title: Implementing evidence-informed policy into practice for health care professionals managing people with low back pain in Australian rural settings: a preliminary prospective single-cohort study. Effect on the process of care of an active strategy to implement clinical guidelines on physiotherapy for low back pain: a cluster randomised controlled trial Implementation of clinical guidelines on physical therapy for patients with low back pain: randomized trial comparing patient outcomes after a standard and active implementation strategy. Implementation of a Guideline for Low Back Pain Management in Primary Care: A Cost-Effectiveness Analysis Enhanced implementation of low back pain guidelines in general practice: study protocol of a cluster randomised controlled trial Cost-effectiveness of a multifaceted implementation strategy for the Dutch multidisciplinary guideline for nonspecific low back pain: design of a stepped-wedge cluster randomised controlled trial Evaluation of a Theory-Informed Implementation Intervention for the Management of Acute Low Back Pain in General Medical Practice: The IMPLEMENT Cluster Randomised Trial Protocol for economic evaluation alongside the IMPLEMENT cluster randomised controlled trial Study protocol of an economic evaluation of an extended implementation strategy for the treatment of low back pain in general practice: a cluster randomised controlled trial Randomized controlled trial of education and feedback for implementation of guidelines for acute low back pain Effectiveness of Peer Assessment for Implementing a Dutch Physical Therapy Low Back Pain Guideline: Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Implementation of RCGP guidelines for acute low back pain: a cluster randomised controlled trial. Testing the effectiveness of an innovative information package on practitioner reported behaviour and beliefs: The UK Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists Low back pain ManagemENT (COMPLeMENT) trial [ISRCTN77245761] Implementation of the Canadian C-Spine Rule: prospective 12 centre cluster randomised trial Improving the care for people with acute low-back pain by allied health professionals (the ALIGN trial): A cluster randomised trial protocol Knowledge transfer in family physicians managing patients with acute low back pain: a prospective randomized control trial. Implementation of the Dutch Low Back Pain Guideline for General Practitioners: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Diagnostic Imaging Guidelines Implementation Study for Spinal Disorders: A Randomized Trial with Postal Follow-ups. Effects of Two Guideline Implementation Strategies on Patient Outcomes in Primary Care: A Cluster Randomized Controlled Trial Coordination of Primary Health Care for Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial IMPLEmenting a clinical practice guideline for acute low back pain evidence-based manageMENT in general practice (IMPLEMENT): Cluster randomised controlled trial study protocol
abstract: OBJECTIVE To provide access to professional development opportunities for health care professionals , especially in rural Australian regions , consistent with recommendations in the Australian National Pain Strategy and state government policy . DESIGN AND SETTING A preliminary prospect i ve , single-cohort study design , which aligned health policy with evidence -informed clinical practice , evaluated the implementation and effectiveness of an interprofessional , health care provider pain education program ( hPEP ) for management of nonspecific low back pain ( nsLBP ) in rural Western Australia . INTERVENTION The 6.5-hour hPEP intervention was delivered to 60 care providers ( caseload nsLBP 19.8 % ± 22.5 ) at four rural WA regions . OUTCOME MEASURES Outcomes were recorded at baseline and 2 months post-intervention regarding attitudes , beliefs ( modified Health Care Providers Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale [ HC-PAIRS ] ) , Back Pain Beliefs Question naire [ BBQ ] ) , and self-reported evidence -based clinical practice ( knowledge and skills regarding nsLBP , rated on a 5-point Likert scale with 1 = nil and 5 = excellent ) . RESULTS hPEP was feasible to implement . At 2 months post-hPEP , responders ' ( response rate 53 % ) improved evidence -based beliefs were indicated by HC-PAIRS scores : baseline mean ( SD ) [ 43.2 ( 9.3 ) ] ; mean difference ( 95 % CI ) [ -5.9 ( -8.6 to -3.1 ) ] ; and BBQ baseline [ 34.3 ( 6.8 ) ] ; mean difference [ 2.1 ( 0.5 to 3.6 ) ] . Positive shifts were observed for all measures of clinical knowledge and skills ( P < 0.001 ) and increased assistance with planning lifestyle changes ( P < 0.001 ) , advice on self-management ( P = 0.010 ) , and for decreased referrals for spinal imaging ( P = 0.03 ) . CONCLUSIONS This policy-into- practice educational program is feasible to implement in rural Western Australia ( WA ) . While preliminary data are encouraging , a further r and omized controlled trial is recommended Objectives : To evaluate the effect on the process of care of an active strategy to implement clinical guidelines on physiotherapy for low back pain . Design : A cluster r and omised controlled trial comparing an active strategy with st and ard dissemination . Setting : Primary care physiotherapy practice s. Participants : 113 physiotherapists were r and omly allocated to receive the guidelines by mail ( control group ) or to receive an additional active strategy ( intervention group ) which consisted of a multifaceted programme including education , discussion , role playing , feedback , and reminders . Main outcome measures : Adherence to the guidelines was measured by means of individual patients ’ forms recording the treatment completed by the physiotherapist . The forms were assessed using an algorithm based on the number of treatment sessions , treatment goals , interventions , and patient education . Results : Physiotherapists in the intervention group