Work problems due to low back pain: what do GPs do? A questionnaire survey

Area of Science:

• Occupational Medicine
• General Practice
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Low back pain significantly impacts work ability and is a primary cause of sickness absence.
• General Practitioners (GPs) are the initial point of contact for healthcare in the UK.
• Government policy emphasizes GPs' continued responsibility for sickness certification and work advice.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess current General Practitioner (GP) practices in managing patients with low back pain affecting work ability.
• To understand GPs' perceptions of necessary support services for this role.

Main Methods:

• A postal questionnaire survey was distributed to 441 General Practitioners (GPs) in South Nottinghamshire, UK.
• The survey investigated referral patterns, sickness certification practices, and communication with therapists and employers.

Main Results:

• A 54.6% response rate was achieved.
• 76.8% of GPs reported not taking overall responsibility for managing work problems associated with low back pain.
• Very few GPs initiated communication with employers (2.5%) or therapists (10.4%) regarding patient work issues.

Conclusions:

• Most General Practitioners (GPs) are not actively involved in vocational rehabilitation for low back pain patients.
• GPs' lack of engagement with employers and therapists suggests current government expectations for this role may be unrealistic.
• Significant training and a shift in GPs' role perception are necessary for effective management of work-related back pain issues.