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What is Fatigue: Take Control? It's an education plan for people with MS to teach MSers about fatigue management, and "includes six 2-hour group sessions with DVD viewing, discussion and homework and accompanying participant and leader workbooks." Early studies showed promise, but they were not realized in this study, backing up other recent research. Fatigue in MS is devilishly tricky. - D
Multiple Sclerosis Journal
A multicenter randomized controlled trial of two group education programs for fatigue in multiple sclerosis: Short- and medium-term benefits
Cinda L Hugos, Zunqiu Chen, Yiyi Chen, ...
First Published December 11, 2017
Abstract
Background
Fatigue occurs in 75%–95% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and is frequently reported as the most disabling symptom. A multicomponent group program of six weekly 2-hour sessions, Fatigue: Take Control (FTC), was developed from an international MS fatigue management guideline.
Objective
To determine whether FTC is associated with greater improvements in fatigue than MS: Take Control (MSTC), a similarly structured general MS education program.
Methods
This four-site, parallel, single-blind, randomized controlled trial compared FTC and MSTC in 204 ambulatory participants with MS. The primary outcome, the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), and secondary outcomes of self-efficacy, physical activity, sleep, and medications were assessed at baseline, program completion, and 3 and 6 months later.
Results
Mean MFIS scores improved in both groups between baseline and program completion (FTC −4.4, p < 0.001; MSTC −3.8, p < 0.001), between baseline and 3 months after program completion (FTC −3.2, p = 0.01; MSTC −3.3, p = 0.01), and between baseline and 6 months after program completion (FTC −5.2, p < 0.001; MSTC −4.8, p < 0.001). These improvements were not statistically different between groups (p = 0.64, 0.92, and 0.82, respectively).
Conclusion
Participation in FTC modestly improved self-reported fatigue for up to 6 months. This improvement did not differ significantly from that occurring with the control program.
Multiple Sclerosis Journal
A multicenter randomized controlled trial of two group education programs for fatigue in multiple sclerosis: Short- and medium-term benefits
Cinda L Hugos, Zunqiu Chen, Yiyi Chen, ...
First Published December 11, 2017
Abstract
Background
Fatigue occurs in 75%–95% of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) and is frequently reported as the most disabling symptom. A multicomponent group program of six weekly 2-hour sessions, Fatigue: Take Control (FTC), was developed from an international MS fatigue management guideline.
Objective
To determine whether FTC is associated with greater improvements in fatigue than MS: Take Control (MSTC), a similarly structured general MS education program.
Methods
This four-site, parallel, single-blind, randomized controlled trial compared FTC and MSTC in 204 ambulatory participants with MS. The primary outcome, the Modified Fatigue Impact Scale (MFIS), and secondary outcomes of self-efficacy, physical activity, sleep, and medications were assessed at baseline, program completion, and 3 and 6 months later.
Results
Mean MFIS scores improved in both groups between baseline and program completion (FTC −4.4, p < 0.001; MSTC −3.8, p < 0.001), between baseline and 3 months after program completion (FTC −3.2, p = 0.01; MSTC −3.3, p = 0.01), and between baseline and 6 months after program completion (FTC −5.2, p < 0.001; MSTC −4.8, p < 0.001). These improvements were not statistically different between groups (p = 0.64, 0.92, and 0.82, respectively).
Conclusion
Participation in FTC modestly improved self-reported fatigue for up to 6 months. This improvement did not differ significantly from that occurring with the control program.