Collaborative Care for Older Adults With Back Pain (COCOA)

NCT ID: NCT01312233

Last Updated: 2021-03-30

Study Results

Results available

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Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Clinical Phase

NA

Total Enrollment

131 participants

Study Classification

INTERVENTIONAL

Study Start Date

2011-03-31

Study Completion Date

2013-03-31

Brief Summary

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The purpose of the Collaborative Care for Older Adults with Back Pain (COCOA) Clinical Trial is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and feasibility of a collaborative care model (medical and chiropractic care) through a pragmatic, prospective pilot trial conducted with 120 older adults over the age of 65 with low back pain of at least 1 month duration.

Detailed Description

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As America ages, cost-effective care for chronic diseases, such as low back pain, becomes more important. Although estimates vary, 70-85% of Americans will suffer from back pain at some point in their lives. Back pain is well established as one of the most common reasons for seeking care from a medical doctor. The American public also turns to alternative medicine providers, such as doctors of chiropractic, for back pain care. However, few clinical examples and little scientific evidence exist of care coordination between these two provider groups in general, and none that specifically target older adults above the age of 65. The purpose of the Collaborative Care for Older Adults with Back Pain (COCOA) Clinical Trial is to evaluate the clinical effectiveness and feasibility of a collaborative care model (medical and chiropractic care) through a pragmatic, prospective pilot trial conducted with 120 older adults over the age of 65 with low back pain of at least 1 month duration. Participants will be randomized to 3-parallel treatment arms: a) conventional medical care (MED CARE), b) unlinked conventional medical and chiropractic care (DUAL CARE), and c) a co-management model including conventional medical and chiropractic care (SHARED CARE). Participants in all three groups will receive up to 12 weeks of usual back pain treatment from medical doctors or doctors of osteopathy (MD/DO) at Genesis Family Medical Center. Participants in two treatment groups additionally will receive up to 12 weeks of usual chiropractic care for back pain from doctors of chiropractic at the Palmer Research Clinic. Outcomes including pain, disability and secondary outcomes will be measured at 1, 2, and 3 months (primary endpoint) with follow-up assessments completed by telephone at 6, 9, and 12 months.

Conditions

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Low Back Pain

Study Design

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Allocation Method

RANDOMIZED

Intervention Model

PARALLEL

Primary Study Purpose

TREATMENT

Blinding Strategy

SINGLE

Investigators

Study Groups

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Medical Care

Conventional medical care alone

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Medical Care

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants allocated to all three treatment groups receive medical care over a 12-week period. Medical treatments are standard therapies for back pain. Medical and osteopathic physicians follow clinical practice guideline recommendations for back pain: focused history and physical exam; limited diagnostic imaging; self-management education; maintaining physical activity as tolerated and local heat/cold application; pharmacotherapy with analgesics and anti-inflammatory agents. Participants not responding to treatment may receive additional therapies such as physical therapy or specialist referral.

Dual Care

Unlinked co-occurrence of conventional medical care and chiropractic care

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Dual Care

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants allocated to Dual Care receive medical care as described plus chiropractic care over a 12-week period. Chiropractic care includes standard therapies for back pain. A doctor of chiropractic determines the therapeutic approach based upon a participant's clinical presentation. Treatments may include spinal or extremity joint manipulation, such as: high velocity-low amplitude or low velocity-variable amplitude maneuvers; mechanical device assisted adjustments; or passive mobilization. Recommendations for exercise, lifestyle modifications, or other therapies may be provided.

Shared Care

Co-management of medical care and chiropractic care

Group Type ACTIVE_COMPARATOR

Shared Care

Intervention Type OTHER

Participants allocated to Shared Care receive co-managed medical care from a medical or osteopathic doctor and chiropractic care from a doctor of chiropractic over a 12-week period. The medical and chiropractic treatments are standard therapies for back pain, as described under Medical Care and Dual Care.

