Low Back PainMOBILNCT02777983
MOBile Instruction for Low Back Pain (MOBIL)
A study testing Educational Video App in people with Low Back Pain, run by Brooke Army Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
Trial summary
The purpose of this project is to measure the impact of a short educational session on outcomes for patients consulting in primary care for low back pain. Subjects will be patients consulting to their primary care provider for a primary complaint and new episode of low back pain. Read more about this study
- Who is it for?
- Ages 18 to 50 years
- Conditions the study is for
- Low Back Pain
- What is being tested?
- Educational Video App
- Type of treatment
- Lifestyle or therapy programme
- Could I receive a placebo?
- No, everyone receives an active treatment
- How many people
- 220 participants
- Where
- 1 siteUnited States
- Study dates
- 1 Mar 2016to Oct 2017
- Phase
- Interventional
- Are there results?
- None posted in the registry
Key requirements
Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.
- Ages 18 to 50 years
- All sexes
- No healthy volunteers
- Adult
Who may be able to join
- A Tricare beneficiary with a primary complaint of low back pain consulting in a primary care clinic
- Between the age of 18 - 50 years
- Read and speak English well enough to interact with the mobile education technology, provide informed consent and follow study instructions
Who cannot join
- History of prior surgery to the lumbosacral spine
- Medical "red flags" of a potentially serious condition including cauda equina syndrome, major or rapidly progressing neurological deficit, fracture, cancer, infection, or systemic disease
- Known current pregnancy or history of pregnancy in the last 6 months
- Already seen in primary care for an episode of low back pain within the last 3 months
Trial locations and contacts
1 site in 1 country.
United States1 site
Brooke Army Medical Center
San Antonio, Texas, 78219
About this study
Official title: Brief Mobile Education at the Point of Care to Influence Healthcare Decisions Related Low Back Pain Management in Primary Care
The purpose of this project is to measure the impact of a short educational session on outcomes for patients consulting in primary care for low back pain. Subjects will be patients consulting to their primary care provider for a primary complaint and new episode of low back pain. Subjects will be randomized to receiving the educational tool versus usual care (information only without an educational component) in the clinic immediately prior to seeing their PCP. Patients will be followed for a 6-month period, and outcome measures will be collected and compared across both groups.
Read the detailed description
Patients that arrive for an initial evaluation for low back pain will be randomized to either receive the video education via an application (app) on a tablet computer, or usual care (which consists of information in the form of a handout but no further education prior to seeing the Primary Care Provider - PCP). To control for exposure to the tablet computer, subjects in both groups will use the tablet computer to fill out the self-reported outcome measures.
This will all take place while the patient is waiting to see their PCP, who will be blinded to the educational intervention that the patient received. After enrollment and completion of baseline outcome measures and surveys, the subject will be randomized to one of the 2 arms, receive the intervention, and then proceed to have their appointment with their PCP. The appointment with the PCP will proceed per usual care standards, with no additional research interventions. The subjects will be contacted for a follow-up at 1 and 6 months for assessment of self-reported outcomes measuring pain, function, and disability. The investigators will also abstract healthcare utilization from claims data and compare variables of healthcare use between both groups over the 6-month period following enrollment (radiographs, MRIs, prescription opioids, and specialty referrals).
- Conditions
- Low Back Pain
- Being tested
- Educational Video App
- Keywords
- patient education, low back pain, technology
- Medical subject headings
- Low Back Pain
What participants receive
What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.
Educational Video AppBehavioural
Also called Mobile Technology Education
The content of the app will be grounded in a biopsychosocial model and modeled on the Back Book, a booklet developed to help modify beliefs and behavior of patients with LBP. Essentially this will take the primary concepts and ideas often given in print or verbal form, and present it in a more engaging and dynamic fashion.
| Study group | Role | What they receive |
|---|---|---|
| Education Group | Experimental | This will consist of a 6-minute educational video app created and delivered within an application (mobile app) that will be interactive in nature, asking multiple-choice questions at the end to help reinforce key points of the video message. It will include self-management guidance based on evidence related to activity, exercise, and other behavioral components known to influence the prognosis of low back pain. Subjects will also receive the 1-page general conditioning handout that the usual care group will receive. Receives: Behavioral: Educational Video App |
| Usual Care Group | No intervention | Subjects randomized to usual care will receive a 1-page generic informational handout on general conditioning recommended for low back pain, in addition to whatever education the subject's PCP decides to provide. |
What is being measured
The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.
