title: Clinical trial of a formal group fatigue program in multiple sclerosis.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Rehabilitation Services, Department of Neurology, Oregon Health and Science University, Portland, OR 97239, USA. hugosc@ohsu.edu
authors.forename: C L
authors.initials: CL
authors.lastname: Hugos
authors.forename: L F
authors.initials: LF
authors.lastname: Copperman
authors.forename: B E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Fuller
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Yadav
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Lovera
authors.forename: D N
authors.initials: DN
authors.lastname: Bourdette
mesh_terms: D005221:Fatigue / Q000150:complications / Q000628:therapy*; D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000150:complications*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D020377:Self Efficacy; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome