Title
Low-back pain definitions in occupational studies were categorized for a meta-analysis using Delphi consensus methods
Author
Griffith, L.E.
Hogg-Johnson, S.
Cole, D.C.
Krause, N.
Hayden, J.
Burdorf, A.
Leclerc, A.
Coggon, D.
Bongers, P.
Walter, S.D.
Shannon, H.S.
TNO Kwaliteit van Leven
Publication year
2007
Abstract
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.
Subject
Workplace
Veilig en Gezond Werken
Classification
Consensus
Outcomes assessment
Clinical trial
Consensus
Controlled clinical trial
Controlled study
E-mail
Health survey
Medical care
Medical literature
Medical research
Symptomatology
Systematic review
Absenteeism
Activities of Daily Living
Delphi Technique
Humans
Low Back Pain
Meta-Analysis
Occupational Diseases
Patient Acceptance of Health Care
Prognosis
Terminology
Workers' Compensation
To reference this document use:
http://resolver.tudelft.nl/uuid:5c2b9d00-97f3-4552-81d2-942a1d8e3832
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2006.09.005
TNO identifier
239999
ISSN
0895-4356
Source
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology, 60 (6), 625.e1-625.e23
Document type
article