Is Emergency Department Care for Low Back Pain Meeting Contemporary Standards? A Medical Record Review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

In 2022, the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality in Healthcare released clinical care standards for managing low back pain (LBP), including in emergency departments (EDs), where guideline non-adherent care has been reported. This study aimed to describe LBP care in a tertiary hospital ED against these new clinical standards.

Methods

A 12-month retrospective review of medical records from a random sample of adults with LBP presenting to a tertiary hospital ED. Outcomes focused on key aspects of LBP care aligned with the eight quality statements in the Low Back Pain Clinical Care Standards (LBPCCS). Descriptive statistics were used to describe care against the quality indicators.

Results

Of the 1974 ED presentations with a LBP-related discharge diagno

SUBMITTER: Flanagan P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12828247 | biostudies-literature | 2026 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature