Increasing Health Literacy in Low Back Pain and reducing low value care

Abstract

The broad aim of this thesis was to investigate the relationship between physical activity, low back pain and analgesic use, and to examine the potential for deprescribing paracetamol in pain conditions.

To address the broad aim, the studies included in this thesis were conducted and organised according to five aims: (i) to assess the relationship between different domains and intensities of physical activity and the frequency of analgesic use and activity limitation in people with low back pain; (ii) to examine the current evidence on deprescribing paracetamol in pain conditions and inform future strategies for paracetamol deprescription; (iii) to investigate the acceptability and experience of participants with the patient-education booklet, feasibility of recruitment, data collection and outcome measure completion, and participants willingness to participate in a randomised controlled trial; (iv) to investigate the feasibility of a patient- education booklet for people with low back pain to increase motivation and self-efficacy to reduce paracetamol use and engage in safer and more evidence-based low back pain management strategies; and (v) to examine the contexts explaining successful and unsuccessful deprescribing outcomes that occurred for individuals who were taking paracetamol for their low back pain, after receiving an educational booklet.