Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29121989›Full record

Trial reportTrials2017

Determining the impact of a new physiotherapist-led primary care model for back pain: protocol for a pilot cluster randomized controlled trial.

Jordan Miller, David Barber, Catherine Donnelly, Simon French, Michael Green, Jonathan Hill, Joy MacDermid, Jacquelyn Marsh, Kathleen Norman, Julie Richardson and 4 more

Registry-linked trialOpen access · goldAbstract readMulticenter StudyRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in Trials, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT03320148 (Determining the Impact of a New Physiotherapist Led Primary Care Model for Back Pain), which is not on this map. Cited by 11 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
11citing papers in PubMed, 1 pooled it
1.5field-weighted citation impact, top 18% of its field
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.

NCT03320148 nacompletednot on this map

Determining the Impact of a New Physiotherapist Led Primary Care Model for Back Pain: A Pilot Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorQueen's UniversityRan2017 to 2019Enrolled100ConditionsBack PainArmsPhysiotherapist-led primary care model for back pain, Usual care
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

11 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 27 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Models of care for managing non-specific low back pain.The Cochrane database of systematic reviews · 2025
    Pooled it
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. The Use of Physiotherapy Navigators in Acute Cancer Care Settings: A Scoping Review.Archives of rehabilitation research and clinical translation · 2025
    Review
  5. Article
  6. Article
  7. Article
  8. Article
  9. Clinician's Commentary on Vader et al.Physiotherapy Canada. Physiotherapie Canada · 2022
    Article
  10. Article
  11. Observational
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

14 authors at 7 institutions in 2 countries.

Jordan MillerSchool of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, 31 George Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada. jordan.miller@queensu.ca.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0002-3819-5283
David BarberDepartment of Family Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
Catherine DonnellySchool of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, 31 George Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Simon FrenchSchool of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, 31 George Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Michael GreenDepartment of Family Medicine, Queen's University, Kingston, Canada.
Jonathan HillKeele University, Keele, UK.
Joy MacDermidPhysical Therapy, Western University, London, Canada.
Jacquelyn MarshPhysical Therapy, Western University, London, Canada.
Kathleen NormanSchool of Rehabilitation Therapy, Queen's University, 31 George Street, Kingston, Ontario, K7L 3N6, Canada.
Julie RichardsonSchool of Rehabilitation Science, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada.
Monica TaljaardOttawa Hospital Research Institute, Ottawa, Canada.
Timothy WidemanSchool of Physical and Occupational Therapy, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Lynn CooperCanadian Pain Coalition, Oshawa, Canada.
Colleen McPheeMcMaster Family Health Team, Hamilton, Canada.
Queen's University · CAWestern University · CAHamilton Health Sciences · CAKeele University · GBMcGill University · CAMcMaster University · CAOttawa Hospital · CA

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundBack pain is a leading contributor to disability, healthcare costs, and lost work. Family physicians are the most common first point of contact in the healthcare system for people with back pain, but physiotherapists (PTs) may be able to support the primary care team through evidence-based primary care. A cluster randomized trial is needed to determine the clinical, health system, and societal impact of a primary care model that integrates physiotherapists at the first visit for people with back pain. Prior to conducting a future fully powered cluster randomized trial, we need to demonstrate feasibility of the methods. Therefore, the purpose of this pilot study will be to: 1) Determine feasibility of patient recruitment, assessment procedures, and retention. 2) Determine the feasibility of training and implementation of a new PT-led primary care model for low back pain (LBP) 3) Explore the perspectives of patients and healthcare providers (HCPs) related to their experiences and attitudes towards the new service delivery model, barriers/facilitators to implementation, perceived satisfaction, perceived value, and impact on clinic processes and patient outcomes.

methodsThis pilot cluster randomized controlled trial will enroll four sites and randomize them to implement a new PT-led primary care model for back pain or a usual physician-led primary care model. All adults booking a primary care visit for back pain will be invited to participate. Feasibility outcomes will include: recruitment and retention rates, completeness of assessment data, PT training participation and confidence after training, and PT treatment fidelity. Secondary outcomes will include the clinical, health system, cost, and process outcomes planned for the future fully powered cluster trial. Results will be analyzed and reported descriptively and qualitatively. To explore perspectives of both HCPs and patients, we will conduct semi-structured qualitative interviews with patients and focus groups with HCPs from participants in the PT-led primary care sites. DISCUSSION: If this pilot demonstrates feasibility, a fully powered trial will provide evidence that has the potential to transform primary care for back pain. The full trial will inform future service design, whether these models should be more widely implemented, and training agendas.

trial registrationClinicalTrials.gov, NCT03320148 . Submitted for registration on 17 September 2017.

Indexed as

Physical TherapistsPhysical Therapy ModalitiesPrimary Health CareAttitude of Health PersonnelBack PainClinical ProtocolsFeasibility StudiesHealth Knowledge, Attitudes, PracticeHumansLeadershipOntarioPain ManagementPain MeasurementPatient Care TeamPilot ProjectsResearch DesignCluster randomized trialLow back painPhysiotherapyPrimary care

Identifiers

PMID29121989
PMCPMC5680754
OpenAlexW2767722644

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

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.