Back to Search
Start Over
Low-back pain definitions in occupational studies were categorized for a meta-analysis using Delphi consensus methods
- Source :
-
Journal of Clinical Epidemiology . Jun2007, Vol. 60 Issue 6, p625-633. 9p. - Publication Year :
- 2007
-
Abstract
- <bold>Objective: </bold>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.<bold>Study Design and Setting: </bold>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.<bold>Results: </bold>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.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Subjects :
- *BACKACHE
*META-analysis
*DELPHI method
*HEALTH outcome assessment
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 08954356
- Volume :
- 60
- Issue :
- 6
- Database :
- Academic Search Index
- Journal :
- Journal of Clinical Epidemiology
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 25083312
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclinepi.2006.09.005