scholarly journals Short Report: A Pilot Study of a Group Positive Psychology Intervention for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis

2018 ◽  
Vol 20 (3) ◽  
pp. 136-141 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlynne Leclaire ◽  
Audrey Cecil ◽  
Allison LaRussa ◽  
Fiona Stuart ◽  
Christopher C. Hemond ◽  
...  

Background: Positive psychology uses targeted activities to increase the frequency and intensity of positive emotional experiences. Positive psychology interventions that increase positive constructs may facilitate adjustment and improve well-being in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The primary goal of this study was to assess the feasibility and acceptability of a 5-week group positive psychology intervention for patients with MS. In addition, we examined the utility of the group intervention to increase positive psychological constructs and health-related quality of life (HRQOL). Methods: 11 patients completed 5 weeks of group positive psychology training, one time per week (session duration, 45–60 minutes). Each week, patients completed one of the following positive psychology exercises: gratitude for positive events, personal strengths, gratitude letter, enjoyable and meaningful activities, and remembering past successes. Patients completed patient-reported outcome measures, including measures of positive affect, optimism, depression, anxiety, and HRQOL, at baseline and after 5 weeks. Results: All the participants completed the 5-week group positive psychology intervention, and 82% attended four or more sessions. Improvements in fatigue (vitality) and depression after the group intervention were significant (P = .016 and .049, respectively). There were no statistically significant changes in positive or negative affect, optimism, anxiety, HRQOL, or cognition. Conclusions: The 5-week group positive psychology intervention was feasible and acceptable to patients with MS. A randomized controlled trial is necessary to further explore the effectiveness of the group intervention.

Author(s):  
Melanie E. Freedman ◽  
Brian C. Healy ◽  
Jeff C. Huffman ◽  
Tanuja Chitnis ◽  
Howard L. Weiner ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: Positive psychology (PP) uses targeted activities to increase the frequency and intensity of positive feelings and may improve overall well-being in medically ill populations. In this pilot study, we examined the feasibility, acceptability and potential impact of a five-week, telephone-delivered, PP intervention for individuals with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods: Participants were randomized 1:1 to a five-week at-home PP intervention or waitlist control condition. Participants engaged in weekly phone calls with a study trainer and completed one PP exercise, such as recalling a past success, each week. Feasibility was determined by the number of sessions completed, and acceptability was assessed by weekly post-exercise participant ratings (0–10) of ease and utility. Efficacy was explored by examining between-group differences in changes from baseline on psychological variables, health-related quality of life (HRQOL), and self-reported functional activities at five and ten weeks. Results: Thirty patients enrolled in the study. Ninety-three percent of participants (n = 28) completed all exercises. Ease scores ranged from 7.7–8.7 and utility scores ranged from 8.2–8.7. The PP intervention was associated with significantly greater increases (P < .05) in positive affect, optimism, state and trait anxiety, general health, and resilience in the intervention group compared to the control group. Approximately half of the PP participants maintained ≥ 50% of the improvement at 10 weeks. Conclusions: This five-week, telephone-based PP intervention was feasible and acceptable to individuals with MS. Larger randomized controlled trials are warranted to further investigate the utility of this intervention to improve well-being and other health outcomes in MS.


2012 ◽  
Vol 18 (12) ◽  
pp. 1718-1720 ◽  
Author(s):  
J Gareth Noble ◽  
Lisa A Osborne ◽  
Kerina H Jones ◽  
Rod M Middleton ◽  
David V Ford

In order to fully understand and explore the effectiveness of any intervention for the management of multiple sclerosis (MS), it is important to have robust, valid, reliable, and universally applied measures. The recent article, ‘Disability outcome measures in multiple sclerosis clinical trials’ by Cohen, Reingold, Polman and Wolinsky (2012), explores this issue in regards to the effective measurement of MS-related disability, and the utilisation of patient-reported outcome measures, whilst highlighting the need for collaboration between the academic and clinical communities. Although it is important to examine disability measures, it is also equally important to recognise that physical function is only one aspect of a person’s experience; for example, quality of life and psychological well-being are also important aspects to assess. The application of e-health technologies and patient registers could be a useful method of gaining additional information, using patient-reported outcomes. This commentary explores these issues in relation to points raised by the Cohen et al. paper.


