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About the Audit Tool for the RCGP Acute Back Pain Guidelines
The RCGP Acute Back Pain Guidelines provide evidence-based guidance for primary care practitioners on appropriate care for patients with acute low back pain. Their focus is on the first 6 weeks of an episode and their aim is to help prevent long-term chronic disability by the effective use of primary care measures.
This Audit Toolkit was developed by a multidisciplinary group from academic centres, some of whom formed the Development Group for the Guideline itself. They represented the primary care fields of general practice, chiropractic, osteopathy and manipulation physiotherapy, supported by an Advisory Group drawn from patients, public health medicine, physiotherapy, orthopaedics and primary care audit support.
The Audit is concise and is built on the following 6 basic criteria, which refer to the Guideline's principal recommendations:
- Diagnostic triage
- Psychosocial assessment
- Treatment in primary care
- Avoidance of bed rest
- Advice on staying active
- Referral for/use of other investigations
These are applied to the first contact events in primary care with the support of educational and reference materials as aids to implementation.
Over 1,000 primary care practitioners tested the toolkit during the 2-year period of its development, which included a complete audit cycle spanning 6 months. It was systematically evaluated by practitioners and audit administrators and adapted accordingly.
The Audit Tool contains separate toolkits for general practitioners and manipulation therapists. These include instructions for conducting and analysing the audit data as well as background information about the audit criteria from the Guideline's Evidence Review. They can be used, either separately or together, to audit practice by the main professionals who provide first contact care.
The Acute Back Pain Audit Tool can be downloaded from this site as a .pdf file and thereafter photocopied freely for use by local audit groups and practitioners. Alternatively, copies can be ordered by e-mail to imrci.jbaker@imrci.ac.uk . (A charge to cover production costs will be made.)
CLICK ON THE SECTIONS BELOW TO DOWNLOAD THE DOCUMENTS WITH ADOBE ACROBAT
Introduction (Please read this first)
Background Information
General Practice Audit
Chiropractors, Osteopaths and Manipulation Physiotherapists Audit
Scanning and analysis of your acute back pain audits can be done for you by IMRCI. Please contact Jill Sutherland (e-mail imrci.gsutherland@aecc.ac.uk) for details.
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