Testing the feasibility and acceptability of an online ‘Fatigue and Activity Management Education for Work (FAME‐W) programme’ for individuals with inflammatory arthritis

Abstract

IntroductionFatigue and Activity Management Education for Work (FAME‐W) is a four‐week, occupational therapy led programme focussing on fatigue management strategies. FAME‐W was designed to be delivered in person; however, due to COVID‐19 pandemic it was modified to be an online group‐based self‐management intervention. The purpose of this study was to test the feasibility and acceptability of the online delivery format of FAME‐W.MethodsThis was a mixed methods study. Participants were randomly allocated to intervention or control group. Participants in the intervention group received a four‐week online FAME‐W. The control group participants received a FAME‐W handbook. Participants were required to complete questionnaires on work presenteeism, fatigue, mood, Health Related Quality of Life and pain at baseline, and 3 months post‐intervention. Participants in the intervention group attended a focus group immediately following the completion of the programme and the control group participated in individual interviews.ResultsSeven of ten individuals recruited participated in the study. Majority of participants had Rheumatoid Arthritis and were working full‐time. The mean age of intervention participants was 53 ± 10.4 and 56.5 ± 3.7 for the controls. All participants in the intervention group had 100% attendance, completed all study measures and activities. Participants had positive comments about the programme format, content, and delivery. Improvements were observed in most measures at follow up.ConclusionResults suggest that an online programme to improve work ability was feasible and acceptable to individuals with inflammatory arthritis. The online delivery format was favoured over attending a centre‐based programme. The findings support a definitive intervention trial of online FAME‐W.

Testing the effectiveness of a Fatigue and Activity Management Education for Work (FAME‐W) intervention for individuals with inflammatory arthritis: Study protocol for a randomized control trial

“…However, the effects of COVID-19 necessitated a change in the mode of delivery and FAME-W was modified to be an online intervention. The feasibility of online FAME-W was tested, and the findings supported a definitive intervention trial on online FAME-W (Karkon et al, 2023).…”

“…Each subscale is scored separately with a percentage score varying from 0% to 100%, where higher percentages indicate greater ability to manage work demands (Ramada et al, 2013). The WRF has been used in the feasibility studies of FAME-W (Karkon et al, 2023;McCormack et al, 2018) and is valid and reliable for measuring work ability in people with IA (Roy et al, 2011).…”