FES Implementation Pediatrics

University Health Network, Toronto

Status: Active, not recruiting

Conditions: Cerebral Palsy (CP)

Treatments: Other: Implementation Intervention

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT06689007

46640

Details and patient eligibility

About

Physical rehabilitation interventions that promote activity-dependent neuroplasticity are desired for children with CP as this will result in improved motor skill and function. In adult neurological populations, such as stroke and spinal cord injury, FES is a recommended, evidence-based intervention that addresses motor and sensory impairments and promotes neuroplasticity. The evidence base supporting the safety, feasibility and efficacy of FES for youth with CP is rapidly growing, yet FES is not commonly used in Canadian pediatric rehabilitation. Through interviews with Canadian pediatric physical and occupational therapists, we identified numerous barriers to FES implementation, including a lack of knowledge and training in FES, difficulty accessing FES equipment, and a perceived lack of time to deliver FES within a treatment session. To address these barriers, we have developed an implementation intervention for FES that consists of an online course and toolkit for physical and occupational therapists. As a next step, we will evaluate the effects of the implementation intervention on pediatric therapists' knowledge, confidence and use of FES.

Enrollment: 18 estimated patients

Sex: All

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion and exclusion criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Licensed to practice physical or occupational therapy in Canada.
2. Report that CP comprises ≥20% of their caseload over the past year.
3. Has not previously taken a continuing education course in FES.
4. Reports never (0% of treatment sessions) or rarely (1-20% of treatment sessions) using neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) or FES in their clinical practice.
5. Report being able to participate in a six-week online FES course from October 18 2024 - November 28 2024.
6. Able to complete the course and interview in English.

Trial design

Primary purpose: Other

Allocation: N/A

Interventional model: Single Group Assignment

Masking: None (Open label)

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18 participants in 1 patient group

Implementation Intervention

Experimental group

Treatment:

Other: Implementation Intervention