Implementation of the ACP Guideline for Low Back Pain (IMPACt-LBP)

This study is a pragmatic, multi-site, two-arm cluster-randomized trial with the unit of randomization at the primary care clinic level. The overall goal is to evaluate implementation of the American College of Physicians (ACP) guideline for LBP by assessing the comparative effectiveness of the PSP model, which involves first contact care for LBP patients from either a physical therapist (PT) or a doctor of chiropractic (DC), versus usual care, which involves first contact care with primary care physicians. The study includes patients aged 18 years and older with a chief complaint of LBP.

Co-primary endpoints to be assessed are changes in Patient- Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Pain Interference and Physical Function from baseline to 3 months. The Investigators have chosen to use these co-primary endpoints as they represent two domains that are important factors related to patient improvement.

Secondary endpoints collected at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months include Pain Catastrophizing Scale - 4-item short form, PROMIS Global-10 (v1.2), opioid use, imaging and diagnostic testing, provider visits, and LBP-associated procedures and treatments: surgical procedures, medication prescriptions, hospital admissions and emergency room visits.

Additional exploratory analyses among enrolled patients will assess whether the PSP model leads to 1) long-term improvement compared to usual care using the PROMIS Pain Interference and Physical Function at 6, 12, and 24 months; and 2) lower healthcare utilization and costs for LBP at 12 and 24 months.

Patients enrolled within the first 12 months of the data collection phase will be included in the 24-month exploratory analyses. Additional analyses will evaluate LBP-related utilization within the academic healthcare systems among all patients seen in intervention versus control primary care clinics utilizing de-identified clinic level data extracted from the EHR.

A total of approximately 1,800 patients who seek care at a participating primary care clinic with a complaint of LBP and meet study eligibility criteria will be enrolled.