Development of a maintenance care instrument (MAINTAIN)
Non-specific Low Back Pain (LBP) is a highly prevalent condition affecting a large part of the population, yet the evidence for effective preventive interventions are scarce and limited. Chiropractic maintenance care (MC) have shown to be effective and cost-effective among a particular subgroup of patients with a specific psychological profile.
The identification of this profile is based on an extensive psychological instrument, the West Haven-Yale Multidimensional Pain Inventory, developed for research purposes.
The overall aim of this project is to develop a clinical instrument designed to identify patients for which MC is effective and cost-effective, suitable for the clinical setting, as well as to explore patient’s preferences to and experiences of MC.
Specific objectives
- To develop a short psychological screening instrument based on MPI-S, aimed at clinical practice.
- To test the content validity of the new instrument in a new population.
- To test clinicians ability to classify patients to the correct psychological subgroup (as identified by the original instrument) by using a structured interview.
- To test the construct validity of the new instrument by comparing it to two other validated instruments (ÖMSQ, STaRT Back).
- To explore patients’ experiences and preferences regarding MC with a focus on barriers and facilitators of engaging and maintaining such a care plan.
The knowledge gained from this project should result in more favorable clinical outcomes and more cost-effective use of MC. The results will also improve the basis for health care decision-making and policy recommendations on how to use limited health care resources.
Funding
European Centre for Chiropractic Research Excellence, ECCRE