Hemianopia Activity-Based InTervention (HABIT): refining and operationalising a rehabilitation intervention for visual field loss after stroke

ISRCTN ISRCTN54718796
DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN54718796
IRAS number 270718
Secondary identifying numbers IRAS 270718, CPMS 45000
Submission date
09/09/2020
Registration date
06/10/2020
Last edited
28/01/2021
Recruitment status
No longer recruiting
Overall study status
Completed
Condition category
Circulatory System
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data
Record updated in last year

Plain English Summary

Background and study aims
Visual field loss, the inability to see to one side (hemianopia), affects around a third of people with stroke; in the UK that’s more than 30,000 people each year, and 5 million worldwide. Clinicians, patients and carers say treating visual problems after stroke is a top research priority. People with hemianopia have the impression of a complete visual world, yet often have severe difficulties because of their visual loss. Many people cannot find things or read easily, lose balance or bump into things and sometimes fall when walking, become overwhelmed by crowded spaces and cannot drive. This reduces confidence, independence and quality of life and increases loneliness. There is no standard treatment for stroke-related visual field loss; no treatment has enough evidence to be recommended for use across the NHS. Occupational therapists are the main people who treat visual field loss, but lack of knowledge about how to treat people limits what can be done. Best research evidence supports training people to compensate for visual field loss by “scanning” (looking repeatedly across into the affected area of vision), teaching them to search for and pay attention to the affected side of vision, and re-training them in reading. The researchers will work with people with visual loss after stroke, their carers and therapists to design a manual showing how to use the treatment, and videos for training and educating health professionals, patients and carers. They will then try out the training, manual and videos in several different NHS centres, and improve them based on feedback from therapists, stroke survivors and carers. People with hemianopia will be involved throughout the study. The aim of this study is to produce a treatment for loss of vision after stroke in adults that can be used in NHS services from early hospital-based rehabilitation to rehabilitation and care at home.

Who can participate?
1. NHS staff involved in providing therapy for visual rehabilitation after stroke at a participating centre.
2. Patients with visual field loss after stroke, recruited from a participating centre

What does the study involve?
The researchers will provide training for therapy staff on how to use the intervention with patients. They will collect feedback on this training session so it can be refined and improved as the study goes along. Once trained, Therapy Practitioners will use the intervention with patients recruited to the study. Both patients and therapists will provide feedback on the intervention to the study team. Feedback will be used to refine and implement these recommendations to work towards operationalising the intervention.

What are the possible benefits and risks of participating?
For patients who take part in the study, there are no serious side effects of this intervention on top of usual NHS care. However, some patients may find using the intervention tiring or that the intervention does not help them. For therapy practitioners, there is little anticipation of any significant risks to taking part, though it may take some time to use the tool.

Where is the study run from?
North Bristol NHS Trust, Southmead Hospital (UK)

When is the study starting and how long is it expected to run for?
October 2019 to November 2021

Who is funding the study?
National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) (UK)

Who is the main contact?
Dr Philip Clatworthy
Philip.Clatworthy@nbt.nhs.uk

Contact information

Dr Philip Clatworthy
Scientific

North Bristol NHS Trust
Southmead Hospital
Westbury-On-Trym
Bristol
BS10 5NB
United Kingdom

Phone +44 (0)1174149330
Email habitresearchstudy@nbt.nhs.uk

Study information

Study designRefinement of an intervention, non-randomized study
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 to request a participant information sheet
Scientific titleHemianopia Activity-Based InTervention (HABIT): refining and operationalising a rehabilitation intervention for visual field loss after stroke
Study acronymHABIT
Study hypothesisTo refine and operationalise a method of activity-based rehabilitation for people with visual field loss after stroke that can be delivered across the NHS. The resulting intervention will be called HABIT: the Hemianopia Activity-Based InTervention.
Ethics approval(s)Approved 07/04/2020, Wales Research Ethics Committee 4 Wrexham (Health and Care Research Wales Support Centre, Castlebridge 4, 15-19 Cowbridge Road East, Cardiff, CF11 9AB, UK; +44 (0)7976 982591; Wales.REC4@wales.nhs.uk), REC ref: 20/WA/0093
ConditionStroke
InterventionOccupational therapy visual rehabilitation intervention (hemianopia activity-based intervention).

