Clinical Research Directory

Nutrition Care in Patients Living With Chronic Pain

The investigators' purpose is to develop and test the feasibility, usability, and satisfaction of the Diet4painrelief app as a platform for implementing nutrition care in a specialist pain rehabilitation clinic. The Diet4painrelief will consist of two components: a) a screening tool for nutrition status b) an individually tailored behavior change program aiming to improve the dietary habits and behaviors of patients living with chronic pain. Part I: Included 20 patients with complex chronic pain to examine the feasibility and outcomes of evidence-based Interdisciplinary Pain Rehabilitation Program (IPRP) integrated with nutrition care. The Diet4painrelief includes a screening tool to assess basic nutritional status as well as their intake of key unhealthy and healthy foods and drinks (through three 24hour-dietary recordings or food diary). Thereafter, the patients receive a personalized behavior change program for dietary optimization. The investigators will design and adapt 6 modules in the digital platform (Diet4painrelief app) based on the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) recommendations (6 aspects about 'nutrition and pain') and Sweden's food culture. Clinical outcomes using patient-reported data on socio-demographics, pain aspects, psychometric data, physical disability, and quality of life will be measured at three occasions: first appointment (Pre-IPRP), immediately after completing the rehabilitation program (Post-IPRP), and at a 12-month follow-up (FU-IPRP). Blood samples will be taken to identify biomarkers at the same occasions that provide objective information on metabolic and nutritional abnormalities and further to evaluate the effect of the dietary intervention on changing of pain rehabilitation outcomes. Part II: Included 192 patients with complex chronic pain. Half of the participants receive IPRP and nutrition care (described above) and the other half receive standard IPRP.

Mobile Mental Health Stigma Reduction Intervention Among Black Adults

Major depressive and anxiety disorders are highly prevalent in the general population and are a leading cause of disability. Black adults have a high burden of depression and anxiety. This study aims to assess a self- administered video-based intervention to reduce mental illness stigma and medical mistrust among Black adults with moderate to severe depression or anxiety.

Investigating Baby Behavior and Family Technology Use Study

Maternal sensitivity and contingent responsiveness to infant behavioral cues is an important contributor to infants' developing capacities to self-regulate. During early infancy, feeding interactions comprise a significant portion of mother-infant dyadic interactions and high-quality feeding interactions provide both nutritive and socioemotional benefits; recent data suggest that, for many dyads, mothers' sensitive responsiveness during feeding interactions is routinely impacted by the omnipresence of portable technology. The objective of the proposed research is to better understand the development and possible impacts of maternal technology use on infant feeding interactions, emotion and intake regulation, and sociobehavioral and growth outcomes.

Using Augmented Reality to Promote Physical Activity in Children With Cerebral Palsy

Children with cerebral palsy (CP), Gross Motor Functional Classification Scale (GMFCS) I-II will be recruited to participate in a home based physical activity intervention for 4 weeks. Demographic data will be collected, and validated surveys assessing baseline physical activity level and mobility will be completed. Participants will have an exercise program assigned and will be given a logbook to record their exercise adherence. They will be assigned to the Augment Reality (AR) app group. The AR app group will have exercises administered through the AR app. At the end of the program, participants will complete final surveys and an exit interview.

The Impact of Using Mobile Games on Rehabilitation Outcomes in Thumb Rehabilitation

Hand injuries and diseases are common reasons for hospital visits and lead to both functional and workforce losses, making them a persistent problem in treatment and rehabilitation approaches. Among the various functions of the hand, the thumb is of particular importance due to its large representation in the brain and its contribution to all gripping and holding functions. Loss of function in the thumb leads to a loss of at least 40% of hand skills. Therefore, restoring the thumb's original functionality is this study primary goal in rehabilitation. To achieve this goal, intensive rehabilitation is required, which cannot be fully accomplished through clinic sessions alone, as home exercises contribute significantly to this process. The low adherence of patients to home exercises has led researchers to explore various alternatives. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of mobile application games on rehabilitation outcomes in patients who have lost thumb function. For the pre- and post-treatment evaluations of the patients, the following assessment tools will be used: the Visual Analog Scale (VAS) for pain, the eight-shaped tape measure for edema, the Quick-DASH (Disabilities of the Arm, Shoulder, and Hand) scale for upper extremity functionality, a finger goniometer for joint range of motion, the DuruÖz Hand Index for measuring activities of daily living, and a home exercise adherence tracking form to evaluate adherence to home exercises. As determined by this study power analysis, 38 patients with thumb injuries will be included in the study. These patients will be randomly assigned into two groups: the routine treatment group (19 patients) and the routine treatment plus mobile game group (19 patients). The routine treatment group will receive standard treatment at the Kırşehir Ahi Evran University Faculty of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Hand Clinic, including classical massage, stretching, functional exercises, electrical modalities, thermal agents, and home exercises. In the routine treatment plus mobile game group, in addition to the standard treatment, patients will engage in 20-30 minutes of mobile application games (e.g., Temple Run, Flappy Bird, Angry Birds) as part of their home exercise program. Researchers hypothesize that the group receiving mobile games in addition to the standard treatment will experience a better rehabilitation process in terms of thumb functionality, pain, and edema compared to the routine treatment group, and they will reach rehabilitation goals more quickly. Additionally, mobile games will increase motivation for home exercises and improve adherence. This study will be the first to examine the use of mobile games in thumb rehabilitation and their effect on adherence to home exercises. Researchers anticipate that the results of this study will inspire both clinicians and future research, reaching a wider audience through presentations and publications.

Instant Message-delivered Brief Internet-based Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (iCBT) for Post-stroke Depression

Around one third of stroke survivors develop depression at any point of time following the stroke event. Post-stroke depression (PSD) is associated with negative care outcomes including poorer function, longer hospital stays, increased outpatient and inpatient clinic use, and higher mortality rate. In Hong Kong (HK), the prevalence of PSD within the hospital setting was 36%, and up to 68% in the community setting. However, PSD is seldom addressed in either settings in HK and elsewhere. Meta-analyses reported the effectiveness of Internet-based cognitive behavioural therapy (iCBT), particularly when guided by therapists (d = 0.63). Personalised and synchronous instant message-based intervention guided by therapists is an emerging form of psychological intervention. While such intervention showed medium to large effect (Hedges' g = 0.73) on negative psychological distress episodes including depression, no study has investigated its effect on PSD. The proposed study aims to 1) investigate the effect of therapist-guided brief iCBT delivery through instant messaging applications (e.g. WhatsApp and WeChat) to provide personalised and synchronous PSD support and 2) understand the experience of and compliance with the intervention. 160 community-dwelling stroke survivors with Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores ranging from 5 to 19 indicating mild to moderate depressive symptoms will be recruited and then individually randomised into the Intervention group (n=80) or Control group (n=80). Intervention group will receive 1) instant message-delivered brief iCBT for 3 months at participants' chosen times and frequencies, and 2) therapist-led text or voice message-based PSD support to enhance the effects of iCBT through real-time counselling and practical advice. Control group will only receive messages on general mental health information and reminders to participate in follow-up surveys. The primary outcome is PHQ-9 score at 6 months. Secondary outcomes will include anxiety (GAD-7), perceived stress (PSS-4), loneliness (ULS-8), and quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) at 6 months. The study will strictly follow the CONSORT-EHEALTH checklist. Post-trial qualitative study will be conducted to understand the participants' experience of and compliance with the intervention (n≈20) respectively. This study will provide the first and practical evidence on the effectiveness of instant message-delivered brief iCBT intervention in addressing PSD in HK and beyond.

Instant Message-delivered Early Psychological Intervention in Stroke Family Caregivers

Psychological distress including depression and anxiety is a major component of caregiver stress, and its negative impact on caregivers' health and well-being has been established in the literature. A recent meta-analysis reported the prevalence of depression and anxiety in stroke caregivers as 40.2% and 21.4% respectively. An evidence profile report by the World Health Organization(WHO) has emphasised that psychological support is crucial in helping caregivers in the community to continue caring for individuals with long-term disabilities, such as stroke patients. Therefore, early psychological intervention (EPI) is crucial to improve the management and prognosis of an individual who are facing stressful events like caregiving. The main aim of this study is to prevent or alleviate the significant psychological consequences in carers resulting from stroke events in family members. Internet-delivered cognitive-behavioural therapy (iCBT) is delivered as an ecological momentary intervention (EMI) to support the clients to engage in cognitive reframing and empower them with proper knowledge, skills and attitudes to make behavioural changes.