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Telehealth-delivered person-centered support to increase physical activity through daily occupations in adults with
Svetlana Solgaard Nielsen1, Jeanette Reffstrup Christensen2, Lars Hermann Tang1
1The Research and Implementation Unit PROgrez, Department of Physiotherapy and Occupational Therapy, Næstved-Slagelse-Ringsted Hospitals, Slagelse, Denmark; Department of Regional Health Research, University of Southern Denmark, Odense, Denmark.
Background:
Professional support may help chronic pain populations implement regular physical activity.
Purpose:
To evaluate the feasibility of telehealth-delivered, person-centered support to increase physical activity through daily occupations in adults with chronic pain.
Methods:
In this 12-week one-group mixed methods feasibility study, occupational therapists delivered 1-h video appointments (n = 8) to sedentary adults (n = 30) with chronic pain. This paper reports a) feasibility outcomes evaluated by the green-amber-red method, b) pre-post change in accelerometer-assessed physical activity and self-reported occupational performance and satisfaction, occupational balance, pain spreading, pain intensity, central sensitization, pain self-efficacy, pain catastrophizing, sleep quality, and health-related quality of life, and c) treatment satisfaction.
Results:
Completers (n = 22; 82.0 % females) met the feasibility criteria for retention (76.7 %); program adherence (94.5 %); patients' self-perceived relevance, timing, and mode of delivery (92.0 %); assessment procedure acceptance (91.6 %); adverse events (none); and fidelity of the delivery (92.1 %). The average monthly recruitment rate was lower than planned (2.0 instead of 3.0). No pre-post difference in physical activity time or steps was observed. Occupational performance (95 % CI 0.66; 2.38) and satisfaction (95 % CI 1.36; 3.17) improved significantly. Treatment satisfaction regarding pain, ability to perform activities, and overall was high in 50-96 % of the sample.
Conclusion:
A telehealth-delivered occupation-focused intervention to increase physical activity in adults with chronic pain showed promising feasibility and positively influenced occupational performance and satisfaction. However, no change in physical activity was observed. Future research should consider longer interventions and fully powered trial design to assess effectiveness. Before upscaling, recruitment and retention strategies may need refinement.
