Clinical trials

This is a single-blinded, multicentre, prospective randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing post-operative and patient-reported outcomes for patients undergoing application of negative-pressure wound therapy (NPWT) after sinus tract excision as compared to excision and standard open wound care in chronic pilonidal sinus disease (PSD).

ON TRACH is an international, multicentre, observational study with the aim of characterising the timing and practice of tracheostomy insertion, management, weaning and longer-term outcomes of these patients, in intensive care units internationally. Participating intensive care units (ICU) will recruit all consecutive patients undergoing tracheostomy insertion over a 12 week period, aiming for broad global representation. This will allow identification of variation in care of patients with a tracheostomy in the intensive care and it's origin, to drive improvement and enhance safety and outcomes for patients with a tracheostomy in the future.

The ACHILLS Trial is a multicentre randomised controlled feasibility study comparing partial calcanectomy with and without the use of an antibiotic-impregnated bone graft substitute (Cerament G) for treating calcaneal osteomyelitis, specifically on wound healing rates, re-infection, and overall efficacy in a sample of 30 patients over a one-year period.

Post-operative wound issues in abdominal surgery have a significant impact on patient outcomes. This study is taking place to investigate if Negative Pressure Wound Therapy (NPWT) dressings reduces Surgical Site Infections, post surgical complications and improves scar appearance compared to standard dressings.

FitSkills is an evidence based community based gym programme developed in Australia. It was developed in response to the barriers people with disability experience to accessing community-based physical activity. Within FitSkills, people with disability are paired with university students who act as a peer mentor. Pairs exercise together at a community gym location twice a week for 12 weeks. FitSkills has been shown to improve physical and social health among people with disabilities. FitSkills has not been delivered outside of Australia. The investigators are assessing how practical it is to deliver FitSkills in Ireland with the support of healthcare and physical activity professionals. The investigators want to understand the demand for this programme among young people with childhood-onset physical disability aged 13-24 years. In addition, the investigators want to learn if taking part in FitSkills influences exercise confidence and mental health and well-being among young people with childhood-onset physical disability.

All patients undergoing mastectomy for breast cancer should be offered the option of reconstructive surgery. The Deep Inferior Epigastric Perforator Flap or DIEP reconstruction as it is commonly referred to, is becoming the favoured reconstruction by both patients and surgeons as it gives a great cosmetic outcome as well as being a good option for patients who may have to undergo radiotherapy treatment after their surgery. Exercise has been demonstrated in previous research to improve tolerance of treatment (particularly chemotherapy), post operative fatigue and the overall quality of life in patients undergoing cancer treatment. Furthermore, it has shown to improve survival in patients who are being treated for breast cancer. The investigators are undertaking this study to investigate whether a structured exercise programme will improve patients fitness after surgery and ultimately improve their recovery after their reconstructive surgery. To do this, half of the people taking part will be undertaking a structured exercise programme and the other half will not and will be assessing which group recover better after their surgery. Currently, no breast reconstruction patients in Ireland are receiving a formal "exercise prescription" after their surgery so will be looking to see if this helps people recover better before it is made standard care for every breast patient in Ireland.

Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women around the world. That means a lot of women are affected by it every year, and it's important that we always look for ways to improve their care, not just during treatment, but afterwards too. After treatment for early-stage breast cancer, patients usually come back to the hospital for regular check-ups for up to five years. These visits are based on old guidelines, and even though breast cancer treatment has improved a lot over the years, the follow-up schedule has stayed the same. This study is being done to see if we can safely reduce the number of hospital visits after treatment, while still keeping patients healthy and well looked after. Right now, patients are asked to attend follow-up appointments at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48 and 60 months (that's every 6 to 12 months for five years). These clinic visits often involve long waits and can cause stress or anxiety. At the same time, patients are also invited for a mammogram once a year. Recent research shows that most recurrences of breast cancer are found by patients themselves or during their annual mammograms, not necessarily at these clinic visits. That's why we're looking at whether we can safely reduce the number of hospital appointments, without affecting patient safety. In this study, some patients will continue with the usual five-year clinic schedule. Others will only attend hospital clinics for the first two years (at 6, 12, 18 and 24 months), and after that, they will no longer need to come in for the extra follow-up visits, but they will still have their annual mammograms as normal. Within this study all participants will complete a short questionnaire once a year. This will help us understand how the different follow-up plans affect quality of life, and how patients feel about their care. This research study is taking place to find out if fewer hospital check-ups, combined with continued mammogram screening, is just as safe and possibly better for patients' wellbeing.

