Characterisation of Pain in Patients With Musculoskeletal Disease: a Prospective, Longitudinal, Observational Study With an Embedded Feasibility Window of Opportunity Sleep Study
Characterisation of Pain in Patients With Musculoskeletal Disease: a Prospective, Longitudinal, Observational Study With an Embedded Feasibility Window of Opportunity Sleep Study
The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the potential benefits of a digital Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Insomnia (dCBT-I) platform, Sleepio, in individuals suffering from fibromyalgia, a condition commonly associated with cognitive issues and sleep disorders.
The main questions this study aims to answer are:
Participants will be randomly assigned to either use the Sleepio platform or standardised health advice, including sleep hygiene material. Those assigned to Sleepio will undergo a series of six 20-minute sessions over 10 weeks with a virtual therapist focusing on cognitive and behavioural strategies for improving sleep.
Participants' quality of life, cognitive function, sleep quality, and pain levels will be monitored and evaluated using online assessment tools. Additionally, a subset of participants will undergo further testing via sleep actigraphy and/or neuroimaging with MRI scans.
Researchers will compare the two groups to determine if the use of Sleepio has a positive effect on quality of life, cognitive function, and sleep quality.
Fibromyalgia patients commonly experience cognitive issues such as concentration and memory difficulties and sleep disorders. Despite the prevalence of these symptoms, no established treatments currently exist. Traditional in-person Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), which focuses on modifying unhelpful thoughts and behaviours, is both expensive and challenging to deliver on a broad scale. New digital forms of CBT, specifically for insomnia (CBT-I), have shown promise in improving cognitive symptoms and sleep quality, but their effect on fibromyalgia patients is yet to be explored.
The study will investigate the efficacy of 'Sleepio', an established digital CBT-I (dCBT-I) tool. Sleepio has shown effectiveness in treating insomnia and its cognitive symptoms, offering a promising approach to address similar issues in fibromyalgia. Sleepio's approach involves six 20-minute sessions over 10 weeks with a virtual therapist who employs key cognitive and behavioural strategies to enhance sleep quality.
Participants in this study will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to either treatment with Sleepio treatment or standard care with standard sleep hygiene advice. The primary outcome is quality of life measured on the Revised Fibromyalgia Impact Questionnaire (FIQR), 12 weeks following randomisation. Secondary outcomes include subjective cognition (British Columbia Cognitive Complaints Inventory, BC-CCI), objective cognitive function (tests of reaction time, working memory, processing speed), quantitative cognitive avoidance testing (QCAT), sleep quality (actigraphy, insomnia severity index (ISI), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), pain (NRS), fear of movement (Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia) and quantitative movement assessment. Assessments will be carried out using online tools.
Additionally, a subset of participants will undergo sleep actigraphy and/or neuroimaging using MRI scans for a more detailed analysis.
Primary Objectives:
- Assess the impact of Sleepio (dCBT-I) on quality of life (FIQR) in fibromyalgia patients.
Secondary Objectives:
As part of the study, participants will also be invited to join a research database for potential inclusion in future studies conducted by the research group.
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria: