1,157
Views
1
CrossRef citations to date
0
Altmetric
Research Papers

Uncertainty in low back pain care – insights from an ethnographic study

ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, ORCID Icon, , & ORCID Icon show all
Pages 784-795 | Received 13 Aug 2021, Accepted 05 Feb 2022, Published online: 21 Feb 2022

References

  • Hartvigsen J, Hancock MJ, Kongsted A, et al. What low back pain is and why we need to pay attention. Lancet. 2018;391(10137):2356–2367.
  • Choi BK, Verbeek JH, Tam WW, et al. Exercises for prevention of recurrences of low-back pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2010;(1):CD006555.
  • Saragiotto BT, Machado GC, Ferreira ML, et al. Paracetamol for low back pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2016;(6):CD012230.
  • Stanton TR, Henschke N, Maher CG, et al. After an episode of acute low back pain, recurrence is unpredictable and not as common as previously thought. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2008;33(26):2923–2928.
  • Pincus T, Burton AK, Vogel S, et al. A systematic review of psychological factors as predictors of chronicity/disability in prospective cohorts of low back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2002;27(5):E109–20.
  • Buchbinder R, van Tulder M, Öberg B, et al. Low back pain: a call for action. Lancet. 2018;391(10137):2384–2388.
  • Steffens D, Maher CG, Pereira LS, et al. Prevention of low back pain: a systematic review and meta-analysis. JAMA Intern Med. 2016;176(2):199–208.
  • Michaleff ZA, Kamper SJ, Maher CG, et al. Low back pain in children and adolescents: a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the effectiveness of conservative interventions. Eur Spine J. 2014;23(10):2046–2058.
  • Moseley GL, Flor H. Targeting cortical representations in the treatment of chronic pain: a review. Neurorehabil Neural Repair. 2012;26(6):646–652.
  • Hayden JA, Wilson MN, Riley RD, et al. Individual recovery expectations and prognosis of outcomes in non-specific low back pain: prognostic factor review. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2019;(11):CD011284.
  • Foster NE, Anema JR, Cherkin D, et al. Prevention and treatment of low back pain: evidence, challenges, and promising directions. Lancet. 2018;391(10137):2368–2383.
  • Keller A, Hayden J, Bombardier C, et al. Effect sizes of non-surgical treatments of non-specific low-back pain. Eur Spine J. 2007;16(11):1776–1788.
  • Gerrity MS, DeVellis RF, Light DW. Uncertainty and professional work: perceptions of physicians in clinical practice. Am J Sociol. 1992;97(4):1022–1051.
  • Katz J. Why doctors don’t disclose uncertainty. Hastings Cent Rep. 1984;14(1):35–44.
  • Fox RC. Training for uncertainty. In: Merton RK, Reader G, Kendall PL, editors. The student-physician. Cambridge (MA): Harvard University Press; 1957. p. 207–241.
  • Koes BW, van Tulder MW, Thomas S. Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain. BMJ. 2006;332(7555):1430–1434.
  • Krismer M, van Tulder M. Strategies for prevention and management of musculoskeletal conditions. Low back pain (non-specific). Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2007;21(1):77–91.
  • Brinjikji W, Luetmer PH, Comstock B, et al. Systematic literature review of imaging features of spinal degeneration in asymptomatic populations. AJNR Am J Neuroradiol. 2015;36(4):811–816.
  • Dunn KM, Campbell P, Jordan KP. Long-term trajectories of back pain: cohort study with 7-year follow-up. BMJ Open. 2013;3(12):e003838.
  • Dunn KM, Hestbaek L, Cassidy JD. Low back pain across the life course. Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2013;27(5):591–600.
  • Hayden JA, Dunn KM, van der Windt DA, et al. What is the prognosis of back pain? Best Pract Res Clin Rheumatol. 2010;24(2):167–179.
  • Jarvik JG, Gold LS, Comstock BA, et al. Association of early imaging for back pain with clinical outcomes in older adults. JAMA. 2015;313(11):1143–1153.
  • Sloan TJ, Walsh DA. Explanatory and diagnostic labels and perceived prognosis in chronic low back pain. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2010;35(21):E1120–E1125.
  • Chou R, Qaseem A, Owens DK, et al. Diagnostic imaging for low back pain: advice for high-value health care from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2011;154(3):181–189.
  • Linton SJ, McCracken LM, Vlaeyen JW. Reassurance: help or hinder in the treatment of pain. Pain. 2008;134(1–2):5–8.
  • Serbic D, Pincus T. Chasing the ghosts: the impact of diagnostic labelling on self-management and pain-related guilt in chronic low back pain patients. J Pain Manage. 2013;6(1):25–35.
  • National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE). Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. NICE guideline [NG59]. London (UK): NICE; 2016.
  • Qaseem A, Wilt TJ, McLean RM, et al. Noninvasive treatments for acute, subacute, and chronic low back pain: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2017;166(7):514–530.
  • Pincus T, Greenwood L, McHarg E. Advising people with back pain to take time off work: a survey examining the role of private musculoskeletal practitioners in the UK. PAIN. 2011;152(12):2813–2818.
  • Runciman WB, Hunt TD, Hannaford NA, et al. CareTrack: assessing the appropriateness of health care delivery in Australia. Med J Aust. 2012;197(2):100–105.
  • Jackson JE. “Camp pain”: talking with chronic pain patients. Philadelphia (PA): University of Pennsylvania Press; 2011.
  • Rhodes LA, McPhillips-Tangum CA, Markham C, et al. The power of the visible: the meaning of diagnostic tests in chronic back pain. Soc Sci Med. 1999;48(9):1189–1203.
  • Lillrank A. Back pain and the resolution of diagnostic uncertainty in illness narratives. Soc Sci Med. 2003;57(6):1045–1054.
  • Serbic D, Pincus T. Diagnostic uncertainty and recall bias in chronic low back pain. Pain. 2014;155(8):1540–1546.
  • Quartana PJ, Campbell CM, Edwards RR. Pain catastrophizing: a critical review. Expert Rev Neurother. 2009;9(5):745–758.
  • Slade SC, Molloy E, Keating JL. The dilemma of diagnostic uncertainty when treating people with chronic low back pain: a qualitative study. Clin Rehabil. 2012;26(6):558–569.
  • Innes SI, Leboeuf-Yde C, Walker BF. The relationship between intolerance of uncertainty in chiropractic students and their treatment intervention choices. Chiropr Man Therap. 2017;25:20.
  • Simmonds MJ, Derghazarian T, Vlaeyen JW. Physiotherapists’ knowledge, attitudes, and intolerance of uncertainty influence decision making in low back pain. Clin J Pain. 2012;28(6):467–474.
  • Mescouto K, Olson RE, Hodges PW, et al. A critical review of the biopsychosocial model of low back pain care: time for a new approach? Disabil Rehabil. 2020;7:1–15.
  • Tait RC, Chibnall JT, Kalauokalani D. Provider judgments of patients in pain: seeking symptom certainty. Pain Med. 2009;10(1):11–34.
  • Gibson BE, Nicholls D, Setchell J, Synne-Groven K. Working against the grain: critcality for an otherwise physiotherapy. In: Gibson BE, Nicholls D, Setchell J, Synne-Groven K, editors. Manipulating practices: a critical physiotherapy reader. Olso (Norway): Cappelen Damm; 2018. p. 14–32.
  • Ahmed S. The cultural politics of emotion. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press; 2004.
  • Fox RC. The evolution of medical uncertainty. Milbank Mem Fund Q Health Soc. 1980;58(1):1–49.
  • Fox R. Medical uncertainty revisited. In: Albrecht GL, Fitzpatrick R, Scrimshaw SC, editor. Handbook of social studies in health and medicine. London: SAGE Publications Ltd; 2000. p. 409–425.
  • Waitzkin H, Stoeckle JD. The communication of information about illness. Clinical, sociological, and methodological considerations. Adv Psychosom Med. 1972;8:180–215.
  • Mol A. The logic of care: health and the problem of patient choice the logic of care health and the problem of patient choice. In: Ebooks C, editor. Abingdon (UK); New York; London: Routledge; 2008.
  • Setchell J, Abrams T, McAdam LC, et al. Cheer* in health care practice: what it excludes and why it matters. Qual Health Res. 2019;29(13):1890–1903.
  • Setchell J, Thille P, Abrams T, et al. Enhancing human aspects of care with young people with muscular dystrophy: results from a participatory qualitative study with clinicians. Child Care Health Dev. 2018;44(2):269–277.
  • National Guideline Centre (UK). National Institute for Health and Care Excellence: clinical guidelines. Low back pain and sciatica in over 16s: assessment and management. London: National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (UK); 2016.
  • Braun V, Clarke V. Reflecting on reflexive thematic analysis. Qual Res Sport Exer Health. 2019;11(4):589–597.
  • Mescouto K, Olson R, Hodges PW, et al. Physiotherapits both reproduce and resist biomedical dominance when working with people with low back pain: a participatory qualitative study towards new praxis. Qual Health Res. Forthcoming.
  • Dey I. What is qualitative analysis? Qualitative data analysis: a User-Friendly guide for social scientists. London: Routledge; 1993. p. 30–54.
  • Holliday A. Writing about data. In: Holliday A, editor. Doing and writing qualitative research. London: Sage; 2007. p. 89–113.
  • Balint E. The possibilities of patient-centered medicine. J R Coll Gen Pract. 1969;17(82):269–276.
  • Engel GL. The need for a new medical model: a challenge for biomedicine. Science. 1977;196(4286):129–136.
  • Dagenais S, Yelland MJ, Del Mar C, et al. Prolotherapy injections for chronic low-back pain. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2007;(2):CD004059.
  • Gupta DM, Boland RJ, Aron DC. The physician’s experience of changing clinical practice: a struggle to unlearn. Implement Sci. 2017;12(1):28.
  • Mühlhauser Y, Vogt L, Niederer D. How and how fast does pain lead to disability? A multilevel mediation analysis on structural, temporal and biopsychosocial pathways in patients with chronic nonspecific low back pain. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2020;49:102199.
  • Deaton A, Cartwright N. Understanding and misunderstanding randomized controlled trials. Soc Sci Med. 2018;210:2–21.
  • Averitt AJ, Weng C, Ryan P, et al. Translating evidence into practice: eligibility criteria fail to eliminate clinically significant differences between real-world and study populations. NPJ Digit Med. 2020;3(1):67.
  • McCambridge AB, Elkins MR. If we can’t see race and ethnicity in research, how will we see racial inequality? J Physiother. 2021;67:82–83.
  • Light D. Uncertainty and control in professional training. J Health Soc Behav. 1979;20(4):310–322.
  • Pratt H, Moroney T, Middleton R. The influence of engaging authentically on nurse-patient relationships: a scoping review. Nurs Inq. 2021;28(2):e12388.
  • Hall AM, Ferreira ML, Clemson L, et al. Assessment of the therapeutic alliance in physical rehabilitation: a RASCH analysis. Disabil Rehabil. 2012;34(3):257–266.
  • Ferreira PH, Ferreira ML, Maher CG, et al. The therapeutic alliance between clinicians and patients predicts outcome in chronic low back pain. Phys Ther. 2013;93(4):470–478.
  • Gibson BE, Terry G, Setchell J, et al. The micro-politics of caring: tinkering with person-centered rehabilitation. Disabil Rehabil. 2020;42(11):1529–1538.
  • Bhise V, Rajan SS, Sittig DF, et al. Defining and measuring diagnostic uncertainty in medicine: a systematic review. J Gen Intern Med. 2018;33(1):103–115.
  • Portnoy DB, Han PKJ, Ferrer RA, et al. Physicians’ attitudes about communicating and managing scientific uncertainty differ by perceived ambiguity aversion of their patients. Health Expectations. 2013;16(4):362–372.
  • Alam R, Cheraghi-Sohi S, Panagioti M, et al. Managing diagnostic uncertainty in primary care: a systematic critical review. BMC Fam Pract. 2017;18(1):79.
  • Almond A, Zou Y, Forbes R. Navigating diagnostic uncertainty in musculoskeletal practice: the perspectives and experiences of new graduate physiotherapists. Musculoskelet Sci Pract. 2021;52:102354.
  • Webster F, Rice K, Katz J, et al. An ethnography of chronic pain management in primary care: the social organization of physicians’ work in the midst of the opioid crisis. PLOS One. 2019;14(5):e0215148.
  • Olson RE, Smith A, Good P, et al. Emotionally reflexive labour in end-of-life communication. Soc Sci Med. 2021;291:112928.
  • Gribble N, Ladyshewsky RK, Parsons R. Strategies for interprofessional facilitators and clinical supervisors that may enhance the emotional intelligence of therapy students. J Interprof Care. 2017;31(5):593–603.
  • Santhosh L, Chou CL, Connor DM. Diagnostic uncertainty: from education to communication. Diagnosis (Berl). 2019;6(2):121–126.
  • Wieringa S, Engebretsen E, Heggen K, et al. Clinical guidelines and the pursuit of reducing epistemic uncertainty. An ethnographic study of guideline development panels in three countries. Soc Sci Med. 2021;272:113702.
  • Huntley AL, Johnson R, Purdy S, et al. Measures of multimorbidity and morbidity burden for use in primary care and community settings: a systematic review and guide. Ann Fam Med. 2012;10(2):134–141.
  • The Council for Public Health and Society. No evidence without context. About the illusion of evidence-based practice in healthcare. 2017 [cited 2021 Nov 14]. Available from: https://www.raadrvs.nl/documenten/publications/2017/6/19/no-evidence-without-context.-about-the-illusion-of-evidence%E2%80%90based-practice-in-healthcare
  • Greenhalgh T, Howick J, Maskrey N, et al. Evidence based medicine: a movement in crisis? BMJ. 2014;348:g3725.
  • Buchbinder R, Harris I. Hippocrasy how doctors are betraying their oath. Sydney: Newsouth Publishing; 2021.
  • Reeves S, Kuper A, Hodges BD. Qualitative research methodologies: ethnography. BMJ. 2008;337:a1020.
  • Olson RE, Bellocchi A, Dadich A. A post-paradigmatic approach to analysing emotions in social life. Emotions Soci. 2020;2(2):157–178.

Reprints and Corporate Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

To request a reprint or corporate permissions for this article, please click on the relevant link below:

Academic Permissions

Please note: Selecting permissions does not provide access to the full text of the article, please see our help page How do I view content?

Obtain permissions instantly via Rightslink by clicking on the button below:

If you are unable to obtain permissions via Rightslink, please complete and submit this Permissions form. For more information, please visit our Permissions help page.