2021 ◽  
pp. 155335062199887
Author(s):  
Alaa El-Hussuna ◽  
Ines Rubio-Perez ◽  
Monica Millan ◽  
Gianluca Pellino ◽  
Ionut Negoi ◽  
...  

Purpose. The primary aim of the study was to review the existing literature about patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in colorectal cancer and IBD. The secondary aim was to present a road map to develop a core outcome set via opinion gathering using social media. Method. This study is the first step of a three-step project aimed at constructing simple, applicable PROMs in colorectal surgery. This article was written in a collaborative manner with authors invited both through Twitter via the #OpenSourceResearch hashtag. The 5 most used PROMs were presented and discussed as slides/images on Twitter. Inputs from a wide spectrum of participants including researchers, surgeons, physicians, nurses, patients, and patients’ organizations were collected and analyzed. The final draft was emailed to all contributors and 6 patients’ representatives for proofreading and approval. Results. Five PROM sets were identified and discussed: EORTC QLQ-CR29, IBDQ short health questionnaire, EORTC QLQ-C30, ED-Q5-5L, and Short Form-36. There were 315 tweets posted by 50 tweeters with 1458 retweets. Awareness about PROMs was generally limited. The general psycho-physical well-being score (GPP) was suggested and discussed, and then a survey was conducted in which more than 2/3 of voters agreed that GPP covers the most important aspects in PROMs. Conclusion. Despite the limitations of this exploratory study, it offered a new method to conduct clinical research with opportunity to engage patients. The general psycho-physical well-being score suggested as simple, applicable PROMs to be eventually combined procedure-specific, disease-specific, or symptom-specific PROMs if needed.


2020 ◽  
Vol 41 (Supplement_2) ◽  
Author(s):  
A Salzwedel ◽  
I Koran ◽  
E Langheim ◽  
A Schlitt ◽  
J Nothroff ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Comprehensive cardiac rehabilitation (CR) programs based on the bio-psycho-social approach of the international classification of functioning and disease are carried out to achieve improved prognosis, superior health-related quality of life (HRQL) and social integration. We aimed to identify predictors of returning to work (RTW) and HRQL among cardiovascular risk factors and physical performance as well as patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) modifiable during CR. Methods We designed a prospective observational multi-center study and enrolled 1,586 patients (2017/18) in 12 German rehabilitation centers regardless of their primary allocation diagnoses (e.g. acute myocardial infarction (AMI), coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG), coronary artery disease (CAD), valvular disease). Besides general data (e.g. age, gender, diagnoses), parameters of risk factor management (e.g. smoking, lipid profile, hypertension, lifestyle change motivation), physical performance (e.g. maximum exercise capacity, endurance training load, 6-min walking distance), and PROMs (e.g. depression, heart-focused anxiety, HRQL, subjective well-being, somatic and mental health, pain, general self-efficacy, pension desire as well as self-assessment of occupational prognosis using several questionnaires) were documented at CR admission and discharge. 6 months after discharge, status of RTW and HRQL (SF-12) were captured by a follow-up (FU) survey and analyzed in multivariable regression models with multiple imputation of missing values. Results Out of the study participants, 1,262 patients (54±7 years, 77% men) responded to the follow-up survey and could be analyzed regarding the outcome parameters. Most of them were assigned to CR primarily due to AMI (40%) or CAD without myocardial infarction (18%), followed by heart valve diseases in 12% of patients and CABG (8%). 864 patients (69%) returned to work within the follow-up period. Pension desire, negative self-assessed occupational prognosis, heart-focussed anxiety, major life events, smoking and heart failure were negatively associated with RTW, while higher endurance training load, HRQL and work stress were positively associated (Figure 1). HRQL after 6 months was determined more by PROMs (e.g. pension desire, heart-focused anxiety, physical/mental HRQL in SF-12, physical/mental health in indicators of rehab-status questionnaire (IRES-24), stress, well-being in the World Health Organization well-being index and self-efficacy expectations) than by clinical parameters or physical performance. Conclusions Patient-reported outcome measures predominantly influenced RTW and HRQL in heart-disease patients, whereas patients' pension desire and heart-focussed anxiety had a dominant impact on all investigated endpoints. Therefore, the multi-component CR approach focussing on psychosocial support is crucial for subjective health prognosis and occupational resumption. Figure 1. Predictors of returning to work Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: Public grant(s) – National budget only. Main funding source(s): German pension insurance


