SynthesisBMJ open2020
Barriers and facilitators to patient uptake and utilisation of digital interventions for the self-management of low back pain: a systematic review of qualitative studies.
Synthesis in BMJ open, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 51 papers, 8 of them syntheses that pooled 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.
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.
Who cites it
51 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 91 citations in OpenAlex.
- Pooled it
- Barriers and facilitators to digital health tool adoption for hypertension management: systematic review of qualitative studies.BMJ open · 2026Pooled it
- Mapping global inequities in telemedicine implementation: An umbrella review of barriers and facilitators.PloS one · 2026Pooled it
- Effect of digital interventions on adherence to the management of type 1 diabetes mellitus patients: a systematic review.BMC endocrine disorders · 2025Pooled it
- Patients' Experiences of Digital Health Interventions for the Self-Management of Chronic Pain: Systematic Review and Thematic Synthesis.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Low back pain self-management mobile applications: a systematic review on digital platforms.Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da U S P · 2024Pooled it
- Supporting translation of research evidence into practice-the use of Normalisation Process Theory to assess and inform implementation within randomised controlled trials: a systematic review.Implementation science : IS · 2023Pooled it
- Informal Caregivers' Experiences of an Online Support Program: Qualitative Study Using an Abductive Approach Focusing on Scaling Up Use.Journal of medical Internet research · 2025Trial
- Usability and Acceptability of an App-Based Approach to Treat Low Back Pain: Preplanned Secondary Analysis of a Randomized Controlled Trial.JMIR formative research · 2025Trial
- The Effectiveness of a Physician-Led Web Portal on Back Pain: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial.Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2025Trial
- Effect of telemedicine-supported structured exercise program in patients with chronic low back pain: a randomized controlled trial.PloS one · 2025Trial
- One size does not fit all: Participants' experiences of the selfBACK app to support self-management of low back pain-a qualitative interview study.Chiropractic & manual therapies · 2022Trial
- Multimorbidity and co-occurring musculoskeletal pain do not modify the effect of the SELFBACK app on low back pain-related disability.BMC medicine · 2022Trial
- Digital Interactive Media for Chronic Low Back Pain Management: A Feasibility Study.The International journal of clinical and experimental hypnosis · 2026Article
- Barriers and facilitators of engagement with app-based pain self-management strategies among chronic pain patients (CPPs).Journal of health psychology · 2026Article
- The economic impact of a physician-introduced web portal on lower back pain: results from a cluster-randomized trial.Cost effectiveness and resource allocation : C/E · 2026Article
- Understanding digital health technology implementation in rehabilitation and development of the Rehabilitation Technologies Implementation model.NPJ digital medicine · 2026Article
- If you build it, they might come: Lessons learned from the development of a digital intervention for chronic pain.Pain medicine (Malden, Mass.) · 2026Article
- Systematic evaluation of commercially available pain-management mHealth apps for chronic pain in the United Kingdom.British journal of health psychology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
9 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
objectivesLow back pain (LBP) is a leading contributor to disability globally. Self-management is a core component of LBP management. We aimed to synthesise published qualitative literature concerning digital health interventions (DHIs) to support LBP self-management to: (1) determine engagement strategies, (2) identify barriers and facilitators affecting patient uptake/utilisation and (3) develop a preliminary conceptual model of barriers and facilitators to uptake/utilisation.
designSystematic review following PRISMA (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses) guidelines. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, Cochrane Library, DoPHER, TRoPHI, Web of Science and OT Seeker, from January 2000 to December 2018, using the concepts: LBP, DHI and self-management. ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA: Peer-reviewed qualitative study (or component) examining engagement with, or barriers and/or facilitators to the uptake/utilisation of an interactive DHI for self-management of LBP in adults (community, primary or secondary care settings). DATA EXTRACTION AND SYNTHESIS: Standardised data extraction form was completed. COREQ (Consolidated criteria for Reporting Qualitative research) checklist was used to assess methodology. Data was synthesised narratively for engagement strategies, thematically for barriers/facilitators to uptake/utilisation and normalisation process theory was applied to produce a conceptual model.
resultsWe identified 14 191 citations, of which 105 full-text articles were screened, and five full-text articles from four studies included. These were from community and primary care contexts in Europe and the USA, and involved 56 adults with LBP and 19 healthcare professionals. There was a lack of consideration on how to sustain engagement with DHIs. Examination of barriers and facilitators for uptake/utilisation identified four major themes: IT (information technology) usability-accessibility; quality-quantity of content; tailoring-personalisation; and motivation-support. These themes informed the development of a preliminary conceptual model for uptake/utilisation of a DHI for LBP self-management.
conclusionsWe highlight key barriers and facilitators that should be considered when designing DHIs for LBP self-management. Our findings are in keeping with reviews of DHIs for other long-term conditions, implying these findings may not be condition specific. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: A protocol for this systematic review was registered with https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/ (CRD42016051182) on 10 November 2016. https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/display_record.php?ID=CRD42016051182.
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What OpenQuestion holds
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.