Fatigue in Lupus Intervention Programmes (FLIP) (FLIP)

May 1, 2026 updated by: University of Edinburgh

Fatigue in Lupus Intervention Programmes (FLIP): A Randomised Controlled Trial Investigating the Effectiveness of Fatigue Management in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune rheumatic disease. Patients report that fatigue has a significant impact on their quality of life but is often not discussed in healthcare settings. Fatigue is more prevalent in SLE than other Rheumatic diseases. Management across the NHS is very variable ranging from a booklet to one to one appointments or, less often, a group intervention. Previous studies in other Rheumatic diseases have shown that a group cognitive behavioural approach can be effective in helping patients manage their fatigue. The COVID-19 pandemic changed the way healthcare is delivered in the NHS . Healthcare professionals had to find alternate solutions e.g. Virtual appointments.

Our study aims to establish whether a virtual group Fatigue Management Programme and a fatigue booklet (Versus Arthritis and Lupus UK) is more effective at reducing the impact of fatigue in SLE participants than the fatigue booklet alone.

The investigators will also compare a shortened 4-week to the standard 7-week programme to lessen the time commitment for participants and potentially reduce waiting times.The investigators will measure the effectiveness of the interventions through the use of Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMs) at several intervals whilst the participant is enrolled in the study.The pilot study will run in a single site in Edinburgh. The investigators aim to find a manageable, cost effective solution for the NHS and patients to address this frequently unmet need.

Study Overview

Status

Recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

The FLIP study will recruit SLE patients to a single centre, three arm randomised controlled trial which will compare standard care ( fatigue booklets available in all Rheumatology departments in the UK or online ) with live online fatigue management groups for effectiveness at managing fatigue.

Lupus UK will advertise the study through their website, newsletter and social media. Participants can be identified and enrolled to the study in three ways:

  1. The participant can be identified by any member of the Rheumatology department in NHS Lothian through participant routine Rheumatology appointment or local database. No patient records will be screened .
  2. Participants can be identified through the Scottish Lupus Registry Database as they will have already consented to being contacted about research.
  3. Participants can also self-enrol to the study through the link to the FLIP website from Lupus UK .

Posters, leaflets and LUPUS UK communications will have a link and QR code which will take interested participants to the patient information sheet to read about the study.They can contact the study team with any questions before proceeding to accessing the enrolment process in the REDCap secure server. The central study team or the participant themselves can confirm their eligibility by completing short screening questions.The study team can also help the patient with any questions regarding the online consent form if necessary. If the participant is eligible and wishes to proceed they will be asked to complete an online consent and be assigned a unique identification code number (UICN).

After the participant has consented online in REDCap and completed personal details/demographics and baseline PROMs questionnaires they will be randomised to either standard care, standard care plus 4 week programme or standard care plus 7 week programme. The ratio of randomisation will be 1.1.1 .

Participants will complete the same PROMS three more times after the baseline: on completion of the intervention, at 6 months and at 12 months.

The PROMs will be

  1. Modified Fatigue Impact Score (MFIS)
  2. SLE quality of life questionnaire (LupusQoL)
  3. Pittsburgh Sleep quality Inventory ( PSQI)
  4. Visual Analog scale of fatigue impact ( FI-VAS)
  5. Participant health questionnaire -4 item (PHQ4)
  6. Self -Efficacy for managing chronic disease 6 item scale (SEMCD-6)
  7. Quick Systemic Lupus Activity Questionnaire (Q-SLAQ)

If a participant has access to a Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index ( SLEDAI) score this may be included .

Participants will also be asked to complete a satisfaction questionnaire after the intervention completion.

The end of study is defined as the last data collection at 52 weeks from the last participant after group intervention or standard care whichever comes last.

The trial team will analyse the qualitative data from participants. A health economist will calculate the NHS utilisation / economic evaluation by mapping the LUPUSQoL to the Short Form 6 dimension (SF6D) to obtain quality adjusted life years (QALYs) .

A statistician will analyse the data from the PROMs with standard statistical software in R and report descriptive statistics such as means, medians, standard deviations and standard errors of the variables measured. Statistical significance will be measured for the aims of the study using unmatched and paired T- tests.

The primary outcome of our study, MFIS measurements, will be assessed using linear regression models including a random effect to account for grouping by centre. The investigators will assess whether the treatment outcome is maintained by analysing longitudinal data collected over 1 year using linear mixed-effect models with a suitable covariance structure. The secondary outcomes will be analysed in an analogous way. The investigators will also analyse how the secondary outcomes covary with the MFIS scores. The investigators will handle non-compliance by analysing the data according to intention-to-treat principles. In the unlikely event of unused data arising, the investigators will include these in suitable subgroup analyses. Spurious data will be followed up with patients and will only be excluded from the study as a measure of last resort. The investigators are not planning to carry out interim analyses nor to terminate the study early.

The results will be published in peer reviewed journals and by Lupus UK .

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

90

Phase

  • 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 Backup

Study Locations

  • United Kingdom
      • Edinburgh, United Kingdom
        • Recruiting
        • NHS Lothian
        • Contact:
          • Joanne Dobson

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

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  1. Have a confirmed SLE Diagnosis
  2. Be over 18 at time of consent
  3. Report fatigue to be a chronic problem in the last 4 weeks with a VAS fatigue impact ≥ 6, based on a scale of 1 ( no fatigue impact on quality of life ) to 10 (severe impact of fatigue on quality of life).[20]
  4. Agree to online consent, complete questionnaires and be randomised to standard care or group intervention programme via secure server (REDCap).
  5. Not have taken part in a group fatigue or pain management programme in the past 5 years.
  6. Have the ability to read and converse in English competently
  7. Have access to a computer/Smartphone/Tablet for internet and audio/video access.
  8. Be able to or willing to learn to use an NHS approved platform.
  9. Be willing to provide a telephone, postal address and email address for communication related to the FLIP trial.

