Skip Navigation


Occupational Medicine Advance Access originally published online on September 4, 2008
Occupational Medicine 2008 58(8):580-583; doi:10.1093/occmed/kqn116
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
58/8/580    most recent
kqn116v1
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Cunningham, C. G.
Right arrow Articles by Blake, C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Cunningham, C. G.
Right arrow Articles by Blake, C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

© The Author 2008. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Occupational Medicine. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Short Reports

Working Backs Project—implementing low back pain guidelines

Caitriona G. Cunningham1, Theresa A. Flynn2, Catherine M. Toole2, Robert G. Ryan2, Paul W. J. Gueret2, Siobhan Bulfin2, Orla Seale2 and Catherine Blake1

1 School of Physiotherapy and Performance Science, Health Science Centre, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
2 Occupational Health and Physiotherapy Departments, St Vincent’s University Hospital, Dublin, Ireland

Background The St Vincent's Working Backs Project (WBP) represents a strategy for the implementation of the UK Faculty of Occupational Medicine guidelines for the management of low back pain (LBP) in the workplace (Carter J, Birrell L. Occupational Health Guidelines for the Management of Low Back Pain at Work—Principal Recommendations. London: Faculty of Occupational Medicine, 2000).

Aim To evaluate the efficacy of the St Vincent's WBP.

Methods Questionnaire survey of staff and managers before and after the WBP intervention together with review of Occupational Health Department (OHD) data. The intervention included changes to LBP management pathways and protocols, combined with a guideline-based health promotion campaign. Outcomes included WBP awareness, LBP-related sickness absenteeism, staff back beliefs, intended management of LBP and manager attitudes towards LBP and it management.

Results Following the WBP intervention, 85% (n = 46) of managers and 57% (n = 124) of staff reported having heard of the WBP. LBP-related sickness absenteeism in the previous year had not decreased significantly (95% confidence interval: –0.03 to 0.06). Among staff, a mean improvement of 1.8 had occurred on the Back Beliefs Questionnaire score. More staff (36%) reported that they would try to stay active (P < 0.05) with LBP and would choose to attend the OHD if they required treatment. More managers demonstrated guideline-consistent attitudes.

Conclusions Following the WBP, staff and manager attitudes and beliefs towards LBP and its management were more consistent with the LBP guidelines although LBP-related sickness absenteeism did not decrease significantly. Future occupational guideline implementation strategy studies are required which should include a control worksite and rely on pre- and post-intervention organizational data.

Keywords      Guideline implementation; low back pain; occupational health guidelines; workplace

Correspondence to: Caitriona G. Cunningham, UCD School of Physiotherapy and Performance Science, Health Sciences Centre, University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland. Tel: +353 1 7166512; fax: +353 17166501. e-mail: caitriona.g.cunningham{at}ucd.ie


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.