Table 2.
Baseline characteristics of general practitioners and patients
| MIS | UC | |
|---|---|---|
| GPs | n = 28 | n = 32 |
| Demographic characteristics | ||
| Age (years)a, mean (SD) | 43.0 (7.2) | 45.7 (7.4) |
| Gender, female | 6/28 | 12/32 |
| Number of included patients per GP | ||
| 0 | 1/28 | 5/32 |
| 1–5 | 17/28 | 14/32 |
| >5 | 10/28 | 13/32 |
| Patients | n = 143 | n = 171 |
| Demographic characteristics | ||
| Age (years), mean (SD) | 43.4 (11.1) | 42.0 (12.0) |
| Gender, % female | 47.6 | 47.4 |
| Nationality, % Dutch | 97.2 | 97.7 |
| Health insurance, % public | 70.6 | 67.8 |
| Educational level and work status | ||
| Education levela, % | ||
| Primary | 35.0 | 33.1 |
| Secondary | 46.2 | 52.7 |
| College, university | 18.8 | 14.2 |
| Paid job, % yes | 81.8 | 81.3 |
| Sick leave because of LBPa (among the working population), % yes | 34.8 | 41.0 |
| Characteristics of LBP | ||
| Duration current episode (days), median (IQR) | 11 (5–21) | 14 (7–21) |
| Frequency of LBP episodes last year, % | ||
| 1 or 2 episodes | 58.0 | 60.8 |
| 3 or more episodes | 19.6 | 18.7 |
| Exacerbation of persisting LBP | 22.4 | 20.5 |
| Pain radiating below kneea, % | 12.8 | 14.6 |
| Clinical outcomes, primary measures | ||
| Functional disability (RDQ, 0–24), mean (SD) | 11.7 (5.4) | 12.2 (5.0) |
| Health related quality of life (EuroQol), mean (SD) | 0.61 (0.25) | 0.61 (0.24) |
| Clinical outcomes, secondary measures | ||
| Pain severity during the day (0–10)b, mean (SD) | 4.9 (2.0) | 4.8 (2.0) |
| Severity of the main complaint (0–10)a, mean (SD) | 7.0 (1.9) | 6.8 (2.0) |
| Perceived general health (SF-36, 1–5)a, mean (SD) | 2.7 (0.8) | 2.8 (0.8) |
| Clinical outcomes, psychosocial measures | ||
| Fear-avoidance beliefs (FABQ, 0–24), mean (SD) | 14.3 (5.6) | 15.3 (5.2) |
| Catastrophising thoughts (CSQ, 0–36), mean (SD) | 10.3 (6.6) | 11.2 (6.9) |
| Distress (4DSQ, 0–32)b, mean (SD) | 8.3 (7.0) | 9.5 (7.3) |
GP General practitioner, MIS Minimal intervention strategy, UC Usual care, n number, SD Standard deviation, IQR Inter quartile range (25th–75th percentile), LBP Low back pain, RDQ Roland–Morris disability Questionnaire, SF-36 Short-form 36, FABQ Fear avoidance and beliefs questionnaire, CSQ Coping strategies questionnaire, 4DSQ 4D symptom questionnaire (higher scores means more functional disability, worse health, more fear-avoidance, more catastrophising or more distress)
aTwo missing values
bOne missing value