Objectives

The main objectives of this COST action are:

• to develop and produce European evidence-based guidelines for the management of acute low back pain in primary care
• to develop and produce European evidence-based guidelines for the management of chronic low back pain in primary care
• to develop and produce European evidence-based guidelines for the prevention of low back pain in primary care
• to promote implementation of these guidelines

To ensure an evidence-based approach, recommendations will be based on Cochrane and other systematic reviews and on existing national guidelines. The guidelines should help health care providers to make evidence-based decisions, should improve the quality and outcome of health care, should lead to a more rational and efficient use of resources, and should identify gaps in the existing scientific evidence in order to prioritise future research.

Working Groups

Three Working Groups have been established:
  1) working group on European guidelines for acute low back pain,
  2) working group on European guidelines for chronic low back pain,
  3) working group on European guidelines for prevention of low back pain.

All three working groups will work according to a similar working plan, aiming at evidence-based guidelines.