A systematic review on self-management education campaigns for back pain

Abstract

BackgroundEvidence-based clinical practice guidelines on back pain recommend early management and use of approaches that emphasise self-management, psychological and physical therapies. Lately, mass media campaigns, addressing misconceptions about back pain, have been conducted in developed countries.ObjectivesThis study retrieved and synthesised the contents of back pain messages and described the outcomes and effectiveness of the media campaigns.MethodSeventeen key words and 10 electronic databases were used to conduct a search between February and July 2018. Authors screened titles, abstracts and full-text articles independently to identify eligible studies. Data were reported using narratives because of heterogeneity in the outcomes.ResultsAppraisal of articles was done using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database scale for randomised controlled trials (RCT) (one) or the Joanna Briggs Institute checklist for non-RCT (four). The campaigns were conducted in the general population in Australia, Canada, Norway, the Netherlands and Scotland. The message ‘stay as active as possible’ increased participants’ awareness and influenced their health beliefs and healthcare utilisation behaviours resulting in reductions in sick leave days, work disability, healthcare utilisation and claims.ConclusionThe back pain campaign message ‘stay as active as possible’ increased participants’ awareness and influenced their health beliefs and healthcare utilisation behaviours. Even though the campaigns were done in high-income countries, their contents and methods are transferable to developing countries. However, their implementation must be tailored and efficient and cost-effective methods need to be explored.Clinical implicationsProviding information on back pain can contribute to significant changes in sickness behaviours and beliefs.

Bridging the chasm between patients’ needs and current rehabilitation care: perceptions of adults presenting for primary care in the Eastern Cape

“…This includes increasing patients' awareness of their functioning problems, collaborative decision-making regarding rehabilitation goals and interventions, and active engagement in their treatment even where rehabilitation professionals may be absent, for example, through self-management strategies. Patient awareness campaigns can be conducted regularly to promote contextualized rehabilitation-related educational messages effectively [ 53 ]. Patients will thus have better knowledge about the causes and treatment of their functioning problems and be better informed about where to get help.…”

Factors influencing imaging clinical decision‐making in low back pain management. A scoping review

“…Mass media campaigns have been used to influence clinician and patient beliefs by promoting a variety of public health messages including physical activity, smoking cessation, and sexual health (Stead et al., 2019). Two recent systematic reviews show that mass media campaigns can effectively alter public (Nkhata et al., 2019; Suman et al., 2021) and clinician beliefs about LBP and its management (Suman et al., 2021). In particular, the latter review found evidence that media campaigns can influence beliefs about the use of imaging in LBP management.…”

Nurses’ beliefs about back pain, their coping strategies and participant activation for self-management

“…The campaign content included evidence-based messages that had been used in similar published campaigns. A systematic review of similar campaigns (Nkhata et al 2019) was conducted and the evidence-based messages for back pain were extracted. The evidence-based messages were then cross-culturally validated and prioritised.…”

“…Our study was designed based on evidence from previous back campaign messages (Nkhata et al 2019), as well as context-specific information. The feedback on the campaign was overwhelmingly positive.…”

“…Back pain media campaigns comprise activities that increase awareness of the benefits of self-management through messages that encourage coping strategies, such as positive thinking, and dissuade the population from excessive use of pain relief medication and physical inactivity (Traeger et al 2019). It has been reported that these campaigns have resulted in improved perceptions about health and positive healthcareseeking behaviours, such as fewer sick leave days and doctor visits by participants, most of whom remain active after the campaigns, despite their back pain (Nkhata et al 2019). Obtaining information on perceptions about back pain, coping strategies, participant activation, frequency of sick leave and doctor visits is important for decision-making and planning tailored healthcare activities (McCabe et al 2018).…”