Clinical conversations in the management of chronic musculoskeletal pain in vulnerable patient populations: a meta-ethnography.

PURPOSE: The purpose of this meta-ethnography was to synthesize the research exploring patient/provider perceptions of clinical conversations (CC) centered on chronic musculoskeletal pain (CMP) in vulnerable adult populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A systematic search for qualitative/mixed method studies in CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Sociology Database in ProQuest, and Web of Science used PRIMSA-P guidelines. Data synthesis used eMERGe guidelines; findings were presented in nested hierarchal theoretical frameworks. RESULTS: The included studies explored patients' (n = 18), providers' (n = 2), or patients' and providers' perspectives (n = 5) with diversity in patient participants represented (n = 415): immigrants, indigenous people, women, and veterans. Themes for each level of the nested hierarchal models revealed greater complexity in patients' perceptions about the CC in CMP relative to clinicians' perceptions. A unique finding was sociopolitical/historical factors can influence CC for vulnerable populations. CONCLUSION: The combined nested hierarchical models provided insight into the need for clinicians to be aware of the broader array of influences on the CC. Key themes indicated that improving continuity of care and cultural training are needed to improve the CC. Additionally, due to patients' perception of how healthcare systems' policies influence the CC, patients should be consulted to guide the change needed to improve inequitable outcomes.IMPLICATIONS FOR REHABILITATIONHealthcare providers wishing to improve the clinical conversation in chronic musculoskeletal pain can more broadly explore potential factors influencing patients' experiences and perceptions.Screening during the clinical conversation can include assessing for sociopolitical and historical influences on patients' experiences with chronic musculoskeletal pain.Healthcare providers can explore how to minimize disjointed care in an effort to improve the clinical conversation and outcomes in chronic musculoskeletal pain.Healthcare providers and patients can work together to improve inequitable outcomes for vulnerable adults with chronic musculoskeletal pain.This may include cultural training for healthcare providers that is informed by patients.

Walking away from back pain: one step at a time - a community-based randomised controlled trial.

BACKGROUND: Low back pain is highly prevalent and a significant public health burden in Western society. Feasibility studies suggest personalised pedometer-driven walking is an acceptable and effective motivating tool in the management of chronic low back pain (CLBP ≥ 12 weeks). The proposed study will investigate pedometer-driven walking as a low cost, easily accessible, and sustainable means of physical activity to improve disability and clinical outcomes for people with CLBP in Saskatchewan, Canada. METHODS/DESIGN: A fully-powered single-blinded randomised controlled trial will compare back care advice and education with back care advice and education followed by a 12-week pedometer-driven walking programme in adults with CLBP. Adults with self-reported CLBP will be recruited from the community and screened for elibility. Two-hundred participants will be randomly allocated to one of two intervention groups. All participants will receive a single back care advice and education session with a physiotherapist. Participants in the walking group will also receive a physiotherapist-facilitated pedometer based walking programme. The physiotherapist will facilitate the participant to monitor and progress the walking programme, by phone, on a weekly basis over 10 weeks following two face-to-face sessions. Outcome measures of self-reported disability, physical activity, participants' low back pain beliefs/perceptions, quality of life and direct/indirect cost estimates will be gathered at baseline, three months, six months, and 12 months by a different physiotherapist blinded to group allocation. Following intervention, focus groups will be used to explore participants' thoughts and experiences of pedometer-driven walking as a management tool for CLBP. DISCUSSION: This paper describes the design of a community-based RCT to determine the effectiveness of a pedometer-driven walking programme in the management of CLBP. TRIAL REGISTRATION: United States National Institutes of Health Clinical Trails registry (http://ClinicalTrials.gov/) No. NCT02284958 . Registered on 27(th) October 2014).

Exercise therapy, manual therapy, or both, for osteoarthritis of the hip or knee: a factorial randomised controlled trial protocol.

BACKGROUND: Non-pharmacological, non-surgical interventions are recommended as the first line of treatment for osteoarthritis (OA) of the hip and knee. There is evidence that exercise therapy is effective for reducing pain and improving function in patients with knee OA, some evidence that exercise therapy is effective for hip OA, and early indications that manual therapy may be efficacious for hip and knee OA. There is little evidence as to which approach is more effective, if benefits endure, or if providing these therapies is cost-effective for the management of this disorder. The MOA Trial (Management of OsteoArthritis) aims to test the effectiveness of two physiotherapy interventions for improving disability and pain in adults with hip or knee OA in New Zealand. Specifically, our primary objectives are to investigate whether:1. Exercise therapy versus no exercise therapy improves disability at 12 months;2. Manual physiotherapy versus no manual therapy improves disability at 12 months;3. Providing physiotherapy programmes in addition to usual care is more cost-effective than usual care alone in the management of osteoarthritis at 24 months. METHODS: This is a 2 x 2 factorial randomised controlled trial. We plan to recruit 224 participants with hip or knee OA. Eligible participants will be randomly allocated to receive either: (a) a supervised multi-modal exercise therapy programme; (b) an individualised manual therapy programme; (c) both exercise therapy and manual therapy; or, (d) no trial physiotherapy. All participants will continue to receive usual medical care. The outcome assessors, orthopaedic surgeons, general medical practitioners, and statistician will be blind to group allocation until the statistical analysis is completed. The trial is funded by Health Research Council of New Zealand Project Grants (Project numbers 07/199, 07/200). DISCUSSION: The MOA Trial will be the first to investigate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of providing physiotherapy programmes of this kind, for the management of pain and disability in adults with hip or knee OA. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ref: ACTRN12608000130369.

Factors impacting on doctors' management of acute low back pain: a systematic review.

The aim of this review was to determine the factors that impact on doctors' management of patients with acute low back pain. A methodological assessment of databases (Medline, EMBASE, Psychinfo, BIOSIS, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials) identified papers which were screened for inclusion criteria by two independent reviewers. Data were extracted from accepted papers, and the internal validity and strength of the evidence were determined using valid and reliable scales. The search generated a total of 28 papers [quantitative (n=27), qualitative (n=1) methodologies]. Themes were identified from the accepted papers: education (n=18), knowledge of clinical guidelines and impact on management (n=7), and doctors' demographics (n=4). There was consistent evidence that doctors did not adhere to clinical guidelines when performing a spinal assessment. There was inconsistent evidence that education increased adherence with acute LBP guideline recommendations in terms of referral rates to physiotherapy, for investigations, to secondary care and for maintaining patients at work. Strategies to address the factors impacting on doctors' management of acute LBP are required; these would lead to improvement in patient outcomes and reduce healthcare costs.