Healthcare Utilization
This will include an a frequency count of diagnostic imaging orders and types, specialty referrals, and medication use (primarily prescription opiates).
Measured: 6 months
Secondary outcomes (3)
Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29 Item Subscale (PROMIS-29)
The PROMIS 29-item short form efficiently assesses several outcomes important to patients with a neuromusculoskeletal injury, including pain intensity and interference, sleep disturbance, anxiety, depression, fatigue, and social role participation using items developed with rigorous methodology and patient input. The PROMIS-29 scores have been found valid for patients with orthopedic injuries with minimal clinically important change thresholds of 2-4 points for most scales. It has also been used to successfully measure psychosocial resiliency in patients with disability.
Measured: 0, 1, 6 months
Keele STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST)
The Keele STarT Back Screening Tool classifies patients into one of three risk categories (low, medium, and high) for targeted treatment, based on the presence of potentially modifiable physical and psychological prognostic indicators for persistent, disabling symptoms, identified through 9 questions. Patients are classified as "low risk" of future disabling LBP if they score positively on fewer than 4 questions. The remainder are then subdivided into "medium risk" (physical and psychosocial indicators for poor outcome, but without high levels of psychological indicators) and "high risk" (high levels of psychological prognostic indicators with or without physical indicators).
Measured: 0, 1, 6 months
Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome Yellow Flags assessment tool (OSPRO-YF)
Measures of psychosocial risk factors taken early after injury and sequentially over time represent an important and relevant clinical necessity, as psychosocial risk factors can vary over time. Some preliminary work on how sequential assessment may improve predictive capabilities has been performed. In previous studies of the SBST, baseline risk status was compared to prediction from 4-week risk status, and 4-week change in risk status for prediction of 6 month pain and disability outcomes following low back pain. The results indicated that prediction improved when 4-week risk status or 4-week change in risk status was incorporated into predictive models. In particular, those with worsened 4 week change in psychosocial risk status (i.e. increasing pain associated distress) had notably worse 6 month outcomes. This provides promising preliminary data for investigating how these change patterns influence patient outcomes in patients with low back pain.
Measured: 0, 1, 6 months
Timeline
From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.
- First posted19 May 2016 (estimated)
- Study start1 Mar 2016
- Primary completionOct 2016
- Study completionOct 2017
Resources
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govThe registry entry this page is built from, with its full change history.
- Publications (9)Papers the sponsor has linked to this study.
- Other trials for Low Back PainStudies of the same condition, open and under way.
- What the trial phases meanHow a treatment moves from first tests in people to approval.
More details
For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.
Study design
- Study type
- Interventional
- Phase
- Phase N/A
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind
- Who is masked
- Care provider, Outcomes assessor
- Enrolment
- 220 participants (actual)
Sponsor and investigators
- Lead sponsor
- Brooke Army Medical Center
- Sponsor type
- US federal agency
- Responsible party
- Principal investigator, Dan Rhon, Brooke Army Medical Center
- Investigators
- Daniel Rhon, DPT, DSc, Principal investigator, Brooke Army Medical Center; Baylor University
IDs, dates and publications
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02777983
- Sponsor's protocol ID
- C.2015.029
- Acronym
- MOBIL
- Status last verified
- Oct 2018
- First submitted
- 17 May 2016
- Last updated
- 26 Oct 2018
- Results posted
- No
- Data monitoring committee
- No
- Individual data sharing
- Yes: Requests for data must go through a Data Sharing Agreement Application submitted and approved through the Defense Health Agency
Publications
Chou R, Qaseem A, Snow V, Casey D, Cross JT Jr, Shekelle P, Owens DK; Clinical Efficacy Assessment Subcommittee of the American College of Physicians; American College of Physicians; American Pain Society Low Back Pain Guidelines Panel. Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain: a joint clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society. Ann Intern Med. 2007 Oct 2;147(7):478-91. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-147-7-200710020-00006.
PubMed 17909209George SZ, Childs JD, Teyhen DS, Wu SS, Wright AC, Dugan JL, Robinson ME. Brief psychosocial education, not core stabilization, reduced incidence of low back pain: results from the Prevention of Low Back Pain in the Military (POLM) cluster randomized trial. BMC Med. 2011 Nov 29;9:128. doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-9-128.
PubMed 22126534Darlow B, Fullen BM, Dean S, Hurley DA, Baxter GD, Dowell A. The association between health care professional attitudes and beliefs and the attitudes and beliefs, clinical management, and outcomes of patients with low back pain: a systematic review. Eur J Pain. 2012 Jan;16(1):3-17. doi: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2011.06.006.
PubMed 21719329Foster NE, Delitto A. Embedding psychosocial perspectives within clinical management of low back pain: integration of psychosocially informed management principles into physical therapist practice--challenges and opportunities. Phys Ther. 2011 May;91(5):790-803. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20100326. Epub 2011 Mar 30.
PubMed 21451095Godges JJ, Anger MA, Zimmerman G, Delitto A. Effects of education on return-to-work status for people with fear-avoidance beliefs and acute low back pain. Phys Ther. 2008 Feb;88(2):231-9. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20050121. Epub 2007 Dec 4.
PubMed 18056753Burton AK, Waddell G, Tillotson KM, Summerton N. Information and advice to patients with back pain can have a positive effect. A randomized controlled trial of a novel educational booklet in primary care. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1999 Dec 1;24(23):2484-91. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199912010-00010.
PubMed 10626311Cherkin D, Deyo RA, Berg AO. Evaluation of a physician education intervention to improve primary care for low-back pain. II. Impact on patients. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1991 Oct;16(10):1173-8. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199110000-00008.
PubMed 1836677Moore JE, Von Korff M, Cherkin D, Saunders K, Lorig K. A randomized trial of a cognitive-behavioral program for enhancing back pain self care in a primary care setting. Pain. 2000 Nov;88(2):145-153. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3959(00)00314-6.
PubMed 11050369Rhon DI, Mayhew RJ, Greenlee TA, Fritz JM. The influence of a MOBile-based video Instruction for Low back pain (MOBIL) on initial care decisions made by primary care providers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Fam Pract. 2021 Oct 9;22(1):200. doi: 10.1186/s12875-021-01549-y.
PubMed 34627152
Study at a glance
From the registry record, last updated by the sponsor on 26 Oct 2018. Recruitment status is as the sponsor reported it: confirm with the study team.
- Official title
- Brief Mobile Education at the Point of Care to Influence Healthcare Decisions Related Low Back Pain Management in Primary Care
- ClinicalTrials.gov ID
- NCT02777983
- Acronym / sponsor ID
- MOBIL / C.2015.029
- Conditions
- Low Back Pain
- Keywords
- patient education, low back pain, technology
- Study type
- Interventional
- Recruitment status
- Completed
- Enrolment
- 220 participants (actual)
- Lead sponsor
- Brooke Army Medical CenterUS federal agency
- Study start
- 1 Mar 2016 (actual)
- Primary completion
- Oct 2016 (actual)
- Study completion
- Oct 2017 (actual)
- First posted
- 19 May 2016 (estimated)
- Results
- Not posted in the source record
Clinical summary
The research question as the sponsor registered it. This describes what the study plans to test, not what it found.
The purpose of this project is to measure the impact of a short educational session on outcomes for patients consulting in primary care for low back pain. Subjects will be patients consulting to their primary care provider for a primary complaint and new episode of low back pain. Subjects will be randomized to receiving the educational tool versus usual care (information only without an educational component) in the clinic immediately prior to seeing their PCP. Patients will be followed for a 6-month period, and outcome measures will be collected and compared across both groups.
