title: Verification of the sensitivity of functional scores for treatment results - Substantial clinical benefit thresholds for the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ).
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Validity and reliability of the Japanese Orthopaedic Association Back Pain Evaluation Questionnaire (JOABPEQ) had already been verified as the patients' self-rating assessment of low back pain and lumbar spinal disease and, the present study demonstrated the responsiveness of this measure.
  
  
  METHODS
  192 subjects who were determined by medical instructors of the Japanese Society for Spine Surgery and Related Research were analyzed. They had completed a series of treatment and both surveys before and after the treatment. Authors investigated rates of concordance between assessment by physicians and subjective assessment by patients. The mean, standard deviation, minimum, 25th percentile, median, 75th percentile and maximum values for pre-treatment, post-treatment, and acquired points were calculated, and then, we also investigated the trend between subjective assessment by patients and mean acquired points for each JOABPEQ domain and substantial clinical benefit thresholds for the JOABPEQ.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Symptom changes as assessed by physicians did not coincide with those by patients, and acquired points in each JOABPEQ domain were significantly increased with improved self-rating by patients. In addition, patients who rated symptom changes as "slightly improved" showed a mean acquired points of ≥20, and those reporting "improved" showed a 25th percentile points of the acquired points of ≥20 approximately.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A significant correlation was noted between the self-rating of patients and acquired points JOABPEQ, suggesting that ≥20 acquired points can be interpreted as substantial clinical benefit thresholds for the JOABPEQ.
authors.affiliation: Department of Spinal Surgery and Medical Engineering, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan. Electronic address: ykasai@clin.medic.mie-u.ac.jp.
authors.forename: Yuichi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kasai
authors.affiliation: Laboratory of Statistics, Osaka City University Faculty of Medicine, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Mitsuru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Fukui
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Kazuhisa
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Graduate School of Medicine, Chiba University, Chiba, Japan.
authors.forename: Seiji
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ohtori
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Dokkyo Medical University School of Medicine, Shimotsuga-gun, Tochigi Prefecture, Japan.
authors.forename: Daisaku
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Takeuchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Wakayama Medical University, Wakayama, Japan.
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hashizume
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Science, University of Toyama, Japan.
authors.forename: Masahiko
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kanamori
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Japan Community Health Care Organization Osaka Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Noboru
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Hosono
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Yamaguchi University Graduate School of Medicine, Ube, Japan.
authors.forename: Tsukasa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanchiku
authors.affiliation: Spine and Spinal Cord Center, Osaka Police Hospital, Osaka, Japan.
authors.forename: Eiji
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Wada
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Miho
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sekiguchi
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Fukushima Medical University School of Medicine, Fukushima, Japan.
authors.forename: Shinichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Konno
authors.affiliation: Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Wakayama Medical University Kihoku Hospital, Ito gun, Wakayama Prefecture, Japan.
authors.forename: Mamoru
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kawakami
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000150:complications / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010147:Pain Measurement; D017288:Pain Threshold; D020127:Recovery of Function; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D055815:Young Adult