Skip to main content
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute
  • Blog
  • Newsroom
  • Find It Fast
  • Help Center
  • Subscribe
  • Careers
  • Contact Us

PCORI

Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute

Search form

  • About Us
    Close mega-menu

    About Us

    • Our Programs
    • Governance
    • Financials and Reports
    • Procurement Opportunities
    • Our Staff
    • Our Vision & Mission
    • Contact Us

    Fact Sheets: Learn More About PCORI

    Download fact sheets about out work, the research we fund, and our programs and initiatives.

    Find It Fast

    Browse through an alphabetical list of frequently accessed and searched terms for information and resources.

    Subscribe to PCORI Email Alerts

    Sign up for weekly emails to stay current on the latest results of our funded projects, and more.

  • Research & Results
    Close mega-menu

    Research & Results

    • Explore Our Portfolio
    • Research Fundamentals
    • Research Results Highlights
    • Putting Evidence to Work
    • Peer Review
    • Evidence Synthesis
    • About Our Research

    Evidence Updates from PCORI-Funded Studies

    These updates capture highlights of findings from systematic reviews and our funded research studies.

    Journal Articles About Our Funded Research

    Browse through a collection of journal publications that provides insights into PCORI-funded work.

    Explore Our Portfolio of Funded Projects

    Find out about projects based on the health conditions they focus on, the state they are in, and if they have results.

  • Topics
    Close mega-menu

    Topics

    • Addressing Disparities
    • Arthritis
    • Asthma
    • Cancer
    • Cardiovascular Disease
    • Children's Health
    • Community Health Workers
    • COVID-19
    • Dementia and Cognitive Impairment
    • Diabetes
    • Kidney Disease
    • Medicaid
    • Men's Health
    • Mental and Behavioral Health
    • Minority Mental Health
    • Multiple Chronic Conditions
    • Multiple Sclerosis
    • Obesity
    • Older Adults' Health
    • Pain Care and Opioids
    • Rare Diseases
    • Rural Health
    • Shared Decision Making
    • Telehealth
    • Transitional Care
    • Veterans Health
    • Women's Health

    Featured Topic: Women's Health

    Learn more about the projects we support on conditions that specifically or more often affect women.

  • Engagement
    Close mega-menu

    Engagement

    • The Value of Engagement
    • Engagement in Health Research Literature Explorer
    • Influencing the Culture of Research
    • Engagement Awards
    • Engagement Resources
    • Engage with Us

    Engagement Tools and Resources for Research

    This searchable peer-to-peer repository includes resources that can inform future work in patient-centered outcomes research.

    Explore Engagement in Health Literature

    This tool enables searching for published articles about engagement in health research.

    Research Fundamentals: A New On-Demand Training

    It enables those new to health research or patient-centered research to learn more about the research process.

  • Funding Opportunities
    Close mega-menu

    Funding Opportunities

    • What & Who We Fund
    • What You Need to Know to Apply
    • Applicant Training
    • Merit Review
    • Awardee Resources
    • Help Center

    PCORI Funding Opportunities

    View and learn about the newly opened funding announcements and the upcoming PFAs in 2021.

    Tips for Submitting a Responsive LOI

    Find out what PCORI looks for in a letter of intent (LOI) along with other helpful tips.

    PCORI Awardee Resources

    These resources can help awardees in complying with the terms and conditions of their contract.

  • Meetings & Events
    Close mega-menu

    Meetings & Events

    • Upcoming
    • Past Events

    January 2021 Board of Governors Meeting

    The Board approved funding for a new research study relating to kidney health and a new funding allocation for PCORnet. Learn more

    Confronting COVID-19: A Webinar Series

    Learn more about the series and access recordings and summary reports of all six sessions.

    2020 PCORI Annual Meeting

    Watch recordings of all sessions, and view titles and descriptions of the posters presented at the virtual meeting.

You are here

  • Research & Results
  • Explore Our Portfolio
  • Comparing Clinic- and Home-Based Exer...

Comparing Clinic- and Home-Based Exercise Programs to Help Adults with Multiple Sclerosis -- The TEAMS Study

Sign Up for Updates to This Study  

Project Summary  

PCORI has identified multiple sclerosis (MS) as an important research topic. Patients, clinicians, and others want to learn how different treatment strategies, aimed at changing specific symptoms or the overall course of MS, affect patients’ symptoms and quality of life. To address this issue, PCORI launched a funding initiative in 2015 on Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis. This research project is one of the studies PCORI awarded as part this program.

COVID-19-Related Project Enhancement

People with multiple sclerosis (MS) are vulnerable to health risks from COVID-19. Due to these risks, people with MS may reduce physical activity or avoid in-person rehab sessions. Also, in response to COVID-19, many health systems have shifted from in-person care to telehealth. Telehealth provides care to patients remotely using phone, video, or other devices that can help manage care.

With this enhancement, the research team wants to learn whether a telehealth rehab program can have a similar effect as when the program is offered in person. Both programs consist of yoga, Pilates, and other exercises for patients with MS. The telehealth program occurs in real time via videoconference. The in-person program takes place at a clinic.

Enhancement Award Amount: $499,871

This research project is in progress. PCORI will post the research findings on this page within 90 days after the results are final.

What is the research about?

About 400,000 Americans have MS, a condition that affects the central nervous system and can cause fatigue, numbness, and vision, bladder, and mobility problems. Exercise can help manage some of these symptoms. However, exercise programs are not available to many patients, particularly in rural areas. Offering exercise support over the Internet or telephone may help provide exercise services to people in rural areas. This study looks at how much benefit patients get from an exercise rehabilitation program delivered over the Internet or telephone, as compared to the same exercise program in a clinic.

Who can this research help?

Findings from this study can help healthcare staff decide how to provide exercise and rehabilitation services to patients with MS. This research can also help patients with MS who are deciding about exercise programs.

What is the research team doing?

Researchers are working with 820 patients with MS who get health care from 38 clinics across Alabama, Mississippi and Tennessee. At half of these clinics, patients receive exercise and rehabilitation services in person. Patients at the other half of the clinics get a tablet computer that contains exercise and rehabilitation videos with instructions for use at home. These patients also get regular calls at home from the program to provide encouragement and to find out whether they have had any problems completing the exercise program.

The exercise programs last 12 weeks. Researchers follow up with patients 3, 6, and 12 months after the exercise program ends to compare how the clinic-based and home-based exercise rehabilitation programs affect:

  • Quality of life
  • Physical activity
  • Pain
  • Fatigue
  • Balance
  • Endurance
  • Gait
  • Strength

Researchers are also measuring whether the home-based and clinic-based exercise programs work differently for patients of different ages and levels of disability.

Doctors, caregivers, and a group of patients who have MS provide advice on what the study should measure (such as patient pain and fatigue), what equipment patients with MS need in order to do the exercises, and how to motivate patients to exercise.

Research methods at a glance

Design Element Description
Study Design Randomized controlled trial
Population Adults age 18 to 70 with MS
Interventions/
Comparators
  • Home-based exercise rehabilitation program 
  • Clinic-based exercise rehabilitation program
Outcomes

Primary: quality of life

Secondary: physical activity, pain, fatigue, balance, endurance, gait, strength

Timeframe 12-month follow-up for primary outcome

Journal Articles

Related Articles

JMIR Research Protocols

COVID-19 Modifications for Remote Teleassessment and Teletraining of a Complementary Alternative Medicine Intervention for People With Multiple Sclerosis: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

Healthcare

Comparing the Convergent and Concurrent Validity of the Dynamic Gait Index with the Berg Balance Scale in People with Multiple Sclerosis

Contemporary Clinical Trials

Rationale and design of the tele-exercise and multiple sclerosis (TEAMS) study: A comparative effectiveness trial between a clinic- and home-based telerehabilitation intervention for adults with multiple sclerosis (MS) living in the deep south

JMIR mHealth and uHealth

TEAMS (Tele-Exercise and Multiple Sclerosis), a Tailored Telerehabilitation mHealth App: Participant-Centered Development and Usability Study

More on this Project  

Videos

A Telehealth-Based Exercise Option for Patients with Multiple Sclerosis
James Rimmer, PhD speaks about his PCORI-funded study, which is testing the effectiveness of a home-based exercise plan for patients with multiple sclerosis who are unable to exercise in the community against a traditional, clinic-based exercise plan.

Project Details

Principal Investigator
James Rimmer, PhD, MA
Project Status
In progress; Enrollment complete
Project Title
Comparative Effectiveness Trial between a Clinic- and Home-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine Telerehabilitation Intervention for Adults with Multiple Sclerosis (MS)
Board Approval Date
July 2016
Project End Date
January 2023
Organization
University of Alabama at Birmingham
Year Awarded
2016
State
Alabama
Project Type
Research Project
Health Conditions  
Neurological Disorders
Multiple Sclerosis
Intervention Strategies
Behavioral Interventions
Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Other Clinical Interventions
Telemedicine
Other Health Services Interventions
Technology Interventions
Training and Education Interventions
Funding Announcement
COVID-19-Related Project Enhancement
Treatment of Multiple Sclerosis
Project Budget
$6,435,532
Study Registration Information
HSRP20164136
NCT03117881

Partners

Patient/Caregiver Partners

  • No information provided by awardee.

Other Stakeholder Partners

  • No information provided by awardee.
Page Last Updated: 
December 8, 2020

Research & Results

  • Explore Our Portfolio
  • Research Fundamentals
  • Research Results Highlights
  • Putting Evidence to Work
  • Peer Review
  • Evidence Synthesis
  • About Our Research

About Us

  • Our Programs
  • Governance
  • Financials and Reports
  • Procurement Opportunities
  • Our Staff
  • Our Vision & Mission
  • Contact Us

Research & Results

  • Explore Our Portfolio
  • Research Fundamentals
  • Research Results Highlights
  • Putting Evidence to Work
  • Peer Review
  • Evidence Synthesis
  • About Our Research

Engagement

  • The Value of Engagement
  • Engagement in Health Research Literature Explorer
  • Influencing the Culture of Research
  • Engagement Awards
  • Engagement Resources
  • Engage with Us

Funding Opportunities

  • What & Who We Fund
  • What You Need to Know to Apply
  • Applicant Training
  • Merit Review
  • Awardee Resources
  • Help Center

Meetings & Events

February 2
PCORI 2021 and Beyond: Opportunities for Funding and Involvement in Patient-Centered Research
February 9
Board of Governors Meeting: February 9, 2021
February 11
Advisory Panel on Patient Engagement Winter 2021 Meeting

PCORI

Footer contact address

Patient-Centered Outcomes
Research Institute

1828 L Street, NW, Suite 900
Washington, DC 20036
Phone: (202) 827-7700 | Fax: (202) 355-9558
[email protected]

Subscribe to Newsletter

Twitter Facebook LinkedIn Vimeo

© 2011-2021 Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute. All Rights Reserved.

Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Trademark Usage Guidelines | Credits | Help Center