Tverrfaglig behandlingstilbud til pasienter med ryggsmerter ved et lokalsykehus

Abstract

Low back pain is considered to be the most common single cause of sickness absence. In 2010, Sørlandet Hospital Arendal established an interdisciplinary treatment programme through the Faster Return-to-Work scheme, based on the relevant guidelines for patients with low back pain. In this study we present our experiences from six years of the treatment programme. Patients who were referred to Sørlandet Hospital in Arendal in the period 2011-16 due to long-term symptoms of low back pain were offered interdisciplinary treatment. This included a one-to-one consultation with a doctor, four weeks of group-based low back school, and physiotherapist-led exercise as well as eight weeks of either physiotherapist-led exercise or home exercise. The degree of sick leave and functional level using scores on the Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire (RMDQ) were reported at the outset and after 4 and 12 weeks. A total of 43patients in employment completed the treatment programme. The average age was 41.9 years and 52% were women. Altogether 57% were on certified sick leave at the outset and the remainder were assessed as being at high risk of going on sick leave. A total of 7.5% were placed on sick leave during the observation period, while 28.5% of those on sick leave were declared completely fit. Altogether 52.7% of the patients had a clinically significant reduction in RMDQ scores (> 3.5points). The interdisciplinary treatment programme appears to improve function and reduce sickness absent in patients with long-term low back pain. This study has a short follow-up time and no control group; the observations must therefore be interpreted with caution.