The Managing Fatigue programme - experiences shared by MS participants

Background The Managing Fatigue (MF) programme can help people living with Multiple sclerosis (MS) manage fatigue in their everyday lives. The programme has been proven feasible with Swedish occupational therapists, but there is a lack of knowledge of how MS participants experience the programme, and what they learned from participating in the programme. Aim To describe how Swedish MS participants experience the content and structure of the Swedish MF programme, as well as what they learned from participating in the programme. Material and Methods Qualitative interviews were performed with nine MS participants, and data were analysed according to direct content analysis. Results Participants experienced programme material was relevant, and they valued the structured sessions that utilised different teaching forms. Participants described the group format and the experienced course leader nurtured their learning process. They learned occupational skills to save energy, to re-value daily occupations, and initiated a process of change, but individual support is needed after programme completion. Conclusion and Significance Findings support programme feasibility among MS participants, and show the importance of being able to practice skills to handle fatigue in everyday life. Future studies should consider adding outcome measures focussing on engagement in occupations when evaluating programme effectiveness.

Automated summary

This study conducted qualitative interviews with Swedish MS participants to explore their experiences and learning outcomes from participating in the MF programme. The results showed that participants found the programme content to be relevant and valued the structured sessions using different teaching forms. They learned occupational skills to manage fatigue and initiated a process of change. However, individual support is needed after programme completion.