Table 1.
Explicit exclusion criteria in MS rehabilitation trials since January 2002, by intervention focus.
| Exclusion criteria reported | All intervention types combined (N = 243) | Exercise a (n = 132) | Self-management b (n = 46) | Cognitive (re) training c (n = 36) | Neuro-rehabilitation d (n = 21) | Mixed (n = 8) | Fisher’s exact test | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | Count | % | p-value | |
| Other physical health conditions | 184 | 75.7% | 105 | 79.5% | 25 | 54.3% | 30 | 83.3% | 18 | 85.7% | 6 | 75.0% | 0.005 |
| Disability level | 179 | 73.7% | 116 | 87.9% | 25 | 54.3% | 14 | 38.9% | 16 | 76.2% | 8 | 100.0% | < 0.001 |
| Age | 148 | 60.9% | 77 | 58.3% | 32 | 69.6% | 27 | 75.0% | 8 | 38.1% | 4 | 50.0% | 0.042 |
| Cognitive impairment | 100 | 41.2% | 47 | 35.6% | 18 | 39.1% | 21 | 58.3% | 9 | 42.9% | 5 | 62.5% | 0.104 |
| Mental health conditions | 97 | 39.9% | 34 | 25.8% | 26 | 56.5% | 30 | 83.3% | 4 | 19.0% | 3 | 37.5% | < 0.001 |
| Other reasons (e.g. BMI, medications, activity level, other interventions received) | 76 | 31.3% | 43 | 32.6% | 12 | 26.1% | 11 | 30.6% | 8 | 38.1% | 2 | 25.0% | 0.873 |
| Language, literacy, or educational level | 54 | 22.2% | 13 | 9.8% | 16 | 34.8% | 21 | 58.3% | 2 | 9.5% | 2 | 25.0% | <0.001 |
| Lack of access to technology (e.g. cell phone, Internet, computer) | 16 | 6.6% | 3 | 2.3% | 9 | 19.6% | 2 | 5.6% | 2 | 9.5% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.003 |
| Distance/geography | 11 | 4.5% | 6 | 4.5% | 4 | 8.7% | 1 | 2.8% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0.638 |
| Exclusion criteria not reported | 2 | 0.8% | 2 | 1.5% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% | 1.000 |
MS: multiple sclerosis; BMI: body mass index.
a
Includes general exercise, gait, balance, yoga, and stretching.
b
Includes behavior change and patient education.
c
Includes compensatory or remedial training.
d
Includes transcranial stimulation, functional electrical stimulation, sensory modalities, and task-specific training.