OBJECTIVES

: Back pain is the third leading cause of disease burden among Australians impacting 16.2% of the population. Pain affects an individual at a physical, psychological and social level.

The objective of this study was to identify and extract key characteristics of databases, registries and other real-world evidence sources that collect health outcomes and/or cost data for Australian patients with low back pain (LBP).

METHODS

: A search of the Embase electronic database and a comprehensive web-based search of professional societies, registries, health databases and non-indexed data was conducted to identify patient-related outcome measures associated with low back pain.

RESULTS

Twenty-nine publications of observational studies, five National databases and one patient registry were included for review. The majority of observational studies were conducted in Queensland and were of cohort design. A diversity of QoL questionnaires were used to assess health outcomes pertaining to LBP in Australia. Patients reporting LBP were significantly more likely to perceive a lower level of general health and well-being compared to those without LBP. Prevalence of obesity and poorer physical health, psychological distress, anxiety and depression were significant among patients. The cost of LBP in Australia was $AUD1.2B (2016) accounting for 1.8% of the total health care expenditure. Patients reported out-of-pocket expenses for general practitioner consultation, allied health care professional and self-prescribed treatments and were more likely to seek medical attention than general population. A significant proportion of Australian patients with LBP reported increased absenteeism from work (130.6 hours/year average) and missed opportunity for promotion. Patients had greater difficulty seeking work or working in a preferred role, more likely to require additional resources or special equipment in the workplace and had limitations regarding hours worked.

CONCLUSIONS : LBP is associated with a worsened quality-of-life. Real world data collection is limited for this population and lacks a standardised measure of PROMs.