Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38643363›Full record

ArticleJournal of rehabilitation medicine2024

Effectiveness of a classification-based approach to low back pain in primary care - a benchmarking controlled trial.

Anna Sofia Simula, Antti Malmivaara, Neill Booth, Jaro Karppinen

Open access · goldAbstract readControlled Clinical Trial
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of rehabilitation medicine, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
0.9field-weighted citation impact, top 26% 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.

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

4 citing papers in PubMed, 2 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Trial
  2. Trial
  3. Effective Coverage of Rehabilitation for Adults with Chronic Primary Low Back Pain in Uganda.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2026
    Article
  4. Article
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

4 authors at 4 institutions in 1 country.

Anna Sofia SimulaMedical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland; Department of General Medicine, Wellbeing services county of South Savo (ELOISA), Mikkeli, Finland. anna.simula@oulu.fi.
Antti MalmivaaraFinnish Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland; Orton Orthopaedic Hospital, Helsinki, Finland.
Neill BoothFaculty of Social Sciences (Health Sciences), Tampere University, Tampere, Finland.
Jaro KarppinenMedical Research Center Oulu, Oulu University Hospital and University of Oulu, Oulu, Finland.
Oulu University Hospital · FITampere University · FIUniversity of Helsinki · FIUniversity of Oulu · FI

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveThe aim of this study was to assess the effectiveness of classification-based approach for low back pain care in Finnish primary care.

designA benchmarking controlled trial design was used. SUBJECTS/PATIENTS: Three primary healthcare areas and 654 low back pain patients with or without sciatica.

methodsClassification-based care (using the STarT Back Tool) was implemented using organizational-, healthcare professional-, and patient-level interventions. The primary outcome was change in Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System, Physical Function (PROMIS PF-20) from baseline to 12 months.

resultsNo difference was found between the intervention and control in change in PROMIS PF-20 over the 12-month follow-up (mean difference 0.33 confidence interval -2.27 to 2.9, p = 0.473). Low back pain-related healthcare use, imaging, and sick leave days were significantly lower in the intervention group. Reduction in intensity of low back pain appeared to be already achieved at the 3-month follow-up (mean difference -1.3, confidence interval -2.1 to -0.5) in the intervention group, while in the control group the same level of reduction was observed at 12 months (mean difference 0.7, confidence interval -0.2 to 1.5, treatment*time p = 0.003).  Conclusion: Although classification-based care did not appear to influence physical functioning, more rapid reductions in pain intensity and reductions in healthcare use and sick leave days were observed in the intervention group.

Indexed as

Low Back PainBenchmarkingHumansPain MeasurementPrimary Health CareSick LeaveTreatment Outcomebenchmarkingclassificationlow back painpatient educationprimary carestratified care

Identifiers

PMID38643363
PMCPMC11151494
OpenAlexW4394987457

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

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.