more often correctly limited the number of treatment sessions for patients with a normal course of back pain ( OR 2.39 ; 95 % CI 1.12 to 5.12 ) , more often set functional treatment goals ( OR 1.99 ; 95 % CI 1.06 to 3.72 ) , more often used mainly active interventions ( OR 2.79 ; 95 % CI 1.19 to 6.55 ) , and more often gave adequate patient education ( OR 3.59 ; 95 % CI 1.35 to 9.55 ) . They also adhered more to all four criteria ( OR 2.05 ; 95 % CI 1.15 to 3.65 ) . Conclusions : The active strategy moderately improved adherence to the guidelines . Active strategies are recommended to implement the clinical guidelines on physiotherapy for low back pain BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE An active strategy was developed for the implementation of the clinical guidelines on physical therapy for patients with low back pain . The effect of this strategy on patients ' physical functioning , coping strategy , and beliefs regarding their low back pain was studied . SUBJECTS One hundred thirteen primary care physical therapists treated a total of 500 patients . METHODS The physical therapists were r and omly assigned to 1 of 2 groups . The control group received the guidelines by mail ( st and ard passive method of dissemination ) . The intervention group , in contrast , received an additional active training strategy consisting of 2 sessions with education , group discussion , role playing , feedback , and reminders .  Patients with low back pain , treated by the participating therapists , completed question naires on physical functioning , pain , sick leave , coping , and beliefs . RESULTS Physical functioning and pain in the 2 groups improved substantially in the first 12 weeks . Multilevel longitudinal analysis showed no differences between the 2 groups on any outcome measure during follow-up . DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION The authors found no additional benefit to applying an active strategy to implement the physical therapy guidelines for patients with low back pain . Active implementation strategies are not recommended if patient outcomes are to be improved Study Design . Cost-effectiveness analysis alongside a cluster r and omized controlled trial . Objective . To study the cost-effectiveness of 2 low back pain guideline implementation ( GI ) strategies . Summary of Background Data . Several evidence -based guidelines on management of low back pain have been published . However , there is still no consensus on the effective implementation strategy . Especially studies on the economic impact of different implementation strategies are lacking . Methods . This analysis was performed alongside a cluster r and omized controlled trial on the effectiveness of 2 GI strategies ( physician education alone [ GI ] or physician education in combination with motivational counseling [ MC ] by practice nurses)-–both compared with the postal dissemination of the guideline ( control group , C ) . Sociodemographic data , pain characteristics , and cost data were collected by interview at baseline and after 6 and 12 months . low back pain – related health care costs were valued for 2004 from the societal perspective . Results . For the cost analysis , 1322 patients from 126 general practice s were included . Both interventions showed lower direct and indirect costs as well as better patient outcomes during follow-up compared with controls . In addition , both intervention arms showed superiority of cost-effectiveness to C. The effects attenuated when adjusting for differences of health care utilization prior to patient recruitment and for clustering of data . Conclusion . Trends in cost-effectiveness are visible but need to be confirmed in future studies . Research ers performing cost-evaluation studies should test for baseline imbalances of health care utilization data instead of judging on the r and omization success by review ing non-cost parameters like clinical data alone Background Evidence -based clinical practice guidelines may improve treatment quality , but the uptake of guideline recommendations is often incomplete and slow . Recently new low back pain guidelines are being launched in Denmark . The guidelines are considered to reduce personal and public costs . The aim of this study is to evaluate whether a complex , multifaceted implementation strategy of the low back pain guidelines will reduce secondary care referral and improve patient outcomes compared to the usual simple implementation strategy . Methods / design In a two-armed cluster r and omised trial , 100 general practice s ( clusters ) and 2,700 patients aged 18 to 65 years from the North Denmark region will be included . Practice s are r and omly allocated 1:1 to a simple or a complex implementation strategy . Intervention practice s will receive a complex implementation strategy , including guideline facilitator visits , stratification tools , and quality reports on low back pain treatment . Primary outcome is referral to secondary care . Secondary outcomes are pain , physical function , health-related quality of life , patient satisfaction with care and treatment outcome , employment status , and sick leave . Primary and secondary outcomes pertain to the patient level . Assessment s of outcomes are blinded and follow the intention-to-treat principle . Additionally , a process assessment will evaluate the degree to which the intervention elements will be delivered as planned , as well as measure changes in beliefs and behaviours among general practitioners and patients . Discussion This study provides knowledge concerning the process and effect of an intervention to implement low back pain guidelines in general practice , and will provide insight on essential elements to include in future implementation strategies in general practice .Trial registration Registered as NCT01699256 on Clinical Trials.gov Background Low back pain ( LBP ) is one of the most prevalent and expensive health