Chyle leak (chylothorax) is a recognised complication following minimally invasive oesophagectomy for oesophageal cancer and may result in prolonged hospital stay, nutritional compromise, and need for additional interventions. Medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) feeds reduce lymphatic flow as they are absorbed directly via the portal circulation rather than through the thoracic duct. While MCT feeds are commonly used in the management of established chyle leaks, their role in prevention has not been evaluated in a randomised controlled trial. This single-centre randomised controlled trial will evaluate whether initiating postoperative jejunostomy feeding with MCT-based enteral nutrition reduces the incidence of clinically and biochemically confirmed chyle leak compared with standard enteral feeding in patients undergoing minimally invasive or robotic-assisted oesophagectomy. Participants will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to receive either MCT-based feeds or standard jejunostomy feeds starting on postoperative day 1. The primary outcome is the incidence of chylothorax. Secondary outcomes include chest drain output, re-intervention rates, and length of hospital stay.

Asthma is a common medical condition in Ireland. Adult patients tend to have periods when their asthma is stable and periods when it worsens. In order to reduce these periods of worsening asthma, effective ongoing management is required day to day by adults with asthma. Teaching adults how to manage their asthma effectively, plays a huge role in improving their asthma and having a better overall quality of life. This education on managing asthma has many different parts to it. Most adults will discover they have asthma through their general practitioner (GP) and it will be continued to be checked and managed through their GP or general practice nurse (GPN) in their primary care clinic for the duration of their lives. This research study is taking place to find out if a new education programme, will help adults manage their asthma better and improve the symptoms of asthma, reducing its overall impact on day-to-day life. This study is also looking at how easy it is to introduce and for nurses to deliver this study within a GP/ primary care centre. This study is to find out if this education programme works in a real life setting and if it can lead to better control of asthma for adults.

Patients who were diagnosed with breast cancer and have finished their treatment will be given the opportunity to be part of this study. These patients will have been attending surveillance at the Breast Centre in Beaumont Hospital, Ireland for 2 years prior. These patients, who are doing well after breast cancer treatment, will be given the opportunity to enrol in this study, potentially being discharged from in person surveillance after 2 years, while still attending for their annual mammogram. Investigators intend to find out if a simpler follow-up plan could work just as safely, while also improving the patients quality of life.

The goal of this clinical trial is to learn if a new therapy approach to improve walking ability in children with Cerebral Palsy is acceptable to the children and the families in a community setting. The main questions we look to answer are: 1. Do the children/teens tolerate the therapy and feel that it is helpful? 2. Do the parents/ families feel the therapy helps and is easy to commit to? 3. Do the children/teens complete all their therapy sessions and assessments as planned? The participants will trial the therapy for 30 hours over 6 weeks and will perform assessments before and after to see if they meet their goals. They will also be interviewed to see how they felt about the therapy when they finish.

Breast-conserving surgery is commonly performed to remove early-stage breast cancer or ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). During surgery, the goal is to completely remove the tumour with a clear margin of normal tissue around it. If cancer cells are found at the edge of the removed tissue (a "positive margin"), patients may need a second operation (re-excision). Re-excision can delay further treatment, increase patient anxiety, and increase healthcare costs. To help assess margins during surgery, surgeons use specimen imaging. Standard practice involves two-dimensional (2D) specimen mammography, usually performed in the radiology department. This requires temporary transfer of the specimen out of the operating theatre and provides limited depth information. The MOZART study is evaluating whether three-dimensional (3D) digital breast tomosynthesis, performed in the operating theatre using the Mozart system, improves margin assessment compared to standard 2D specimen mammography. Patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery at Beaumont Hospital who agree to participate will be randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) to one of two groups: Standard 2D specimen mammography (current standard practice), or 3D digital breast tomosynthesis performed in theatre. In both groups, the operating surgeon will review the images during surgery and decide whether additional tissue needs to be removed. The final margin status will be determined by routine laboratory analysis after surgery. The main goal of this study is to compare the rate of positive margins between the two imaging methods. Other outcomes include the need for additional surgery, operating time, and overall workflow efficiency. The results of this study may help determine whether intraoperative 3D imaging improves surgical outcomes and reduces the need for re-excision in patients undergoing breast-conserving surgery.

