Aim: To compare patient-reported outcomes in people presenting to ED with LBP before and after the implementation of a virtual hospital model of care for LBP (Back@Home).
Methods: This is a hybrid effectiveness-implementation type-I study. Patients were included if they were aged 16 years or older with a primary diagnosis of musculoskeletal LBP presenting to the ED. The implementation strategy included educational meetings, local opinion leaders, local consensus discussions, and the distribution of educational materials. Patient-reported outcomes were collected at 2 and 4 weeks after admission to (i) the traditional hospital wards and (ii) the new virtual hospital for LBP. Surveys collected pain intensity, physical function and satisfaction with care. Descriptive statistics were conducted to report the results for this preliminary analysis using the patient-reported outcomes at 2-week follow-up.
Results: From December 2021 to June 2024, a total of 107 patients admitted to the traditional hospital were monitored and 181 patients were cared for through Back@Home. Fifty-three patients admitted to the traditional hospital and 91 patients admitted to the virtual hospital completed the 2-week follow-up assessment. The mean pain intensity, physical function and satisfaction of patients admitted to traditional and virtual hospitals were, respectively: 5.6 (SD: 2.6) vs 4.1 (SD: 2.6) out of 10; 14.6 (SD: 8.9) vs 20.5 (SD: 11.3) out of 30; and 7.6 (SD: 2.6) vs 7.8 (SD: 2.3) out of 10. Data collection will be completed in August 2024, and the final results including between-group differences will be presented at the conference.
Conclusions: Based on this preliminary analysis, the virtual hospital has shown promising evidence it provides equivalent or better outcomes compared to the traditional hospital for LBP.