in accordance with the protocol approved by the Human Research Ethics Committee , Southern Cross University ( Approval number : 2021 / 019 ).
The study demonstrated that it is feasible to recruit massage practitioners and their clients for a study involving mobile / wearable technology to measure walking speed following massage therapy . The results support the development of a larger randomised clinical trial using a customised or purpose built mobile / wearable technology that delivers data directly to the researchers in order to standardise the outcome measure . Details of the study have been published elsewhere ( see Grace et al ., 2023 ( 15 )).
Table 1 . Overview of Practitioner Training
Introductions
About the trial
Practitioner trial procedures
Client report forms ( CRFs )
MapMyWalk Questions and next steps
• Research team and practitioner introductions
• Roles of research team : SG , RE , JB – chief investigators JH – research assistant ( practitioners ) LB – research assistant ( clients )
• What is a feasibility study ?
• Aim of this trial
• What ’ s involved
• Role of sponsor
• Trial insurance cover
• Responsibilities of practitioners – overview
• Informed consent ( JH )
• Recruiting ( interested clients to contact LB for screening )
• Implementing the study
• Completing and submitting CRFs
• End of trial focus groups
• Responsibilities of clients – overview - Screening and informed consent ( LB ) - Training in downloading and using MapMyWalk ( LB ) - Training in returning data to LB
• How to fill out the CRF – electronic or hard copy
• Return to JH after each client visit
• Demonstration on downloading and using MapMyWalk
Reflections Recruitment Fifty-three practitioners responded to our call for Expressions of Interest . Of those , 13 went on to complete the online study training by Zoom ( facilitated by SG , LB , RE , JB ). An overview of the training is presented in Table 1 . Eleven practitioners went on to recruit a total of 22 clients . All who enrolled in the study were enthusiastic about being involved in research . Nine practitioners had not previously been involved in research , however all found it very easy to conduct the trial in their practices . Their main motivation for participating was to help build the evidence base for massage therapy .
To recruit clients , practitioners displayed a flyer in their clinics ( see Figure 1 ). Those clients who were interested in participating in the study contacted a member of the research team ( LB ) who provided further details about the study , answered any questions , and obtained informed consent for participating . Overall , the clients were quite excited about participating , and eager to share their experiences of massage treatment and osteoarthritis . Some had initial qualms about using an app to measure walking speed , but were reassured with the training given by LB , and in some cases support from their practitioners .
Data collection – feasibility , compliance ( practitioners and clients ) Both practitioner data and client data were collected . Practitioners were asked to provide basic demographic data at the beginning of the trial and then invited to join focus group discussions at the end of the trial to reflect on their experiences . Practitioners were also responsible for the completion of a Client Report Form for each of their clients in the trial after each clinic visit . Client Report Forms asked clients questions about use of the app , presenting condition , changes to their health or medications since their last treatment , pain on a scale of 0-10 and if there was any deviation from the trial protocol ( i . e ., did the client walk at least the 3 times a week ?). Practitioners also provided a brief description of the type of massage treatment they provided . Feedback from practitioners suggested that this was not a burdensome task and that it was very similar to their own client treatment records .
While the study was conducted against a backdrop of the COVID pandemic and the resulting restrictions imposed across Australia during that period , there were two unexpected consequences . The first concerned the unpredictable disruption to client scheduling that resulted from the constraints placed on practitioners and clients during the lockdown phases of the pandemic . These multiple cancellations or consistent delays in treatments may have limited the potential for any cumulative effects of massage and certainly required an unplanned extension to the recruitment period . The second unexpected outcome was that there was an increase in client motivation to walk during the study period as personal exercise was one of the ‘ permitted ’ activities in a period of lockdown . In some cases , the clients reported that the data collection for this study became a daily highlight during otherwise lonely periods of isolation during lockdown .
Clients were asked to download the app , walk every other day using the app to record their maximum and average walking speeds , take a screenshot of the data , and email or text it after every week to the research team . Once a week they were also asked to complete pain and mobility diaries and send these to the research team . In general , clients were consistently compliant in sending their walking speed data on a regular basis . Because the clients walked at least three times weekly , this quickly became a habit . In contrast , only nine clients filled in the pain and mobility diaries , and only four completed these for their five weeks of participation . On reflection , weekly reminders for this part of the study may have been needed to increase this part of client engagement .
70 | vol29 | no2 | JATMS