NCT06388499

A Physiotherapy-led Disease-agnostic Telerehabilitation Programme for People With Chronic Health Conditions

A Physiotherapy-led Disease-agnostic Telerehabilitation Programme for People With Chronic Health Conditions: a Mixed-methods Feasibility Trial

• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Study type: Interventional
• Enrollment: 30 (actual)
• Sponsor: University of Limerick · Academic / Other
• Sex: All
• Age: 18 Years
• Healthy volunteers: Not accepted

Summary

This protocol outlines a planned mixed methods feasibility trial which will be conducted to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a physiotherapy-led exercise-based telerehabilitation programme for groups of people with mixed chronic health conditions.

Detailed description

Evidence supports the efficacy of exercise-based group rehabilitation programmes for people with chronic conditions. Telerehabilitation, referring to the remote delivery of rehabilitation using telecommunication technology, has the potential to increase service accessibility, uptake, and adherence to rehabilitation programmes. Telerehabilitation research has previously evaluated condition-specific programmes, such as cardiac telerehabilitation programmes delivered specifically to cardiac populations. However, recent evidence examining traditional in-person rehabilitation programmes points to the potential of rehabilitation programmes for mixed-condition patient groups as an efficient and pragmatic alternative approach to rehabilitation service delivery. The proposed study aims to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an exercise-based telerehabilitation programme delivered to groups of people with a mixture of different chronic conditions. A mixed methods feasibility trial will be conducted to examine the feasibility of an exercise-based telerehabilitation programme for groups of people with mixed chronic health conditions. The 6-week intervention will involve exercise, educational, and social components. The intervention will include two different exercise group levels, one conducting a seat-based exercise class and the other a standing-based exercise class. Participants will take part in one synchronous group exercise session per week delivered via videoconferencing. This session will be followed by the opportunity to engage in a guided social discussion with peers via the videoconferencing platform. The social component of the intervention will be loosely structured and aims to provide a social dimension to the intervention, which has been previously identified by stakeholders as an important component of telerehabilitation programmes. The social discussion will be driven by patient preference and may refer to clinical issues such as supports or issues related to chronic conditions, or non-clinical issues related to current news/events. Participants will be provided access to a synchronous online self-management educational webinar each week also delivered via videoconferencing. Access to recordings of the exercise classes and educational webinars will also be provided to allow participants to engage with the sessions at their convenience during the intervention period. Data will be collected and analysed to address outcomes of feasibility and acceptability including recruitment, retention, intervention adherence including adherence with synchronous exercise and education sessions and with recorded exercise and education content, participant satisfaction, safety, participant experiences and clinical effectiveness of the intervention. The proposed feasibility trial will guide new iterations and evaluation and potentially a future definitive randomised control trial evaluating the use of exercise-based telerehabilitation interventions for groups of people with mixed chronic health conditions. The proposed intervention has been designed with the aim of developing a sustainable, cost-effective, and efficacious healthcare delivery method to tackle the increasing demand for rehabilitation programmes for people with chronic health conditions.

Conditions

• Chronic Conditions, Multiple

Interventions

Type	Name	Description
OTHER	TECC (Telerehabilitation and Exercise for Chronic Conditions)	Exercise: Synchronous group exercise sessions will be delivered weekly via videoconferencing by a physiotherapist. Recordings of exercise sessions will be made available. Participants will be advised to perform additional exercise sessions at their own convenience to supplement the synchronous exercise sessions and facilitate adherence to physical activity guidelines. Education: A synchronous educational webinar will be delivered each week. These will be delivered by relevant healthcare professionals and explore various aspects of self-management of health and well-being. Recordings of the webinars will be made available to participants. Social component: At the end of each weekly synchronous group exercise session, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a 10-15-minute synchronous online social interaction with other participants in their exercise group via videoconferencing.

Timeline

• Start date: 2024-04-16
• Primary completion: 2024-07-11
• Completion: 2024-07-11
• First posted: 2024-04-29
• Last updated: 2024-12-12

Locations

1 site across 1 country: Ireland