Interventions

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Medical Care

Participants allocated to all three treatment groups receive medical care over a 12-week period. Medical treatments are standard therapies for back pain. Medical and osteopathic physicians follow clinical practice guideline recommendations for back pain: focused history and physical exam; limited diagnostic imaging; self-management education; maintaining physical activity as tolerated and local heat/cold application; pharmacotherapy with analgesics and anti-inflammatory agents. Participants not responding to treatment may receive additional therapies such as physical therapy or specialist referral.

Intervention Type OTHER

Dual Care

Participants allocated to Dual Care receive medical care as described plus chiropractic care over a 12-week period. Chiropractic care includes standard therapies for back pain. A doctor of chiropractic determines the therapeutic approach based upon a participant's clinical presentation. Treatments may include spinal or extremity joint manipulation, such as: high velocity-low amplitude or low velocity-variable amplitude maneuvers; mechanical device assisted adjustments; or passive mobilization. Recommendations for exercise, lifestyle modifications, or other therapies may be provided.

Intervention Type OTHER

Shared Care

Participants allocated to Shared Care receive co-managed medical care from a medical or osteopathic doctor and chiropractic care from a doctor of chiropractic over a 12-week period. The medical and chiropractic treatments are standard therapies for back pain, as described under Medical Care and Dual Care.

Intervention Type OTHER

Other Intervention Names

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Standard Medical Therapies for Back Pain Medical Care Plus Chiropractic Care Co-managed Medical Care and Chiropractic Care

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* Age 65 years or older
* Low back pain ≥4 on the 11-point Numerical Rating Scale
* Low back pain diagnosis consistent with Quebec Task Force (QTF) Classifications 1-9
* Ambulatory mobility status per successful completion of the Timed Up \& Go Test
* Willingness to participate in this clinical trial regardless of treatment group assignment

Exclusion Criteria

* No history or current episode of low back pain
* Low back pain duration of less than 1 month
* Low back pain diagnosis consistent with Quebec Task Force Classification of 10 or 11
* Any healthcare provider treatment for low back pain in past 2 months
* Currently seeking or receiving compensation for a work-related injury or personal injury case for low back pain
* Currently seeking or applying for disability payments for any health condition
* Spine or neck surgery in the past 3 months
* Broken bone in any location in the body in the past 6 weeks
* Active carcinoma/metastatic disease or current treatment for any form of cancer
* Aortic aneurysm (or suspicion of) \>5cm
* Serious concomitant illness or co-morbidity
* Alcohol or drug abuse or dependence
* Need for laboratory testing, diagnostic imaging beyond plain film x-rays or referral to a healthcare provider not associated with the study to determine a diagnosis or for necessary treatment
* Activities of daily living (ADL), mobility impairment or sensory impairment that impacts safety
* Cognitive or memory impairment
* Compliance concerns
* Nursing home residence
* No reliable transportation
* Plans to move from Quad-Cities in the next 4 months
* Pregnancy or plans to become pregnant in next 4 months in a female participant
* Enrollment in this study by another individual who currently lives in the same household as the participant
* Inability to speak (verbally comprehend), read or write in English language
* Unwillingness to avoid all forms of low back pain treatment from non-study medical doctors and chiropractors during study participation
* Unwillingness to enroll in clinical trial regardless of treatment group assignment
* Unwillingness to sign informed consent document
* Current student, employee or faculty member of the Palmer College of Chiropractic or Genesis Family Medical Center
Minimum Eligible Age

65 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)

FED

Sponsor Role collaborator

Genesis Family Medical Center

UNKNOWN

Sponsor Role collaborator

University of Iowa

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Thomas Jefferson University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Palmer College of Chiropractic

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Christine M Goertz, DC, PhD

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Palmer College of Chiropractic

Locations

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Genesis Family Medical Center

Davenport, Iowa, United States

Site Status

Palmer College of Chiropractic

Davenport, Iowa, United States

Site Status

Countries

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United States

References

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Goertz CM, Salsbury SA, Vining RD, Long CR, Andresen AA, Jones ME, Lyons KJ, Hondras MA, Killinger LZ, Wolinsky FD, Wallace RB. Collaborative Care for Older Adults with low back pain by family medicine physicians and doctors of chiropractic (COCOA): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial. Trials. 2013 Jan 16;14:18. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-14-18.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 23324133 (View on PubMed)

