A South Aus­tralian research project, sup­port­ed by the CEIH, has uncov­ered key fac­tors influ­enc­ing hos­pi­tal­i­sa­tion rates for non- spe­cif­ic low back pain (LBP) and sci­at­i­ca. In emer­gency departments. 

The research, span­ning five years across six pub­lic hos­pi­tals, aims to improve care strate­gies and reduce unnec­es­sary admissions. 

Key find­ings

The study iden­ti­fied sev­er­al fac­tors that increase the like­li­hood of hos­pi­tal­i­sa­tion for ED patients with LBP:

• aged 65+ years or older 
• pre­sent­ed to ED via ambulance. 
• triaged as urgent on arrival to ED 
• lived in a high­er socioe­co­nom­ic area

Why this matters?

Under­stand­ing these risk fac­tors allows health­care providers to refine treat­ment path­ways, ensure appro­pri­ate care, and poten­tial­ly reduce hos­pi­tal bur­den while enhanc­ing patient outcomes. 

The CEIH con­tin­ues to sup­port research that informs evi­dence-based health­care improve­ments across South Australia. 

Publication/​citation

Orlan­do, J.F., Burke, A.L., Beard, M., Guerin, M. and Kumar, S. (2024), Hos­pi­tal­i­sa­tions for non-spe­cif­ic low back pain in peo­ple pre­sent­ing to South Aus­tralian pub­lic hos­pi­tal emer­gency depart­ments. Emer­gency Med­i­cine Australasia.

Check it out: Hos­pi­tal­i­sa­tions for non-spe­cif­ic low back pain in peo­ple pre­sent­ing to South Aus­tralian pub­lic hos­pi­tal emer­gency depart­ments