A high-dose mobility booster program versus usual care for people after stroke: protocol for a pilot randomized trial

BackgroundMaintaining mobility in the long term after stroke can be challenging. Furthermore, access to ongoing physiotherapy or exercise programs is limited. There is a need to investigate new models of service delivery to improve mobility in the longer term after stroke. A mobility booster program may be a solution, facilitating short-term access to physiotherapy on an as-needed basis. The aim of this project is to determine the feasibility of conducting a clinical trial of a short-term, high-dose mobility booster program (HiWalk) and measure clinical outcomes in order to estimate the power for a future efficacy trial.MethodA multi-site, assessor-blinded pilot randomized trial will be undertaken to compare HiWalk in addition to usual care with usual care alone in 50 participants. Feasibility outcomes include recruitment, adherence, and safety. Clinical outcomes include walking speed, capacity and self-efficacy at 1-month and 6-months.DiscussionA mobility booster program may be a successful way to deliver mobility training in the longer term after stroke. This pilot trial will progress the investigation of this model and assist in planning a future definitive trial. Most importantly, it will confirm the feasibility of delivering a novel high-dose, short-term booster program.Trial registrationANZCTR (ACTRN: ACTRN12623000316606p).