Psychosocial Treatment for Acute Low Back Pain
Psychosocial intervention
Acute Low Back Pain
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Treatment Study
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Summary
Acute low back pain (severe pain that comes on suddenly and lasts a relatively short time) is very common in the United States, and accounts for substantial illness, functional limitations, pain, and health care costs. This study looks at whether a program designed to improve self-efficacy (a person's belief in his or her ability to reach a goal, such as managing one's own disease) and social support improves the health status of people with acute low back pain. Acute low back pain (ALBP) is very prevalent in the United States, accounting for substantial morbidity, functional limitations, pain, and health care costs. Psychosocial interventions that target improved symptom control and patient functioning have the potential to improve the outcomes of patients with ALBP. This study evaluates a psychosocial intervention designed to enhance self-efficacy and social support for patients with ALBP. In this randomized, controlled trial, we will randomize eligible patients with ALBP to receive the intervention or usual care. The intervention program consists of: (1) patient education regarding ALBP; (2) explanations and rationales, in layperson's terms, of diagnostic and treatment options for ALBP; (3) discussions regarding the management of negative affect (i.e., depression, anger, fear, hostility, anxiety); (4) methods to involve social support systems; and (5) strategies to involve the primary care physician to reinforce patients' behaviors and progress. We will follow patients for 12 months and assess outcomes at 3 and 12 months. Primary outcomes are health-related quality of life (i.e., functional status, role function, back pain symptoms) and patient satisfaction with care. Secondary outcomes include health care use, direct health care costs, self-efficacy, and social support. We will also estimate the cost-effectiveness of the intervention. We will conduct this investigation among socioeconomically vulnerable patients with ALBP, a group that shoulders a disproportionate burden of disability and morbidity from musculoskeletal conditions and comorbid medical conditions.
Protocol
This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.In this clinical study, participants are placed into groups randomly, like flipping a coin. This ensures that the study is fair and unbiased, making the results more reliable. By assigning participants by chance, researchers can better compare treatments without external influences.
Other Ways to Assign Participants
Non-randomized allocation: Participants are assigned based on specific factors, such as their medical condition or a doctor's decision.
None (Single-arm trial): If the study has only one group, all participants receive the same treatment, and no allocation is needed.
Participants are divided into different groups, each receiving a specific treatment at the same time. This helps researchers compare how well different treatments work against each other.
Other Ways to Assign Treatments
Single-group assignment: Everyone gets the same treatment.
Cross-over assignment: Participants switch between treatments during the study.
Factorial assignment: Participants receive different combinations of treatments.
Sequential assignment: Participants receive treatments one after another in a specific order, possibly based on individual responses.
Other assignment: Treatment assignment does not follow a standard or predefined design.
Participants do not know which treatment they are receiving, but researchers do. This helps prevent bias from participants' expectations while still allowing researchers to monitor the study closely.
Other Ways to Mask Information
Open-label: Everyone knows which treatment is being given.
Double-blind: Neither participants nor researchers know which treatment is given.
Triple-blind: Participants, researchers, and outcome assessors do not know which treatment is given.
Quadruple-blind: Participants, researchers, outcome assessors, and care providers all do not know which treatment is given.
Eligibility
Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria: person's general health condition or prior treatments.Conditions
Criteria
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