care problems in industrialised countries . LBP leads to high health care utility and productivity losses ; leaving the individual , the employer , and society with substantial costs . To improve the care for LBP patients and reduce the high societal and financial burden of LBP , in 2010 the ‘ Multidisciplinary care guideline for nonspecific low back pain ’ was developed in the Netherl and s. The current paper describes the design of a study aim ing to evaluate the ( cost- ) effectiveness of a multifaceted strategy to implement this guideline . Methods In a cluster-r and omised controlled trial , the ( cost- ) effectiveness of a multifaceted implementation strategy will be compared to passive guideline dissemination . Using a stepped-wedge approach , participating general practitioners , physiotherapists , and occupational physicians are allocated into clusters and will attend a multidisciplinary continuing medical education training session . The timing these clusters receive the training is the unit of r and omisation . LBP patients visiting the participating health care providers are invited to participate in the trial and will receive access to a multimedia intervention aim ed at improving beliefs , cognitions , and self-management . The primary outcome measure of this study is patient back beliefs . Secondary outcome measures on patient level include pain , functional status , quality of life , health care utility , and productivity losses . Outcome measures on professional level include knowledge and attitude towards the guideline , and guideline adherence . A process evaluation for the implementation strategy will be performed among the health care providers and the patients . Furthermore , a qualitative subgroup analysis among patients with various ethnic background s will be performed . Discussion This study will give insight into the ( cost- ) effectiveness of a multifaceted implementation strategy for the Dutch multidisciplinary guideline for non-specific back pain to improve outcomes on patient and professional level . The valuable information gained with this study may prove useful for policy-makers , health care providers , and research ers who are in the process of reducing the burden of back pain on individuals and society . Trial Registration Netherl and s Trial Register ( NTR ) : NTR4329 . Registered December 20th , 2013 Introduction This cluster r and omised trial evaluated an intervention to decrease x-ray referrals and increase giving advice to stay active for people with acute low back pain ( LBP ) in general practice . Methods General practice s were r and omised to either  access to a guideline for acute LBP ( control ) or facilitated interactive workshops ( intervention ) . We measured behavioural predictors ( e.g. knowledge , attitudes and intentions ) and fear avoidance beliefs . We were unable to recruit sufficient patients to measure our original primary outcomes so we introduced other outcomes measured at the general practitioner ( GP ) level : behavioural simulation ( clinical decision about vignettes ) and rates of x-ray and CT-scan ( medical administrative data ) . All those not involved in the delivery of the intervention were blinded to allocation . Results 47 practice s ( 53 GPs ) were r and omised to the control and 45 practice s ( 59 GPs ) to the intervention . The number of GPs available for analysis at 12 months varied by outcome due to missing confounder information ; a minimum of 38 GPs were available from the intervention group , and a minimum of 40 GPs from the control group . For the behavioural constructs , although effect estimates were small , the intervention group GPs had greater intention of practising consistent with the guideline for the clinical behaviour of x-ray referral . For behavioural simulation , intervention group GPs were more likely to adhere to guideline recommendations about x-ray ( OR 1.76 , 95%CI 1.01 , 3.05 ) and more likely to give advice to stay active ( OR 4.49 , 95%CI 1.90 to 10.60 ) . Imaging referral was not statistically significantly different between groups and the potential importance of effects was unclear ; rate ratio 0.87 ( 95%CI 0.68 , 1.10 ) for x-ray or CT-scan . Conclusions The intervention led to small changes in GP intention to practice in a manner that is consistent with an evidence -based guideline , but it did not result in statistically significant changes in actual behaviour . Trial Registration Australian New Zeal and Clinical Trials Registry Background The recent development and publication of evidence -based clinical practice guidelines ( CPGs ) for acute low back pain ( LBP ) has result ed in evidence -based recommendations that , if implemented , have the potential to improve the quality and safety of care for acute LBP . While a strategy has been specified for dissemination of the CPG for acute LBP in Australia , there is no accompanying plan for active implementation . Evidence regarding the cost-effectiveness of active implementation of CPGs for acute LBP is sparse . The IMPLEMENT study will consider the incremental benefits and costs of progressing beyond development and dissemination to implementation . Methods / design Cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analyses alongside the IMPLEMENT cluster r and omised controlled trial ( C RCT ) from a societal perspective to quantify the additional costs ( savings ) and health gains associated with a targeted implementation strategy as compared with access to the CPG via dissemination only . Discussion The protocol provided here registers our intent to conduct an economic evaluation alongside the IMPLEMENT study , facilitates peer- review of proposed methods and provides a transparent statement of planned analyses . Trial registration Australian New Zeal and Clinical Trials Registry Background In Denmark , guidelines on low back pain management are currently being implemented ; in association with this , a clinical trial is