A clinical decision support system in back pain helps to find the diagnosis: a prospective correlation study

Arch Orthop Trauma Surg. 2023 Feb;143(2):621-625. doi: 10.1007/s00402-021-04080-y. Epub 2021 Aug 4.

Abstract

The aim of this study is to show the concordance of an app-based decision support system and the diagnosis given by spinal surgeons in cases of back pain. 86 patients took part within 2 months. They were seen by spine surgeons in the daily routine and then completed an app-based questionnaire that also led to a diagnosis independently. The results showed a Cramer's V = .711 (p < .001), which can be taken as a strong relation between the tool and the diagnosis of the medical doctor. Besides, in 67.4% of the cases, the diagnosis was concordant. An overestimation of the severity of the diagnosis occurred more often than underestimation (15.1% vs. 7%). The app-based tool is a safe tool to support healthcare professionals in back pain diagnosis.

Keywords: App-based decision; Back pain; Decision support system; Symptom checker.

MeSH terms

  • Back Pain / diagnosis
  • Correlation of Data
  • Decision Support Systems, Clinical*
  • Humans
  • Prospective Studies
  • Spine