Evidence Library

Abstract:

Aim: To carry out a pilot study of therapeutic massage for people with Parkinson's disease, particularly looking at outcome measures.

Methods: Observation and interviews with service users receiving massage therapy.

Findings/recommendations: The participants in this study discussed their experience of being in the study and also analysed the results in order to make recommendations for the design of any future clinical trial. They commented on a number of aspects of the research design including:

• how to describe the treatment
• the design of the quality of life questionnaires - difficulties in completing them and relevance of the outcomes being measured
• the importance of the timing of the massage - since symptoms vary during the day and depend on medication
• how to administer questionnaires to people with disabilities.

The researchers commented that the users had highlighted important issues in the study design that otherwise would have been ignored.

External link: The following links will take you to information on this entry on an external website. INVOLVE is not responsible for the content or the reliability of the external websites. Link to PubMed abstract

Related entry: none currently available

Categories: health
Designing research
impact on research
impact of public involvement
journal article

Date Entered: 2007/02/27

Date Edited: 2012/11/20