conducted . A health economic evaluation is carried out alongside the clinical trial to assess the cost-effectiveness of an extended implementation strategy to increase the general practitioners ' adherence to the guidelines . In addition to usual dissemination , the extended implementation strategy is composed of visits from a guideline facilitator , stratification tools , and feedback on guideline adherence . The aim of this paper is to provide the considerations on the design of the health economic evaluation . Methods / design The economic evaluation is carried out alongside a cluster r and omised controlled trial consisting of 60 general practice s in the North Denmark Region . An expected 1,200 patients between the age of 18 and 65 years with a low back pain diagnosis will be enrolled . The economic evaluation comprises both a cost-effectiveness analyses and a cost-utility analysis . Effectiveness measures include referral to secondary care , health-related quality of life measured by EQ-5D-5L , and disability measured by the Rol and Morris disability question naire . Cost measures include all relevant additional costs of the extended implementation strategy compared to usual implementation . The economic evaluation will be performed from both a societal perspective and a health sector perspective with a 12-month time horizon . Discussion It is expected that the extended implementation strategy will reduce the number of patients referred to secondary care . It is hypothesised that the additional upfront cost of extended implementation will be counterbalanced by improvements in clinical practice and patient-related outcomes , thereby rendering the extended implementation strategy cost-effective . Trial registration Clinical Trials.gov : OBJECTIVE : The effect of clinical guidelines on re source utilization for complex conditions with substantial barriers to clinician behavior change has not been well studied . We report the impact of a multifaceted guideline implementation intervention on primary care clinician utilization of radiologic and specialty services for the care of acute low back pain . DESIGN : Physician groups were r and omized to receive guideline education and individual feedback , supporting patient education material s , both , or neither . The impact on guideline adherence and re source utilization was evaluated during the 12-month period before and after implementation . PARTICIPANTS : Fourteen physician groups with 120 primary care physician and associate practitioners from 2 group model HMO practice s. INTERVENTIONS : Guideline implementation utilized an education/audit/feedback model with local peer opinion leaders . The patient education component included written and videotaped material s on the care of low back pain . MAIN RESULTS : The clinician intervention was associated with an absolute increase in guideline -consistent behavior of 5.4 % in the intervention group versus a decline of 2.7 % in the control group ( P=.04 ) . The patient education intervention produced no significant change in guideline -consistent behavior , but was poorly adopted . Patient characteristics including duration of pain , prior history of low back pain , and number of visits during the illness episode were strong predictors of service utilization and guideline -consistent behavior . CONCLUSIONS : Implementation of an education and feedback-supported acute low back pain care guideline for primary care clinicians was associated with an increase in guideline -consistent behavior . Patient education material s did not enhance guideline effectiveness . Implementation barriers could limit the utility of this approach in usual care setting Background Clinical practice guidelines are considered important instruments to improve quality of care . However , success is dependent on adherence , which may be improved using peer assessment , a strategy in which professionals assess performance of their peers in a simulated setting . Objective The aim of this study was to determine whether peer assessment is more effective than case-based discussion s to improve knowledge and guideline -consistent clinical reasoning in the Dutch physical therapy guideline for low back pain ( LBP ) . Design A cluster r and omized controlled trial was conducted . Setting and Participants Ten communities of practice ( CoPs ) of physical therapists were cluster r and omized ( N=90 ) : 6 CoPs in the peer- assessment group ( n=49 ) and 4 CoPs in the case-based discussion group ( control group ) ( n=41 ) . Intervention Both groups participated in 4 educational sessions and used clinical patient cases . The peer- assessment group reflected on performed LBP management in different roles . The control group used structured discussion s. Measurements Outcomes were assessed at baseline and at 6 months . The primary outcome measure was knowledge and guideline -consistent reasoning , measured with 12 performance indicators using 4 vignettes with specific guideline -related patient profiles . For each participant , the total score was calculated by adding up the percentage scores ( 0–100 ) per vignette , divided by 4 . The secondary outcome measure was reflective practice , as measured by the Self-Reflection and Insight Scale ( 20–100 ) . Results Vignettes were completed by 78 participants ( 87 % ) . Multilevel analysis showed an increase in guideline -consistent clinical reasoning of 8.4 % in the  peer- assessment group , whereas the control group showed a decline of 0.1 % ( estimated group difference=8.7 % , 95 % confidence interval=3.9 to 13.4 ) . No group differences were found on self-reflection . Limitations The small sample size , a short-term follow-up , and the use of vignettes as a proxy for behavior were limitations of the study . Conclusions Peer assessment leads to an increase in knowledge and guideline -consistent clinical reasoning BACKGROUND The Royal College of General Practitioners ( RCGP ) has produced guidelines