The main outcome from this study is the HABIT intervention itself which will comprise an online training, education and intervention tool with accompanying manual and description for replicating the intervention in future clinical studies. The researchers will provide training for therapy staff on how to use the intervention with patients. They will collect feedback on this training session so it can be refined and improved as the study goes along. Once trained, Therapy Practitioners will use the intervention with patients recruited to the study. Both patients and therapists will provide feedback on the intervention to the study team. Feedback will be used to refine and implement these recommendations to work towards operationalising the intervention.

The total duration of intervention and follow up is 12 months (plus a further 3 months for analysis and dissemination).
Intervention typeOther
Primary outcome measureThe main outcome from this study is the HABIT intervention itself which will comprise an online training, education and intervention tool with accompanying manual and description for replicating the intervention in future clinical studies.
Secondary outcome measuresSecondary outcomes relating to future implementation and delivery in a clinical trial are detailed below:
1. Measuring recruitment and retention rates for a future clinical trial
2. Evaluating the feasibility of using the Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM) as an outcome measure in a future evaluation
3. Evaluating the range of clients with whom HABIT can usefully be employed
4. Acceptability for patients, carers, therapists, therapy assistants and support workers
Overall study start date14/10/2019
Overall study end date12/11/2021

Eligibility

Participant type(s)Patient
Age groupAdult
SexBoth
Target number of participants34
Participant inclusion criteria1. New stroke being managed on a stroke rehabilitation pathway
2. Presence of visual field defect on screening such as confrontation visual field testing e.g. as part of the NIHSS
3. Confirmation of visual field defect using perimetry
4. Visual field defect considered by a HABIT study trained OT to be causing difficulty with meaningful goals for rehabilitation
5. Willing and have capacity to provide informed consent to participate in the study
Participant exclusion criteria1. Visual neglect severe enough to prevent any orientation beyond the midline to the affected side assessed by a treating clinician
2. Living outside of an area covered by the early supported discharge services or community providers associated with the recruiting centre if they are being discharged from inpatient services with ongoing therapy
Recruitment start date12/10/2020
Recruitment end date12/08/2021

Locations

Countries of recruitment

  • England
  • United Kingdom

Study participating centre

North Bristol NHS Trust
Southmead Hospital
Westbury-On-Trym
Bristol
BS10 5NB
United Kingdom

Sponsor information

North Bristol NHS Trust
Hospital/treatment centre

Research & Innovation
Level 3, Learning & Research building
Southmead Hospital
Westbury on Trym
Bristol
BS10 5NB
England
United Kingdom

Phone +44 (0)1174149330
Email researchsponsor@nbt.nhs.uk
Website https://www.nbt.nhs.uk/research-innovation
ROR logo "ROR" https://ror.org/036x6gt55

Funders

Funder type

Government

National Institute for Health Research
Government organisation / National government
Alternative name(s)
National Institute for Health Research, NIHR Research, NIHRresearch, NIHR - National Institute for Health Research, NIHR (The National Institute for Health and Care Research), NIHR
Location
United Kingdom

Results and Publications

Intention to publish date01/12/2022
Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to shareYes
IPD sharing plan summaryAvailable on request
Publication and dissemination planPlanned publication in high impact peer-reviewed journal. Protocol available on request.
IPD sharing planThe datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are/will be available upon reasonable request from Dr Philip Clatworthy (Philip.Clatworthy@nbt.nhs.uk).

Study outputs

Output type Details Date created Date added Peer reviewed? Patient-facing?
HRA research summary 28/06/2023 No No

Editorial Notes

28/01/2021: Contact details updated.
01/12/2020: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. The recruitment end date was changed from 14/07/2021 to 12/08/2021.
2. The overall trial end date was changed from 14/01/2022 to 12/11/2021.
05/10/2020: Trial's existence confirmed by the NIHR.