Efficacy of a Family Telephone Intervention for Stroke

October 11, 2005 updated by: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
The purpose of this trial is to determine if a family intervention administered by telephone to stroke patients and their caregivers increases adaptation and functioning after stroke.

Study Overview

Status

Completed

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Stroke is a major health problem which affects an estimated half million persons each year. In many cases family members assume the long-term burden of care after hospital discharge. Methods such as family education, peer support groups, and counseling are available to help meet the needs of caregivers, by enhancing their coping abilities. Family intervention also potentially benefits patients by improving the quality of caregiving skills. Few investigations have examined the benefits of family intervention methods.

This trial will study the effectiveness of a family-based, telephone-administered intervention called Family Intervention: Telephone Tracking (FITT) for acute stroke patients and their caregivers. Study patients will be recruited from those admitted to the Rhode Island Hospital following an acute stroke. All patients and caregivers will receive standard medical care. In addition, these patients and their caregivers will be randomly assigned to one of two treatment conditions: FITT or no intervention. Treatments will begin once the patient returns home and will continue for a six-month period.

During the trial, specially trained staff will carefully monitor the progress of the stroke patient and his/her family member, checking for changing in thinking, concentration, attention, memory, mood, and family functioning that sometimes occurs in stroke. Participants will be contacted by telephone every week for 6 weeks, then every 2 weeks for 2 months, and then monthly for 2 months. The telephone calls will check on how the participants are doing after discharge and will assist with questions and concerns.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment

290

Phase

  • Phase 2

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 States
    • Rhode Island
      • Providence, Rhode Island, United States, 02769
        • Rhode Island Hospital

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

Ages Eligible for Study

36 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

All

Description

Inclusion criteria:

  • age > 35 years,
  • MRI or CAT scan proof of stroke or definitive hemiplegia, and
  • competency to sign an informed consent form.

Exclusion criteria:

  • presence of subarachnoid hemorrhage, transient ischemic attack or subdural hematoma,
  • significant medical disorder severe enough to require hospitalization within the 3 months prior to stroke,
  • functional psychosis,
  • absence of a caregiver (anyone living within a 30 minute drive who is available and willing to attend to patient),
  • admitted from nursing home (since these patients are likely to return to the nursing home) and
  • inability to speak English.

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

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Ivan W. Miller, Ph.D.

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

October 1, 1998

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 28, 2002

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

February 28, 2002

First Posted (Estimate)

March 1, 2002

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Estimate)

October 12, 2005

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

October 11, 2005

Last Verified

October 1, 2005

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • R01NS037840 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

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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