The Social Media Intervention For Lower Back Pain Education Study (SMILE): A Protocol For A Randomized Trial To Reduce Occupational Low Back Pain In Nursing Professionals

Aim:LBP in the nursing profession remains an important health issue. This study aims to assess whether a theory-based interactive social media intervention could change job-related risk behaviors among nursing personnel. Instrument and Methods: This is a community-randomized controlled trial. Three settings of hospitals will randomly be assigned to the study arms: Intervention setting ۱ receiving an in-person educational package; intervention setting ۲ receiving the same material a web-based, and a control setting receiving nothing. The intervention would contain materials related to occupational risk behaviors and will try to promote the knowledge, attitude, skill, and self-efficacy of nurses on low back pain (LBP) preventive behaviors. The primary outcome will be reduction in low back pain. The study also will assess whether the intervention could reduce pain-related disability and improve the quality of life. Discussion:Occupational (LBP) among nurses could adversely affect both patients’ and nurses’ health. This study is an attempt to see if social media could play a role to guide the development and implementation of future interventions.