de Vet Henrica C W, Heymans Martijn W, Dunn Kate M, Pope Daniel P, van der Beek Allard J, Macfarlane Gary J, Bouter Lex M, Croft Peter R
Institute for Research in Extramural Medicine, Vrije Universiteit Medical Centre, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
Spine (Phila Pa 1976). 2002 Nov 1;27(21):2409-16. doi: 10.1097/01.BRS.0000030307.34002.BE.
Literature review and group discussions.
To propose uniform definitions for low back pain episodes to be used in research.
Different definitions of episodes have been used in low back pain studies. This hampers comparison of study results. Definitions are proposed for episodes of low back pain, care for low back pain, and work absence because of low back pain.
In a Medline search, we identified about 1200 papers, of which 81 possibly contained a definition of episodes. In group discussions, we decided which definitions to propose and discussed their applicability.
We found few definitions in the literature. In the group discussions we decided to define an episode of LBP as a period of pain in the lower back lasting for more than 24 hours, preceded and followed by a period of at least 1 month without low back pain. An episode of care for low back pain was defined as a consultation or a series of consultations for low back pain, preceded and followed by at least 3 months without consultation for low back pain. An episode of work absence due to low back pain was defined as a period of work absence due to low back pain, preceded and followed by a period of at least 1 day at work.
In many studies, episodes of low back pain are mentioned without a clear definition. We consider our proposed definitions of episodes to be arbitrary but well considered. We advise that they be tested for use in future research.
文献综述与小组讨论。
提出用于研究的腰痛发作的统一定义。
腰痛研究中使用了不同的发作定义。这妨碍了研究结果的比较。针对腰痛发作、腰痛护理以及因腰痛缺勤提出了定义。
在医学文献数据库检索中，我们识别出约1200篇论文，其中81篇可能包含发作的定义。在小组讨论中，我们决定提出哪些定义并讨论其适用性。
我们在文献中发现的定义很少。在小组讨论中，我们决定将一次腰痛发作定义为下背部疼痛持续超过24小时的一段时期，在此之前和之后至少有1个月无腰痛。一次腰痛护理发作被定义为一次或一系列针对腰痛的会诊，在此之前和之后至少有3个月无腰痛会诊。一次因腰痛缺勤发作被定义为因腰痛而缺勤的一段时期，在此之前和之后至少有1天的工作时间。
在许多研究中，提及腰痛发作时没有明确的定义。我们认为我们提出的发作定义是主观的但经过了充分考虑。我们建议在未来的研究中对其进行测试。
