Feasibility Randomised Controlled Trial Exploring Implementation of the Compassionate Mindful rEsilience pRogram for People With pUlmonaRY Fibrosis: The MERcURY Study (MERcURY)

August 19, 2026 updated by: Clare McVeigh, Queen's University, Belfast

Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a chronic lung condition in which scar tissue gradually forms, impairing oxygen transfer and causing breathlessness. Individuals with PF frequently experience anxiety and depression, yet supportive care remains underdeveloped, and few evidence-based psychological interventions exist for this population, representing a critical gap in care.

This feasibility randomised controlled trial (RCT) evaluated the Compassionate Mindful Resilience (CMR) programme, a 4-week online, nurse-led mindfulness-based intervention designed to improve psychological outcomes in people living with PF.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Completed

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

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis is a progressive, irreversible fibrotic lung disease that requires long-term treatment. People with a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis are known to have reduced health-related quality of life, furthermore, it is common for such individuals to experience anxiety and depression. Therefore, interventions to support these individuals are essential to improve their psychological health. Mindfulness is increasing in popularity but retention in these programmes can be challenging. Condensed programmes have great potential but require statistical and individual evaluation. The Compassionate Mindful Resilience Program is a 4-week course that teaches simple, effective, evidence-based practices, skills and techniques.

Methods: This study aims to establish the feasibility of a randomised controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of the Compassionate Mindful Resilience Program in improving the psychosocial well-being of people with a diagnosis of pulmonary fibrosis. The trial will be conducted to test procedures, outcomes and validated tools; estimate recruitment and attrition rates; and calculate the sample size required for a future definitive multi-centre randomised controlled trial. The study will also utilise qualitative methods to explore the acceptability of the intervention to the study population. In keeping with CONSORT guidelines. The SPIRIT guidelines and checklist will be utilised to report the study.

Discussion: This study will implement a four-week mindfulness intervention and its utility for people with Pulmonary Fibrosis. The investigators aim to increase equitable access to evidence-based mindfulness practices with the potential to improve the lives of people impacted by this condition. If the study demonstrates the practicability of delivering the online 4-week Compassionate Mindful Resilience program with adequate recruitment, the investigators will be able to determine the feasibility of progression to a randomised controlled clinical trial to increase equitable access to evidence-based mindfulness practices with the potential to improve the lives of people impacted by Pulmonary Fibrosis.

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 (Actual)

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.
21

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 Locations

  • United Kingdom
    • Please Select
      • Belfast, Please Select, United Kingdom, BT7 1NN
        • Queen's University Belfast

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:

  • have a confirmed diagnosis of PF
  • be aged 18 years or older
  • reside in the UK or Ireland
  • have the capacity to provide informed consent
  • demonstrate a commitment to attend all four CMR sessions (demonstrated through discussion with the mindfulness teacher during screening)
  • have access to an internet-enabled device.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • No diagnosis of PF
  • under 18 years old
  • live outside of UK or Ireland
  • no capacity to provide informed consent
  • not willing to attend all four CMR sessions
  • no access to an internet-enabled device.

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: Supportive Care
  • 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: Intervention group
CMR is an internationally accredited 4-week programme with 2-hour online sessions delivered via Microsoft Teams
Behavioral: Compassionate mindful resilience
It is an internationally accredited 4-week programme with 2-hour online sessions delivered via Microsoft Teams
No Intervention: Waitlist group
This group did not receive the CMR intervention until all intervention groups had completed CMR.

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
Feasibility of the intervention
Time Frame: From enrollment until the follow up interview was completed (up to 10 weeks)
Adherence
From enrollment until the follow up interview was completed (up to 10 weeks)

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
The feasibility of collecting data on anxiety, depression, well-being, mindfulness, resilience, and self-compassion
Time Frame: Baseline (week 1), post-CMR (week 4), and four-week follow-up (week 8)
These were measured via online surveys at baseline, post-CMR, and four-week follow-up
Baseline (week 1), post-CMR (week 4), and four-week follow-up (week 8)

Other Outcome Measures

Other Outcome Measures

For clinical trials, a planned measurement described in the protocol that is used to determine the effect of an intervention/treatment on participants. For observational studies, a measurement or observation that is used to describe patterns of diseases or traits, or associations with exposures, risk factors, or treatment. Types of outcome measures include primary outcome measure and secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Feasibility of recruitment and retention
Time Frame: From recruitment until the end of the study (up to 5 months)
Measured against pre-defined recruitment and retention targets
From recruitment until the end of the study (up to 5 months)

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.
Queen's University, Belfast

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

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 (Actual)

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.
December 1, 2024

Primary Completion (Actual)

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.
April 21, 2025

Study Completion (Actual)

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.
July 18, 2025

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 12, 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 19, 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 24, 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 24, 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 19, 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.
March 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

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.
  • MHLS 24_139
  • SB\ZA\101010662\980079 (Other Grant/Funding Number: The Burdett Trust)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

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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