The acceptability and feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a walking intervention for older people with persistent musculoskeletal pain in primary care: a mixed methods evaluation of the iPOPP pilot trial
The acceptability and feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a walking intervention for older people with persistent musculoskeletal pain in primary care: a mixed methods evaluation of the iPOPP pilot trial
Introduction: persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is associated with physical inactivity in older people. While walking is an acceptable form of physical activity, the effectiveness of walking interventions in this population has yet to be established.
Objectives: to assess the acceptability and feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness of a healthcare assistant-led walking intervention for older people with persistent MSK pain (iPOPP) in primary care.
Methods: a mixed method, three arm pilot RCT was conducted in four general practices and recruited patients aged ≥65 years with persistent MSK pain. Participants were randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to: (i) usual care, (ii) usual care plus a pedometer intervention, or (iii) usual care plus the iPOPP walking intervention. Descriptive statistics were used in an exploratory analysis of the quantitative data. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. A triangulation protocol was used to integrate the analyses from the mixed methods.
Results: all pre-specified success criteria were achieved in terms of feasibility (recruitment, follow-up and iPOPP intervention adherence) and acceptability. Triangulation of the data identified the need, in the future, to make the iPOPP training (for intervention deliverers) more patient-centred to better support already active patients and the use of individualised goal setting and improve accelerometry data collection processes to increase the amount of valid data.
Conclusions: this pilot trial suggests that the iPOPP intervention and a future full-scale RCT are both acceptable and feasible. The use of a triangulation protocol enabled more robust conclusions about acceptability and feasibility to be drawn.
data triangulation, musculoskeletal pain, older people, physical activity, primary care, randomised controlled trial, walking
1372-1386
Healey, Emma L.
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McBeth, John
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Nicholls, Elaine
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Chew-Graham, Carolyn A.
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Dent, Stephen
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Foster, Nadine E.
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Herron, Daniel
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Pincus, Tamar
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Hartshorne, Liz
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Hay, Elaine M.
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Jinks, Clare
26785dc0-7282-4165-8ce0-42a5a135df78
December 2023
Healey, Emma L.
c9b21020-158e-4af5-8963-2c919ff0d9ad
McBeth, John
98012716-66ba-480b-9e43-ac53b51dce61
Nicholls, Elaine
8eb8c087-b3ec-4be8-91aa-e6c2e1895ab4
Chew-Graham, Carolyn A.
28f3f383-6b7f-492f-9ffa-8422d7239c9c
Dent, Stephen
fc7a1efc-fede-4432-87a2-4b488f61bd89
Foster, Nadine E.
2ca79c15-6ada-4b99-982c-f8abee19e628
Herron, Daniel
b2a3f2ba-a6ca-409f-b779-9c2bb1e33f3d
Pincus, Tamar
55388347-5d71-4fc0-9fd2-66fbba080e0c
Hartshorne, Liz
6932332b-9c90-4eb8-a034-14938318e388
Hay, Elaine M.
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Jinks, Clare
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Healey, Emma L., McBeth, John, Nicholls, Elaine, Chew-Graham, Carolyn A., Dent, Stephen, Foster, Nadine E., Herron, Daniel, Pincus, Tamar, Hartshorne, Liz, Hay, Elaine M. and Jinks, Clare
(2023)
The acceptability and feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of a walking intervention for older people with persistent musculoskeletal pain in primary care: a mixed methods evaluation of the iPOPP pilot trial.
Musculoskeletal Care, 21 (4), .
(doi:10.1002/msc.1815).
Abstract
Introduction: persistent musculoskeletal (MSK) pain is associated with physical inactivity in older people. While walking is an acceptable form of physical activity, the effectiveness of walking interventions in this population has yet to be established.
Objectives: to assess the acceptability and feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial (RCT) to test the effectiveness of a healthcare assistant-led walking intervention for older people with persistent MSK pain (iPOPP) in primary care.
Methods: a mixed method, three arm pilot RCT was conducted in four general practices and recruited patients aged ≥65 years with persistent MSK pain. Participants were randomised in a 1:1:1 ratio to: (i) usual care, (ii) usual care plus a pedometer intervention, or (iii) usual care plus the iPOPP walking intervention. Descriptive statistics were used in an exploratory analysis of the quantitative data. Qualitative data were analysed using thematic analysis. A triangulation protocol was used to integrate the analyses from the mixed methods.
Results: all pre-specified success criteria were achieved in terms of feasibility (recruitment, follow-up and iPOPP intervention adherence) and acceptability. Triangulation of the data identified the need, in the future, to make the iPOPP training (for intervention deliverers) more patient-centred to better support already active patients and the use of individualised goal setting and improve accelerometry data collection processes to increase the amount of valid data.
Conclusions: this pilot trial suggests that the iPOPP intervention and a future full-scale RCT are both acceptable and feasible. The use of a triangulation protocol enabled more robust conclusions about acceptability and feasibility to be drawn.
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Musculoskeletal Care - 2023 - Healey - The acceptability and feasibility of conducting a randomised controlled trial to
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e-pub ahead of print date: 9 September 2023
Published date: December 2023
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© 2023 The Authors. Musculoskeletal Care published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.
Keywords:
data triangulation, musculoskeletal pain, older people, physical activity, primary care, randomised controlled trial, walking
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Local EPrints ID: 491495
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/491495
ISSN: 1478-2189
PURE UUID: d01efb10-223d-49b8-b064-e3b7de40b416
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Date deposited: 25 Jun 2024 16:42
Last modified: 26 Jun 2024 02:11
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Contributors
Author:
Emma L. Healey
Author:
John McBeth
Author:
Elaine Nicholls
Author:
Carolyn A. Chew-Graham
Author:
Stephen Dent
Author:
Nadine E. Foster
Author:
Daniel Herron
Author:
Tamar Pincus
Author:
Liz Hartshorne
Author:
Elaine M. Hay
Author:
Clare Jinks
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