Clinical trial NCT00283855: RAHelp.Org: An Online Self Management Program for Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Official title: An Online Self Management Program for Adults With Rheumatoid Arthritis
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Keywords: Rheumatoid Arthritis
Self-Management
Internet
Lead sponsor: University of Missouri-Columbia
Sponsor class: OTHER
Collaborators: name: U.S. Department of Education
First posted: 2006-01-30
Enrollment: 200
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Standard ages: ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: no
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: FACTORIAL

Brief summary: The objective of this study is to determine the effects of an arthritis self-management program and an online support community delivered via an encrypted, secure web site on psychological well-being, pain, quality of life, global health status, and social supporting in adults with RA.

Detailed description: Arthritis is the leading cause of disability in the United States. More than 7 million persons in this country report limitations in their daily activities due to arthritis. Rheumatoid arthritis alone affects 1 of every 100 persons in the US. Clinic-based self-management programs have been found to be effective in reducing both pain and disability for persons with RA. However, barriers to participation exist such as distance, time, limited transportation, and declining functional status. The Internet is widely used as a source of information about health issues and may provide an opportunity to reduce these barriers and extend consumer access to self-management approaches. It is necessary to determine the efficacy of Internet-delivered self-management programs.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* 18 or more years of age
* Rheumatoid Arthritis diagnosed by a rheumatologist
* Stable medication regimen for 3 months

Exclusion Criteria:

* Previous exposure to arthritis self-management programs
* Uncontrolled psychiatric comorbidity
* Uncontrolled medical comorbidity (e.g. active cancer)

Primary outcomes:
measure: Arthritis Impact Measurement Scales
timeFrame: baseline, 3 mos., 6 mos., 9 mos., 12 mos.
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Arthritis Self-Efficacy Scale
timeFrame: baseline, 3 mos., 6 mos., 9 mos., 12 mos
measure: Rapid Assessment of Disease Activity in Rheumatology
timeFrame: baseline, 3 mos., 6 mos., 9 mos., 12 mos
Other outcomes:
measure: Social Provisions Scale
timeFrame: baseline, 3 mos., 6 mos., 9 mos., 12 mos
measure: 21-point Box Scale (a pain measure)
timeFrame: baseline, 3 mos., 6 mos., 9 mos., 12 mos
measure: UCLA Loneliness Scale
timeFrame: baseline, 3 mos., 6 mos., 9 mos., 12 mos
measure: Center for Epidemiological Studies - Depression Scale
timeFrame: baseline, 3 mos., 6 mos., 9 mos., 12 mos
measure: Physical Activity Scale for the Elderly
timeFrame: baseline, 3 mos., 6 mos., 9 mos., 12 mos
Locations:
city: Columbia
country: United States
facility: University of Missouri-Columbia
state: Missouri
Study officials:
affiliation: University of Missouri-Columbia
name: Karen L Smarr, Ph.D.
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References:
citation: Smarr K; Musser D; Donovan Hanson K; Laffey J; Johnson R; Siva C; Parker J. Development of an online self-management intervention for persons with rheumatoid arthritis: The RAHelp.org project. Arthritis Rheum 2005 Sep;52(9):S718
citation: Shigaki CL, Smarr KL, Siva C, Ge B, Musser D, Johnson R. RAHelp: an online intervention for individuals with rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Care Res (Hoboken). 2013 Oct;65(10):1573-81. doi: 10.1002/acr.22042.