Objective.To conduct a proof-of-concept randomized trial of an Internal Family Systems (IFS) psychotherapeutic intervention on rheumatoid arthritis (RA) disease activity and psychological status.Methods.Patients with RA were randomized to either an IFS group for 9 months (n = 39) or an education (control) group (n = 40) that received mailed materials on RA symptoms and management. The groups were evaluated every 3 months until intervention end and 1 year later. Self-assessed joint pain (RA Disease Activity Index joint score), Short Form-12 physical function score, visual analog scale for overall pain and mental health status (Beck Depression Inventory, and State Trait Anxiety Inventory) were assessed. The 28-joint Disease Activity Score-C-reactive Protein 4 was determined by rheumatologists blinded to group assignment. Treatment effects were estimated by between-group differences, and mixed model repeated measures compared trends between study arms at 9 months and 1 year after intervention end.Results.Of 79 participants randomized, 68 completed the study assessments and 82% of the IFS group completed the protocol. Posttreatment improvements favoring the IFS group occurred in overall pain [mean treatment effects −14.9 (29.1 SD); p = 0.04], and physical function [14.6 (25.3); p = 0.04]. Posttreatment improvements were sustained 1 year later in self-assessed joint pain [−0.6 (1.1); p = 0.04], self-compassion [1.8 (2.8); p = 0.01], and depressive symptoms [−3.2 (5.0); p =0.01]. There were no sustained improvements in anxiety, self-efficacy, or disease activity.Conclusion.An IFS-based intervention is feasible and acceptable to patients with RA and may complement medical management of the disease. Future efficacy trials are warranted. ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00869349.

Falls are highly prevalent for people with Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and result in a range of negative consequences such as injury, activity curtailment, reduced quality of life, increased need for care and time off work. This narrative review aims to summarise key literature and to discuss future work needed in the area of falls prevention for people with MS. The incidence of falls is estimated to be over 50%; similar to the rate of falls in adults over 80 years. The consequences of falls are considerable as rate of injury is high, and fear of falling and low self-efficacy are significant problems that lead to activity curtailment. A wide range of physiological, personal and environmental factors have been highlighted as potential risk factors and predictors of falls. Falls are individual and multifactorial, and hence approaches to interventions will likely need to adopt a multi-factorial approach. However, the literature to date has largely focused on exercise-based interventions, with newer more comprehensive interventions using both education and exercise showing promising results. Several gaps remain in the topic of falls in MS and in particular the lack of standardisation of definitions and outcome measures to enable data pooling and comparison. In future, the involvement of people with MS in the design and evaluation of programmes is essential, as are approaches to intervention development that consider implementation from the outset.

Introduction: Psychosocial contributors to fall risk for people with multiple sclerosis are often overlooked in falls prevention practice. This study explored several fall-related, psychosocial variables and their association with falls self-efficacy in a sample of people with multiple sclerosis reporting a fall. Method: A cross-sectional, structured telephone survey was employed. The survey explored socio-demographics, multiple sclerosis characteristics, and fall-related psychosocial variables. Multiple linear regression was employed to investigate associations with Falls Efficacy Scale-International scores. Results: The mean Falls Efficacy Scale-International score for 140 participants was 38.14(SD ¼ 10.16), and the mean Falls Control Scale score was 5.38(SD ¼ 2.22). Fear of falling was expressed by 129 (92%) participants, with 111 (79%) reporting associated activity curtailment. A regression model including six predictors explained 47% of the variance in the Falls Efficacy Scale-International scores. Results of the multiple linear regression showed that fear of falling, associated activity curtailment, balance interference, falls control, and health status were associated with falls self-efficacy. Conclusion: Fear of falling and associated activity curtailment, low falls self-efficacy, and compromised falls control are common among people with multiple sclerosis who have fallen. These fall-related psychosocial variables are distinct and each warrants attention during assessment. Findings suggest that falls self-efficacy among people with multiple sclerosis who have fallen is a complex construct associated with physical and psychosocial factors.

Clinical measures of balance differ significantly between fallers and non-fallers but have poor predictive ability for falls risk in people with multiple sclerosis.

SummaryPersistence with prescribed medications for chronic diseases is important; however, persistence with osteoporosis treatments is historically poor. In this prospective cohort study of postmenopausal women treated for osteoporosis in real-world clinical practice settings in the USA and Canada, 24-month persistence with denosumab was 58%.PurposePatients who persist with their prescribed osteoporosis treatment have increased bone mineral density (BMD) and reduced risk of fracture. Twelve-month persistence with denosumab in routine clinical practice is as high as 95%, but there are limited data on longer-term persistence with denosumab in this setting.MethodsThis single-arm, prospective, cohort study evaluated 24-month persistence with denosumab administered every 6 months in postmenopausal women receiving treatment for osteoporosis in real-world clinical practice in the USA and Canada. Endpoints and analyses included the percentage of patients who persist with denosumab at 24 months (greater than or equal to four injections with a gap between injections of no more than 6 months plus 8 weeks), the total number of injections received by each patient, changes in BMD in persistent patients, and the incidence of serious adverse events (SAEs) and fractures.ResultsAmong 935 enrolled patients, 24-month persistence was 58% (50% in US patients and 75% in Canadian patients). A majority of patients received at least four injections over the observation period (62% of US patients and 81% of Canadian patients). Among patients who were persistent at 24 months and who had a baseline, 12-month, and 24-month DXA scan, mean BMD increased from baseline to 24 months by 7.8% at the lumbar spine and 2.1% at the femoral neck. SAEs and fractures were reported for 122 (13.0%) patients and 54 (5.8%) patients, respectively.ConclusionsPersistence with denosumab for 24 months yields improvement in BMD among postmenopausal women with osteoporosis treated in routine clinical practice in the USA and Canada.Electronic supplementary materialThe online version of this article (10.1007/s11657-018-0491-z) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.