An interventional study of TECC (Telerehabilitation and Exercise for Chronic Conditions) in Chronic Conditions, Multiple, sponsored by University of Limerick. Completed at 1 site in Ireland. Open to participants aged 18 Years and older. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2024-12-12.
Sponsored by University of Limerick · Not applicable, Interventional, and Treatment
This protocol outlines a planned mixed methods feasibility trial which will be conducted to examine the feasibility and acceptability of a physiotherapy-led exercise-based telerehabilitation programme for groups of people with mixed chronic health conditions.
Evidence supports the efficacy of exercise-based group rehabilitation programmes for people with chronic conditions. Telerehabilitation, referring to the remote delivery of rehabilitation using telecommunication technology, has the potential to increase service accessibility, uptake, and adherence to rehabilitation programmes. Telerehabilitation research has previously evaluated condition-specific programmes, such as cardiac telerehabilitation programmes delivered specifically to cardiac populations. However, recent evidence examining traditional in-person rehabilitation programmes points to the potential of rehabilitation programmes for mixed-condition patient groups as an efficient and pragmatic alternative approach to rehabilitation service delivery. The proposed study aims to examine the feasibility and acceptability of an exercise-based telerehabilitation programme delivered to groups of people with a mixture of different chronic conditions.
A mixed methods feasibility trial will be conducted to examine the feasibility of an exercise-based telerehabilitation programme for groups of people with mixed chronic health conditions. The 6-week intervention will involve exercise, educational, and social components. The intervention will include two different exercise group levels, one conducting a seat-based exercise class and the other a standing-based exercise class. Participants will take part in one synchronous group exercise session per week delivered via videoconferencing. This session will be followed by the opportunity to engage in a guided social discussion with peers via the videoconferencing platform. The social component of the intervention will be loosely structured and aims to provide a social dimension to the intervention, which has been previously identified by stakeholders as an important component of telerehabilitation programmes. The social discussion will be driven by patient preference and may refer to clinical issues such as supports or issues related to chronic conditions, or non-clinical issues related to current news/events. Participants will be provided access to a synchronous online self-management educational webinar each week also delivered via videoconferencing. Access to recordings of the exercise classes and educational webinars will also be provided to allow participants to engage with the sessions at their convenience during the intervention period. Data will be collected and analysed to address outcomes of feasibility and acceptability including recruitment, retention, intervention adherence including adherence with synchronous exercise and education sessions and with recorded exercise and education content, participant satisfaction, safety, participant experiences and clinical effectiveness of the intervention.
The proposed feasibility trial will guide new iterations and evaluation and potentially a future definitive randomised control trial evaluating the use of exercise-based telerehabilitation interventions for groups of people with mixed chronic health conditions. The proposed intervention has been designed with the aim of developing a sustainable, cost-effective, and efficacious healthcare delivery method to tackle the increasing demand for rehabilitation programmes for people with chronic health conditions.
89 studies on the registry are indexed under Multiple Chronic Conditions; 16 are open to participants now.
This study's enrollment of 30 is below the median of 128 across 71 interventional studies indexed under Multiple Chronic Conditions.
Browse Multiple Chronic Conditions studies →University of Limerick is the lead sponsor of 60 studies on the registry; 9 are open to participants now.
Counted across the registry records on this site, refreshed daily.
Go through the criteria one by one — yes, no or not sure — and take the list to your doctor or the study team. Kept in this browser only.
Exclusion Criteria:
Underlined terms in the criteria open these too. Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Informed consent
Before you join, the study team explains what taking part involves — its purpose, what happens, the risks and possible benefits — and answers your questions, so you can decide freely. Consent is usually recorded on a form (the informed consent form, ICF) signed by you or, where the law allows, by someone legally authorised to decide for you.
You can keep asking questions during the study, you are told of new information that matters, and you can choose to leave at any time.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
Cancer (malignancy)
Malignancy means cancer. Criteria about another or earlier malignancy ask whether you have had a different cancer, usually within a set number of years.
Some are commonly allowed, such as treated skin cancers other than melanoma and early cancers removed completely — check the exceptions this study lists.
Explained by clinicaltrials.gg, not part of the registry record. The study team decides who can take part.
