Table I.
Methodological Quality Findings for Included Studies
| Question | Bishop and Wing (118) | Bishop et al (119) | Briggs et al (115) | Buchbinder and Jolley (120) | Coudeyre et al (121) | Harte et al (122) | Li & Bombardier (123) | Linton et al (124) | Little et al (125) | Pollentier & Langworthy (126) | Walker et al (127) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Is the hypothesis/aim/objective of the study clearly described? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 2. Are the main outcomes to be measured clearly described in the Introduction or Methods section? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 |
| 3. Are the characteristics of the participants included in the study clearly described? | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 4. Are the distributions of principal confounders in each group of subjects to be compared clearly described? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 5. Are the main findings of the study clearly described? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 6. Does the study provide estimates of the random variability in the data for the main outcomes? | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 7. Have actual probability values been reported (e.g., 0.035 rather than <0.05) for the main outcomes except where the probability value is less than 0.001? | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 8. Were the subjects asked to participate in the study representative of the entire population from which they were recruited? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 9. Were those subjects who were prepared to participate representative of the entire population from which they were recruited? | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 10. Were the staff, places, and facilities representative of the treatment the majority of patients would receive? | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| 11. If any of the results of the study were based on ‘data dredging’, was this made clear? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 12. Were the statistical tests used to assess the main outcomes appropriate? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 13. Were the main outcome measures used accurate (valid and reliable)? | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 14. Was there adequate adjustment for confounding in the analyses from which the main findings were drawn? | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 |
| 15. Did the study have sufficient power to detect clinically important effects? | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| Total methodological quality points | 14 | 17 | 18 | 14 | 19 | 18 | 19 | 16 | 12 | 16 | 17 |
Included studies
1. Bishop PB., Wing PC. Compliance with clinical practice guidelines in family physicians managing worker’s compensation board patients with acute lower back pain. Spine J. 2003;3:442–50.
2. Bishop A, Foster N, Thomas E, Hay E. How does the self-reported clinical management of patients with low back pain relate to the attitudes and beliefs of health practitioners? A survey of UK general practitioners and physiotherapists. Pain. 2008;135:187 – 95. PubMed PMID: doi:10.1016/j.pain.2007.11.010.
3. Briggs AM, Slater H, Smith AJ, Parkin-Smith GF, Watkins K, Chua J. Low back pain-related beliefs and likely practice behaviours among final-year cross-discipline health students. European Journal of Pain. 2012;doi: 10.1002/j.1532-2149.2012.00246.x.:[Epub ahead of print].
4. Buchbinder R, Jolley D. Improvements in general practitioner beliefs and stated management of back pain persist 4.5 years after the cessation of a public health media campaign. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2007;32:E156–62.
5. Coudeyre E, Rannou F, Tubach F, et al. General practitioners’ fear-avoidance beliefs influence their management of patients with low back pain. Pain. 2006; 124(330–7).
6. Harte A, Gracey J, Baxter G. Current use of lumbar traction in the management of low back pain: results of a survey of physiotherapists in the United Kingdom. Archives Physical Medicine Rehabilitation. 2005;86:1164–9.
7. Li L, Bombardier C. Physical therapy management of low back pain: an exploratory survey of therapist approaches. Phys Ther. 1999;81:1018 – 28.
8. Linton S, Vlaeyen J, Ostelo R. The back pain beliefs of health care providers: are we fear-avoidant? J Occup Rehabil. 2002;12:223 – 32. PubMed PMID: doi:10.1023/A:1020218422974.
9. Little P, Smith L, Cantrell T, et al. General practitioners’ management of acute back pain: a survey of reported practice compared with clinical guidelines. BMJ. 1996 312:485–8.
10. Pollentier A, Langworthy J. The scope of chiropractic practice: A survey of chiropractors in the UK. Clinical Chiropractic. 2007;10:147 – 55. PubMed PMID: doi:10.1016/j.clch.2007.02.001.
11. Walker B, French S, Page M, O’Connor D, McKenzie J, Beringer K, et al. Management of people with acute low-back pain: a survey of Australian chiropractors. Chiropractic & Manual Therapies. 2011;19(1):29. PubMed PMID: doi:10.1186/2045-709X-19-29.