Evaluating the reach, adoption, implementation, and effectiveness of a single occupational physiotherapy advice session for employees with low back pain: an RE-AIM evaluation

Background While biopsychosocial interventions are effective for low back pain (LBP), implementing them in workplace settings remains challenging due to resource constraints. We adapted a comprehensive biopsychosocial approach into a single, brief, individualized advice session to enhance real-world feasibility. This study aimed to evaluate the reach, adoption, implementation, and preliminary effectiveness of this program using the RE-AIM (Reach, Adoption, Implementation, Effectiveness, and Maintenance) framework. Methods A prospective pre–post quasi-experimental study was conducted in a Japanese insurance company. Employees with LBP were invited to a single 30-min occupational physiotherapy advice session. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and 3 months. Effectiveness was evaluated using mean changes in pain (numerical rating scale) and disability (Roland–Morris Disability Questionnaire), supplemented by a responder analysis based on minimal important change (MIC). Results Of 1201 eligible employees, 154 (12.8%) attended the session (Reach), and 68 (44.2%) provided completed the 3-month follow-up (Implementation). Regarding effectiveness, mean pain intensity showed no significant change (+0.12). However, the responder analysis revealed that 17.6% of participants achieved MIC in pain (≥2 points), and 35.3% were classified as meeting MIC in disability (≥2 points). Additionally, the proportion of participants perceiving LBP as the primary cause of productivity loss decreased from 58.8% to 16.2%. Between-group analyses showed no statistically significant differences. Conclusions This quasi-experimental evaluation suggests that a single 30-min workplace physiotherapy advice session is feasible to implement. Effectiveness findings were exploratory: mean pain intensity changed little and between-group differences were not statistically significant, while some attendees who completed follow-up met the MIC threshold for disability.