Online Fatigue Intervention Program for People With Scleroderma

If eligible and give consent, participants will be asked to complete 2 online questionnaires. The first questionnaire asks basic information such as your age, gender, educational level, and amount of time diagnosed with systemic sclerosis. The second questionnaire asks about your disease symptoms.

You will also be asked to complete questionnaires about your fatigue, pain, mood, confidence in managing your disease and performing daily tasks, and knowledge and use of energy saving techniques.

Once you compete the questionnaires, you will be asked to compete a survey about times and days you would be available to attend the online videoconference fatigue program meeting over a 6 week period of time.

Once the time and dates for the fatigue program are scheduled, you will be expected to attend and take part (using visual and audio) in each 1 ½ hour meeting for 6 weeks online.

The fatigue program includes information on causes of fatigue, ways to protect joint and save energy, ways to manage stress, pain, good eating habits, and exercise. Outside of meetings, you will also be expected to do any "homework" assignments in between the group meetings such as setting goals and doing activities to reach your goals.

At the end of the 6 weeks, you will be asked to complete the same questionnaires you did at the beginning of the study regarding, fatigue, pain, and ability to perform daily tasks. You will also be asked to complete an evaluation of the course.

3 months later, you will be asked to take part in a 45 minute telephone interview to talk about your fatigue and how you are using the ideas from the program.

Inclusion criteria

• Resident of the United States
• Diagnosis of systemic scleroderma
• 18 years of age or older
• Have use of a device with internet and email access, and video conferencing capabilities (both audio and visual)
• Communicate in English
• Have fatigue (combined score of >12 on 3 questions that rate degree of fatigue, severity of fatigue, and level of stress caused by fatigue on a scale from 1 - 10)
• Be willing and available to complete the study protocol which consists of attending a 1.5 hour virtual meeting once a week for 6 weeks.

Exclusion criteria

• Pregnancy
• Not having use of a device with internet, email access, and video conferencing capabilities (both audio and visual)
• Not able to communicate in English
• Score < 12 on the fatigue screening questions
• Not willing or not able to complete the study protocol or participate in the program at the designated times and days.