Development of an individualised primary care program for acute low back pain using a hybrid co-design framework
Malene Ahern
A * , Catherine M. Dean B , Blake F. Dear C , Simon M. Willcock D and Julia M. Hush B
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations
A Department of Psychology, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Australian Hearing Hub, Level 2 and Level 3, 16 University Avenue, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
B Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Health and Human Sciences, Ground Floor, 75 Talavera Road, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
C Department of Psychology, Macquarie University, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
D Macquarie University Health Sciences Centre, 2 Technology Place, Macquarie Park, Sydney, NSW 2109, Australia.
* Correspondence to: malene.ahern@mq.edu.au
Australian Journal of Primary Health 28(5) 428-443 https://doi.org/10.1071/PY21206
Submitted: 23 August 2021 Accepted: 8 March 2022 Published: 5 September 2022
© 2022 The Author(s) (or their employer(s)). Published by CSIRO Publishing on behalf of La Trobe University. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License (CC BY-NC-ND)
Abstract
Background: Low back pain is the leading worldwide cause of years lost to disability and the problem is worsening. This paper describes and demonstrates the scholarly development and contextual refinement of a primary care program for acute low back pain in Sydney, Australia.
Methods: Hybrid theoretical frameworks were applied, and co-design was used to contextualise the program to the local healthcare setting.
Results: The program was developed in four stages. In stage 1, the scientific evidence about management of acute low back pain in primary care was examined. In stage 2, stakeholders (patients and clinicians) were consulted in nationwide surveys. Data from stages 1 and 2 were used to design an initial version of the program, called My Back My Plan. Stage 3 involved the contextual refinement of the program to the local setting, MQ Health Primary Care. This was achieved by co-design with primary care clinicians and patients who had sought care for low back pain at MQ Health Primary Care clinics. In stage 4, a panel of Australian experts on clinical care for low back pain reviewed the contextualised version of My Back My Plan and final amendments were made.
Conclusion: My Back My Plan has been developed using an innovative scholarly approach to intervention development.
Keywords: general practitioners, intervention development, matched care, My Back My Plan, patient education, person-centred, physiotherapists.
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