Online Physical Therapy for Workplace Accident Prevention in Nursing Care Workers: A Pilot Feasibility Study

Individualized movement instructions provided by physical therapists (PT) improve physical function in social welfare workers. However, owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, visits to medical institutions and social welfare facilities were increasingly restricted, making it difficult for PTs to conduct face-to-face sessions. Therefore, the focus on providing online sessions has increased to prevent direct contact. Feasibility studies help identify issues before conducting a study and prevent problems in implementation. This study investigated the feasibility of online interventions by PTs and proposed improvements during the implementation of randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Questionnaires and semi-structured interviews were administered to interventionists and participants to collect quantitative and qualitative data on the acceptability and barriers to online interventions. A feasibility study design was employed and qualitative data were analyzed using the framework method. Questionnaires were completed by 7 of 8 participants and all 8 interventionists, and interviews were completed by 6 of the 8 participants and all 8 interventionists. Most of the participants and all of the interventionists showed good acceptance of the intervention program and online communication, but participants experienced barriers to time commitment and forced exercise, while interventionists experienced barriers to the participants' low intrinsic motivation and limited intervention tools. These results indicate that flexible interventions that consider the limited time and needs of an individual, efficient means, and enhanced resources for online treatment tools are required to increase the feasibility and acceptability of future RCTs.