BMJ Open ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (9) ◽  
pp. e016966 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sarah Thomas ◽  
Louise Fazakarley ◽  
Peter W Thomas ◽  
Sarah Collyer ◽  
Sarah Brenton ◽  
...  

ObjectivesWhile the health and well-being benefits of physical activity are recognised, people with multiple sclerosis (MS) often face greater barriers than the general population. The Nintendo Wii potentially offers a fun, convenient way of overcoming some of these. The aim was to test the feasibility of conducting a definitive trial of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of Mii-vitaliSe; a home-based, physiotherapist-supported Nintendo Wii intervention.DesignA single-centre wait-list randomised controlled study.SettingMS service in secondary care.ParticipantsAmbulatory, relatively inactive people with clinically confirmed MS.InterventionThirty participants were randomised to receive Mii-vitaliSe either immediately (for 12 months) or after a 6-month wait (for 6 months). Mii-vitaliSe consisted of two supervised Nintendo Wii familiarisation sessions in the hospital followed by home use (Wii Sports, Sports Resort and Fit Plus software) with physiotherapist support and personalised resources.OutcomesIncluded self-reported physical activity levels, quality of life, mood, self-efficacy, fatigue and assessments of balance, gait, mobility and hand dexterity at baseline, 6 and 12 months. Interviews (n=25) explored participants’ experiences and, at study end, the two Mii-vitaliSe facilitators’ experiences of intervention delivery (main qualitative findings reported separately).ResultsMean (SD) age was 49.3 (8.7) years, 90% female, with 47% diagnosed with MS <6 years ago and 60% new to active gaming. The recruitment rate was 31% (95% CI 20% to 44%). Outcome data were available for 29 (97%) at 6 months and 28 (93%) at 12 months. No serious adverse events were reported during the study. Qualitative data indicated that Mii-vitaliSe was well-received. Mean Wii use across both groups over the initial 6-month intervention period was twice a week for 27 min/day. Mean cost of delivering Mii-vitaliSe was £684 per person.DiscussionMii-vitaliSe appears acceptable and a future trial feasible and warranted. These findings will inform its design.Trial registrationISRCTN49286846


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (4) ◽  
pp. 500-509 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liesbet M Peeters ◽  
Caspar EP van Munster ◽  
Bart Van Wijmeersch ◽  
Robin Bruyndonckx ◽  
Ilse Lamers ◽  
...  

Personalized treatment is highly desirable in multiple sclerosis (MS). We believe that multidisciplinary measurements including clinical, functional and patient-reported outcome measures in combination with extensive patient profiling can enhance personalized treatment and rehabilitation strategies. We elaborate on four reasons behind this statement: (1) MS disease activity and progression are complex and multidimensional concepts in nature and thereby defy a one-size-fits-all description, (2) functioning, progression, treatment, and rehabilitation effects are interdependent and should be investigated together, (3) personalized healthcare is based on the dynamics of system biology and on technology that confirms a patient’s fundamental biology and (4) inclusion of patient-reported outcome measures can facilitate patient-relevant healthcare. We discuss currently available multidisciplinary MS data initiatives and introduce joint actions to further increase the overall success. With this topical review, we hope to drive the MS community to invest in expanding towards more multidisciplinary and longitudinal data collection.


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