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Clinical trial of a formal group fatigue program in multiple sclerosis

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Medical Update Memo
April 22, 2010

Summary

'Fatigue: Take Control' is a novel program to teach fatigue management to people with MS. It includes six 2-hour group sessions with DVD viewing, discussion and homework, and reader workbooks. This study demonstrated significant effects on fatigue and self-efficacy. Mult Scler. 2010 Apr 7

Details

Fatigue:Take Control is a novel program to teach fatigue management to people with multiple sclerosis (MS) following recommendations in the Fatigue and Multiple Sclerosis guideline. Fatigue:Take Control includes six 2-hour group sessions with DVD viewing, discussion and homework and accompanying participant and leader workbooks. While many people have participated in Fatigue: Take Control programs, its efficacy has not been determined. The objective of this study was to determine whether participation in Fatigue: Take Control reduces fatigue and increases self-efficacy in people with MS. Thirty participants were randomly assigned to a group who immediately participated in the program (FTC) or a wait-list group (WL). The primary outcome was the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS) and secondary outcomes were the Multiple Sclerosis Self-Efficacy Scale (MSSE) and the Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS). The MFIS was administered on 10 occasions. Other measures were administered on four occasions. A mixed model tested the effects using all observations. Compared with the WL, the FTC group had significantly more improvement on the MFIS [F(1, 269) = 7.079, p = 0.008] and the MSSE [F(1, 111) = 5.636, p = 0.019]. No significant effect was found for the FSS. Across all visits, fatigue was significantly lower and self-efficacy was significantly higher for the FTC group compared with the WL group. This pilot study demonstrated significant effects in fatigue and self-efficacy among subjects taking the Fatigue: Take Control program, suggesting that this comprehensive program based on the Fatigue and Multiple Sclerosis guideline may be beneficial in MS.

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The Multiple Sclerosis Society of Canada is an independent, voluntary health agency and does not approve, endorse or recommend any specific product or therapy, but provides information to assist individuals in making their own decisions.