Two programs developed by Janice Eng can improve mobility in people with Stroke and have been adopted for use by clinics around the world.
Dr. Eng is not only internationally recognized for developing novel treatments to assist people with disabilities; she has been instrumental in translating this knowledge to clinicians and patients worldwide. Dr. Eng has taken steps to ensure that her research goes on to yield immediate beneficial outcomes for society by working within community settings with both clinicians and policy makers. For example, her evidence-based Fitness and Mobility Exercise (FAME) program has now been rolled out across Canada. The protocol has also been implemented in over 75 sites, including BC, Ontario, Australia, Iceland, Hong Kong, Taipei and Chicago. The program has been used with a variety of populations, i.e., thousands of people with stroke, Parkinson disease, and chronic conditions have benefited from the positive health effects of this program.
As another example of her knowledge translation, Dr. Eng is the innovator and leader of the Spinal Cord Injury Rehabilitation Evidence (SCIRE) project. The SCIRE project is a synthesis of evidence designed to enable the best treatment for clients with SCI (www.scireproject.com). Not only has it resulted in over 27 peer-reviewed publications to date, it is a credible guide summarizing and evaluating the literature in all areas of SCI rehabilitation. The 27 chapters of this 1000 plus page document have received over half a million download requests from around the world — from clinicians and consumers with SCI and their families. SCIRE has created a highly accessible source of quality information for health professionals, clients and their families, and advocacy groups. In the last year she has taken this project a large step forward to ensure that this large compilation of best evidence leads to improvements in physical function following a SCI and reduces the severity of complications associated with SCI. In the spring of 2008, SCIRE was utilized by the Federally-based Spinal Cord Injury Solutions Network to identify strategic directions to best improve care with people with SCI. Thus, through Dr. Eng’s efforts, SCIRE has extended beyond informing decision-making in clinical rehabilitation practice to ensuring that the best practices are translated to improve the lives of Canadians with SCI.
Over the last year, Dr. Eng has continued to be a productive scientist with innovative solutions to improving disability in people with chronic health conditions. She just completed a multi-site randomized controlled trial where she created an innovative self-directed homework-based program (GRASP) to improve arm function in people with stroke. Over 70% of individuals who have a stroke experience arm deficits that impact daily activities. The program not only improved the client’s ability to use their stroke-affected arm in the hospital and home setting, but it also reduced depressive symptoms. The results were published in the high impact journal of Stroke (June 2009 issue). Dr. Eng has already had over 200 requests for the GRASP program (including US, Italy, UK, China, Canada). In BC, all the major stroke rehabilitation units are now using the GRASP program as part of regular practice to reduce the disability of their clients. The program is a cost-effective delivery model to improve arm function, and it also empowers the client to be actively engaged with the therapy process. Dr. Eng will be disseminating the details and results of the GRASP program on her website over the next year to ensure that it can be utilized around the world by people with stroke. Given the tremendous success of this project, she has received funding by the Heart and Stroke Foundation to develop a similar protocol for the lower extremities to improve walking in people with stroke.