ArticlePilot and feasibility studies2018
Multimorbidity rehabilitation versus disease-specific rehabilitation in people with chronic diseases: a pilot randomized controlled trial.
Article in Pilot and feasibility studies, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 26 citations in OpenAlex.
- How to Best Develop and Deliver Generic Long-Term Condition Rehabilitation Programmes in Rural Settings: An Integrative Review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2022Pooled it
- A systematic review of rehabilitation in chronic heart failure: evaluating the reporting of exercise interventions.ESC heart failure · 2021Pooled it
- Tailored or adapted interventions for adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and at least one other long-term condition: a mixed methods review.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2021Pooled it
- Bridging gaps in the care of people under the age of 60 with complex impairments through cross-indication home-based rehabilitation: a cross-sectional survey with experts in Germany.BMC health services research · 2026Article
- Physical activity and lifestyle management after joint replacement surgery (PALMS): A feasibility study.Osteoarthritis and cartilage open · 2026Article
- Exercise-based Rehabilitation in Cardio-renal-pulmonary Multimorbidity: Shared Pathophysiology, Functional Phenotypes, and Clinical Implications.Physical therapy research · 2026Review
- Article
- Understanding hospital activity and outcomes for people with multimorbidity using electronic health records.Scientific reports · 2025Article
- Mapping interventional components and behavior change techniques used to promote self-management in people with multimorbidity: a scoping review.Health psychology review · 2024Article
- Rehabilitation delivery models to foster healthy ageing-a scoping review.Frontiers in rehabilitation sciences · 2024Article
- Personalised exercise therapy and self-management support for people with multimorbidity: feasibility of the MOBILIZE intervention.Pilot and feasibility studies · 2023Article
- Cardiac rehabilitation for older adults: current evidence and future potential.Expert review of cardiovascular therapy · 2022Article
- Article
- Multimorbidity: Making the Case for an End to Disease-Specific Rehabilitation.Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada · 2020Article
- Protocol for the development and validation of a Core Set for exercise-based rehabilitation of adults with multiple long-term conditions (multimorbidity) based on the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health (ICF) framework.Journal of multimorbidity and comorbidityArticle
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
12 authors at 5 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMultimorbidity (the co-existence of two or more chronic conditions in an individual) is a growing healthcare burden internationally; however, healthcare and disease management, including rehabilitation, is often delivered in single-disease siloes. The aims of this study were to (1) evaluate the safety and feasibility of multimorbidity rehabilitation compared to a disease-specific rehabilitation program in people with multimorbidity and (2) gather preliminary data regarding clinical outcomes and resource utilization to inform the design of future trials.
methodsA pilot feasibility randomized controlled trial with concealed allocation, assessor blinding, and intention-to-treat analysis. Seventeen individuals with a chronic disease eligible for disease-specific rehabilitation (pulmonary, cardiac, heart failure rehabilitation) and at least one other chronic condition were recruited. The intervention group attended multimorbidity exercise rehabilitation and the control group attended disease-specific exercise rehabilitation. Participants attended twice-weekly exercise training and weekly education for 8 weeks. Feasibility measures included numbers screened, recruited, and completed. Other outcome measures were change in functional exercise capacity (6-minute walk test (6MWT)), health-related quality of life (HRQoL), activities of daily living (ADL), and resource utilization.
resultsSixty-one people were screened to recruit seventeen participants (nine intervention, eight control); one withdrew prior to rehabilitation. Participants were mostly male (63%) with a mean (SD) age of 69 (9) years and body mass index of 29 (6). The intervention group attended a mean (SD) of 12 (6) sessions, and the control group attended 11 (4) sessions. One participant (6%) withdrew after commencing; two (12%) were lost to follow-up. The intervention group 6MWT distance increased by mean (SD) of 22 (45) meters (95% confidence interval - 16 to 60) compared to 22 (57) meters (95% confidence interval - 69 to 114) (control).
conclusionsIt was feasible to recruit people with multimorbidity to a randomized controlled trial of rehabilitation. A large RCT with the power to make significant conclusions about the impact on the primary and secondary outcomes is now required.
trial registrationThe trial was registered with the Australian and New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry available at http://www.anzctr.org.au ACTRN12614001186640. Registered 12/11/2014.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.