The HealthPathways team has recently reviewed three pathways on low back pain, consolidating and updating the information available into one easily accessible resource, Low Back Pain in Adults.
Non-specific back pain makes up about 95 per cent of presentations for back pain to primary care.
HealthPathways Clinical Editor Dr Hilton Koppe said as part of the normal quality assurance process, local specialists had reviewed the new pathway and provided positive feedback.
‘One of the specialists said if this pathway was followed, there would be far fewer people requiring assessment in hospital, which is a win for everyone – patients and hospitals,’ Dr Koppe said.
‘Low back pain is really common and if GPs can feel confident in their approach to managing it, that will be good for patients and good for the health service.
‘It means the right patients are going to see the right practitioners at the right place at the right time.’
He said the new pathway would help clinicians determine which patients needed further investigation and what sort of investigation would be most helpful.
‘It also guides GPs through a step-wise approach to medication management in people with ongoing back pain,’ Dr Koppe said.
Mid and North Coast Localised Pathways
manc.communityhealthpathways.org
Username: manchealth
Password: conn3ct3d