Rehabilitative management of back pain in children: protocol for a mixed studies systematic review
Carol Cancelliere1,2, Jessica J Wong3,2,4,5, Hainan Yu3,2,5
1Faculty of Health Sciences, Ontario Tech University, Oshawa, Ontario, Canada carolina.cancelliere@ontariotechu.ca.
Insights
This systematic review synthesizes evidence on effective rehabilitation for pediatric back pain. Findings will guide clinical practice for better childhood functional outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Rehabilitation
- Musculoskeletal Health
- Evidence-Based Practice
Background:
- Effective management strategies for pediatric back pain are not well-established.
- A comprehensive synthesis of current evidence is needed to inform clinical practice.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and synthesize evidence on effective, cost-effective, and safe rehabilitation interventions for children experiencing back pain.
- To improve functioning and other health outcomes in pediatric patients with back pain.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across multiple databases (MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, etc.) and trial registries.
- Inclusion of quantitative, qualitative, mixed-methods studies, and economic evaluations.
- Rigorous data extraction, risk of bias assessment, and sequential data synthesis.
Main Results:
- This section is to be populated upon completion of the review.
Conclusions:
- This systematic review will provide crucial insights into optimal rehabilitation interventions for pediatric back pain.
- The findings aim to enhance clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes.
Introduction:
Little is known about effective, efficient and acceptable management of back pain in children. A comprehensive and updated evidence synthesis can help to inform clinical practice.
Objective:
To inform clinical practice, we aim to conduct a systematic review of the literature and synthesise the evidence regarding effective, cost-effective and safe rehabilitation interventions for children with back pain to improve their functioning and other health outcomes.
Methods And Analysis:
We will search MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CINAHL, the Index to Chiropractic Literature, the Cochrane Controlled Register of Trials and EconLit for primary studies published from inception in all languages. We will include quantitative studies (randomised controlled trials, cohort and case-control studies), qualitative studies, mixed-methods studies and full economic evaluations. To augment our search of the bibliographic electronic databases, we will search reference lists of included studies and relevant systematic reviews, the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform and consult with content experts. We will assess the risk of bias using appropriate critical appraisal tools. We will extract data about study and participant characteristics, intervention type and comparators, context and setting, outcomes, themes and methodological quality assessment. We will use a sequential approach at the review level to integrate data from the quantitative, qualitative and economic evidence syntheses.
Ethics And Dissemination:
Ethics approval is not required. We will disseminate findings through activities, including (1) presentations in national and international conferences; (2) meetings with national and international decision makers; (3) publications in peer-reviewed journals and (4) posts on organisational websites and social media.
Prospero Registration Number:
CRD42019135009.
