Alberta Rehabilitation Advice Line SelfBack Study

NCT06484751 | Terminated

• 1 other identifier: Pro00142090
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 26
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Recurrent and persistent low back pain (LBP) is a massive problem in Canada that causes a substantial pain, disability, cost, and even premature death. The good news is that treatments for recurrent and persistent LBP are available. Many guidelines now recommend education and exercise as the best intervention for chronic LBP. Unfortunately, education and exercise programs are not publicly funded in Canada-only Canadians with extended health benefits can access these programs. As a result, the 50% of Canadians who do not have extended health benefits often seek care for LBP from their publicly funded physicians. Physicians, in turn, have little choice but to reach for what they have available, including opioids, x-rays and referrals to specialists. Not only are these interventions unhelpful for chronic LBP, they are often harmful, sometimes deadly, and disproportionately affect lower socio-economic status households. A possible solution to this problem exists in a validated app (SelfBack) that provides tailored self-management plans consisting of advice on physical activity, physical exercises, and educational content. Tailoring of treatment plans to individuals is achieved by using case-based reasoning methodology which is a branch of artificial intelligence. This study will evaluate the feasibility of distributing the SelfBack app to persons experiencing LBP through the Rehabilitation Advice Line, a telephone service open Monday to Friday and provides rehabilitation advice and general health information for Albertans of any age. The results of this study will help us understand the barriers and facilitators of distributing and using the app in the general pollution of Alberta. This information will be used to apply for funding for a larger study to understand the effectiveness of the app as an intervention for persistent and recurrent LBP.

Conditions

Chronic Low-back Pain

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• The percentage of patients who utilize the SelfBack app

  Success will be defined as 50% of patients using the app

  12 months

Study Arms (1)

Intervention

EXPERIMENTAL

The SelfBack app is a promising decision support system (DSS) App used globally to support and reinforce desired self-management behavior for LBP. Selfback's program goal is to improve the self-management of nonspecific LBP to reduce pain-related disability.

Device: SelfBack

Interventions

SelfBack DEVICE

The SelfBack app is a promising decision support system (DSS) App used globally to support and reinforce desired self-management behavior for LBP. Selfback's program goal is to improve the self-management of nonspecific LBP to reduce pain-related disability.

Intervention

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years+
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• be Albertan adults over 18 years of age
• be persons who meet the above definition of LBP, but may also include patients with stable radiculopathy/sciatica
• have a personal smartphone with internet access.
• have a working e-mail address.
• speak, read, and write English or have regular access to persons who can assist in this regard.

You may not qualify if:

• be patients who have complex back pain that requires direct clinical oversight.
• have cognitive impairments or learning disabilities limiting participation.
• have a serious mental illness
• have non-LBP illnesses or conditions that are contraindicated to participation in SelfBack (e.g. exercise).
• have a terminal illness
• have an inability to take part in exercise/physical activity.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• University of Alberta: lead

Study Sites (1)

Alberta rehabilitation advice line

Edmonton, Albertta, Canada

Location

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NA
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: SINGLE GROUP
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: June 26, 2024
• First Posted: July 3, 2024
• Study Start: July 15, 2024
• Primary Completion: June 6, 2025
• Study Completion: June 6, 2025
• Last Updated: August 1, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

CA (1)