The intervention will comprise of a 6-week disease-agnostic exercise-based telerehabilitation programme for people with chronic health conditions delivered by a chartered physiotherapist. The intervention will consist of weekly synchronous exercise sessions and guided social component, and synchronous educational webinars to promote self-management of health and well-being. The intervention will be delivered remotely via telehealth. The intervention will include two exercise level groups (one seated class group conducting exercises in sitting, the other standing class conducting exercises in a range of standing/dynamic/functional positions). Allocation to the appropriate exercise level will be based on participants' baseline functional mobility level which will be assessed using the Activities-specific Balance Confidence (ABC) Scale.
Other: TECC (Telerehabilitation and Exercise for Chronic Conditions)
Exercise: Synchronous group exercise sessions will be delivered weekly via videoconferencing by a physiotherapist. Recordings of exercise sessions will be made available. Participants will be advised to perform additional exercise sessions at their own convenience to supplement the synchronous exercise sessions and facilitate adherence to physical activity guidelines. Education: A synchronous educational webinar will be delivered each week. These will be delivered by relevant healthcare professionals and explore various aspects of self-management of health and well-being. Recordings of the webinars will be made available to participants. Social component: At the end of each weekly synchronous group exercise session, participants will have the opportunity to engage in a 10-15-minute synchronous online social interaction with other participants in their exercise group via videoconferencing.
Recruitment rate assessed by number of participants recruited during recruitment period.
The number of participants recruited over a 4-week recruitment period
Time frame: 4 weeks
Retention rate assessed by the proportion of enrolled participants who complete post-intervention assessments.
The percentage of enrolled participants who complete the post-intervention assessments and focus groups
Time frame: 8 weeks
Adherence rate assessed by the attendance at synchronous group exercise sessions
Adherence with the overall intervention will be recorded by the attendance of participants at the synchronous group exercise sessions throughout the 6-week intervention period which will be recorded by the researchers.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Satisfaction with the intervention as assessed by the Client-Satisfaction Questionnaire 8 (CSQ-8)
Satisfaction with the overall intervention will be examined using the Client-Satisfaction Questionnaire 8 (CSQ-8). The CSQ-8 scale is an 8-item scale which rates satisfaction on a 4-point Likert scale. An overall score is calculated by summing the respondent's rating score for each scale item with totals ranging from 8 to 32, with higher values indicating higher satisfaction
Time frame: 6 weeks
Satisfaction with individual intervention components assessed by Numerical Rating Scales (NRS)
Participant satisfaction with individual components of the intervention (including the orientation session, exercise sessions, educational webinars, and social components) will be assessed using Numerical Rating Scales (NRS).
Time frame: 6 weeks
Adverse events assessed via self-report questionnaire
Participants will be asked during the post-intervention assessment to report the occurrence of any adverse events during the intervention period via a custom questionnaire. Adverse events will be defined as any problems or injuries experienced during the study that is deemed by the participant to be more likely resulting from participation in the intervention, rather than resulting from disease progression. Serious adverse events will be defined as any medical occurrence resulting in death, threat to life, hospital admission or significant disability.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Intervention acceptability as assessed by qualitative feedback from participants via focus groups
Qualitative semi-structured focus groups will be carried out to collect data regarding patient experiences and acceptability of the intervention.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Physical function assessed by the 30-second chair stand test (30CST).
The 30-second chair stand test (30CST) will be administered both pre-intervention and post-intervention to assess the effect of the intervention on objective physical function.
Time frame: 6 weeks
Quality of life assessed by the Euro-QoL 5 Dimension 5 Level (Euro-QoL-5D-5L).
The Euro-QoL 5 Dimension 5 Level (Euro-QoL-5D-5L) will be administered in pre-intervention and post-intervention assessments to assess the effect of the intervention on quality of life. The Euro-QoL-5D-5L is a patient-reported outcome measure which assesses health-related quality of life across five dimensions of health using a 5-point rating scale.
Time frame: 6 weeks
This study is completed, as verified in Dec 2024. You cannot join it, but the record below documents what was studied.
Get an email when the registry record changes — status, dates, results — or when someone posts here.
Sign in to followQuestions and observations about this study, from anyone following it. Not medical advice, and not a channel to the study team — their contact details are on the registry record.
Sign in to join the discussion. Reading takes no account; posting does. You choose a display name, and a pseudonym is the default.
Nothing here yet. If you are running this trial, taking part in it, or weighing whether to, this is the place to say so.
University of Limerick