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C.E. Mbada1, I.P. Gambo2, A. Israel1, C.T. Fatoye3, A. Babalola4, T. Gebrye3, F. Fatoye3
1Obafemi Awolowo University, Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Ile-Ife, Nigeria, 2Obafemi Awolowo University, Department of Medical Rehabilitation, Ile-Ife, Nigeria., Nigeria, 3Manchester Metropolitan University, Health Professions, Manchester, United Kingdom, 4Ekiti State University, Ado Ekiti, Nigeria
Background: The advent of technological innovation is considered a significant improvement in the management of low-back pain (LBP). However, decision support systems (DSS) for patients with LBP remains largely unexplored, despite its potential benefits to service providers and users. A DSS for LBP will help put in order the variety of routine tests and questions the physiotherapist needs to perform and enquire to arrive at a specific diagnosis.
Purpose: The study developed and assessed the feasibility of a clinical decision support tool (CDST) to aid physiotherapists with clinical diagnosis of LBP.
Methods: Qualitative and quantitative research methods were employed in this study. The qualitative phase was used for the development of the decision support tool (DST) using a three rounds Modified Delphi approach among purposive respondents including physiotherapists and orthopaedic surgeons. The feasibility testing phase of the developed DST was implemented after a two-week period and outcomes were assessed in terms of engagement, satisfaction, level of motivation and user experience. Descriptive of mean, standard deviation and frequency and inferential statistics of t-test were used to analyse the data.
Results: A three-end user (patient, physiotherapist and admin) DST was developed. The most positively rated items were “frequency of usage” (100%), “ease of usage” (60%), “technical support” (60%), and “ease of learning” (60%) System Usability Scale (SUS). The tool had a modified mobile app rating scale (M-MARS) score of 16.5 ± 1.00 before the intervention and 18.3 ± 0.57 after the intervention out of a total of 22.5. Moreover, there were significant differences between participants’ rating of the tool before and after intervention in “information” (22.0 ± 1.87 vs 25.4 ± 1.52; p = 0.04) and “total app quality rating” (16.5 ± 1.00 vs 18.3 ± 0.57; p = 0.04).
Conclusion(s): The findings of this study show that the developed DST for LBP diagnosis has high usability, quality rating, and change in health behaviour. Also, there was a significant increment in participants’ rating of the tool after use.
Implications: The implication of this study is that DST could potentially assist with diagnosis in the management of LBP.
Funding, acknowledgements: There was no funding received in relation to the study.
Keywords: Clinical decision support tool, Low back pain, Diagnosis
Topic: Musculoskeletal
Did this work require ethics approval? Yes
Institution: Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
Committee: Health Research Ethics Committee of the Institute of Public Health
Ethics number: IPHOAU/12/1396
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
