D. G. T. Whitehurst, M. Lewis, G. L. Yao, S. Bryan, J. P. Raftery, R. Mullis, E. M. Hay
This study assessed the cost utility and cost effectiveness of a brief pain management program (BPM) targeting psychosocial factors compared with physical therapy (PT) for primary care patients with low back pain of <12 weeks' duration. A total of 402 patients were randomly assigned to BPM or PT. The authors concluded that PT is a cost-effective primary care management strategy for low back pain. However, the absence of a clinically superior treatment program raises the possibility that BPM could provide an additional primary care approach, administered in fewer sessions, allowing patient and doctor preferences to be considered.
Arthritis Care & Research, Volume 57, Issue 3 , Pages 466 – 473