Objectives: This study examined the effectiveness of an interdisciplinary low back education program in improving chronic patient's quality of life utilizing the physical and mental component summary scores of the SF-36.
Methods: A quasi-experimental pre-post group-comparison design was used. Multivariate analyses control variables included baseline scores, age, gender, payer, major depression risk, back pain, disability scale, and whether surgery occurred. The program group N=92; the comparison group was 61. The program patients were 100 percent of those with completed records at the time of sampling. The comparison group was a random sample of patients presenting themselves to the program’s physician group, who were not subsequently assigned to the program.
Results: There were significant differences on each proposed control variable between the program group and the comparison group, suggesting that these controls were appropriate. Once controls were applied, there was a significant positive difference on the physical component summary between the two groups, suggesting that the program was effective in improving patients’ physical quality of life. Increasing age, lowered pain levels, and diminished disability improved physical component summary scores for all patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups on the mental component summary scores. Receiving worker's compensation or having greater major depression risk lowered mental component summary scores for all patients.
Conclusions: The back education program effectively ameliorated patient physical quality of life issues. It did not successfully ameliorate mental quality of life issues. The program limitations on social work interventions could be expanded to improve patient mental quality of life.
Learning Objectives: 1. Attendees will be able to identify ways in which a multidisciplinary back education program assisted patients with chronic back conditions. 2. Attendees will become familar with the unmet psychosocial and mental health needs experienced by worker's compensation patients that make them a high risk for poor recovery. 3. Attendees will identify the need for clinical social work intervention with this high risk group to enhance patient care and to improve program outcomes. 4. Attendees will recognize quality of life issues for chronic back patients and understand the value of utilizing health related quality of life surveys as an assessment, intervention, and program effectiveness tool
Keywords: Quality of Life, Chronic Diseases
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: none
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.