Detailed description
Patients that arrive for an initial evaluation for low back pain will be randomized to either receive the video education via an application (app) on a tablet computer, or usual care (which consists of information in the form of a handout but no further education prior to seeing the Primary Care Provider - PCP). To control for exposure to the tablet computer, subjects in both groups will use the tablet computer to fill out the self-reported outcome measures.
This will all take place while the patient is waiting to see their PCP, who will be blinded to the educational intervention that the patient received. After enrollment and completion of baseline outcome measures and surveys, the subject will be randomized to one of the 2 arms, receive the intervention, and then proceed to have their appointment with their PCP. The appointment with the PCP will proceed per usual care standards, with no additional research interventions. The subjects will be contacted for a follow-up at 1 and 6 months for assessment of self-reported outcomes measuring pain, function, and disability. The investigators will also abstract healthcare utilization from claims data and compare variables of healthcare use between both groups over the 6-month period following enrollment (radiographs, MRIs, prescription opioids, and specialty referrals).
Study design
- Primary purpose
- Treatment
- Allocation
- Randomised
- Intervention model
- Parallel groups
- Masking
- Double blind (care provider, outcomes assessor)
- Number of arms
- 2
| Arm | Type | Receives |
|---|---|---|
| Education Group | Experimental | Behavioral: Educational Video AppThis will consist of a 6-minute educational video app created and delivered within an application (mobile app) that will be interactive in nature, asking multiple-choice questions at the end to help reinforce key points of the video message. It will include self-management guidance based on evidence related to activity, exercise, and other behavioral components known to influence the prognosis of low back pain. Subjects will also receive the 1-page general conditioning handout that the usual care group will receive. |
| Usual Care Group | No intervention | –Subjects randomized to usual care will receive a 1-page generic informational handout on general conditioning recommended for low back pain, in addition to whatever education the subject's PCP decides to provide. |
Who may qualify
- Ages
- 18 to 50 years
- Sex
- All
- Healthy volunteers
- Not accepted
- Age groups
- Adult
Key inclusion criteria (3 listed)
- A Tricare beneficiary with a primary complaint of low back pain consulting in a primary care clinic
- Between the age of 18 - 50 years
- Read and speak English well enough to interact with the mobile education technology, provide informed consent and follow study instructions
Key exclusion criteria (4 listed)
- History of prior surgery to the lumbosacral spine
- Medical "red flags" of a potentially serious condition including cauda equina syndrome, major or rapidly progressing neurological deficit, fracture, cancer, infection, or systemic disease
- Known current pregnancy or history of pregnancy in the last 6 months
- Already seen in primary care for an episode of low back pain within the last 3 months
Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening; this overview does not establish that a patient qualifies. Full inclusion and exclusion criteria.
Interventions
| Intervention | Type | Arms |
|---|---|---|
| Educational Video AppAlso: Mobile Technology EducationThe content of the app will be grounded in a biopsychosocial model and modeled on the Back Book, a booklet developed to help modify beliefs and behavior of patients with LBP. Essentially this will take the primary concepts and ideas often given in print or verbal form, and present it in a more engaging and dynamic fashion. | Behavioural | Education Group |
Primary outcome
Healthcare Utilization
Time frame: 6 months
This will include an a frequency count of diagnostic imaging orders and types, specialty referrals, and medication use (primarily prescription opiates).
3 secondary outcomes
Patient Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System 29 Item Subscale (PROMIS-29)
Time frame: 0, 1, 6 months
Keele STarT Back Screening Tool (SBST)
Time frame: 0, 1, 6 months
Optimal Screening for Prediction of Referral and Outcome Yellow Flags assessment tool (OSPRO-YF)
Time frame: 0, 1, 6 months
Results and safety
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
Research links
- Official record on ClinicalTrials.govLast updated by the sponsor 26 Oct 2018.
- Background: PubMed 17909209Chou R, Qaseem A, Snow V, Casey D, Cross JT Jr, Shekelle P, Owens DK; Clinical Efficacy Assessment Subcommittee of the American College of Physicians; American College of Physicians; American Pain Society Low Back Pain Guidelines Panel. Diagnosis and treatment of low back pain: a joint clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians and the American Pain Society. Ann Intern Med. 2007 Oct 2;147(7):478-91. doi: 10.7326/0003-4819-147-7-200710020-00006.
