Low Back Pain in Primary Care Costs of Care and Prediction of Future Health Care Utilization

摘要

Study Design. Cost of illness study alongside a randomized controlled trial.Objective. To describe the costs of care for patients with low back pain (1) and to identify patient characteristics as predictors for high health care cost during a 1-year follow-up (2).Summary of Background Data. Low back pain (LBP) is one of the leading causes of high health care costs in industrialized countries (Life time prevalence, 70%). A lot of research has been done to improve primary health care and patients' prognosis. However, the cost of health care does not necessarily follow changes in patient outcomes.Methods. General practitioners (n = 126) recruited 1378 patients consulting for LBP. Sociodemographic data, pain characteristics, and LBP-related cost data were collected by interview at baseline and after 6 and 12 months. Costs were evaluated from the societal perspective. Predictors of high cost during the subsequent year were studied using logistic regression analysis.