Back pain-related healthcare costs (£) per patient, by treatment and risk group, for patients providing utilisation data at 12 months (n=567). Values are mean (SD) costs unless stated otherwise
| Cost (£) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare resource | Intervention | Control group |
| Low-risk | n=97 | n=47 |
| Study back pain clinic and physiotherapy | 31.03 (38.2) | 68.62 (66.1) |
| Primary care general practitioner | 13.67 (33.6) | 19.53 (44.2) |
| Primary care nurse | 0.00 (−) | 0.25 (0.16) |
| NHS consultant | 3.84 (21.6) | 9.07 (39.9) |
| Private consultant | 6.80 (49.4) | 3.25 (18.5) |
| NHS diagnostic tests | 7.73 (38.1) | 0.68 (4.7) |
| NHS epidural injections | 0.00 (−) | 0.00 (−) |
| Private diagnostic tests | 1.85 (18.2) | 0.00 (−) |
| Private epidural injections | 2.11 (20.8) | 0.00 (−) |
| NHS (non-study) physiotherapy | 13.86 (61.1) | 9.57 (27.3) |
| Private physiotherapy | 0.39 (3.9) | 3.10 (19.0) |
| NHS ‘other’ healthcare professional | 0.00 (−) | 0.00 (−) |
| Private ‘other’ healthcare professional | 3.29 (22.9) | 5.26 (19.6) |
| Prescribed medication | 2.77 (11.2) | 0.90 (3.0) |
| ‘Over-the-counter’ treatments | 7.88 (26.8) | 8.12 (14.7) |
| Medium-risk | n=175 | n=87 |
| Study back pain clinic and physiotherapy | 111.19 (49.5) | 96.75 (86.3) |
| Primary care general practitioner | 30.44 (60.4) | 43.22 (66.1) |
| Primary care nurse | 0.68 (4.3) | 1.14 (5.8) |
| NHS consultant | 22.57 (72.5) | 26.7 (73.7) |
| Private consultant | 3.35 (24.9) | 5.22 (37.6) |
| NHS diagnostic tests | 13.50 (49.3) | 28.65 (80.4) |
| NHS epidural injections | 2.34 (21.8) | 0.00 (−) |
| Private diagnostic tests | 0.00 (−) | 2.06 (19.2) |
| Private epidural injections | 0.00 (−) | 0.00 (−) |
| NHS (non-study) physiotherapy | 13.16 (50.6) | 34.09 (71.6) |
| Private physiotherapy | 1.36 (9.8) | 9.45 (46.8) |
| NHS ‘other’ healthcare professional | 1.55 (19.6) | 4.60 (30.1) |
| Private ‘other’ healthcare professional | 12.82 (58.4) | 4.29 (31.6) |
| Prescribed medication | 14.33 (69.1) | 23.52 (66.1) |
| ‘Over-the-counter’ treatments | 11.34 (48.9) | 14.25 (35.0) |
| High-risk | n=114 | n=47 |
| Study back pain clinic and physiotherapy | 166.91 (67.6) | 109.56 (88.8) |
| Primary care general practitioner | 55.23 (79.8) | 55.55 (71.8) |
| Primary care nurse | 3.46 (17.0) | 2.52 (8.44) |
| NHS consultant | 47.23 (126.9) | 48.00 (111.1) |
| Private consultant | 5.39 (37.5) | 5.28 (25.3) |
| NHS diagnostic tests | 23.55 (78.0) | 21.77 (57.8) |
| NHS epidural injections | 5.38 (32.9) | 8.71 (41.7) |
| Private diagnostic tests | 1.57 (16.8) | 0.00 (−) |
| Private epidural injections | 0.00 (−) | 4.35 (29.8) |
| NHS (non-study) physiotherapy | 26.40 (63.5) | 54.91 (104.7) |
| Private physiotherapy | 3.88 (28.9) | 4.14 (21.0) |
| NHS ‘other’ healthcare professional | 2.54 (19.7) | 4.83 (33.1) |
| Private ‘other’ healthcare professional | 5.60 (31.4) | 3.68 (25.2) |
| Prescribed medication | 18.84 (95.5) | 10.23 (17.6) |
| ‘Over-the-counter’ treatments | 11.30 (26.6) | 16.52 (31.9) |
| Estimates for the base-case (imputed) analysis | ||
| Total healthcare cost: low-risk group (n=221) | 96.15 (191.6) | 160.44 (279.8) |
| Mean difference (95% CI; p value)* | −64.29 (−132.0 to 3.5; 0.06) | |
| Total healthcare cost: medium-risk group (n=394) | 235.08 (304.0) | 287.8 (338.6) |
| Mean difference (95% CI; p value)* | −52.72 (−119.0 to 13.6; 0.12) | |
| Total healthcare cost: high-risk group (n=236) | 383.88 (456.3) | 357.47 (585.7) |
| Mean difference (95% CI; p value)* | 26.41 (−112.6 to 165.5; 0.71) | |
↵* Difference=targeted intervention – control group. Reported confidence intervals were generated using conventional parametric methods.
NHS, National Health Service.