SURVEY-CNS is a feasibility study evaluating whether women and men with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer can be successfully recruited and randomised to a strategy of central nervous system (CNS) magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) surveillance versus standard of care (no routine CNS surveillance). Patients with HER2-positive metastatic breast cancer have a high risk of developing brain metastases. Brain metastases can cause significant symptoms, including headache, nausea, seizures, visual disturbance, motor dysfunction, and cognitive or psychological changes. Although new HER2-directed therapies have improved systemic disease control, CNS progression remains common and is associated with reduced quality of life and survival. Currently, routine brain imaging is not recommended in asymptomatic patients. Brain imaging is typically performed only when neurological symptoms develop. Observational data suggest that patients diagnosed with asymptomatic brain metastases may have better outcomes than those diagnosed after symptoms occur. However, it is not known whether a surveillance strategy is feasible or acceptable to patients. All participants in this study will undergo a baseline contrast-enhanced brain MRI. Patients without evidence of CNS metastases on the baseline scan will be randomised (1:1) to either: CNS surveillance with repeat brain MRI at 6 and 12 months, or No routine surveillance imaging (standard of care), with imaging only if clinically indicated. The primary objective is to determine whether more than 30% of eligible patients approached agree to undergo screening and randomisation. The study will approach up to 193 patients and will be considered feasible if 69 patients consent to screening with intent to randomise. Secondary objectives include: Determining the proportion of patients with previously undetected (occult) CNS metastases at baseline; Determining the incidence of occult CNS metastases during surveillance; Recording symptomatic CNS presentations; Describing management of CNS metastases, including surgery or radiotherapy. Participants will be followed for 14 months from baseline.

The PRIMROSE CSF Study aims to study cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) in patients with breast cancer that has spread to the brain (brain metastasis) or the lining surrounding the brain (leptomeningeal disease). Research into breast cancer that has spread to the brain or the lining of the brain is limited due to difficulty in obtaining brain tissue containing cancer cells. Such tissue is typically only available when tumours are removed, which does not occur in all patients. Evidence indicates an increasing number of patients with breast cancer are developing disease that spreads to the brain or the lining of the brain as treatments improve. The PRIMROSE CSF Study aims to improve understanding of breast cancers that spread to the brain or brain lining by collecting and analysing the fluid that circulates around the brain and comparing these samples with other cancer and blood samples. Cancer cells that have spread to the brain or its lining shed genetic material into the surrounding fluid. Collection of this fluid enables purification of genetic material released by breast cancer cells. This approach allows examination of the genetic profile of breast cancer cells affecting the brain or its lining without the need for surgery. Differences between the original cancer and metastatic disease in the brain can then be analysed. This research will support improved understanding of why certain breast cancers spread to the brain and contribute to the development of new treatments for breast cancer that has spread to the brain or the lining of the brain.

This prospective, single-centre, parallel-group randomised controlled trial evaluates the optimal sequencing of mammography views in women with a history of breast cancer undergoing surveillance mammography. Women treated with breast-conserving surgery within the previous five years will be randomised 1:1:1:1 to one of four mammography view sequencing groups. The primary objective is to compare patient-reported pain and satisfaction across sequencing groups. Secondary objectives include comparison of image quality (PGMI scoring), compression force, and breast thickness. A total of 400 participants will be enrolled at Beaumont Hospital Breast Care Centre over 2.5 years.

Urinary incontinence is a common complication following radical prostatectomy and can significantly impact quality of life. Pelvic floor physiotherapy is recommended to reduce post-operative incontinence; however, referral pathways and patient engagement vary. The PRO-ACT trial is a single-centre, parallel-group randomised controlled trial evaluating whether a structured pre-operative education bundle combined with direct physiotherapy referral reduces urinary incontinence following radical prostatectomy compared to standard care. Eligible men undergoing radical prostatectomy at Beaumont Hospital will be randomised 1:1 to either: Standard of care (educational video and recommendation for physiotherapy with patient-initiated referral), or A structured pre-operative intervention including a one-to-one ANP-led education session, scheduled post-operative follow-up call, and direct referral to supervised pelvic floor physiotherapy. The primary outcome is mean urinary pad usage per 24 hours at 3 months post-operatively. Secondary outcomes include time to continence, quality of life, physiotherapy adherence, and postoperative complication rates.

People diagnosed with primary brain tumours often experience significant symptoms such as fatigue, cognitive changes, anxiety, and reduced ability to carry out everyday activities. These symptoms may be related to the tumour itself or to ongoing systemic anti-cancer treatment. In Ireland, access to structured rehabilitation and symptom management programmes for this population is limited. The OT SMILE study is evaluating whether a structured occupational therapy-led group programme can improve quality of life and daily functioning in adults with primary brain tumours receiving active treatment. Participants attending Beaumont Hospital who meet eligibility criteria and provide informed consent will be randomly assigned (like flipping a coin) to one of two groups: A six-week occupational therapy group programme (OT SMILE), or Usual care, consisting of written lifestyle management information. The OT SMILE programme consists of six weekly 90-minute group sessions delivered by occupational therapists. Sessions focus on fatigue management, activity modification, cognitive strategies, relaxation techniques, goal setting, exercise, nutrition, and peer support. Participants in both groups will complete questionnaires before the programme begins and again after six weeks. These questionnaires measure quality of life, fatigue, and daily functioning. The main goal of the study is to determine whether the occupational therapy group programme improves health-related quality of life compared to usual care. The results may help inform supportive care services for people living with primary brain tumours.

Para-conduit hernia is a recognised complication following minimally invasive and robotic oesophagectomy. It may present as an incidental radiological finding or as a symptomatic hernia requiring urgent surgical intervention. There is currently no standardised approach to hiatal management during robotic oesophagectomy. The PHARO trial is a single-centre, randomised controlled pilot study evaluating whether routine hiatal closure with omentopexy and thoracic fixation of the left crus reduces the incidence of para-conduit hernia compared to the standard approach of no closure or partial closure. Eligible patients undergoing robotic oesophagectomy for non-metastatic oesophageal cancer at Beaumont Hospital will be randomised in a 1:1 ratio to: Standard hiatal management (no closure or partial closure), or Hiatal closure with omentopexy and thoracic fixation of the left crus. Participants will undergo routine postoperative clinical and radiological surveillance. The primary outcome is the incidence of para-conduit hernia within one year following surgery. Secondary outcomes include dysphagia scores, patient-reported outcomes, and 30-day postoperative morbidity. This pilot study will enrol 40 participants (20 per group) to inform feasibility and future multi-centre expansion.

Purpose of this study: The purpose of the study is to find out whether using a drug coated balloon in combination with a drug-eluting stent is better than the standard practice of using either device on its own. This study is specifically looking at patients with diabetes who have coronary artery disease. This means that their arteries become restricted or blocked, and these restrictions or blockages are called lesions. The study will look at diabetic patients undergoing treatment for lesions in segments of their coronary arteries that have not previously been treated with stents. These are called 'de novo' lesions. The treatment being investigated: In this study, we are comparing two devices, either used together or on their own to treat coronary artery disease. These devices are commercially available in Europe and carry the mark. This study is being carried out to compare the effectiveness of combining the two devices or using them individually: * Pantera® Lux® Paclitaxel Drug Coated Balloon, abbreviated Pantera® Lux® (DCB) A drug coated balloon is a balloon which is covered by an anti-proliferative drug. * Orsiro® biodegradable polymer Sirolimus Eluting Stent Orsiro® (DES) A stent is a short, wire mesh tube that acts like a scaffold to keep your artery open. A drug eluting stent is coated with medication that reduces the risk of the artery becoming blocked again. Both drug-eluting stents and drug-coated balloons are used routinely for the treatment of 'de novo' coronary artery disease in Europe. How will the study be carried out? This study is being conducted in 4 hospitals across Ireland. We aim to recruit 120 participants s in this study. If you agree to participate in this study and sign the informed consent form, you will be asked to participate in the screening process, which will determine if you meet the conditions to participate in the study. You will be "randomised" into one of the 3 study groups. Randomisation means that you are put into a group by chance (similarly to the roll of a dice). Neither you nor your doctor can choose the group you will be in. You will not know which group you were placed in until the end of the study. However, your doctor will know which study group you were placed in. * 40 patients will be treated with Pantera® Lux® (Drug Coated Balloon) only * 40 patients will be treated with Orsiro® (Drug Eluting Stent) only * 40 patients will be treated with a combination of both Pantera® Lux® (Drug Coated Balloon) and Orsiro® (Drug Eluting Stent). If you agree to participate in the study you will be invited to come back for a check-up angiogram 6 months after your procedure to make sure that the treatment has been a success. This is sometimes done in normal clinical practice, but it is not done routinely. You will not be charged for this additional test.

This study is being performed to investigate whether the administration of local anaesthetic into the muscles in the abdomen or onto squirting the local anaesthetic onto the liver following keyhole gallbladder surgery is more beneficial in reducing pain post-operatively. Keyhole gallbladder surgery is typically performed under general anaesthesia (or while the patient is 'fully asleep'), however doctors use other pain relief types to reduce pain after the operation. One of these options is local anaesthetic, which involves the injection of an medication into or onto the part of the body which has been operated on. The reason for doing this is to reduce the pain felt by the patient in the part if the body where the operation occurred. The best way of using these medications remain unclear. The local anaesthetic being used in the study is fully approved for use in Ireland and the drug itself is not being tested. In other words, the drug is not an experimental drug. Local anaesthetic drugs are given in different ways in patients who have just had the keyhole surgery on their gall bladder (this is the surgery that you are about to have). Therefore, the aim of this study is to compare two ways of giving patients these local anaesthetic medications following key-hole gallbladder surgery. These include (1) injecting the medication into the skin at the surgical wounds and squirting it onto the liver (where the gallbladder has been removed from), or (2) injecting the medication into the skin at the surgical wounds and into the muscles in the abdomen (known formally as a transversus abdominus plane block).

This study aims to test if it is feasible to introduce lung cancer screening in Ireland. People within a certain age group, who smoke or who smoked in the past, are at a greater risk of developing lung cancer. They can also develop chronic lung conditions that can affect their long-term health. In Ireland, about 2,690 people are diagnosed with Lung Cancer every year. Unfortunately, 2 out of every 3 people diagnosed with lung cancer die per year. The goal of this study is to try to screen for lung cancer in people before they have symptoms associated with the disease. We aim to do this by selecting people based on their age, whether they have smoked in the past or currently smoke as well as other relevant factors. People who take part in this study will have an assessment of how their lungs work and a low-dose CT scan. This is called a lung health check. The goal of the low-dose CT scan is to pick up lung cancer before it becomes symptomatic, and at an earlier stage. This scan uses a very low dose of radiation. Unfortunately, without early detection, such as is the goal of this trial, 8 out of 10 people who go on to develop lung cancer will have advanced lung cancer when it is discovered, where outcomes tend to be poor. The earlier detection of lung cancer has a greater potential for treatment. Current international recommendations suggest carrying out these scans in the community rather than in a hospital. Therefore, we aim to deliver these lung health checks using a mobile unit in the community. This study aims to test if we will successfully pick up lung cancer earlier by doing community-based 'lung health check's using mobile units in North Dublin and the North East, among people of a certain age and smoking history.

This research study is taking place to find out if a simple blood test can diagnose inflammation in the stomach. Prolonged inflammation in the stomach can lead to Ulcers and even Cancer in the long run. Currently, a camera test is needed to identify inflammation in the stomach. The method being tested in this study may be able to do this using just a pinprick of blood. If this test proves to be good at diagnosing inflammation in the stomach with just a pinprick of blood, it may be used in the future to decide who actually needs to have a full camera test done or not. This could really improve the waiting lists for these camera tests in the future. It may also mean that we can identify problems at an earlier stage.

Hip fracture is a big health concern in older adults, and can lead to increased risk of death, reduced level of independence \& mobility, reduced quality of life, and higher likelihood of admission to nursing homes. Frailty is a medical condition associated with ageing that results in a reduced ability to do daily tasks. A frail older adult is also less able to recover well from conditions that may affect their wellbeing (for example, infections, falls resulting in injuries or hospital admissions). Frailty is common in older adults with hip fractures. There has been increasing research showing that frailty can be slowed down and improved by a combination of nutritional supplementation and exercise. However, most of the research in this area has been in frail older adults living at home or in nursing homes. The exercise or nutritional programs in these studies tend to be carried out over weeks or months. There are very few studies looking at older adults in hospital and how exercise and nutrition help with frailty over shorter periods of time, even more so in patients who have sustained an injury. There is, however, very little research in hospital based frailty programs in older patients who have suffered major trauma. It is well known that standing up and starting to walk soon after a hip fracture improves time to recovery, reduces hospital length of stay and death. Hence, physiotherapy on the first day after hip fracture surgery is now recommended. However, there needs to be more research to aid in developing physiotherapy and exercise programs that are safe and doable in the care of hip fracture patients despite limited resources in our healthcare system. Similarly, although malnutrition is common in frail older adults with hip fractures, the benefits of nutritional supplementation in these patients is not fully understood. It is known that having a hip fracture puts a person at risk of muscle breakdown and increasing protein intake is recommended to help reduce this risk. Research on exercise and nutrition based frailty programs specific to hip fracture patients is strongly needed, specifically the development of that are doable and safe in the hospital setting that can help improve outcomes in hip fracture patients after surgery. The investigators believe that a multicomponent exercise and nutrition based frailty program will be safe, doable and acceptable in frail older adults after hip fracture surgery.

Oesophagectomy (surgery to remove a cancerous portion of the oesophagus or gullet) is the cornerstone of treating oesophageal cancer. In recent years, minimally invasive techniques, including robotic assisted oesophagectomy have been introduced. These techniques reduce stress on patients, reduce pain, reduce the length of stay in hospital after their operation, without compromising cancer outcomes (and in some cases improving cancer outcomes). Any surgery carries the risk of complications. One complication that may arise with oesophagectomy is an increase in chyle leaks. Chyle is a fluid produced by the body that helps transport nutrients from the bowel to the bloodstream to allow them to be absorbed and processed. One of the channels that transports chyle, the thoracic duct, is divided as part of an oesophagectomy. Although it is clipped to reduce the risk of chyle leak, this may still occur, in up to 25% of operations. If a chyle leak occurs, a drainage tube needs to remain in the chest for a number of days, there may be alterations in the use of feeding techniques, and in a small portion of cases, there may need to be an operation to stop a leak, or a procedure in the radiology department. The goal of this study is to see whether use of a different type of post-operative feed (medium chain triglyceride or MCT feeds) can reduce the rate of chyle leak. This is already used to treat chyle leaks, and the question is whether using this as the routine post-operative feed can reduce rates of chyle leakage.

Best practice guidelines across the world always recommend those living with arthritis to be physically active. Research shows that being active can help people living with arthritis to do the things that they want to do for longer, reduce pain, improve quality of life and protect against getting other health conditions such as heart disease, lung disease and cancer. Whilst various exercise programmes support people with arthritis to be active most individuals reduce their level of PA after completion of a prescribed programme. Staying active in the longer-term is more difficult and there is often a decrease in activity over time. Research has shown that exercise programmes helping people to become active, such as exercise classes, may not always have the right approach and focus during the programme to help people to stay active long-term. It is important to understand if people with arthritis can be supported to maintain their activity levels well in to the future. The investigators have already spoken to people living with arthritis, people involved in arthritis care and those involved in promoting physical activity. The research team brought their feedback and the scientific literature together and shaped a new intervention that suits the needs of people with arthritis and helps them to continue to be physically active. The investiagtors will now ask people living with arthritis to try out the new intervention. Participants will receive up to five coaching sessions that aim to support people with arthritis to maintain their PA after exiting a structured exercise programme. Sessions will be delivered within community venues in a group setting by a trained provider. Sessions will last approximately between 60 and 90 minutes and will be delivered over a period of approximately 4-months. Participants may receive a smartwatch with an inbuilt step counter such as Fitbit and diary to record their daily steps or physical activity minutes. The diary will also be used to record physical activity maintenance goals, complete action plans and self-monitor progress to build new habits. Participants can continue to use their own smartwatch if they have one. The research team are interested to know if the programme has any effect on the amount of activity people do over time as well as looking at factors which can help with the understanding of 'why' or 'why not' a PA intervention may have worked.