for the management of acute low back pain in primary care . AIM To investigate the impact on patient management of an educational strategy to promote these guidelines among general practitioners ( GPs ) . DESIGN OF STUDY Group r and omised controlled trial , using the health centre as the unit of r and omisation . SETTING Primary care teams in north-west Engl and . METHOD Twenty-four health centres were r and omly allocated to an intervention or control arm . Practice s in the intervention arm were offered outreach visits to promote national guidelines on acute low back pain , as well as access to fast-track physiotherapy and to a triage service for patients with persistent symptoms . RESULTS Twenty-four centres were r and omised . Two thous and , one hundred and eighty-seven eligible patients presented with acute low back pain during the study period : 1049 in the intervention group and 1138 in the control group . There were no significant differences between study groups in the proportion of patients who were referred for X-ray , issued with a sickness certificate , prescribed opioids or muscle relaxants , or who were referred to secondary care , but significantly more patients in the intervention group were referred to physiotherapy or the back pain unit ( difference in proportion = 12.2 % , 95 % confidence interval [ CI ] = 2.8 % to 21.6 % ) . CONCLUSION The management of patients presenting with low back pain to primary care was mostly unchanged by an outreach educational strategy to promote greater adherence to RCGP guidelines among GPs . An increase in referral to physiotherapy or educational programmes followed the provision of a triage service Background Low back pain ( LBP ) is a common and costly problem . Initiatives design ed to assist practitioner and patient decisions about appropriate healthcare for LBP include printed evidence -based clinical guidelines . The three professional groups of chiropractic , osteopathy and musculoskeletal physiotherapy in the UK share common ground with their approaches to managing LBP and are amongst those targeted by LBP guidelines . Even so , many seem unaware that such guidelines exist . Furthermore , the behaviour of at least some of these practitioners differs from that recommended in these guidelines .Few r and omised controlled trials evaluating printed information as an intervention to change practitioner behaviour have utilised a no-intervention control . All these trials have used a cluster design and most have method ological flaws . None specifically focus upon practitioner behaviour towards LBP patients . Studies that have investigated other strategies to change practitioner behaviour with LBP patients have produced conflicting results . Although numerous LBP guidelines have been developed worldwide , there is a paucity of data on whether their dissemination actually changes practitioner behaviour . Primarily because of its low unit cost , sending printed information to large numbers of practitioners is an attractive dissemination and implementation strategy . The effect size of such a strategy , at an individual practitioner level , is likely to be small . However , if large numbers of practitioners are targeted , this strategy might achieve meaningful changes at a population level . Methods The primary aim of this prospect i ve , pragmatic r and omised controlled trial is to test the short-term effectiveness ( six-months following intervention ) of a directly-posted information package on the reported clinical behaviour ( primary outcome ) , attitudes and beliefs of UK chiropractors , osteopaths and musculoskeletal physiotherapists . We sought to r and omly allocate a combined sample of 1,800 consenting practitioners to receive either the information package ( intervention arm ) or no information above that gained during normal practice ( control arm ) . We collected question naire data at baseline and six-months post-intervention . The analysis of the primary outcome will assess between-arm differences of proportions of responses to questions on recommendations about activity , work and bed-rest , that fall within categories previously defined by an expert consensus exercise as either ' guideline -consistent ' and ' guideline -inconsistent ' Objective To evaluate the effectiveness of an active strategy to implement the vali date d Canadian C-Spine Rule into multiple emergency departments . Design Matched pair cluster r and omised trial . Setting University and community emergency departments in Canada . Participants 11 824 alert and stable adults presenting with blunt trauma to the head or neck at one of 12 hospitals . Interventions Six hospitals were r and omly allocated to the intervention and six to the control . At the intervention sites , active strategies were used to implement the Canadian C-Spine Rule , including education , policy , and real time reminders on radiology requisitions . No specific intervention was introduced to alter the behaviour of doctors requesting cervical spine imaging at the control sites . Main outcome measure Diagnostic imaging rate of the cervical spine during two 12 month before and after periods . Results Patients were balanced between control and intervention sites . From the before to the after periods , the intervention group showed a relative reduction in cervical spine imaging of 12.8 % ( 95 % confidence interval 9 % to 16 % ; 61.7 % v 53.3 % ; P=0.01 ) and the control group a relative increase of 12.5 % ( 7 % to 18 % ; 52.8 % v 58.9 % ; P=0.03 ) . These changes were significant when both groups were compared ( P<0.001 ) . No fractures were missed and no adverse outcomes occurred . Conclusions Implementation of the Canadian C-Spine Rule led to a significant decrease in imaging without injuries being missed or patient morbidity . Final imaging rates were much lower at intervention sites than at most US hospitals . Widespread implementation of this rule could lead to reduced healthcare