Sheila Fifer, PhD and Chief Strategy Officer, HEO, is second author of a study recently published in JAMA titled “Effect of a Biopsychosocial Intervention or Postural Therapy on Disability and Health Care Spending Among Patients with Acute and Subacute Spine Pain.” The SPINE CARE Randomized Clinical Trial.
The study was a one-year randomized study collecting patient surveys at monthly intervals. Roughly 1,000 spine-pain patients were enrolled. The study’s three arms compared low-intensity biopsychosocial care, individual postural therapy and usual care for patient reported relief from pain and disability and for total costs of spine-pain care. Biopsychosocial and postural therapy care were found to achieve greater pain and disability reduction at three months than usual care.
These reductions in disability were also sustained until the end of the study observation period at one year. In terms of total costs of spine care, the postural therapy incurred significantly greater spending then usual care at one year while the biopsychosocial Intervention showed no significant difference in spine-related health care spending at one year.