Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41760736›Full record

ArticleNPJ digital medicine2026

Effectiveness of a virtual hospital model of care for patients with low back pain presenting to emergency departments (Back@Home).

Chathurani Sigera, Crystian B Oliveira, Alla Melman, Min Jiat Teng, Danielle M Coombs, Laurent Billot, Chris Gianacas, Alamgir Kabir, Eileen Rogan, Mona Marabani and 4 more

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In one paragraph

Article in NPJ digital medicine, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–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

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

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.

Chathurani Sigera *School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Crystian B Oliveira *School of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia. crystian.oliveira@sydney.edu.au.
Alla MelmanSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Min Jiat TengSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Danielle M CoombsSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Laurent BillotBiostatistics & Data Science, The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Chris GianacasBiostatistics & Data Science, The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Alamgir KabirBiostatistics & Data Science, The George Institute for Global Health, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Eileen RoganRoyal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Mona MarabaniRoyal Prince Alfred Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Owen HutchingsSydney Virtual Hospital, Sydney Local Health District, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Chris G MaherSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Gustavo C MachadoSchool of Public Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, The University of Sydney, Sydney, NSW, Australia.
Back@Home Investigators

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

This study evaluated the effectiveness of a virtual hospital model of care (Back@Home) for low back pain (LBP). We conducted an observational study across four hospitals in the Sydney Local Health District, Australia. We included patients aged ≥16 years presenting to the ED with a primary diagnosis of non-specific or radicular (non-serious) LBP. We performed logistic or linear mixed models and multivariate linear regression analyses. From January 2017 to January 2025, 18,851 patients presented to the ED with non-serious LBP. The Back@Home model of care did not significantly affect admissions to inpatient or short-stay units (OR: 1.19, 95% CI: 0.46 to 3.06). However, it reduced ED re-presentations within 30 days (OR: 0.59, 95% CI: 0.42 to 0.84) by 41%. Patients who received virtual hospital care reported less pain (β: -1.26, 95% CI: -2.22 to -0.30), better physical function (β: 4.81, 95% CI: 2.36 to 7.27) and similar satisfaction (β: 0.14; 95% CI: -0.72 to 1.01) with care compared to those receiving inpatient care. Back@Home did not reduce admissions for LBP, but the model of care resulted in fewer ED re-presentations. Although causal inference cannot be made, virtual care may deliver health outcomes comparable to, or better than, traditional care.

Identifiers

PMID41760736
PMCPMC12948941

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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.