Johnathan Tam1, Diane Lacaille1,2, Teresa Liu-Ambrose3, Chris Shaw4, Hui Xie1,5, Catherine L Backman1,6, John M Esdaile1,2, Kimberly Miller3,5,7, Robert Petrella8, Linda C Li9,10. 1. Arthritis Research Canada, Milan Ilich Arthritis Research Centre, 5591 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC, V6X 2C7, Canada. 2. Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, 2775 Laurel Street, 10th Floor, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada. 3. Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Friedman Building, 212 - 2177 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada. 4. School of Interactive Arts and Technology, Simon Fraser University, 250-13450 102 Avenue, Surrey, BC, V3T 0A3, Canada. 5. Faculty of Health Sciences, Simon Fraser University, 8888 University Drive, Burnaby, BC, V5A 1S6, Canada. 6. Department of Occupational Science & Occupational Therapy, University of British Columbia, 325-2211 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 2B5, Canada. 7. Sunny Hill Health Centre for Children, BC Children's Hospital, 3644 Slocan Street, Vancouver, BC, V5M 3H4, Canada. 8. Department of Family Medicine, 3rd Floor David Strangway Building, 5950 University Boulevard, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada. 9. Arthritis Research Canada, Milan Ilich Arthritis Research Centre, 5591 No. 3 Road, Richmond, BC, V6X 2C7, Canada. lli@arthritisresearch.ca. 10. Department of Physical Therapy, University of British Columbia, Friedman Building, 212 - 2177 Wesbrook Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada. lli@arthritisresearch.ca.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Active self-management is a process where patients are fully engaged in managing their health in daily life by having access to contextualized health data and tailored guidance to support a healthy lifestyle. This study aims to determine whether an e-health intervention that incorporates symptom/disease activity monitoring and physical activity counselling can improve self-management ability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: The 'Empowering active self-management of arthritis: Raising the bar with OPERAS (an On-demand Program to EmpoweR Active Self-management)' project is a randomized controlled trial that uses a delayed control design. One hundred thirty-four participants with RA will be randomly assigned to start the intervention either immediately (immediate group) or 6 months later (delayed group). The intervention involves (1) use of a Fitbit-compatible web app to record and monitor their RA disease activity, symptoms, and time spent on physical activity and a Fitbit; (2) group education and individual counselling by a physiotherapist (PT); and (3) six phone calls with a PT. The primary outcome measure is self-management ability measured by the Patient Activation Measure. Secondary outcome measures include disease status, fatigue, pain, depressive symptoms, and characteristics of habitual behavior and also time spent in physical activity and sedentary activity with a wearable multi-sensor device (SenseWear Mini). After the 6-month intervention, we will interview a sample of participants to examine their experiences with the intervention. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will help to determine whether this technology-enhanced self-management intervention improves self-management ability and health outcomes for people living with RA. A limitation of this study is that participants will need to self-report their symptoms, disease status, and treatment use through questionnaires on the OPERAS web app. The user-friendly interface, reminder emails from the research staff, and tailored guidance from PTs will encourage participants to actively engage with the app. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Date of last update in ClinicalTrials.gov: January 2, 2019. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03404245.
RCT Entities:
BACKGROUND: Active self-management is a process where patients are fully engaged in managing their health in daily life by having access to contextualized health data and tailored guidance to support a healthy lifestyle. This study aims to determine whether an e-health intervention that incorporates symptom/disease activity monitoring and physical activity counselling can improve self-management ability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS: The 'Empowering active self-management of arthritis: Raising the bar with OPERAS (an On-demand Program to EmpoweR Active Self-management)' project is a randomized controlled trial that uses a delayed control design. One hundred thirty-four participants with RA will be randomly assigned to start the intervention either immediately (immediate group) or 6 months later (delayed group). The intervention involves (1) use of a Fitbit-compatible web app to record and monitor their RA disease activity, symptoms, and time spent on physical activity and a Fitbit; (2) group education and individual counselling by a physiotherapist (PT); and (3) six phone calls with a PT. The primary outcome measure is self-management ability measured by the Patient Activation Measure. Secondary outcome measures include disease status, fatigue, pain, depressive symptoms, and characteristics of habitual behavior and also time spent in physical activity and sedentary activity with a wearable multi-sensor device (SenseWear Mini). After the 6-month intervention, we will interview a sample of participants to examine their experiences with the intervention. DISCUSSION: The results of this study will help to determine whether this technology-enhanced self-management intervention improves self-management ability and health outcomes for people living with RA. A limitation of this study is that participants will need to self-report their symptoms, disease status, and treatment use through questionnaires on the OPERAS web app. The user-friendly interface, reminder emails from the research staff, and tailored guidance from PTs will encourage participants to actively engage with the app. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Date of last update in ClinicalTrials.gov: January 2, 2019. ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03404245.
Authors: Sally Fowler Davis; Helen Humphreys; Tom Maden-Wilkinson; Sarah Withers; Anna Lowe; Robert J Copeland Journal: Healthcare (Basel) Date: 2022-06-17
Authors: Jenny Leese; Catherine L Backman; Jasmin K Ma; Cheryl Koehn; Alison M Hoens; Kelly English; Eileen Davidson; Shanon McQuitty; James Gavin; Jo Adams; Stephanie Therrien; Linda C Li Journal: Health Expect Date: 2021-08-17 Impact factor: 3.318