The Alberta Back Care Pathway: The feasibility of implementing a novel care pathway to improve low back pain management for family physicians in primary care.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Family physicians in Canada's universal healthcare system often manage low back pain patients using interventions not recommended in clinical guidelines, such as pharmaceuticals, imaging and spinal injections, while guideline-based treatments like education and exercise remain unfunded. The Alberta Back Care pathway was developed to address this gap, offering funded, evidence-based care for low back pain patients in 5 streams (acute, sub-acute, chronic, chronic non-responsive and stable radiculopathy).

Objective

To evaluate the feasibility of implementing the pathway in two urban Primary Care Networks in Alberta, Canada.

Materials and methods

Each of the 5 pathway streams provided physicians with information scripts, no-cost interventions (pharmaceuticals a

SUBMITTER: Powelske B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11602090 | biostudies-literature | 2024

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature