Table 1 Study characteristics
Author | Design | Study setting-country | Type of paramedic service | Outcomes measured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Capsey et al [44] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance services—England | Ambulance service calls presenting with lower back pain | Service use Usual care |
Cross-sectional | Prehospital emergency setting-Spain | Home emergency nurse attending patients with lumbosciatica | Usual care Service use | |
Bertanlaffy et al [23] | RCT | Prehospital emergency setting—Austria | Paramedic managing first episode of acute LBP | Effectiveness of care Service use |
Nuhr et al [21] | RCT | Prehospital emergency setting—Austria | Paramedic managing first episode of acute LBP | Effectiveness of care Service use |
Rickard et al [22] | RCT | Prehospital emergency setting- Australia | On-scene paramedic & ICP | Effectiveness of care Safety |
Champagne-Langabeer et al [37] | Observational retrospective | Prehospital emergency setting—USA | EMS telehealth | Service use |
Donen et al [36] | Observational prospective | Prehospital emergency setting—Canada | On-scene EMT | Usual care Safety |
Infinger et al [26] | Observational retrospective | Prehospital emergency setting & transport to hospital—USA | Paramedic and EMT attending falls-related back pain patients | Usual care |
Gill et al [28] | Observational retrospective | Emergency department trauma centre—Australia | Ambulance personnel managing patients with thoracolumbar fracture | Usual care |
Eastwood et al [2] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—Australia | Patients with ‘back symptoms’ who called ambulance service and received secondary telephone triage | Service use Usual care |
Shah et al [30] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—USA | Non-traumatic or non-recent back pain complaints made to 911 EMS call centre | Service use |
Shah et al [40] | Observational prospective | Ambulance call service—USA | Non-traumatic or non-recent back pain complaints made to 911 EMS call centre | Service use |
Eastwood et al [29] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—Australia | Back pain case who received ambulance secondary telephone triage and were transported to ED by ALS & ICP | Service use |
Eastwood et al [24] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—Australia | Back pain cases who received ambulance secondary telephone triage by nurse or paramedic | Service use Usual care |
Scott et al [39] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—USA | Calls for non-traumatic back pain to EMS | Service use |
Michael et al [32] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—USA | Calls for non-traumatic and non-recent back pain to EMS | Service use Usual care |
Eastwood et al [35] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—USA | Back pain cases who received ambulance secondary telephone triage by nurse or paramedic | Service use |
Eastwood et al [25] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—Australia | Back pain calls to ambulance secondary telephone triage and receive emergency ambulance dispatch | Service use Usual care |
Krumperman et al [38] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—USA | Back pain calls from two EMS centres | Service use |
Sporer et al [31] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service -USA | Prediction of prehospital intervention for back pain | Service use |
Sporer et al [33] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service—USA | Back pain calls to EMS that received emergency dispatch and transport | Service use Usual care |
Sporer et al [27] | Observational retrospective | Ambulance call service & transported by ambulance—USA | Back pain calls to EMS that were transported by ambulance | Service use Usual care |
Hjalte et al [41] | Observational prospective | Ambulance services—Sweden | Back pain patients requesting ambulance transport | Service use |
Hjalte et al [34] | Observational prospective | Ambulance services—Sweden | Back pain patients requesting ambulance service | Service use |
Simpson et al [44]* | Systematic review | Prehospital | Paramedics managing acute pain | Usual care |