Low-back pain definitions in occupational studies were categorized for a meta-analysis using Delphi consensus methods
article
Objective: To determine which literature-based definitions of low back pain (LBP) could be combined to produce sufficiently similar sets for use in a meta-analysis. Study Design and Setting: A group of six international experts participated in an e-mail-administered Delphi process. Literature-based LBP definitions were preliminarily classified into 14 sets within four outcome types: pathology, symptoms and care-seeking, functional limitations, and participation. Experts independently rated their level of agreement that each outcome definition belonged in its assigned set using a seven-point Likert scale. After each round, results were synthesized and revised classifications were fed back to the experts who were asked to consider them before rerating the outcome definitions. Results: The experts completed three Delphi rounds and reached consensus on the categorization of 115/119 (97%) of the outcome definitions. There were 20 final sets of outcomes identified: three sets of pathology outcomes, two sets each of functional limitation and participation outcomes, and 13 sets of symptom and care-seeking outcomes. Conclusions: In a research area that currently lacks uniformly accepted definitions of outcomes, we successfully used a Delphi consensus process to reach substantial agreement on combinable LBP outcomes that would be combinable for a meta-analysis. © 2007 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Topics
Veilig en Gezond WerkenClassificationConsensusOutcomes assessmentClinical trialConsensusControlled clinical trialControlled studyE-mailHealth surveyMedical careMedical literatureMedical researchSymptomatologySystematic reviewAbsenteeismActivities of Daily LivingDelphi TechniqueHumansLow Back PainMeta-AnalysisOccupational DiseasesPatient Acceptance of Health CarePrognosisTerminologyWorkers' Compensation
TNO Identifier
239999
ISSN
08954356
Source
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 60(6), pp. 625.e1-625.e23.
Pages
625.e1-625.e23
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