Effectiveness of an online fatigue self-management programme for people with chronic neurological conditions: a randomized controlled trial.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate an online fatigue self-management programme in a sample of adults with chronic neurological conditions.

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

Online fatigue self-management programme delivered across Australia.

PARTICIPANTS

Ninety-five people with fatigue secondary to multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease or post-polio syndrome.

INTERVENTIONS

An online fatigue self-management programme, an information-only fatigue self-management programme and a control group.

MAIN MEASURES

Groups were compared at pre test, post test and at three months on primary outcomes using the Fatigue Impact Scale, Activity Card Sort and Personal Wellbeing Index.

RESULTS

With the exception of the Personal Wellbeing Index at post test (F = 3.519; P =0.034) and the Physical Subscale of the Fatigue Impact Scale at follow-up (F = 3.473; P =0.035) there were no significant differences between the three groups on primary outcomes. Post-hoc testing showed the differences to be between the information-only and control groups (P = 0.036 and P = 0.030 respectively). Improvement in the information-only group was unexpected but appears to be similar to results of other online interventions. The fatigue self-management and information-only groups performed better than the control on some secondary outcome measures. Low power in the analysis may have contributed to the findings. Repeated-measures ANCOVA showed that the fatigue self-management and the information-only groups improved over time on the Fatigue Impact Scale and the Activity Card Sort (P<0.05). The control group showed no improvements over time.

CONCLUSIONS

Although the fatigue self-management group improved over time, results did not demonstrate additional benefit in most outcome measures when compared with the control group.