Exclusion Criteria:

  1. They are unable to understand English sufficiently to attend a live online group programme. Facilitators and other group members will most likely only speak English.
  2. They are unable to provide confirmation of eligibility, complete online informed consent or questionnaires
  3. They are currently participating in an interventional trial

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: Single

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Active Comparator: Standard care
Participants will be provided with access to Versus Arthritis and Lupus UK fatigue booklets.
Behavioral: Standard Care
Participants receive fatigue booklets from two charitable organisations providing information on fatigue, sleep, energy conservation, exercise and stress to help manage fatigue.
Active Comparator: Standard care and 4 week Fatigue Management Programme (FMP)
Participants will be provided with access to Versus Arthritis and Lupus UK fatigue booklets and be randomised to a 4 week virtual FMP. They will attend live online group weekly sessions for 3 consecutive weeks followed by a review session at week 11.
Behavioral: Standard Care
Participants receive fatigue booklets from two charitable organisations providing information on fatigue, sleep, energy conservation, exercise and stress to help manage fatigue.
Behavioral: 4 week FMP
Participants attend 3 once weekly live online group interventions with a final intervention 8 weeks later.
Active Comparator: Standard care and 7 week Fatigue Management Programme (FMP)
Participants will be provided with access to Versus Arthritis and Lupus UK fatigue booklets and be randomised to a 7 week virtual FMP. They will attend live online group weekly sessions for 6 consecutive weeks followed by a review session at week 14.
Behavioral: Standard Care
Participants receive fatigue booklets from two charitable organisations providing information on fatigue, sleep, energy conservation, exercise and stress to help manage fatigue.
Behavioral: 7 week FMP
Participants attend 6 once weekly live online group interventions with a final intervention 8 weeks later.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Modified Fatigue Impact Score (MFIS)
Time Frame: 12 months
A tool to measure the impact of fatigue including physical, cognitive, and psychosocial subscales. Scoring is 0-84, the higher the score the greater the impact of fatigue.
12 months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Lupus quality of life questionnaire (LupusQoL)
Time Frame: 12 months
A self-reported disease-specific health related quality of life questionnaire in adult Lupus. It consists of 34 items covering eight areas which include physical health, emotional health, body image, pain, planning, fatigue, intimate relationships, and burden to others. The questionnaire also has a 5-point Likert response format ranging from 0=all the time, 1=most of the time, 2=a good bit of the time, 3=occasionally, and 4=never. The higher the score the higher the reported quality of life.
12 months
Pittsburgh Sleep quality Inventory ( PSQI)
Time Frame: 12 months
A self-rated questionnaire which measures sleep quality and sleep disturbances over a 1-month time period. There are 19 items which produce 7 "component" scores: subjective sleep quality, sleep latency, sleep duration, habitual sleep efficiency, sleep disturbances, use of sleeping medication, and daytime dysfunction. The calculation of scores for these seven components produces one global score. If this score is greater than 5 it indicates poor sleep quality.
12 months
Visual Analog scale of fatigue impact (FI-VAS)
Time Frame: 12 months
Designed by the researchers for this study, it is a 100mm horizontal line fastened by two statements representing extremes of a single range. The two statements in this VAS are Fatigue does /does not impact my life. A score of 100 mm indicates maximum impact of fatigue.
12 months
Participant Health Questionnaire (PHQ4)
Time Frame: 12 months
A 4-item Likert response questionnaire using the first two items from the PHQ9 and GAD7 to briefly measure depression and anxiety. The brevity of the questionnaire was designed for clinical practice as a screening tool and is easier for participants who have fatigue and poor concentration. The maximum score is 12, a score of >8 indicates severe levels of distress.
12 months
Self-Efficacy for Managing Chronic Diseases 6-item Scale
Time Frame: 12 Months
A 6 item scale on a visual analogue scale, ranging from 1 (not at all confident) to 10 (totally confident). The maximum score s 60.
12 Months
Quick Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Activity Questionnaire (Q-SLAQ)
Time Frame: 12 months
A shortened version of the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Activity Questionnaire, a patient reported questionnaire of their Lupus related symptoms and disease activity. Maximum score is 37, the higher the score the higher the patient reported lupus activity.
12 months
Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI)
Time Frame: 12 months
A measure of disease activity in Lupus participants, calculated by a healthcare professional, based on symptoms experienced in the previous 10 days. The maximum score is 105, a score of 10 or above indicates high disease activity.
12 months

Collaborators and Investigators

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

Sponsor

University of Edinburgh

Collaborators

Accord Clinical Research

Investigators

  • Principal Investigator: Helen Harris, BA MB BCh BAO, University of Edinburgh

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

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 (Actual)

April 8, 2024

Primary Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2027

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

February 23, 2024

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

March 5, 2024

First Posted (Actual)

March 13, 2024

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 7, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 1, 2026

Last Verified

May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • AC21137

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.

Clinical Trials on Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

Clinical Trials on Standard Care

Search Similar Trials

Sponsors and Collaborators

Medical Conditions

Drug Interventions

CROs by country

CROs in China

Conditions

Rare Diseases

Drug Interventions

Dietary Supplements

Sponsor/Collaborators

Locations

Subscribe