Health-Care Access and Utilization Among Individuals With Low Back Pain in Iran: A Who-Ilar Copcord Study Publisher Pubmed



Faezi ST¹ ; Baghdadi A^{1, 2} ; Nejadhosseinian M¹ ; Moradilakeh M³ ; Yekaninejad MS⁴ ; Holakoui K⁴ ; Moghimi N⁵ ; Sandoughi M⁶ ; Dehghan A⁷ ; Banihashemi AT⁸ ; Ghadimi M² ; Davatchi F¹
Source: BMC Health Services Research Published:2020

Abstract

Background: Low back pain (LBP) is a major contributor to chronic pain and disability. The purpose of this study was to evaluate health-care access and utilization among patients with LBP in Iran. We also sought to study the pattern and characteristics of care-utilization behavior in these patients. Methods: Data from the Community Oriented Program for Control of Rheumatic Diseases (COPCORD) were used for this study. Three cities (Zahedan, Sanandaj, Yazd) were selected to represent the Iranian population, with different socioeconomic status and ethnic, cultural, and religious background. Demographic data, acute or chronic LBP, disability index, and utilizing care from conventional medicine (CM), allied health providers (AHP), and complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) providers were recorded. Results: Of 9101 patients, 38.6% reported LBP. Only 3.3% did not utilize care of any kind, 66.7% referred to CM providers, 20.8% to AHP, and 9.2% to CAM care. Health-care utilization was higher in female patients, older age, higher education, and higher disability index. Conclusions: The findings of this study indicate a high rate of health-care utilization among patients with LBP in Iran. CM is the most prevalent health-care resource sought by patients. These findings could be used as a framework in developing more efficient health-care programs according to the needs of specific populations. © 2020 The Author(s).