
1st STUDENT SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE OF THE BRAZILIAN ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH AND POSTGRADUATE IN PHYSIOTHERAPY (ABRAPG-FT)
More infoLow back pain is an important health problem in the world, with a high prevalence among workers. It is a complex condition that can be influenced by several biological, psychological, social, cultural, and occupational risk factors. Symptoms of pain and physical-functional disability resulting from low back pain directly affect participation at work. Therefore, interventions to manage low back pain must be carried out at all levels of care, including approaches compatible with the occupational context and with the characteristics of the workers. Pain self-management through educational interventions is an approach capable of meeting this need. In this case, workers must have access to knowledge of their own pain experience (self-assessment) and to content and information related to the neurophysiology of pain and the factors that modulate it (pain education). The use of an application to deliver the pain education program seems to be an innovative, easily accessible solution capable of generating significant learning in the worker so that he can assess and intervene in his health status.
ObjectivesDevelop a self-management program (pain assessment and education) to be delivered in digital format (E-Health) through an application for mobile devices focused on the prevention and/or control of low back pain in workers.
MethodsThe project will be carried out in 3 stages. Step 1 focuses on the conceptual and structural development of the self-management program; step 2 is aimed at developing the prototype of the mobile application to be used to deliver the program; and, finally, step 3 is intended to assess the acceptability and viability of the prototype. Each step has its own method that follows guidelines and criteria established by international and national recommendations.
ResultsThe conceptual framework of the self-management program adopted a model that articulates three intervention approaches for the prevention and control of low back pain. Each approach has self-assessment tools and specific content. The first approach is aimed at preventing low back pain in the occupational environment. The second and third approaches are aimed at controlling acute and chronic low back pain, respectively. Choosing these approaches allows the self-management program to be centered on each worker's individual pain or occupational exposure experiences. Fliplet (https://fliplet.com/) was chosen as the platform that would host the developed application, called Back Education and Management For Workers APP. A brief detail can be viewed at the link: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1vgolIYUhdv42E8KVghPYflUL486bqlzr?usp=sharing
ConclusionThe self-management program developed for the management of low back pain in workers seems to be a useful tool for self-assessment of pain and for access to knowledge and educational guidelines.
ImplicationsWe believe that the program will be able to contribute to the production of data and analysis of information collected in the databases; and that its effects are able to generate in the worker the ability to assess and intervene on his health status with reliable information. This will help minimize barriers that limit management in workers with (risk) low back pain.
Conflict of interest: The authors declare no conflict of interest.
Acknowledgment: Not applicable.
Ethics committee approval: UFSB (Federal University of Southern Bahia).