Extrait

Background and study aims As people become older, experiencing dizziness becomes more common. For some, dizziness can lead to falls, fear, and poor quality of life. Research has shown that there are specific exercises that can be very helpful for people who experience dizziness, but very few people are currently taught the exercises. The exercises retrain the balance system so as to overcome dizziness and imbalance. Phase 1 of this project worked closely with older people to develop an interactive online intervention which includes videos illustrating how to carry out the exercises at home, advice personalised to the users’ symptoms, exercise reminders, and help in dealing with fear and stress that can make dizziness worse. The website has been designed specifically so it is easy to use for older adults. In phase 2, we will test if the website is more effective than the usual care for NHS patients, and we will examine whether the intervention provides value for money. The overall aim of this project is to reduce dizziness symptoms and improve quality of life in older adults with dizziness through the use of an Internet intervention. The intention is also to improve our understanding of which features of this intervention, and Internet symptom management interventions in general, are most acceptable, engaging and beneficial for older adults. Who can participate? 262 adults who are aged 50 years or more, have reported dizziness (that is still current) to their GP in the past two years, and have access to the internet will be recruited from primary care to take part in the study. What does the study involve? The study will have two arms; patients in the treatment arm will have access to the online intervention and usual care, while patients in the control arm will have access to usual care only. This will allow us to see how well the intervention works compared to standard primary care practice for older adults consulting with dizziness. Eligible patients will be given a website address where they can access study information, give informed online consent, complete baseline measures and be automatically randomised to intervention or usual care arms. Patients will be sorted by dizziness severity. Patients allocated to the usual care arm will be informed that they will have access to the intervention after 6 months. Patients in both arms will be emailed at 3 and 6 months to complete automated follow-up measures online. Patients in the intervention arm will have access to the website and will be asked to log in and complete modules on a weekly basis. The intervention will consist of 6 modules to be accessed at a rate of one module per week. The intervention will contain information about and demonstrations of Vestibular Rehabilitation exercises and psychological symptom management. The intervention will be standalone and fully automated. Patients allocated to the intervention will receive automated email reminders to ensure regular use of the intervention. A diversity sample of 25 patients from the intervention arm, who gave prior consent to be contacted, will participate in in-depth semi-structured interviews following the completion of the intervention. These interviews will provide detailed information regarding the patients’ experiences and perceptions of using the intervention over the study period. What are the possible benefits and risks of participating? All of the participants, in either arm, will be able to benefit from the website intervention as those allocated to usual care alone will be able to access it after they have completed the 6 month outcome measures. As such, participants will have access to information and advice that they may not normally receive as part of their usual care. The only real cost to participants is the time they will need to spend accessing the online intervention. All participants in the study will have to log on to the website and complete the measures at 3 and 6 months. For those in the intervention arm, they will have to find the additional time to log on to the website and complete modules on a weekly basis. Where is the study run from? The study will be run from the University of Southampton, School of Psychology. When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for? Recruitment into this study runs from August 2013 until July 2014. Who is funding the study? Dunhill Medical Trust Who is the main contact? Rosie Essery [email protected] Lauren Kita [email protected]

Critère d'inclusion

• Dizziness

Liens

• ictrp
• isrctn