Abstract
Background: The knowledge of patients’ preferences in the medical decision-making process is gaining in importance. In this article we aimed to provide an overview on the importance of attributes underlying the choice of non-surgical treatments in people with low back pain (LBP). Methods: A systematic mixed studies review was conducted. Articles were retrieved from the search engines PubMed, ScienceDirect, and Scopus through June 21, 2018. The Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT) was used to assess the quality of the study, and each step was performed by 2 reviewers. Analysis: From a total of 390 articles, 13 were included in the systematic review, all of which were considered to be of good quality. Up to 40 attributes were found in studies using various methods. Effectiveness, ie, pain reduction, was the most important attribute considered by patients in their choice of treatment. This attribute was cited by 7 studies and was systematically ranked first or second in each. Other important attributes included the capacity to realize daily life activities, fit to patient’s life, and the credibility of the treatment, among others. Discussion: Pain reduction was the most important attribute underlying patients’ choice for treatment. However, this was not the only trait, and future research is needed to determine the relative importance of the attributes.
Highlights
Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition experienced by most individuals at least once during their lifetime.[1,2] LBP refers to pain located between the lower rib margins and the buttock creases.[3]
Exclusion criteria were: preferences other than those of patients, sub-studies of other studies, studies about utilities associated with any health condition, studies combining data from patients with pain other than in the low back region, and studies that only referred to surgical treatment
A total of 13 studies were selected to be included in the systematic mixed studies review
Summary
Low back pain (LBP) is a common condition experienced by most individuals at least once during their lifetime.[1,2] LBP refers to pain located between the lower rib margins and the buttock creases.[3] Generally, the lower back is where most back pain occurs. An evolution toward chronicity of LBP was observed in 6 to 8% of cases.[7,8] Throughout the world, chronic LBP has high economic/ professional (incapacity, absenteeism, activity limitation) and social (isolation, decrease in quality of life, constant need of care) impact on the population. Chronic LBP is the second cause of incapacity after cardiovascular disease.[9] To effectively treat this population is essential. To be effective, these treatments must adhere to patients’ concerns, values and beliefs, and consider their preferences.[10]
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