Learmonth Yvonne C, Motl Robert W
Department of Psychology and Exercise Science, Murdoch University, Murdoch, WA 6150 Australia.
School of Health Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294 USA.
Pilot Feasibility Stud. 2017 Jun 9;4:1. doi: 10.1186/s40814-017-0145-8. eCollection 2018.
Much research has been undertaken to establish the important benefits of physical activity in persons with multiple sclerosis (MS). There is disagreement regarding the strength of this research, perhaps because the majority of studies on physical activity and its benefits have not undergone initial and systematic feasibility testing. We aim to address the feasibility processes that have been examined within the context of physical activity interventions in MS.
A systematic scoping review was conducted based on a literature search of five databases to identify feasibility processes described in preliminary studies of physical activity in MS. We read and extracted methodology from each study based on the following feasibility metrics: process (e.g. recruitment), resource (e.g. monetary costs), management (e.g. personnel time requirements) and scientific outcomes (e.g. clinical/participant reported outcome measures). We illustrate the use of the four feasibility metrics within a randomised controlled trial of a home-based exercise intervention in persons with MS.
Twenty-five studies were identified. Resource feasibility (e.g. time and resources) and scientific outcomes feasibility (e.g. clinical outcomes) methodologies were applied and described in many studies; however, these metrics have not been systematically addressed. Metrics related to process feasibility (e.g. recruitment) and management feasibility (e.g. human and data management) are not well described within the literature. Our case study successfully enabled us to address the four feasibility metrics, and we provide new information on management feasibility (i.e. estimate data completeness and estimate data entry) and scientific outcomes feasibility (i.e. determining data collection materials appropriateness).
Our review highlights the existing research and provides a case study which assesses important metrics of study feasibility. This review serves as a clarion call for feasibility trials that will substantially strengthen the foundation of research on exercise in MS.
已经开展了大量研究以确立身体活动对多发性硬化症（MS）患者的重要益处。对于该研究的力度存在分歧，这可能是因为大多数关于身体活动及其益处的研究尚未经过初步和系统的可行性测试。我们旨在探讨在MS身体活动干预背景下所检验的可行性过程。
基于对五个数据库的文献检索进行了系统的范围综述，以识别MS身体活动初步研究中描述的可行性过程。我们根据以下可行性指标从每项研究中读取并提取方法：过程（如招募）、资源（如货币成本）、管理（如人员时间要求）和科学结果（如临床/参与者报告的结局指标）。我们在一项针对MS患者的家庭锻炼干预随机对照试验中说明了这四个可行性指标的使用情况。
共识别出25项研究。许多研究应用并描述了资源可行性（如时间和资源）和科学结果可行性（如临床结果）方法；然而，这些指标尚未得到系统探讨。文献中对与过程可行性（如招募）和管理可行性（如人力和数据管理）相关的指标描述不足。我们的案例研究成功使我们能够探讨这四个可行性指标，并且我们提供了关于管理可行性（即估计数据完整性和估计数据录入）和科学结果可行性（即确定数据收集材料的适宜性）的新信息。
我们的综述突出了现有研究，并提供了一个评估研究可行性重要指标的案例研究。本综述为可行性试验敲响了警钟，这将极大地加强MS运动研究的基础。
