Evidence map›Paper›PMID 27756318›Full record

ArticleBMC musculoskeletal disorders2016

Workers' characteristics associated with the type of healthcare provider first seen for occupational back pain.

Marc-André Blanchette, Michèle Rivard, Clermont E Dionne, Sheilah Hogg-Johnson, Ivan Steenstra

Abstract readComparative Study
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in BMC musculoskeletal disorders, 2016. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 7 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
7citing papers in PubMed, 2 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

7 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Pooled it
  3. Article
  4. Observational
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

5 authors.

Marc-André BlanchettePublic Health PhD Program, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada. marc-andre.blanchette@umontreal.ca.
Michèle RivardDepartment of Social and Preventive Medicine, School of Public Health, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada.
Clermont E DionneDepartment of Rehabilitation, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Québec City, QC, Canada.
Sheilah Hogg-JohnsonInstitute for Work & Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.
Ivan SteenstraInstitute for Work & Health, Toronto, ON, Canada.

Funding

CIHR
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFew studies have compared the factors that drive patients' decision to choose a chiropractor, physician or physiotherapist as their first healthcare provider for occupational back pain. The purpose of this study is to identify characteristics associated with the choice of first healthcare provider seen for acute uncomplicated occupational back pain.

methodsWe analyzed data collected by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board from a cohort of workers with compensated back pain in 2005 in Ontario (Canada). Multivariable logistic regression models were created to identify factors associated with the type of first healthcare provider seen (chiropractor, physician, or physiotherapist). Adjustments to the final models were evaluated using the area under the receiver-operating characteristics curve (ROC).

resultsAccording to the 5520 analyzed claims, 85.3 % of the patients saw a physician, 11.4 % saw a chiropractor, and 3.2 % saw a physiotherapist. Longer job tenure (odds ratio (OR) = 1.02, P = 0.004), higher gross personal income (OR = 1.06, P = 0.018), mixed-manual job (OR = 1.35, P = 0.004) and previous similar injury (OR = 1.60, P < 0.001) increased the odds of seeing a chiropractor rather than a physician, while the size of the community (>500,000 inhabitants) and the availability of an early return to work program in the workplace (OR = 0.77, P = 0.035) decreased it. The odds of seeing a physiotherapist rather than a physician increased with increasing age (OR = 1.19, P = 0.019), previous similar injury (OR = 1.71, P < 0.001) and severity of injury (OR = 2.03, P = 0.010). Increased age (OR = 1.28, P = 0.008) and size of community (>1,500,000 inhabitants; OR = 2.58, P = 0.002) increased the odds of seeing a physiotherapist rather than a chiropractor, while holding a mixed-manual job significantly decreased those odds (OR = 0.63, P = 0.044). The area under the ROC curve of our multivariable models varied from 0.62 to 0.64.

conclusionThe type of first healthcare provider sought for occupational back pain is influenced by injury-and work-related factors and by the worker's age, income and community size. Contrary to previous studies, the workers who first sought a physician did not have higher odds of having a severe injury.

Indexed as

Decision MakingAdultCohort StudiesFemaleHumansLogistic ModelsLow Back PainMaleManipulation, ChiropracticMiddle AgedOccupational InjuriesOdds RatioOntarioPatient PreferencePhysical TherapistsPhysiciansBack painChiropracticDeterminantsHealthcare providerMedical doctorOccupational healthPhysiotherapyPrimary care

Identifiers

PMID27756318
PMCPMC5069865

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.