PainRelief.com Interview with:
Dan Ly MD MPP
Staff Physician, VA Boston Healthcare System
Ph.D. Candidate in Health Policy (Economics)
Harvard University

PainRelief.com:  What is the background for this study?

Response: New low back pain is a common complaint in primary care clinics. Prior research examining care patterns up to 2010 and sampling individual visits has found increasing use of opioids and advanced imaging and decreasing use of NSAIDs during this time period.

However, because care is delivered longitudinally, this study examined the care delivered to patients for new low back pain over the course of the year, which allowed me to look at the timing and sequence of care.