Improving Self-Management Skills Among People With Spinal Cord Injury

Summary

The goal of our study is to evaluate the use of a self-management application ("app") that the investigators have developed to help facilitate self-management among individuals with SCI who live in the community. The main purpose is to create and fulfill individual self-management goals. Other purposes include improving self-management and health conditions related to SCI.

During the initial phase, participants (SCI clinicians and patients with SCI) reported positive usage of the self-management app and all agreed it would benefit people with SCI. With the widespread use of portable electronic devices, an opportunity exists to help patients and informal caregivers on the journey from rehabilitation to integration back into the community. The investigators will use a randomized controlled trial (randomly putting participants into two groups), including both surveys and interviews. The study will involve the use of the app that focuses on the self-management of SCI, along with five to six in-person or telephone meetings over a three-month period.

Our proposal is original in that it will be one of the few randomized control trials for e-health interventions for self-care management for those with SCI. The overall goals of the study is to develop an affordable self-management app that can be used to encourage self-management in people living with SCI. This app would be used along with other health problem specific apps that are more detailed and expensive, while helping participants to manage their long-term health problems related to their SCI in an easily usable and affordable form.

Conditions

• Spinal Cord Injuries
• Self-Management
• Mobile Application

Interventions

DEVICE

Mobile application ("app")

The self-management app has 3 main features: 1) SCI-specific education modules; 2) a "circle-of-care" in which the users select health allies (formal and informal caregivers); and 3) a variety of tools to assist with goal identification, symptom/behaviour tracking, etc. The intervention will involve 5-6 contacts that occur over a 3-month period and ongoing use of the app. There will be 1 to 2 in-person sessions, where the principles of self-management are reviewed, self-management goals are identified, and features of the app are explained. Over the next month, there will be 2 follow-up contacts to review any questions/issues participants have. Participants can set additional goals during this time. Over the last 2 months, there will be monthly contacts to address the same issues.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• The Craig H. Neilsen Foundation

  collaborator OTHER

• University of British Columbia

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Ben Mortenson, PhD · University of British Columbia

Study Design

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

SUPPORTIVE_CARE

Masking

SINGLE

Model

PARALLEL

Eligibility

Min Age

19 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2018-01-08

Primary Completion

2021-12-31

Completion

2022-12-31

Countries

• Canada

Study Locations