Collaborative Clinical Reasoning in Primary Care for Low Back Pain

Is this trial a fit for you?

A plain-English reading of the study's rules. Only the study team can confirm whether you qualify.

What this trial studies

This exploratory qualitative study invites general practitioners, physiotherapists, and patients to participate in focus groups and a deliberative workshop to explore how Collaborative Clinical Reasoning is defined, understood, and implemented in routine primary care. The goal is to uncover how interprofessional collaboration and patient partners shape shared mental models for managing low back pain. Researchers will examine current practices, perceptions, and potential barriers to adopting CCR in real-world settings in French-speaking Belgium. The study does not test a specific intervention for efficacy but aims to generate insights that could inform future improvements in primary care coordination. Findings will provide a basis for developing strategies to align beliefs and workflows among clinicians and patients when treating low back pain.

Why it matters

Who can join: the full rules

Inclusion Criteria:

A. General Practitioners

1. Be a general practitioner or a physician in postgraduate training in general practice.
2. Practice general medicine in French-speaking Belgium.
3. Practice general medicine in primary care.

B. Physiotherapists

1. Be a physiotherapist.
2. Practice physiotherapy in French-speaking Belgium.
3. Practice physiotherapy in primary care.

C. Patients with low back pain

1. Age ≥18 years.
2. Have low back pain (pain between the lower margin of the ribs and the gluteal fold, with or without pain in one or both legs).
3. Have consulted both a general practitioner and a physiotherapist for this condition in primary care in French-speaking Belgium.

Exclusion Criteria:

A. General Practitioners

1\. Be on sick leave during the study (e.g., work incapacity)

B. Physiotherapists

1. Practice exclusively in a nursing home or a nursing home with skilled nursing care.
2. Be on sick leave during the study (e.g., work incapacity).

C. Patients with low back pain

1. Have a known specific lumbar pathology (e.g., fracture, infection, cancer, lumbar radiculopathy, etc).
2. Have a known general condition that may explain the low back pain (e.g., fibromyalgia, osteoporosis, rheumatologic disease, etc).
3. Have undergone back surgery within the past 12 months.
4. Be pregnant or have had a known pregnancy within the past 12 months.
5. Reside in a nursing home or a nursing home with skilled nursing care.

Where it's running

• UCLouvain - Institute of Health and Society (IRSS)
  Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Brussels Capital, Belgium Recruiting

Study contacts

• Study coordinator: Olivier Hunin, PT, Msc
• Email: olivier.hunin@uclouvain.be
• Phone: +32478836693

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How to take part

1. Review the eligibility criteria above with your treating physician.
2. Check the official listing on ClinicalTrials.gov for the latest contact details and recruitment status.
3. Contact the study coordinator or principal investigator to ask for pre-screening. Pre-screening is free and never obligates you to enroll.