Abstract
Objective: To illustrate the development and pilot evaluation of a website designed to enhance self-management of chronic low back pain for the Italian-speaking population of Switzerland. Methods: 20 patients affected by chronic low back pain used a website - specifically created for the project - For a period of five months, under the monitoring of a team of health professionals. Evaluation was carried out by means of a telephone questionnaire administered at baseline and at the end of the intervention, and intermediate online user-testing performed in the fourth month of the intervention. A control group of 15 patients was created to assist the evaluation. Results: Compared to the control group, results from the pilot evaluation suggest a decrease in the intensity of back pain in people with access to the website; an increase in physical activity; a reduction in both medical consultation and the use of painkillers, and a gain in declarative and procedural knowledge. This coincides with a general positive assessment of the website. Conclusion: The study supports the need to test the proposed approach on a wider scale.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 286-294 |
| Number of pages | 9 |
| Journal | International Journal of Public Health |
| Volume | 52 |
| Issue number | 5 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - Oct 2007 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:We wish to thank the Swiss National Science Foundations (NRP 53) for the financial support for this study, as well as the Lega Ticinese per la Lotta contro il Reumatismo and the Associazione dei Reumatologi Ticinesi that has enabled its feasibility. We also thank the anonymous reviewers who provided very detailed and useful comments.
Keywords
- Doctor-patient interaction
- Health communication
- Health promotion
- Internet
- Management of chronic low back pain
- Tailoring