costs and more efficient patient flow in busy emergency departments worldwide . Trial registration Clinical trials NCT00290875 Background Variability between clinical practice guideline recommendations and actual clinical practice exists in many areas of health care . A 2004 systematic review examining the effectiveness of guideline implementation interventions concluded there was a lack of evidence to support decisions about effective interventions to promote the uptake of guidelines . Further , the review recommended the use of theory in the development of implementation interventions . A clinical practice guideline for the management of acute low-back pain has been developed in Australia ( 2003 ) . Acute low-back pain is a common condition , has a high burden , and there is some indication of an evidence - practice gap in the allied health setting . This provides an opportunity to develop and test a theory-based implementation intervention which , if effective , may provide benefits for patients with this condition . Aims This study aims to estimate the effectiveness of a theory-based intervention  to increase allied health practitioners ' ( physiotherapists and chiropractors in Victoria , Australia ) compliance with a clinical practice guideline for acute non-specific low back pain ( LBP ) , compared with providing practitioners with a printed copy of the guideline . Specifically , our primary objectives are to establish if the intervention is effective in reducing the percentage of acute non-specific LBP patients who are either referred for or receive an x-ray  , and improving mean level of disability for patients three months post-onset of acute LBP . Methods The design of the study is a cluster r and omised trial . Restricted r and omisation was used to r and omise 210 practice s ( clusters ) to an intervention or control group . Practitioners in the control group received a printed copy of the guideline . Practitioners in the intervention group received a theory-based intervention developed to address prospect ively identified barriers to practitioner compliance with the guideline . The intervention primarily consisted of an educational symposium .  Patients aged 18 years or older who visit a participating practitioner for acute non-specific LBP of less than three months duration over a two-week data collection period , three months post the intervention symposia , are eligible for inclusion . Sample size calculations are based on recruiting between 15 to 40 patients per practice . Outcome assessors will be blinded to group allocation . Trial registration Australian New Zeal and Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12609001022257 ( date registered 25th November 2009 BACKGROUND CONTEXT The process through which new scientific developments are incorporated into clinical practice is referred to as " knowledge transfer " and is currently the subject of great interest in many areas of clinical medicine . Family physicians managing patients with acute low back pain have been shown to have a poor overall rate of concordance with clinical practice guideline -recommended treatments . New methods need to be developed to help physicians bridge the guideline implementation gap . PURPOSE To determine the efficacy of a knowledge transfer method that communicates clinical practice guidelines to family physicians and their patients using patient-specific , physician-to-physician communications . STUDY DESIGN A prospect i ve r and omized controlled study . PATIENT SAMPLE 428 patients with acute mechanical low back pain and accepted Workers ' Compensation Board cl aims were studied . OUTCOME MEASURES Concordance with specific clinical practice guideline -derived history taking items , physical examination procedures and treatment recommendations was determined . METHODS Patients with acute mechanical back pain of less than 4 weeks duration and accepted Workers ' Compensation Board cl aims were r and omly assigned to one of three groups . In Group 1 ( control group ) neither the patients nor their family physicians received any information concerning the guidelines . In Group 2 , family physicians alone or as well as their patients ( Group 3 ) received a summary of clinical practice guidelines at approximately 2 weeks postinjury . In addition , both Groups 2 and 3 received reminders summarizing the recommended guidelines for patients at three specific stages of their clinical course . All guideline correspondence was addressed to a specific family physician or patient , signed by the study physician-investigators , and specified the patient by name . RESULTS Family physicians in the control and intervention groups demonstrated a high degree of concordance with the guideline -recommended history taking and physical examination procedures , but were generally highly discordant with guideline -recommended treatments . Significant improvement in guideline -concordant treatments was seen only with diminished recommendations of prolonged bed rest and passive therapies and an increase in recommended aerobic exercise . Concordance with guideline recommendations relating to the use of spinal manipulative therapy was poor in all study groups . CONCLUSIONS A knowledge transfer method that involved patient-specific , physician-to-physician communication to family physicians or their patients at three stages of the patient 's clinical course was largely unsuccessful in improving concordance with guideline treatment recommendations Study Design . Cluster r and omized controlled trial for a multifaceted implementation strategy . Objectives . To assess the effectiveness of tailored  interventions ( multifaceted implementation strategy ) to implement the  Dutch low back pain guideline for general practitioners with regard to adherence to guideline recommendations . Summary of Background Data . Guidelines for the management of low back pain in primary care have been developed in various countries , but little is known about the optimal implementation strategy . A multifaceted implementation strategy was developed to overcome identified barriers to the implementation of the Dutch low back pain guideline for general practitioners . Methods . General practitioners were r and omized to an intervention or a control group . The general practitioners in the intervention group ( n = 21 ) received tailored interventions consisting of the Dutch low back pain guideline for general practitioners , a 2-hour educational and clinical practice workshop ; two scientific articles on low back pain management ; the guideline for occupational physicians ; a tool for patient education ; and a tool for reaching agreement on low back care with physical , exercise , and manual therapists . The control group ( n = 20 ) received no intervention . The participating general practitioners were asked to recruit consecutive patients with a new episode of low back pain as the main reason for consultation . General practitioners completed registration forms of each individual consultation with regard to the main outcome measures : advice and information , referral to other health-care providers , and prescription of medication . Results . Forty-one of the 67 r and omized general practitioners reported on a total of 616 consultations for 531 patients with nonspecific low back pain . The advice and explanation provided by the general practitioners , the prescription of paracetamol or nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , and prescription of pain medication on atime contingent or a pain contingent basis showed no statistically significant differences between the intervention and control groups . There were also no differences in overall referral rate . However , in follow-up consultations fewer patients were referred to a physical or exercise therapist by the general practitioners in the intervention group than in the control group . Conclusions . The multifaceted intervention strategy modestly improved implementation ( for parts of the recommendations in ) the Dutch low back pain guideline by general practitioners and produced small concomitant changes in patient management . The implementation strategy produced fewer referrals to therapists during follow-up consultations PURPOSE Implementation strategies of imaging guidelines can assist in reducing the number of radiographic examinations . This study aim ed to compare the perceived need for diagnostic imaging before and after an educational intervention strategy . METHODS One hundred sixty Swiss chiropractors attending a conference were r and omized to either receive a radiology workshop , review ing appropriate indications for diagnostic imaging for adult spine disorders ( n = 80 ) , or be in a control group ( CG ) . One group of 40 individuals dropped out from the CG due to logistic reasons . Participants in the intervention group were r and omly assigned to three subgroups to evaluate the effect of an online reminder at midpoint . All participants underwent a pretest and a final test at 14 - 16 weeks . A posttest was administered to two subgroups at 8 - 10 weeks . RESULTS There was no difference between baseline scores , and overall scores for the pretest and the final tests for all four groups were not significantly different . However , the subgroup provided with access to a reminder performed significantly better than the subgroup with whom they were compared ( F = 4.486 ; df = 1 and 30 ; p = .043 ) . Guideline adherence was 50.5 % ( 95 % CI , 39.1 - 61.8 ) for the intervention group and 43.7 % ( 95 % CI , 23.7 - 63.6 ) for the CG at baseline . Adherence at follow-up was lower , but mean group differences remained insignificant . CONCLUSIONS Online access to specific recommendations while making a clinical decision may favorably influence the intention to either order or not order imaging studies . However , a didactic presentation alone did not appear to change the perception for the need of diagnostic imaging studies Study Design . Cluster r and omized controlled trial . Objective . To improve quality of care for patients with low back pain ( LBP ) a multifaceted general practitioner education alone and in combination with motivational counseling by practice nurses  has been implemented in German general practice s. We studied effects on functional capacity ( main outcome ) , days in pain , physical activity , quality of life , or days of sick leave ( secondary outcomes ) compared with no intervention . Summary of Background Data . International research has lead to the development of the German LBP guideline for general practitioners . However , there is still doubt about the most effective implementation strategy . Although effects on process of care have been observed frequently , changes in patient outcomes are rarely seen . Methods . We recruited 1378 patients with LBP in 118 general practice s , which were r and omized to 1 of 3 study arms : a multifaceted guideline implementation ( GI ) , GI plus training of practice nurses in motivational counseling ( MC ) , and the postal dissemination of the guideline ( controls , C ) . Data were collected ( question naires and patient interviews ) at baseline and after 6 and 12 months . Multilevel mixed effects modeling was used to adjust for clustering of data and potential confounders . Results . After 6 months , functional capacity was higher in the intervention groups with a cluster adjusted mean difference of 3.650 between the MC group and controls ( 95 % CI = 0.320–6.979 , P = 0.032 ) and 2.652 between the GI group and controls ( 95 % CI = −0.704 to 6.007 , P = 0.120 ) . Intervention effects were more pronounced regarding days in pain per year with an average reduction of 16 ( GI ) to 17 days ( MC ) after 6 months ( 12 and 9 days after 12 months ) compared with controls . Conclusion . Active implementation of the German LBP guideline results in slightly better outcomes during 6 months