Year-end Sale % OFF 
Abstract
BackgroundLow back pain (LBP) is one of the most debilitating conditions among older adults. Unfortunately, existing LBP outcome questionnaires are not adapted for specific circumstances related to old age, which may make these measures less than ideal for evaluating LBP in older adults.ObjectiveTo explore the necessity of developing age-specific outcome measures, crowdsourcing was conducted to solicit opinions from clinicians globally.MethodsClinicians around the world voted and/or prioritized various LBP outcome indicators for older adults on a pairwise wiki survey website. Seven seed outcome indicators were posted for voting while respondents were encouraged to suggest new indicators for others to vote/prioritize. The website was promoted on the social media of various health care professional organizations. An established algorithm calculated the mean scores of all ideas. A score >50 points means that the idea has >50% probability of beating another randomly presented indicator.ResultsWithin 42 days, 128 respondents from 6 continents cast 2466 votes and proposed 14 ideas. Indicators pertinent to improvements of physical functioning and age-related social functioning scored >50 while self-perceived reduction of LBP scored 32.ConclusionsThis is the first crowdsourcing study to address LBP outcome indicators for older adults. The study noted that age-specific outcome indicators should be integrated into future LBP outcome measures for older adults. Future research should solicit opinions from older patients with LBP to develop age-specific back pain outcome measures that suit clinicians and patients alike.
Highlights
Low back pain (LBP) is a debilitating condition [1,2] that causes functional decline in older adults [3]
The study noted that age-specific outcome indicators should be integrated into future LBP outcome measures for older adults
Future research should solicit opinions from older patients with LBP to develop age-specific back pain outcome measures that suit clinicians and patients alike. (JMIR Rehabil Assist Technol 2019;6(1):e11127) doi:10.2196/11127
Summary
Low back pain (LBP) is a debilitating condition [1,2] that causes functional decline in older adults [3]. The efficacy of different LBP interventions in older adults remains uncertain because many clinical trials on LBP interventions exclude older patients [9], and existing LBP outcome measures do not consider age-related physical and psychosocial changes in older adults and may not comprehensively evaluate the impact of LBP on those older adults [3,10]. More studies have evaluated the efficacy of various LBP interventions on older adults [11,12], there is no consensus regarding the necessity of developing age-specific outcome measures for older adults with LBP. Existing LBP outcome questionnaires are not adapted for specific circumstances related to old age, which may make these measures less than ideal for evaluating LBP in older adults
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary 
Published Version (
Free)
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
