Management and delivery of special neurological rehab

ISRCTN ISRCTN06469947
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN06469947
Secondary identifying numbers 7101
Submission date
21/05/2010
Registration date
21/05/2010
Last edited
03/02/2015
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Nervous System Diseases
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data

Plain English summary of protocol

Not provided at time of registration

Contact information

Dr Adam Noble
Scientific

Department of Clinical Neuroscience
PO41, 16 De Crespigny Park
London
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom

Email adam.noble@kcl.ac.uk

Study information

Study designMulticentre non-randomised interventional treatment trial
Primary study designInterventional
Secondary study designNon randomised study
Study setting(s)Hospital
Study typeTreatment
Participant information sheet Not available in web format, please use the contact details below to request a patient information sheet
Scientific titleCan rehabilitation reduce attendance at Accident and Emergency (A&E) and promote wellbeing for people with severe epilepsy? A multicentre non-randomised interventional treatment trial
Study objectivesPeople with poorly controlled epilepsy are likely to be taken to Accident and Emergency for seizures, and nearly one half will be admitted. Our hypothesis is that nurse-led rehabilitation would be more cost-effective in meeting the needs of people with poorly controlled epilepsy than usual care. Our aim is to produce evidence comparing the extent to usual-care and enhanced service from a nurse meet different needs and produce different outcomes, enhances clinical effectiveness and cost effectiveness.
Ethics approval(s)South East London Research Ethics Committee (REC) 4 (formerly known as The Joint South London and Maudsley And Institute of Psychiatry Research Ethics Committee), 07/11/2008, ref: 08/H0807/86
Health condition(s) or problem(s) studiedTopic: Neurological, Primary Care Research Network for England; Subtopic: Not Assigned, Neurological (all Subtopics); Disease: Nervous system disorders, All Diseases
InterventionThe intervention will start with the offer of a clinic appointment with a nurse with special interest in epilepsy after the patient has been discharged following an A&E attendance. The nurse will assess the patient identifying the nature and extent of their problems and the factors relevant to their resolution. Family and/or carers will be included, provided the patient agrees. The nurse will help the patient set goals, provide information and support and offer specific treatments.

Further details:
Our study is testing whether nurse led rehabilitation is more cost and clinically effective in meeting the needs of people with poorly controlled epilepsy who attend A&E as compared to usual care. To do this we are conducting a natural comparison of the outcomes of patients who have attended A&E for epilepsy in South London and receive either usual care or enhanced nurse led care. Patients attending Kings College Hospital are offered the opportunity to receive enhanced nurse led rehabilitation, whilst patients attending Guy's and St Thomas' Foundation Trust and University Hospital Lewisham constitute the group receiving usual care. For the enhanced nurse led rehabilitation, following a review of the literature that reflects current best practice, we have developed a protocol.

The Epilepsy Resource Pack (Epilepsy Action 2003) Epilepsy Task Force Service Development Kit was an essential tool in development. The protocol complies with the NICE guidelines (National Institute for Clinical Excellence 2004) and embraces the recommendations outlined in the epilepsy action plan. Its use provides the opportunity to carry out a comprehensive review of the person's epilepsy and promotes the formulation of an agreed personalised care plan. It allows for all the relevant information to be recorded and incorporates a checklist, a tool that is advocated in order to remind the individual and healthcare professional about the topics that should be discussed. With the individual's permission, the information will be shared with other healthcare professionals involved in their care, particularly their General Practitioner (GP). This joining-up is particularly important in areas of deprivation, where QOF evidence (Ashworth, Seed, Armstrong, Durbaba, & Jones 2007) shows that monitoring and epilepsy control rates are lower. The aim is to promote "seamless" service delivery involving information and communication across transitions. At the time of the appointment with the nurse specialist, individuals will have direct access to one of two "Expert Patients" in clinic who have been trained at the National Society for Epilepsy, and will be invited to join a users' group as recommended by the Department of Health initiative.

Patients will also be provided details of national self-help organisations, including Epilepsy Action and the National Society for Epilepsy. The protocol for rehabilitation provides a framework; in practice input will be personalised to individuals. Referrals will be made when indicated, for example to social services, psychology, neurology, occupational therapy, an employment officer, the learning disability team. Further input will be as judged by nurse and client, but will include at least one follow-up appointment three months later. The duration of the intervention will be 3 - 6 months. The nurse acts as a key worker, so the effect of the intervention might go on longer. For example if an individual was depressed, s/he might be referred to a therapist and attend for a series of sessions.

Patients are assessed at three time points: baseline, and then at 6- and 12-months post point of consenting.
Intervention typeOther
Primary outcome measureAccident and Emergency re-attendance, measured at baseline, 6 and 12-month follow-up.
Secondary outcome measures1. Seizure frequency, measured at baseline and 6 month follow-up
2. Seizure severity, measured at baseline and 6 month follow-up
3. Seizure impact, measured at baseline and 6 month follow-up
4. Psychological distress, measured at baseline, 6 and 12-month follow-up
5. Perceived stigmatisation, measured at baseline and 6 month follow-up
6. Quality of life, measured at baseline, 6 and 12-month follow-up
7. Self efficacy in managing epilepsy, measured at baseline, 6 and 12-month follow-up
8. Medication adherence, measured at baseline, 6 and 12-month follow-up
9. Satisfaction with information about medications, measured at baseline and 6 month follow-up
10. Knowledge of epilepsy, measured at baseline and 6 month follow-up
11. Quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), measured at baseline, 6 and 12-month follow-up
Overall study start date04/06/2009
Completion date31/03/2011

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Patient
Age groupAdult
Lower age limit18 Years
SexBoth
Target number of participantsPlanned sample size: 170; UK sample size: 170
Key inclusion criteria1. Be aged 18 years or over, either sex
2. Have epilepsy that has been diagnosed and treated with medication
3. Be able to communicate in English sufficiently to complete questionnaires
4. Be resident and registered with a GP in either Southwark or Lambeth PCT
Key exclusion criteria1. Having no diagnosis; new epilepsy leads to a referral to a neurologist
2. Having already seen a specialist nurse for epilepsy in the prior year
3. Alcohol or other substance misuse
4. Other severe medical illness, such as psychosis or terminal cancer
Date of first enrolment04/06/2009
Date of final enrolment31/03/2011

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • England
  • United Kingdom

Study participating centre

Department of Clinical Neuroscience
London
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom

Sponsor information

South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust (SLaM) (UK)
Hospital/treatment centre

Joint R&D Office
P005, Institute of Psychiatry (King's College London)
De Crespigny Park
London
SE5 8AF
England
United Kingdom

Website http://www.slam.nhs.uk/
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/015803449

Funders

Funder type

Government

National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (UK) - Service Delivery and Organistion (SDO)

No information available

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareNo
IPD sharing plan summaryNot provided at time of registration
Publication and dissemination planNot provided at time of registration
IPD sharing plan

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
Results article results 01/12/2012 Yes No
Results article results 01/10/2013 Yes No