follow-up than its postal dissemination . Results are more distinct when practice nurses are trained in motivational counseling Study Design . A r and omized controlled trial comparing usual care with a program for the coordination of primary health care ( CORE ) for the treatment of subacute low-back pain patients . Objectives . To measure the effectiveness of the CORE program  as a mean for implementing clinical practice guidelines for low-back pain in an urban community . Summary of Background Data . Clinical practice guidelines have been developed for primary care physicians and patients on the clinical management of low-back pain . The implementation of the guidelines in a large community is difficult with the multiplicity of medical and nonmedical back care providers and products . The CORE program was design ed to make the guidelines fit in this complex environment . Methods . One hundred ten workers compensated for low-back pain for 4 to 8 weeks in metropolitan Montreal were r and omized in two groups : usual care ( N=56 ) and the CORE program ( N=54 ) . Coordination of primary health care was performed by two primary care physicians and a nurse in liaison with the treating physicians , and included a complete examination , recommendations for the clinical management , and support to carry out the recommendations . All workers were followed for 6 months . Back pain and functional status were assessed at baseline , 3 months , and 6 months . Results . In the 6-month follow-up , the CORE group returned to work 6.6 days ( st and ard error = 8.9 ) quicker than the control group , a difference that was not statistically significant . However , the CORE group showed a sustained improvement in pain and functional status with two-fold differences at the end of the 6 months of follow-up . This represented nine points on the Oswestry scale ( P = 0.02 ) and 12 points on the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale ( P = 0.01 ) . The CORE group also used three times less specialized imaging tests of the spine at 3 months ( P < 0.01 ) and exercised twice as much at 6 months ( P < 0.05 ) than the controls . Conclusions . The therapeutic results for workers with low-back pain could be improved by implementing the clinical practice guidelines with primary care physicians in a large community , without delaying the return to work . The CORE intervention for back pain patients ishighly relevant to primary care practice . It is simple in its application , flexible to accommo date physicians ’ and patients ’ preferences in health care , and it is effective on patients ’ clinical outcome Background Evidence generated from reliable research is not frequently implemented into clinical practice . Evidence -based clinical practice guidelines are a potential vehicle to achieve this . A recent systematic review of implementation strategies of guideline dissemination concluded that there was a lack of evidence regarding effective strategies to promote the uptake of guidelines . Recommendations from this review , and other studies , have suggested the use of interventions that are theoretically based because these may be more effective than those that are not . An evidence -based clinical practice guideline for the management of acute low back pain was recently developed in Australia . This provides an opportunity to develop and test a theory-based implementation intervention for a condition which is common , has a high burden , and for which there is an evidence - practice gap in the primary care setting . Aim This study aims to test the effectiveness of a theory-based intervention for implementing a clinical practice guideline for acute low back pain in general practice in Victoria , Australia . Specifically , our primary objectives are to establish if the intervention is effective in reducing the percentage of patients who are referred for a plain x-ray  , and improving mean level of disability for patients three months post-consultation . Methods / Design This study protocol describes the details of a cluster r and omised controlled trial . Ninety-two general practice s ( clusters ) , which include at least one consenting general practitioner , will be r and omised to an intervention or control arm using restricted r and omisation . Patients aged 18 years or older who visit a participating practitioner for acute non-specific low back pain of less than three months duration will be eligible for inclusion . An average of twenty-five patients per general practice will be recruited , providing a total of 2,300 patient participants . General practitioners in the control arm will receive access to the guideline using the existing dissemination strategy . Practitioners in the intervention arm will be invited to participate in facilitated face-to-face workshops that have been underpinned by behavioural theory . Investigators ( not involved in the delivery of the intervention ) , patients , outcome assessors and the study statistician will be blinded to group allocation . Trial registration Australian New Zeal and Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN012606000098538 ( date registered 14/03/2006 )
target: Meta-analyses did not reveal any differences in effect between multifaceted strategies and controls .
  Conclusion This review showed that multifaceted strategies for the implementation of neck and /or back pain guidelines in health care do not significantly improve professional behaviour outcomes .
  No effects on patient outcomes or cost of care could be found .
background: Background For the optimal use of clinical guidelines in daily practice , mere distribution of guidelines and material s is not enough , and active implementation is needed .
  This review investigated the effectiveness of multifaceted implementation strategies compared to minimal , single , or no implementation strategy for the implementation of non-specific low back and /or neck pain guidelines in health care .