Musculoskeletal diseases: Spinal conditions Musculoskeletal Diseases Spinal conditions
Conditions
Interventions
1. Early imaging
2. Delayed, selective imaging (that is, only when a clear clinical indication develops and only when judged absolutely necessary by the clinician)
A minimisation algorithm will be use
Sponsors
Department of Health (UK)
Eligibility
Inclusion criteria
Inclusion criteria: Back pain patients referred to a consultant orthopaedic surgeon or neurosurgeon where there is clinical uncertainty about whether or when to perform imaging
Exclusion criteria
Exclusion criteria: Patients going for immediate surgery or discharged to primary care would not be eligible.
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| The principle measures of patient outcome will be the Oswestry Disability Index and the SF 36 health status measure. Secondary measures will assess diagnostic impact, therapeutic impact and other parameters of health. Follow-up assessments will be performed at 6 and 24 months after entry. Secondary stratified analyses will explore the effects of pre-referral lumbar spine radiographs, amongst other factors. | — |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame |
|---|---|
| Not provided at time of registration. | — |
Countries
United Kingdom
Outcome results
None listed