ENACT-CRPS
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Establishing evidence–based management of Complex Regional Pain Syndrome to improve clinical outcomes throughout the care pathway (ENACT-CRPS)
IRAS ID
304399
Contact name
Alison Llewellyn
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of the West of England
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 15 days
Research summary
Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS) is a severe pain condition which affects a limb, usually following injury or surgery. Symptoms include extreme sensitivity, swelling, altered limb temperature and colour, sweating, and changes in hair and nail growth. CRPS is rare, poorly understood and incurable.
To improve limb movement, people are referred to local therapy services. Early treatment is key to good outcomes but the rarity of CRPS means therapists often know little about CRPS and how best to manage it. A limited number of NHS CRPS specialist centres exist in England, but patients can only access these specialist services if local services have “failed” to improve their symptoms.
We will develop a package of therapies for CRPS that can be offered by therapists in local non-specialist clinics. Providing the right therapies early on will improve care for the majority, and enable those with more complex needs quicker access to specialist centres.
In our study we will:
a) Interview specialist CRPS therapists, patients who have attended specialist CRPS clinics, and therapists from non-specialist settings treating CRPS, to learn what works well, and less well and what therapies are needed locally, and are practical to provide, earlier in the care-pathway.
b) Observe therapies as they happen during in specialist centres so we can describe these in detail.
c) Use this information to compile a package of therapies that can be tailored for treating people with CRPS in non-specialist settings, including an educational materials for therapists.
We will work with patients, therapists, health service commissioners, and experts, to refine this proposed package for future testing.
We have involved patients in all stages of our research and will continue to do so. We will share findings through conferences, patient and public engagement channels, and academic publications.
REC name
London - Brent Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/PR/1763
Date of REC Opinion
17 Jan 2022
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion