Costs and Comorbidities in Low Back Pain Patients
Author Information
Author(s): Debra P Ritzwoller, Laurie Crounse, Susan Shetterly, Dale Rublee
Primary Institution: Kaiser Permanente Colorado
Hypothesis
Back pain patients with multiple co-morbidities are more likely to exhibit utilization patterns consistent with chronic LBP that in turn drive healthcare service utilization and costs.
Conclusion
Physical and mental health co-morbidities and measures of analgesic use were associated with chronicity, healthcare utilization and costs.
Supporting Evidence
- 67% of patients had only one LBP episode.
- 4.5% of patients had 6 or more LBP episodes.
- Diabetes and depression were associated with increased healthcare costs.
Takeaway
People with back pain often have other health problems that make their treatment more expensive and complicated.
Methodology
Retrospective analysis of healthcare service use and costs for patients with low back pain, using administrative data from 1996 to 2001.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to reliance on administrative data and the definition of LBP episodes.
Limitations
The study relies on administrative data rather than patient reports and does not capture over-the-counter medication use.
Participant Demographics
Patients were adults aged 18 and older, with a majority being female and a mean age of 51.09 years.
Statistical Information
P-Value
<0.003
Confidence Interval
95% CI for various factors ranged from 1.06 to 8.33.
Statistical Significance
p<0.003
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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