Clinical trial NCT06689007: FES Implementation Pediatrics
Official title: Stimulating Change in Pediatric Rehabilitation: an Implementation Intervention to Increase Use of Functional Electrical Stimulation
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: ACTIVE_NOT_RECRUITING
Phase: NA
Conditions: Cerebral Palsy (CP)
Keywords: functional electrical stimulation
implementation intervention
physical therapist
occupational therapist
Lead sponsor: University Health Network, Toronto
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2024-11-14
Enrollment: 18
Sex: ALL
Standard ages: CHILD
ADULT
OLDER_ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: NA
Intervention model: SINGLE_GROUP
Primary purpose: OTHER

Brief summary: Physical rehabilitation interventions that promote activity-dependent neuroplasticity are desired for children with CP as this will result in improved motor skill and function. In adult neurological populations, such as stroke and spinal cord injury, FES is a recommended, evidence-based intervention that addresses motor and sensory impairments and promotes neuroplasticity. The evidence base supporting the safety, feasibility and efficacy of FES for youth with CP is rapidly growing, yet FES is not commonly used in Canadian pediatric rehabilitation. Through interviews with Canadian pediatric physical and occupational therapists, we identified numerous barriers to FES implementation, including a lack of knowledge and training in FES, difficulty accessing FES equipment, and a perceived lack of time to deliver FES within a treatment session. To address these barriers, we have developed an implementation intervention for FES that consists of an online course and toolkit for physical and occupational therapists. As a next step, we will evaluate the effects of the implementation intervention on pediatric therapists' knowledge, confidence and use of FES.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

1. Licensed to practice physical or occupational therapy in Canada.
2. Report that CP comprises ≥20% of their caseload over the past year.
3. Has not previously taken a continuing education course in FES.
4. Reports never (0% of treatment sessions) or rarely (1-20% of treatment sessions) using neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or FES in their clinical practice.
5. Report being able to participate in a six-week online FES course from October 18 2024 - November 28 2024.
6. Able to complete the course and interview in English.

Primary outcomes:
measure: FES knowledge quiz
timeFrame: From pre-intervention to immediately post-intervention and six months post-intervention
measure: FES Confidence Questionnaire
timeFrame: From pre-intervention to immediately post-intervention and six months post-intervention
measure: FES Use Survey
timeFrame: From pre-intervention to immediately post-intervention and six months post-intervention
measure: Technology Assistance Model 2 Questionnaire
timeFrame: From pre-intervention to immediately post-intervention and six months post-intervention
measure: Semi-structured Interview
timeFrame: Six months post-intervention
Secondary outcomes:
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Toronto
country: Canada
facility: University of Toronto
state: Ontario
Study officials:
References: