Aim: To investigate the feasibility of a text message intervention to support self-management in people with low back pain to inform a future randomised clinical trial (RCT).
Methods: This is a cohort pilot study recruiting community pharmacists and people with low back pain. Participants were identified via community pharmacists and social media posts and screened via telephone by the study team. People with non-specific low back pain who had access to a mobile phone which could receive text messages were included. Eligible participants completed the online consent form and baseline survey. Then they received four evidence-based self-management text messages per week for two weeks and completed the online follow-up survey. An online feedback survey with closed-ended questions was used to assess the acceptability of the study procedures including the text messages. Pharmacists also completed an online feedback survey about the screening and recruitment process of potential participants.
Results: Ten people with low back pain were recruited via community pharmacists (n=1) and social media advertisements (n=9). All participants completed all online surveys and received the text messages as planned. 70% of participants considered the text messages to be informative, motivational and educational and would like to receive them again. The most common barriers reported by pharmacists to identifying patients for the study were lack of time, low number of people seeking care for low back pain and low patient interest in the study.
Conclusions: Recruitment via social media and online consent form and data collection approaches were found to be feasible. There were no issues with the delivery of the text messages, and all were well accepted. The acceptability and effectiveness of the text message intervention is currently being evaluated in a larger RCT.