Background:

Concussion affects around 25 000 people each year in Denmark. A large research initiative (GAIN 2.0) has been established, and the current study is a part of this initiative.

Aims:

1. To develop and test the efficacy of a novel intervention for people with persistent post-concussional mild-to-moderate symptoms: "Get going After concussion Lite" (GAIN Lite).
2. To increase the knowledge about the target group by investigating the association of physical activity, digital behaviour, and symptom load.

Methods:

A randomized controlled trial, comparing GAIN Lite to enhanced usual care. 100 adults diagnosed with a concussion at hospitals in Central Denmark Region or referred from general practitioners will be recruited. GAIN Lite is a digital intervention, and the primary outcome is the severity of post-concussional symptoms. A prospective cohort study will be performed to investigate the association between physical activity, cognitive processing, and symptom load.

Get going After concussIonN Lite (GAIN Lite): An digital intervention to reduce impairing post-concussional mild-to-moderate symptoms in adults

Background:

Concussion, the mildest form of traumatic brain injury, is an important public health concern, affecting around 25 000 people each year in Denmark. Symptoms are associated with high societal burden due to the long-term impact on labour market attachment and increased health care usage and social welfare benefits. Evidence for effective treatment strategies is scarce, resulting in only weak recommendations for most treatment approaches, as reflected in the recently published National Guidelines for Non-Pharmacological treatment for post-concussion symptoms (PCS). Recently, the effect of a novel intervention "Get going After concussIoN" (GAIN) for people with persistent severe PCS was examined with promising results. Based on GAIN, a large research initiative (GAIN 2.0), has been established, and the present study is a part of this initiative.

Aims

1. To develop and test the efficacy of a digital intervention for people with persistent mild-to-moderate PCS: "Get going After concussion Lite" (GAIN Lite).
2. To increase the knowledge about the target group by investigating the association of physical activity, digital behaviour, and symptom load.

Primary hypothesis:

Participants receiving GAIN Lite will 3 months after end of treatment report statistically and clinically significantly greater reduction of PCS compared to participants receiving enhanced usual care.

Methods:

The present study is a randomized controlled trial (RCT), comparing GAIN Lite to enhanced usual care. GAIN Lite is characterized as a complex intervention as described by the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) guidelines. Accordingly, GAIN Lite will be developed, feasibility-tested and evaluated before implementation into the RCT. Furthermore, the ADAPT process model outlined by Moore et al. will guide the process. During the RCT, a mixed-methods evaluation will be performed to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of GAIN Lite and to identify prerequisites for clinical implementation. Furthermore, a prospective cohort study will be performed to investigate which features of digital behaviour are related to symptom load and physical activity. The project is conducted in the Central Denmark Region and led by Hammel Neurorehabilitation Centre and University Research Clinic. One hundred people between the age of 18-60 diagnosed with a concussion at public hospitals in the Central Denmark Region will be identified from an administrative hospital register. In addition, participants can be referred to the study by general practitioners. Potential participants will approx. 2 months after the concussion receive a standardised and validated battery of questionnaires measuring PCS and daily functioning. Participants considered likely to meet the inclusion criteria will be invited to further screening for eligibility by a physician. Eligible participants will be randomised by a computer algorithm with predefined concealed random numbers to either 1) Enhanced usual care (EUC) or 2) GAIN Lite added to EUC. EUC consists of short information by a health professionel about the typical recovery process, the given reassurance about the prognosis as well as advice on adaptive illness behaviours post-concussion. GAIN Lite is a digital program that contains two major components: 1) self-administrated e-learning videos , and 2) up to four hours video- or phone sessions with an allocated therapist (either an occupational- or a physiotherapist) during a period of 8 weeks. The intervention begins 2-4 months after the onset of the concussion. The primary outcome is PCS measured by Rivermead Postconcussion Questionnaire (RPQ). All participants will complete self-reported measures at baseline, at end of treatment and 3 and 6 months after end of treatment. In a subgroup, an app will monitor digital behaviour on the participants' smartphones for 6 months. During the same period, participants will be frequently asked to rate their PCS. Physical activity will be assessed with thigh-worn accelerometers regarding step counts, sedentary behaviour, and sleep.

Inclusion Criteria:

1. Concussion caused by a head trauma according to the diagnostic criteria recommended by the Danish Consensus Report on Commotio Cerebri (26). The criteria are based on recommendations by the WHO Task Force, but with the amendment, that there must have been a direct contact between the head and an object in order to rule out acceleration - deceleration traumas;
2. Age 18 to 60 years at the time of the trauma;
3. A total score of 10-30 on RPQ within 1 week before enrolment in the study;
4. Able to understand, speak and read Danish;
5. Living in Central Denmark Region;
6. Identified from registers of the emergency departments or referred by GPs to GAIN Lite within 2-4 months after a concussion

Exclusion Criteria:

1. Objective neurological findings and/or acute trauma CT scan indicating neurological disease or brain damage linked to the concussion, if performed;
2. Previous concussion within the last 2 years with ongoing PCS at the time of the present concussion
3. Severe misuse of alcohol, prescription drugs and/or illegal drugs
4. Severe psychiatric co-morbidity (e.g. bipolar disorder, autism, psychotic disorder (life time)) or severe neurological disease (e.g. multiple sclerosis) that impedes participation in the programme.

Both groups will recieve enhanced usual care. The care providers providing the enhanced usual care, will be blinded to group assignment. As the outcome assessor are the participants when the outcome is participant-reported outcomes, none of the outcome assessors are blinded, as it is impossible to blind the participants to group assignment.