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| Picture by Naiserie from Flickr |
My patient came in to our clinic yesterday complaining of some mild low back pain. He had been referred by his family doctor to have an MRI done as the doctor was not sure what was the cause of the back pain.
I was surprised, after examining him, that he was referred for an MRI so soon. His back pain did not seem sinister. At the end of yesterday's session, his back was completely pain free.
I shared with him a really interesting article I had just come across. The researchers studied data of patients seeking treatment for non-specific low back pain without a red flag (warning or danger) condition and no low back pain in the previous six months.
More patients had back surgery if they were referred for an MRI within the first six weeks of an initial visit to the doctor (1.48 % versus 0.12 % in cases without an early MRI).
The patients also complained of a higher pain score when they had an early MRI. In fact, overall outcomes were worse, including greater use and potential harm for prescription medication (35.1 % versus 28.6 %). There were also higher costs for other medical care ($8,802 versus $5,560).
This association was also true when patients had to pay for their treatment (compared with not having to pay at all).
Perhaps this information will help bring down costs for Singapore's Integrated Shield Plans since there was such an outcry when it was announced that premiums were going higher despite increasing coverage.
Reference
Jacobs JC, Jarvik JG et al (2020). Observational Study Of The Downstream Consequences Of Inappropriate MRI Of The Lumbar Spine. J Gen Int Med. DOI: 10.1007/s11606-020-06181-7.
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