- Background: PubMed 22126534George SZ, Childs JD, Teyhen DS, Wu SS, Wright AC, Dugan JL, Robinson ME. Brief psychosocial education, not core stabilization, reduced incidence of low back pain: results from the Prevention of Low Back Pain in the Military (POLM) cluster randomized trial. BMC Med. 2011 Nov 29;9:128. doi: 10.1186/1741-7015-9-128.
- Background: PubMed 21719329Darlow B, Fullen BM, Dean S, Hurley DA, Baxter GD, Dowell A. The association between health care professional attitudes and beliefs and the attitudes and beliefs, clinical management, and outcomes of patients with low back pain: a systematic review. Eur J Pain. 2012 Jan;16(1):3-17. doi: 10.1016/j.ejpain.2011.06.006.
- Background: PubMed 21451095Foster NE, Delitto A. Embedding psychosocial perspectives within clinical management of low back pain: integration of psychosocially informed management principles into physical therapist practice--challenges and opportunities. Phys Ther. 2011 May;91(5):790-803. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20100326. Epub 2011 Mar 30.
- Background: PubMed 18056753Godges JJ, Anger MA, Zimmerman G, Delitto A. Effects of education on return-to-work status for people with fear-avoidance beliefs and acute low back pain. Phys Ther. 2008 Feb;88(2):231-9. doi: 10.2522/ptj.20050121. Epub 2007 Dec 4.
- Background: PubMed 10626311Burton AK, Waddell G, Tillotson KM, Summerton N. Information and advice to patients with back pain can have a positive effect. A randomized controlled trial of a novel educational booklet in primary care. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1999 Dec 1;24(23):2484-91. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199912010-00010.
- Background: PubMed 1836677Cherkin D, Deyo RA, Berg AO. Evaluation of a physician education intervention to improve primary care for low-back pain. II. Impact on patients. Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 1991 Oct;16(10):1173-8. doi: 10.1097/00007632-199110000-00008.
- Background: PubMed 11050369Moore JE, Von Korff M, Cherkin D, Saunders K, Lorig K. A randomized trial of a cognitive-behavioral program for enhancing back pain self care in a primary care setting. Pain. 2000 Nov;88(2):145-153. doi: 10.1016/S0304-3959(00)00314-6.
- Derived from this study: PubMed 34627152Rhon DI, Mayhew RJ, Greenlee TA, Fritz JM. The influence of a MOBile-based video Instruction for Low back pain (MOBIL) on initial care decisions made by primary care providers: a randomized controlled trial. BMC Fam Pract. 2021 Oct 9;22(1):200. doi: 10.1186/s12875-021-01549-y.
- Individual participant dataSharing planned: Yes. Requests for data must go through a Data Sharing Agreement Application submitted and approved through the Defense Health Agency
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Referral and contact
AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals. Contact the study team or a site listed below; they decide who can take part. This study is not recruiting at the moment.
Daniel Rhon, DPT, DSc principal investigator
Brooke Army Medical Center; Baylor University
1 site in 1 country: see every site and its status.
Questions about this trial
What is this clinical trial studying?
A study testing Educational Video App in people with Low Back Pain, run by Brooke Army Medical Center at 1 site in United States.
The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.
Who may be eligible to take part?
The sponsor lists 3 inclusion and 4 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.
Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?
The record says: finished, as of the sponsor's last update on 26 Oct 2018. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.
Where is the study taking place?
The record lists 1 site in United States. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.
What are the possible benefits and risks?
They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.
Are results available for this study?
The study is completed, but results are not available in the source record. That does not mean the treatment did or did not work.
How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?
The record lists no contact. The official record names the sponsor, who can be asked directly. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.
What does the primary outcome measure?
Healthcare Utilization (time frame: 6 months). It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.
Where can I read the original study information?
On the ClinicalTrials.gov record for NCT02777983, which also lists 9 linked publications.
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?
No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.
How often is this information updated?
AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 26 Oct 2018.