A new study published in Spine examines the cost-effectiveness of cognitive-based education programs for patients with subacute or chronic low back pain in primary care.
The study examined 2016 patients who underwent either a cognitive patient education program or usual treatment with 16 general practitioners and 20 physiotherapists. The “Explain Pain” model was adopted to fit into the ordinary clinical setting for the study. Here are five key notes from the report:
1. There were 81 percent of the patients who responded at four weeks and 68 percent who responded at the one-year follow-up.
2. The patients reported substantial function improvement, pain and sick leave for both groups.
3. At the four-week mark, the interventional group scored 0.51 RMDQ points lower than the control group. At one year, the interventional group reported an average of 0.66 RMDQ points higher than the control.
4. There wasn’t a significant difference in QALY for the two groups. There was an estimated 0.005 difference in favor of the intervention.
5. The researchers concluded there wasn’t a clinical or health economic benefit to adding the cognitive educational program to the usual patient treatment.
“Potential weaknesses such as long recruiting periods and potentially low compliance with the cognitive intervention warrant a careful interpretation of the results,” concluded the study authors.