REFRESH

(Illustration by Wunder)

Study Team

PI: Matthew Plow
Dalhousie Site PI: Tanya Packer
Co-Investigators: Marcia Finlayson, Setareh Ghahari, Tanya Packer, Kathy Preissner, Virgil Mathiowetz,

Additional Team Members: Julie Hewitt, Clara Adeniyi, Yu-Ting Chen, Kaitlin Sibbald, Toni Van Denend, Michelle Lehman, Sabrena Jaswall, Ioan Cocan, Jacqueline Kish, Alicen Baumgarten, Jumai Hariran, Maureen Gecht-Silver, Chris Young, Eesha Tokala, Diksha Srishyla, Yue Wu

Study Summary

The REFRESH study is a large non-inferiority randomised clinical trial comparing three delivery formats of the Managing Fatigue Program for people living with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Managing Fatigue Program is a self-management program designed to help people living with severe fatigue due to chronic conditions. This program, originally delivered in a group format has been adapted into various delivery formats including teleconference, online, and individual sessions.  Past research has shown the benefits of each delivery format of the Managing Fatigue program for people living with MS fatigue, however the REFRESH study is the first randomised clinical trial to compare the different delivery formats (individual, online asynchronous group, and teleconference group). The results of this study will help us learn more about the different delivery formats as well as potentially provide a rationale to support the use of remote delivery interventions for people who may have difficulty accessing the intervention in-person. This project is based out of the US and is a collaborative effort between Dalhousie University, Case Western Reserve University, Queens University, University of Illinois Chicago, and the University of Minnesota.

Funding Source

This project is funded by the Patient Centered Outcomes Research Institute (PCORI) for the amount of $218, 456.72 over 5 years.