Several screening tools have been validated to identify patients at risk of developing chronic low back pain, including the Örebro Musculoskeletal Pain Screening Questionnaire (OMPSQ, long and short versions) and Start Back Screening Tool (SBST). The purpose of this study was to aid the clinicians choose the tool that best suits their needs. A preliminary validation of the French version of the short OMPSQ has demonstrated that the tool’s psychometric properties are comparable to those of the original version. In a literature review, 101 papers were analyzed. Overall, the three questionnaires exhibited moderate predictive properties. The OMPSQ was designed to be a prognostic tool, whereas the SBST was to be a treatment-allocating tool. Knowledge and attitudes of rehabilitation professionals (mostly physiotherapists) from two medium-sized hospitals were also evaluated. Overall, most of the respondents did not know these questionnaires. When provided with the questionnaires, their global attitude was positive, despite several concerns being formulated. In conclusion, valid tools exist for identifying at-risk patients. However, substantial efforts must still be made towards the appropriate education of healthcare professionals.
Key Words
Chronic low back pain, screening test, OMSQ and SBST questionnaires
What is already known about the topic?
-Several tools for identifying the risk of chronicization in the case of acute or subacute low back pain exist, although it is still difficult to select the best-suited tool.
What does this article bring up for us?
-The OMPSQ short version and SBST questionnaires, both validated in French, can be recommended. The SBST bears the theoretical advantage of being designed to better guide the treatment choice to be proposed to the patient.