Self-administered acupressure for knee osteoarthritis in older adults at Hong Kong community centers

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This pragmatic cluster randomized controlled trial delivers a self-administered acupressure (SAA) program through district elderly community centers in Hong Kong, training frontline workers and participants with two sessions plus ongoing support. The trial uses a mixed-methods approach, measuring clinical outcomes (pain, knee function, quality of life) over 24 weeks while applying the RE-AIM framework to capture reach, adoption, implementation, and maintenance. Qualitative interviews with staff and participants will explore facilitators and barriers to real-world adoption and sustainability. The control arm receives general health education to reflect usual community services.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

1. ethnic Chinese;
2. aged 60 years or above;
3. able to read Chinese and comprehend Mandarin or Cantonese;
4. fulfilling any 3 of the following criteria. i. morning stiffness 30 min; ii. crepitus on active joint motion; iii. bone tenderness; iv. bone enlargement; or v. no palpable joint warmth (this classification on those with age \>50 years yielded 84% sensitivity, and 89% specificity for OA knee diagnosis (25));
5. having knee pain for at least 3 months (26);
6. knee pain 23 on a Likert pain scale from 1-10;
7. having a smartphone (or a family member living together having a smartphone) that is compatible with WhatsApp (based on our previous studies, almost every eligible subject is used to using WhatsApp for social communication); and
8. willing to provide informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

1. medical diagnoses or conditions that preclude individuals from active participation (e.g., bleeding disorders, alcohol, or drug abuse);
2. knee pain related to other conditions (cancer, fracture, rheumatoid arthritis, and rheumatism) as screened according to the red flags for further investigation or referral in the NICE 2014 Guidelines for Osteoarthritis of the knee (27);
3. score \< 22 in Hong Kong Montreal Cognitive Assessment (HK-MoCA) indicating cognitive impairment that may prevent the understanding of training instructions (28);
4. body mass index over 30, the obese Il criteria for Asians (29) (obese subjects will find great difficulty in performing acupressure on acupoints because physical pressure reaching the muscle is required); and
5. ever had knee-replacement surgery

Further investigation or referral, either at the screening or during the study, will be made whenever necessary.

Where it's running

• The Hong Kong Polytechnic University
  Kowloon, Hong Kong Recruiting

Study contacts

• Principal investigator: WIng-Fai YEUNG, Phd — School of Nursing. the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong
• Study coordinator: Wing-Fai YEUNG, PhD
• Email: jerry-wf.yeung@polyu.edu.hk
• Phone: 27664151

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.