NCT lookup
Pull any trial record directly from ClinicalTrials.gov.
Sponsor: University of Alberta
Conditions: Multiple Sclerosis, Nurse's Role
Interventions: Nurse Practitioner (NP) Led Care Arm
Countries: Canada
MS is the leading cause of non-traumatic disability in young adults. Canada and Alberta, have the highest prevalence of people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) in the world. To keep PwMS as functional as possible, a multi-disciplinary team is considered essential in the approach to treating people with MS. Because of the high numbers of PwMS in Northern Alberta, private-practice general neurologists provide care to a large number of PwMS outside of a multi-disciplinary tertiary care setting. It is challenging for these general neurologists with busy office practices to deliver optimal care to PwMS who have high care needs. The investigators wish to evaluate the effects of nurse practitioner (NP) led care for PwMS on their depression and anxiety levels at 3 and 6 months compared to "usual care' (community neurologists and MS registered nurses) in addition to measuring quality of life for PwMS and their caregivers, fatigue levels, monitor their outpatient healthcare usage and patient's satisfaction of care provided. The investigators wish to conduct a prospective randomized controlled trial examining NP intervention care for PwMS. It is hypothesized that PwMS whose care is managed by an NP will have less depression and anxiety (as measured by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale - HADS) at 3 months.
Sex: ALL
Age: 18 Years to —
Healthy volunteers: No
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Inclusion Criteria: * \>/= 18 years of age * a MS diagnosis (by 2010 MacDonald MS criteria (Polman et al 2011) * Followed by a private-practice general neurologist and/or family doctor in the Northern Alberta region * Willingness to give consent * Ability to complete questionnaires * Willingness to attend outpatient visits with NP * English-speaking * Were able to use a computer * Initially, we limited inclusion to those who are experiencing disability from their MS (Expanded Disability status Scale (EDSS) 3.0 to 8.5 . In 2018, due to poor recruitment, the inclusion criteria were opened to include any PwMS and was not limited to disability level. Exclusion Criteria: * Under the age of 18 years old * Unable to provide consent * Unable to attend appointments with the NP * Did not speak English * Referred to or followed by neurologists within the tertiary University MS clinic setting * Those who had central nervous system inflammatory disorders other than MS
- Edmonton, Alberta, Canada