title: Information needs of people with low back pain for an online resource: a qualitative study of consumer views.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify the information needs of people with low back pain (LBP) in Australia, and the preferred methods to present this information online, as a basis for development of a patient-centred website. Available online LBP resources are limited in quality and content and it is not clear if they are meeting the needs of sufferers.
  
  
  METHODS
  Focus groups and semi-structured telephone interviews, involving 28 people with LBP.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Seven categories of information were identified: reasons for LBP, treatment and management options, self-help information, psychological and social dimensions, lay stories, quality assurance of information and roles of different healthcare professionals and locally available services. Identified preferences for online presentation included: multimodality, emphasis on visual media, readability and interactivity. Participants had been unable to obtain desired LBP information using existing resources.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This study provides important guidance for development of a patient-centred website grounded in the expressed needs and preferences of people with LBP. Understanding the breadth of patients' questions and concerns is essential for provision of patient-centred information and interventions. Incorporating these with the current evidence base would provide an accessible and relevant LBP patient education referral point, which is currently lacking. Implications for Rehabilitation Use of the internet to obtain health information is increasing, although there is little evidence that existing low back pain websites are meeting the expressed needs of health consumers. Our research suggests that people with low back pain have difficulty finding relevant and trustworthy information about the condition on the internet. Taking patient information needs and presentation preferences into account when designing online information material will provide people with low back pain an accessible and relevant educational resource that is currently lacking.
authors.affiliation: Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Spinal Pain, Injury and Health, School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Queensland , Brisbane, QLD , Australia.
authors.forename: Mandy
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Gwendolen
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Jull
authors.forename: Paul W
authors.initials: PW
authors.lastname: Hodges
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001315:Australia; D054626:Consumer Health Information; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D020407:Internet; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000517:prevention & control* / Q000523:psychology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010353:Patient Education as Topic; D057240:Patient Preference; D036301:Qualitative Research
keywords: Consumer preference; health information; internet; low back pain