Home-based Telehealth Stroke Care: A Randomized Trial for Veterans

Cerebrovascular Accident Clinical Trial

Official title:

Home-Based Tele-Health Stroke Care: A Randomized Trial for Veterans

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT00384748
• Other study ID #: B4492-R
• Status: Completed
• Phase: Phase 2
• First received: October 3, 2006
• Last updated: November 12, 2014
• Start date: November 2008
• Est. completion date: June 2011

Study information

• Verified date: November 2014
• Source: VA Office of Research and Development
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Health authority: United States: Federal Government
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

The purpose of the proposed study is to examine a Tele-rehabilitation (TR) intervention that uses tele-health technology to improve outcomes of stroke patients after discharge to home. The primary aim is to determine the effect of TR on physical function, and secondarily to determine the effect on disability, falls-related self-efficacy, and patient satisfaction.

Description:

Stroke patients clearly benefit from intensive, coordinated, inpatient care. At the same time, there is considerable interest in ways to reduce hospital lengths of stay. Early discharge rehabilitation programs require coordinated, well-organized home-based rehabilitation, and lack of sufficient information about the home setting impedes successful rehabilitation. Unfortunately, resources for in-home rehabilitation are limited. The goal of TR is to improve functional mobility using a multifaceted rehabilitation intervention via two types of telehealth technology. Tele-video is used to carry out an in-home assessment of functional mobility, to make treatment recommendations, and to provide periodic goal-oriented reassessment, modifying the treatment plan as the patient improves. Tele-video uses a video camera with a home health aide in the patient's home to provide visual and audio to a therapist located at the base hospital. It is used to carry out an in-home assessment of functional mobility, to make treatment recommendations, and to provide periodic goal-oriented reassessment, modifying the treatment plan as the patient improves. An interactive, in-home messaging device is used to facilitate adherence with treatment recommendations and to screen for interval problems (depression, falls, and difficulty with self-care).

This is a Phase II, 2-arm, 3-site Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). A total of 120 veterans with recent onset of ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke who are discharged to the community will be randomly assigned to one of two groups: (a) TR; and (b) Usual Care. Dependent variables (physical function, disability, falls-related self-efficacy, and patient satisfaction) will be measured at baseline, 3-, and 6-months via telephone interviews by the study coordinator located at the CIEBP who will be blinded to the study group assignment of the patient.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 48
• Est. completion date: June 2011
• Est. primary completion date: December 2010
• Accepts healthy volunteers: No
• Gender: Both
• Age group: 45 Years to 90 Years

Eligibility

Inclusion Criteria:

• Have acute ischemic or hemorrhagic stroke within the preceding twenty-four months, defined as "a rapid onset event of vascular origin reflecting a focal disturbance of cerebral function, excluding isolated impairments of higher function and persisting longer than 24 hours";

• age between 45-90;

• discharge to the community;

• cognitively intact (score of 6/10 or greater on the Short Portable Mental Status Questionnaire);

• discharge motor Functional Independence Measure (FIM) score of 17-88 (i.e., maximal assistance on no more than 4 motor activities of daily living (ADLs) as the most severe stroke included and modified independence at least 2 motor ADLs as the least severe); able to follow 3-step command; signed VHA Medical Media release form; concurrence by the patient's physician;

• and informed consent

Exclusion Criteria:

Unable to provide informed consent

Study Design

Allocation: Randomized, Endpoint Classification: Efficacy Study, Intervention Model: Factorial Assignment, Masking: Open Label, Primary Purpose: Treatment

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Cerebrovascular Accident
• Stroke

Intervention

Behavioral:
• TR intervention
The 3 tele-visits will occur within 5 weeks post randomization. Telephone call visits will occur during weeks 2, 4, 6, 8 and 12. One additional tele-visit may be scheduled as needed. The first visit is devoted to mobility assessment, goal-setting. The second visit is to review the current exercise component. Visit 3 focuses on functional mobility using adaptive strategy component.
• In-home messaging device.
The purpose of this aspect of the intervention is to screen for unforeseen problems and to reinforce adherence to the recommended treatment. It will be used to interface with patients daily, but briefly. The in-home messaging device, which resembles a caller ID box is attached to the home telephone line and electrical outlet. Installation of the equipment involves connecting it to the phone line and plugging it into an electrical outlet. The teletherapist receives the clinical data from the in-home messaging device via the internet on a daily basis. It is used to screen for depression, lower extremity strength, self-care tasks and mobility, falls and exercise adherence.
• Usual care
Routine VA care.

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	Atlanta VA Medical and Rehab Center, Decatur	Decatur	Georgia
United States	VA Medical Center, Durham	Durham	North Carolina
United States	Richard Roudebush VA Medical Center, Indianapolis	Indianapolis	Indiana

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
VA Office of Research and Development

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

References & Publications (5)

Chumbler NR, Morey M, Quigley P, Rose D, Sanford J, Hoenig H. Tele-rehabilitation for Stroke Care: A Randomized Trial for Veterans. [Abstract]. Telemedicine journal and e-health : the official journal of the American Telemedicine Association. 2010 May 1;

Chumbler NR, Morey MC, Griffiths P, Quigley P, Haley JA, Rose DK, Sanford J, Hoenig H. The Effects of a Stroke Telerehabilitation In-Home Intervention on Function and Disability: Preliminary Results of a Randomized Clinical Trial. [Abstract]. Stroke; A Jo

Chumbler NR, Quigley P, Li X, Morey M, Rose D, Sanford J, Griffiths P, Hoenig H. Effects of telerehabilitation on physical function and disability for stroke patients: a randomized, controlled trial. Stroke. 2012 Aug;43(8):2168-74. doi: 10.1161/STROKEAHA. — View Citation

Chumbler NR, Rose DK, Griffiths P, Quigley P, McGee-Hernandez N, Carlson KA, Vandenberg P, Morey MC, Sanford J, Hoenig H. Study protocol: home-based telehealth stroke care: a randomized trial for veterans. Trials. 2010 Jun 30;11:74. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215 — View Citation

Lutz BJ, Chumbler NR, Lyles T, Hoffman N, Kobb R. Testing a home-telehealth programme for US veterans recovering from stroke and their family caregivers. Disabil Rehabil. 2009;31(5):402-9. doi: 10.1080/09638280802069558. — View Citation

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Primary	Physical Function as Measured by Telephone Version of FIM	The FONEFIM was developed as a telephonic alternative and yields good concordance to the in-person, performance based FIM.12 The motor subscale of the FONEFIM (Motor FONEFIM) consists of 13 items encompassing four categories: 1) self-care; 2) sphincter control; 3) transfers; and 4) locomotion. Each item is scored on an ordinal scale from 1= total dependence to 7 = total independence. Possible scores range from 13 to 91, with higher scores indicating greater independence. The scoring considers the use of adaptive equipment and/or the extent of personal assistance or supervision required to complete the task.	6-month	No