for ambulatory and non-ambulatory people with multiple sclerosis, and to examine feasibility of the recruitment process, the data collection procedures, and the outcome measures.

Detailed Description

Falls among people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) are common and associated with injuries, fear of falling and low health-related quality of life. Considerations of behavioural, environmental, psychological and physical influences (including ambulation status) are needed to meet fall prevention needs for PwMS. Thus, using a codesign process involving key stakeholders a novel online self-management fall prevention intervention will be created specifically for ambulatory and non-ambulatory PwMS.

The feasibility, acceptability, fidelity and outcome of this complex intervention will be explored. Findings will inform a future full-scale randomised controlled trial. A mixed-method design will be used. Forty-eight PwMS, stratified for ambulation level, will be randomised to control (n=24) or intervention (n=24). Both groups will receive a brochure about fall risk factors and fall prevention. The intervention is group-based (eight PwMS in each group); will be delivered online; and involve six, 2-hour weekly sessions and a booster session 8 weeks after the sixth session. Each intervention group will be led by a trained facilitator.

Data collection will be performed at baseline, and after seven and 18 weeks. Outcome measures will capture data on fall prevention behaviours, fear of falling, falls self-efficacy, social and everyday activities, perceived impact of MS and number of falls. Feasibility of recruitment process, data collection procedures, outcome measures, and delivery, and intervention acceptability, fidelity and outcomes will be evaluated. Both quantitative and qualitative methods will be used.

Basic Information
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Recruitment & Eligibility
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Study & Design
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Trial Locations

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2020-03-19
• Study First Submitted QC: 2020-03-19
• Study First Posted: 2020-03-23
• Study Start: 2022-02-11
• Primary Completion: 2022-08-17
• Study Completion: 2022-08-17
• Status Verified: 2023-12
• Last Update Submitted: 2023-12-12
• Last Update Posted: 2023-12-18

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 45

Inclusion Criteria

• Community-dwelling adults aged ≥ 18 years
• Diagnosed with multiple sclerosis
• Able to independently transfer from bed to wheelchair with or without aids but without assistance of another person
• Able to understand and communicate in Swedish
• Able to use and access to technical devices for online meetings i.e., computers or tablets with internet access

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Exclusion Criteria

Not provided

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Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Intervention	fall prevention program	Fall prevention program and brochure about falls and fall risk factors
Control	Brochure about falls and fall risk factors	Bbrochure about falls and fall risk factors

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Fall Prevention Strategy Survey	Number of strategies used at 18 weeks after the start of the intervention/control period	The scale includes 14 fall prevention strategies. Participants report whether they currently use or have used the strategies to manage falls risk. If they are using it, they rate strategy effectiveness on a scale of 0-10. If they are not using it, they identify why (e.g., forgot, didn't think it would work, don't know how). The number of strategies used is calculated where a higher number of strategies indicate a better outcome

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Measure of fear of falling	At baseline, and at follow-ups seven and 18 weeks after the start of the intervention/control period	Questionnaire with one question "Are you afraid of falling?" and six response options: Not at all afraid, Somewhat afraid, Fairly afraid, Very afraid, Don't know, Refused
Falls incidence	Weekly from baseline to the 18-week follow-up	Falls will be monitored via an online short message service (SMS) and interview
Spinal Cord Injury Fall Concern Scale	At baseline, and at follow-ups seven and 18 weeks after the start of the intervention/control period	Addresses concern about falling during 16 activities of daily living associated with falling, scored on a 4-point scale (1=not at all concerned to 4=very concerned. The total score is calculated by summing the scores for each activity, with a possible range between 16 and 64
Multiple Sclerosis Impact Scale	At baseline, and at follow-ups seven and 18 weeks after the start of the intervention/control period	29-item self-report measure with 20 items associated with a physical scale and 9 items with a psychological scale. Items ask about the impact of multiple sclerosis on day-to-day life in the past two weeks. All items have 5 response options: 1 "not at all" to 5"extremely". Each of the two scales are scored by summing the responses across items, then converting to a 0-100 scale where 100 indicates greater impact of disease
Falls Efficacy Scale -International	At baseline, and at follow-ups seven and 18 weeks after the start of the intervention/control period	Questionnaire that consists of 16 questions regarding 'how concerned' the person is when performing daily activities. Each question is answered with a four-graded scale (1-4); not at all concerned, somewhat concerned, fairly concerned and very concerned. A total score is calculated and ranges from 16 to 64
Frenchay Activities Index	At baseline, and at follow-ups seven and 18 weeks after the start of the intervention/control period	Measures frequency of social and everyday activities. The Frenchay Activities Index consists of 15 items and the score is based on the frequency with which an activity has been performed during the previous 3 or 6 months. The total score ranges from 0 (inactive) to 45 (very active).

Trial Locations

Locations (2)

Karolinska University Hospital; 🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden

Academic Specialist Centre of Neurology; 🇸🇪 Stockholm, Sweden