This project is part of an international consortium, the Back Complaints in the Elders, which was established to create standardised methodology for large cohort studies on the burden of back pain in older people.
The primary objective of the BACE-N was to establish the clinical course and burden of back pain and back-related disability in older people, to identify prognostic factors for persistent back pain and back-related disability, and to explore usual care provided in primary care.
The project has provided new knowledge on prognosis of back-related disability and pain in older people who seek help in primary care, the clinical course of back pain over two follow-up years, including a thorough description of healthcare utilisation and their costs, and prognostic factors that influence good or poor prognosis.
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Participants
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More about the project
Back pain represents a considerable burden worldwide and is predominantly managed in primary care. Between 2010 and 2050, the number of people aged 60 years and older will increase by 56 percent in developed countries, and this transition will increase the burden of chronic back disability.
Most previous studies on back pain have excluded people above 60 years of age, leading to a large knowledge gap regarding the prognosis of back-related disability and pain in older people and which factors influence the transition from acute to chronic stage.
Therefore, an international Consortium (the Back Complaints in the Elders, BACE) was established in 2008 to create standardised methodology for large cohort studies and to share data on the burden of back pain in older people.
BACE cohort studies have been established in several countries with the primary objective to establish the clinical course and burden of back pain in elderly, to identify prognostic factors for chronic back pain and disability, and to explore usual care provided in primary care.
Methods
The BACE-N is a prospective observational cohort study with linked methodological studies, in which we have recruited 452 patients over 55 from a broad network of general practitioners, physiotherapists and chiropractors working in Norwegian primary care.
Included patients responded to a comprehensive questionnaire and underwent a physical examination at baseline and have been followed by questionnaires at 3, 6, 12 and 24 months after inclusion.
There are several specific research questions in the BACE-N. Most of the major research questions have been addressed in two finished and one ongoing PhD.
Two of the PhD candidates, Rikke Munk Killingmo and Ørjan Nesse Vigdal, have published several papers on the BACE-N material, and the third PhD candidate, Lise Kretz, have submitted the first paper in her thesis.
In addition, we have two publications in process, Ann-Cristin Sannes, postdoc. Finally, several master students have used parts of the BACE-N material in their master thesis.
The BACE-N includes an international project group, three PhD candidates, several master students, and a user representative.
