Low Back Pain Patient Education Evaluation - Full Text View

Purpose

Back pain is one of the most common of all symptoms. It is also a great cause of days lost from work and visits to health care providers. This study will develop and evaluate an approach to low back pain that allows subjects to talk with each other and with health professionals via an Internet discussion group. Results we will look at include health behaviors, such as exercise; health status, such as pain and disability; and health care use, such as number of visits to doctors and other health care providers. Anyone 18 years old or older who lives in the United States and has ongoing Internet access can take part in the study. All subjects must have back pain and meet the eligibility criteria listed below.

Condition	Intervention	Phase
Low Back Pain	Procedure: Patient education evaluation	Phase III

MedlinePlus related topics:

Back Pain

U.S. FDA Resources

Study Type:	Interventional
Study Design:	Treatment, Randomized, Open Label, Active Control, Parallel Assignment, Efficacy Study

Official Title:	Evaluation of a Low Back Pain Patient Education Program

Further study details as provided by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS):

Estimated Enrollment:	580
Study Start Date:	February 1998
Estimated Study Completion Date:	January 2002

Detailed Description:

This study will develop and evaluate in a randomized trial a low back pain intervention that allows subjects to talk with each other and with health professionals via an Internet discussion group. The intervention consists of a book and a videotape and is based on interaction with other participants in the program and health professionals through a closed password protected moderated Internet discussion group. Outcome measures include health behaviors, such as exercise; health status, such as pain and disability; and health care use, such as number of visits to doctors and other health care providers. Patients will be randomized either to the treatment group and followed for 6, 12, 18, and 24 months with the intervention.

Eligibility

Ages Eligible for Study:	18 Years and older
Genders Eligible for Study:	Both
Accepts Healthy Volunteers:	No

Criteria

Inclusion Criteria:

Must live in the United States
Must understand and write English
Must have access to a computer with e-mail and expect to have this access for at least 3 years
Must be 18 years old
Must have seen a doctor for back pain at least once in the past year

Exclusion Criteria:

Pregnancy
Back surgery in the past 6 months
Expectation of having back surgery in the next 6 months
Back pain due to a car accident or other major injury within the last 6 months
Back pain or sciatica due to systemic disease (inflammatory rheumatic diseases, tumor, or other)
Major physical or mental health condition for which one is currently being treated that severely limits daily activities
Terminal illness
Receiving disability or workers compensation insurance payments for back pain or sciatica
Presently involved in legal proceedings because of back pain or sciatica
Difficulty with bladder or bowel control that began with back pain or sciatica
No visits to a doctor in the past year for back pain or sciatica
Numbness in crotch area that began with back pain or sciatica
Age under 18

Contacts and Locations

Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00000408

Locations


United States, California
	Stanford University
	Palo Alto, California, United States, 94305

Sponsors and Collaborators

National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)

Investigators


Principal Investigator:	Kate R. Lorig, Dr.P.H.	Stanford University

More Information

Publications of Results:

Lorig KR, Laurent DD, Deyo RA, Marnell ME, Minor MA, Ritter PL. Can a Back Pain E-mail Discussion Group improve health status and lower health care costs?: A randomized study. Arch Intern Med. 2002 Apr 8;162(7):792-6.

Bruce B, Lorig K, Laurent D, Ritter P. The impact of a moderated e-mail discussion group on use of complementary and alternative therapies in subjects with recurrent back pain. Patient Educ Couns. 2005 Sep;58(3):305-11.

Study ID Numbers:	R01 AR44939, NIAMS-002
First Received:	November 3, 1999
Last Updated:	December 28, 2006
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00000408
Health Authority:	United States: Federal Government

Keywords provided by National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS):

Health education

Back injury

Chronic pain

Education/evaluation planning

Outcomes research

Study placed in the following topic categories:

Signs and Symptoms

Back Injuries

Neurologic Manifestations

Low Back Pain

Pain

Back Pain

Additional relevant MeSH terms:

Nervous System Diseases

ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on October 29, 2008

Sponsored by:	National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
Information provided by:	National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS)
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:	NCT00000408