Implementation of SelfAdministered Acupressure for Chronic Low Back Pain Relief among Patients in a Community Free Clinic Using a Smartphone Application - Abstract
Purpose: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the feasibility and preliminary effectiveness of implementing a self-administered acupressure intervention for chronic low back pain (CLBP) relief among patients in a community free clinic in the Metro Detroit area. Methods: A one group pretest- posttest study design was used. Participants were recruited from November 2022 to January 2023 at the free clinic. Eligible participants
received a one-hour acupressure training using a smartphone application and handouts. They were asked to practice at home with instructions for the following six weeks. Participants were contacted weekly through phone calls or text messages. Study outcomes were collected at baseline, every following week, and at the end of the six-week intervention. Results: A total of six participants enrolled in this study, one dropped out. During the six weeks of intervention, participants demonstrated a high retention rate (83.3%), a high adherence rate (94%) and high satisfaction towards using acupressure for CLBP relief. The total pain severity measured with Brief Pain Inventory decreased significantly by (52%) at the end of the six-week practice. The pain interference of CLBP showed a significant improvement in sleep quality, mood, and enjoyment of life. Participants’ knowledge of
acupressure was increased significantly after a one-hour training using the smartphone application and handouts. Participants’ attitude, subjective norms, perceived behavior control and behavior intention (constructs from the Theory of Planned Behaviors) of using acupressure were also increased compared to their baseline levels, however these results did not show statistical significance. Conclusions: It is feasible to implement selfacupressure for CLBP relief among patients visiting a community free clinic using a smartphone application as the learning tool. Future studies are needed to confirm outcome effectiveness using randomized controlled trials with a larger sample size for this population.