Vining RD, Salsbury SA, Pohlman KA. Eligibility determination for clinical trials: development of a case review process at a chiropractic research center. Trials. 2014 Oct 24;15:406. doi: 10.1186/1745-6215-15-406.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 25344427 (View on PubMed)

Goertz C, Lyons SS, Andresen A, Hondras M, Jones M, Killinger LZ, Long C, Lyons K, Mulhausen P, Vining R. Collaborative Care for Older Adults (COCOA), Palmer College of Chiropractic. J Allied Health. 2010 Fall;39 Suppl 1:e135-6.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 21174032 (View on PubMed)

Lyons KJ, Salsbury SA, Hondras MA, Jones ME, Andresen AA, Goertz CM. Perspectives of older adults on co-management of low back pain by doctors of chiropractic and family medicine physicians: a focus group study. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2013 Sep 16;13:225. doi: 10.1186/1472-6882-13-225.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 24040970 (View on PubMed)

Seidman MB, Vining RD, Salsbury SA. Collaborative care for a patient with complex low back pain and long-term tobacco use: a case report. J Can Chiropr Assoc. 2015 Sep;59(3):216-25.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 26500355 (View on PubMed)

Boysen JC, Shannon ZK, Khan YA, Wells BM, Vining RD. A graphical clinical decision aid for managing imaging report information. J Chiropr Educ. 2017 Mar;32(1):43-49. doi: 10.7899/JCE-17-6. Epub 2017 Dec 19.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 29257708 (View on PubMed)

Salsbury SA, Goertz CM, Vining RD, Hondras MA, Andresen AA, Long CR, Lyons KJ, Killinger LZ, Wallace RB. Interdisciplinary Practice Models for Older Adults With Back Pain: A Qualitative Evaluation. Gerontologist. 2018 Mar 19;58(2):376-387. doi: 10.1093/geront/gnw188.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 28082277 (View on PubMed)

Salsbury SA, Vining RD, Hondras MA, Wallace RB, Lyons KJ, Killinger LZ, Goertz CM. Interprofessional Attitudes and Interdisciplinary Practices for Older Adults With Back Pain Among Doctors of Chiropractic: A Descriptive Survey. J Manipulative Physiol Ther. 2019 May;42(4):295-305. doi: 10.1016/j.jmpt.2018.11.011. Epub 2019 Jun 27.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 31257002 (View on PubMed)

Wells BM, Salsbury SA, Nightingale LM, Derby DC, Lawrence DJ, Goertz CM. Improper Communication Makes for Squat: A Qualitative Study of the Health-Care Processes Experienced By Older Adults in a Clinical Trial for Back Pain. J Patient Exp. 2020 Aug;7(4):507-515. doi: 10.1177/2374373519860347. Epub 2019 Jul 8.

Reference Type BACKGROUND
PMID: 33062871 (View on PubMed)

Goertz CM, Salsbury SA, Long CR, Vining RD, Andresen AA, Hondras MA, Lyons KJ, Killinger LZ, Wolinsky FD, Wallace RB. Patient-centered professional practice models for managing low back pain in older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial. BMC Geriatr. 2017 Oct 13;17(1):235. doi: 10.1186/s12877-017-0624-z.

Reference Type RESULT
PMID: 29029606 (View on PubMed)

Related Links

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http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4593044/

Collaborative care for a patient with complex low back pain and long-term tobacco use: a case report

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4221721/

Eligibility determination for clinical trials: development of a case review process at a chiropractic research center

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3557195/

Collaborative Care for Older Adults with low back pain by family medicine physicians and doctors of chiropractic (COCOA): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3847523/

Perspectives of older adults on co-management of low back pain by doctors of chiropractic and family medicine physicians: a focus group study

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5640949/

Patient-centered professional practice models for managing low back pain in older adults: a pilot randomized controlled trial

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7534140/

Improper communication makes for squat: a qualitative study of the health-care processes experienced by older adults in a clinical trial for back pain

Other Identifiers

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5R18HP15126-02

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id

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