September 25, 2024Back pain is the fifth most common reason for visits to the emergency department, often leaving patients both debilitated and uncertain about how to proceed.
“Back pain is a debilitating condition affecting one in six Australians and is the second leading cause of disease burden,” explains Dr Adam Semciw, Associate Professor at La Trobe University and Northern Health.
When a patient with back pain arrives at the emergency department, they undergo a comprehensive assessment to identify the underlying cause and rule out any serious issues. Following discharge, patients are frequently referred to the Northern Health Back Pain Hot Clinic. Here, Senior Physiotherapist Nicole Alousis, evaluates the patient’s situation and provides strategies to manage the pain and prevent future flare-ups.
In alignment with Northern Health’s commitment to effective back pain management, the Back Pain Hot Clinic has collaborated with the Clinical Leadership Effectiveness and Outcomes (CLEO) team and La Trobe University to create the Back Pain Digital Care Pathway. Central to this initiative is the My Health @ Northern app, available on both Apple and Android platforms and developed by Datos Health and CLEO.
This app provides educational resources for managing back pain and delivers important information about the back pain program. The educational resources include specialist-designed videos about managing back pain and whether the use of scans is necessary to diagnose the cause of back pain.
The Back Pain Digital Care Pathway also includes periodic questionnaires sent to patients, called Patient Reported Outcome Measures (PROMS), which gather valuable data to optimise care and for patients to monitor progress.
“There is a large scope for a digital care pathway to optimise the way we manage lower back pain,” notes Nicole Alousis.
Dr Semciw adds, “This Digital Care Pathway will help to inform risk stratification processes for the management of people with back pain.”
Elisha O’Dowd, Effectiveness and Outcomes Manager, CLEO, concludes, “Digital care pathways are a great way to bridge the gap between patient and healthcare, providing essential information right in the palm of the patient’s hand when they need it.”
The Back Pain Digital Care Pathway is a finalist in the 2024 Victorian Public Healthcare Awards, we wish the team the best of luck!
Pictured in featured image: Nicole Alouisis, Senior Physiotherapist, Northern Health Back Pain Hot Clinic.
