Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 26, 2026
Biomechanical Changes Related to Low Back Pain: An Innovative Tool for Movement Pattern Assessment and Treatment Evaluation in Rehabilitation
Published on: December 13, 2024
Effectiveness of a web-based, individually tailored decision aid for depression or acute low back pain: a randomized
Daniela Simon1, Levente Kriston, Alessa von Wolff
1University Medical Center Freiburg, Department of Psychiatry and Psychotherapy, Freiburg, Germany.
Objective:
To evaluate the effectiveness of a web-based, individually tailored decision aid (Patient Dialogue) on depression or acute low back pain for insurees of a German sickness fund.
Methods:
Patient Dialogue (PD) was compared to the non-tailored Static Patient Information (SPI) in an online randomized controlled trial (RCT). The primary outcome was decisional conflict; secondary outcomes included knowledge, preparation for decision-making, preference for participation, involvement in decision-making, decision regret, and adherence.
Results:
Out of 2480 randomized participants, 657 (26.5%) provided analyzable data immediately after using the system. Three months later, data from 131 (5.3%) participants could be included in the analysis. The PD group reported a significantly lower overall decisional conflict than the SPI group (38.7 vs. 45.1; p=0.028 via multiple imputation estimator). The largest standardized effect (Cohen's d 0.56) resulted from the preparation for decision-making (PD 59.4 vs. SPI 46.8; p<0.001).
Conclusion:
PD may be an effective tool to reduce decisional conflict and prepare participants for treatment decision-making. However, the large dropout rate needs to be taken into account.
Practice Implications:
This study shows how a health insurance fund can support shared decision-making and how a decision aid can be evaluated in a RCT under routine care conditions.