Optimising Psychoeducation for Transient Ischaemic Attack and Minor Stroke Management (OPTIMISM): Protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial

Kontou, Eirini; Walker, Marion; Thomas, Shirley; Watkins, Caroline; Griffiths, Holly; Golding-Day, Miriam; Richardson, Carla; Sprigg, Nikola

Abstract

Background: A transient ischaemic attack (TIA) and minor stroke are medical emergencies and often a warning sign of future strokes if remain untreated. Few studies have investigated the long-term psychosocial effects of TIA and minor stroke. Secondary prevention and medical management are often the primary focus with limited access offered for further psychosocial support. Psychoeducational interventions can provide education and advice to people with physical health conditions and, with suitable tailoring, could be appropriate for people after TIA and minor stroke. This study aims to develop a group psychoeducational intervention for people after TIA and minor stroke and to test whether it is acceptable and feasible.
Methods: This mixed-methodology study involves two phases: Phase 1) A qualitative study to determine the content of a suitable intervention; Phase 2) A single-centre feasibility randomised controlled trial to evaluate the acceptability of this intervention. The overall study has ethical approval. Stroke survivors have been involved in designing and monitoring the trial. The aim is to recruit 30-40 participants from a Stroke/TIA Service, within 6 months following their diagnosis. Participants will be randomly allocated to either the usual care control group or the intervention group (psychoeducational programme). The programme will consist of six group sessions based on providing education, psychological and social support. The primary outcomes will relate to the feasibility aims of the study. Outcomes will be collected at 3 and 6 months to assess mood, quality of life, knowledge and satisfaction, and resource use.
Discussion: There is a need to develop and evaluate effective interventions that enhance the education provided to people after TIA and minor stroke and to promote their psychosocial wellbeing. Findings will indicate the acceptability of the intervention and parameters needed to conduct a definitive trial.

Citation

Kontou, E., Walker, M., Thomas, S., Watkins, C., Griffiths, H., Golding-Day, M., …Sprigg, N. (2020). Optimising Psychoeducation for Transient Ischaemic Attack and Minor Stroke Management (OPTIMISM): Protocol for a feasibility randomised controlled trial. AMRC Open Research, 2, Article 24. https://doi.org/10.12688/amrcopenres.12911.1

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Jun 29, 2020
• Online Publication Date: Jun 29, 2020
• Publication Date: 2020
• Deposit Date: Sep 17, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Sep 17, 2020
• Journal: AMRC Open Research
• Publisher: Association of Medical Research Charities
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 2
• Article Number: 24
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.12688/amrcopenres.12911.1
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/4747253
• Publisher URL: https://amrcopenresearch.org/articles/2-24
• Additional Information: Referee status: Approved; Referee Report: 10.21956/amrcopenres.13981.r26509, Terry J. Quinn, Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK, 02 Jul 2020, version 1, 1 approved; Grant Information: This study is funded by a Stroke Association Postdoctoral Fellowship for Dr Eirini Kontou (TSA PDF 2015/01). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.; Copyright: This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Licence, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.