Broader health domains are underrepresented in spinal pain core outcome recommendations
A review of spinal pain core outcome sets found shared priorities, with psychological, social and biological domains less often recommended.
Based on the published abstract. The full paper may contain additional methods, results and limitations.
The 30-second takeaway
Spinal pain outcome sets most often prioritized patient reports, with physical function, pain intensity, daily activities and disability among the commonly endorsed domains. Psychological, social, environmental and physiological domains were less often recommended. The review maps what researchers are encouraged to measure; it does not establish which treatments relieve pain or improve daily life.
This brief uses only the abstract, which does not explain the denominators behind its percentages. The review describes recommended domains; it does not test whether using these sets improves patient care.
Why shared outcomes matter
The review addressed a practical research problem: studies can be difficult to compare when they assess different outcomes. Core outcome sets aim to establish shared priorities for assessment, helping researchers compare and combine study results.
What the gaps mean
The gaps concern the domains recommended in existing sets. They do not show whether broader measures would improve care. The authors propose an international consensus process to agree on a more comprehensive set of spinal pain outcomes.
The original publication
Core outcome sets for spinal and associated limb, trunk, abdomen or pelvic pain: A systematic review.
Noblet T, Li C, Newsham-West R et al.
PLoS One · 2025
- PubMed ID
- 41385563
- Record checked
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