Self-Care Education for Joint Stiffness and Functional Ability in Rheumatoid Arthritis

August 12, 2026 updated by: Rezk Abdallah Mohammed Mahmoud, Assiut University

Effectiveness of a Self-Care Educational Program on Joint Stiffness and Functional Ability in Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis

Rheumatoid arthritis is a chronic inflammatory autoimmune disease that may cause joint stiffness, pain, reduced mobility, and impaired functional ability. Self-care education may help patients improve their knowledge and practices related to disease management, joint protection, physical activity, exercise, energy conservation, and symptom management.

This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of a self-care educational program on joint stiffness and functional ability among patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Participants will be assigned to either a study group or a control group. The study group will receive the self-care educational program in addition to routine care, while the control group will receive routine care only. Joint stiffness and functional ability will be assessed before and after implementation of the educational program.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

Rheumatoid arthritis is associated with joint inflammation, stiffness, pain, reduced physical functioning, and limitations in activities of daily living. Appropriate self-care practices may contribute to improving patients' ability to manage symptoms and maintain functional independence.

The self-care educational program will provide patients with information and practical guidance regarding rheumatoid arthritis and its management. The program may include disease-related knowledge, medication adherence, joint protection techniques, exercise, energy conservation, activity modification, symptom management, and appropriate self-care practices.

Participants will be divided into two groups:

Study Group: Participants will receive the self-care educational program in addition to routine care.

Control Group: Participants will receive routine care only. Joint stiffness and functional ability will be assessed at baseline and after implementation of the educational program. The outcomes of the study group will be compared with those of the control group to determine the effectiveness of the program.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
110

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • The criteria for selection were: patients" age ranged between 20-65 years old; did not have any auditory, visual or psychological problems. Patients who are able to communicate and participate in the educational program.

Patients who agree to participate in the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with severe cognitive or communication impairment. Patients with other severe musculoskeletal conditions that may affect functional ability.

Patients who have participated in a similar self-care educational program recently.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Self-Care Education Group
Participants in the intervention group will receive a self-care educational program designed to improve self-care practices, reduce joint stiffness, and improve functional ability in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. The program will include education about rheumatoid arthritis, joint protection techniques, appropriate exercises, medication use, and self-care practices.
Behavioral: self care educational program for the study group
study group Participants will receive the self-care educational program in addition to usual care.
Other: Routine Care Group
Participants will receive usual care without the self-care educational program.
Other: Routine care
The control group will receive the routine care provided to patients with rheumatoid arthritis and will not receive the self-care educational program during the study period.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
change in joint stiffness
Time Frame: Baseline and 3 months after completion of the intervention.

Duration of morning joint stiffness will be assessed using a single-item patient-reported outcome measure. Participants will report the duration of their morning joint stiffness in minutes. Durations greater than 12 hours (720 minutes) will be recorded as 720 minutes. Higher values indicate a longer duration of morning joint stiffness.

Severity of morning joint stiffness will be assessed using a single-item patient-reported outcome measure. Participants will rate the overall severity of their morning joint stiffness on a numerical rating scale ranging from 0 to 10, where 0 indicates no joint stiffness and 10 indicates the worst possible joint stiffness. Higher scores indicate greater severity of joint stiffness.
Baseline and 3 months after completion of the intervention.

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
functional ability
Time Frame: Baseline and 3 months after completion of the intervention.
Functional ability will be assessed using the Health Assessment Questionnaire-Disability Index (HAQ-DI). The HAQ-DI assesses functional ability across eight areas: dressing and grooming, arising, eating, walking, hygiene, reach, grip, and activities. Each item is scored from 0 (without any difficulty) to 3 (unable to do). The overall score ranges from 0 to 3, with 0 indicating no disability and 3 indicating severe disability. Higher scores indicate worse functional ability and greater disability.
Baseline and 3 months after completion of the intervention.

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Assiut University

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

  • Seyam, M. H., Boghdady, E. S. G., Abo El-Ata, A. B., & Mahdy, N. E. S. (2024). Knowledge, Practices and Self-Care Management Behaviors for Rheumatoid Arthritis Patients. Port Said Scientific Journal of Nursing, 11(3), 48-68.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
September 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
January 1, 2027

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
April 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
August 8, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 8, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
August 12, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 13, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 12, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 1120261455

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

IPD Plan Description

There are no plans to make individual participant data available to other researchers.

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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