Barriers to use of FES for footdrop
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A mixed methods study investigating barriers people experience while using Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) to address footdrop of upper motor neuron origin: FES user’s perspectives.
IRAS ID
367322
Contact name
Rebecca Marshall
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier
N/A, N/A
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 9 months, 17 days
Research summary
Foot drop is the difficulty lifting the foot when taking a step, leading to an increased risk of tripping and falling and long-term detrimental consequences. Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) provides a means of addressing foot drop in people with upper motor neuron disorders, such as stroke or multiple sclerosis (MS). A small electrical current is used to stimulate the nerves and muscles which lift the foot, thereby improving ground clearance and reducing the risk of tripping and falling. FES can be used by people within the home and community setting, to manage footdrop. However, specialist FES clinicians who support FES users, have observed that people experience barriers to using the equipment, and this impacts upon how much they use and benefit from it. It is important to understand what these barriers are, who they affect, and how much they impact on FES use. This understanding will help in providing the most effective support for people using FES. This study will involve a review of clinical notes and a scoping literature review to identify commonly reported barriers to using FES. The findings will help inform the development of a questionnaire to investigate current FES user’s perspectives on barriers to using FES. Focus groups and interviews will be held to develop a deeper understanding of these barriers. The study will aim to include a diversity of participants to ensure results represent the whole population of FES users. Results will be analysed to establish the relative impact barriers have on FES use, any associations between barriers, and whether barriers have different impacts across different demographic groups. The findings will contribute to providing the most effective support for all FES users.
REC name
East of England - Cambridge Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
26/EE/0035
Date of REC Opinion
12 Feb 2026
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion