Characteristics of the included studies
| Study | Source of participants | Area | No. of participants | Onset of pain before study entry | Outcomes extracted | Follow-up |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bakker et al. (10) | General practitioner | Netherlands | 97 | < 6 wk | Pain (NRS 0–10), recovery rates | 6 mo |
| Bousema et al. (11) | General practitioner and advertisement | Netherlands | 124 | 4–7 wk | Pain (VAS 0–100), disability (QBPDQ 0%–100%), recovery rates | 12 mo |
| Breen et al. (12) | Two primary care trust localities | England | 75 | < 12 wk | Pain (NRS 0–10), disability (RMDQ 0–24) | 8 wk |
| Carey et al. (13) Sundararajan et al. (14) | Urban and rural primary care and chiropractors, orthopedic and neurosurgeons, and health maintenance organization providers | US | 1633 | < 10 wk | Recovery rates | 2, 4, 8, 12 and 24 wk |
| Carey et al. (15) | Urban and rural primary care and chiropractors, orthopedic and neurosurgeons, health maintenance organization providers | US | 96 | 12–22 wk | Disability (RMDQ 0–23), recovery rates | 18 mo |
| Costa et al. (16) | Primary care practitioners (general practitioners, physiotherapists and chiropractors) | Australia | 406 | 12 wk | Pain (1–6), disability (1–5), recovery Rates | 9 and 12 mo |
| Coste et al. (17) | Primary care practitioners | France | 103 | < 72 hr | Pain (VAS 0–100); disability (RMDQ 0–24), recovery rates | 8, 15 d and 1, 2 and 3 mo |
| Coste et al. (18) | Primary care practitioners or rheumatologists | France | 113 | < 72 hr | Pain (VAS 0–100); disability (RMDQ 0–24), recovery rates | 8, 15 d and 1, 2 and 3 mo |
| Epping-Jordan et al. (19) Shaw et al. (20) Wahlgren et al. (21) Williams et al. (22) | Naval medical center | US | 140 | 6–10 wk | Pain (DDS 0–20), disability (SIP 0%–100%), recovery rates | 6 and 12 mo |
| Faber et al. (23) | General practitioners and occupational health physicians | Netherlands | 103 | 3–12 wk | None | 3 and 6 mo |
| Ferguson et al. (24), (25) | Primary and urgent care facilities | US | 32 | < 4 wk | Pain (0–5), disability (VAS 0–150), recovery rates | 2, 4, 6, 8, 10 wk and 6 mo |
| Gatchel et al. (26), (27) | Industrial medicine clinic and orthopedic practices | US | 421 | < 6 wk | None | 6 and 12 mo |
| Grotle et al. (2), (28) | Primary health care providers | Norway | 123 | < 3 wk | Pain (NRS 0–10), disability (RMDQ 0–24), recovery rates. | 1, 2, 3 and 4 wk and 3, 6, 9 and 12 mo |
| Gurcay et al. (29) | Tertiary care referral hospital | Turkey | 99 | < 3 wk | Recovery rates | 1, 2, 4, 8 and 12 wk |
| Hasenbring et al. (30) | General or orthopedic practitioners | Germany | 177 | < 12 wk | Pain (NRS 0–10), disability (PDI 0–10) | 6 mo |
| Hazard et al. (31) Reid et al. (32) | Vermont Department of Labor and Industry | US | 166 | within 11 d of low-back pain | None | 3 mo |
| Heneweer et al. (33) | Primary care physical therapy centres | Netherlands | 66 | < 12 wk | Pain (VAS 0–100), Disability (QBPDQ 0%–100%), recovery rates | 2, 4, 8 and 12 wk |
| Henschke et al. (3) | Primary care practitioners (general practitioners, physiotherapists and chiropractors) | Australia | 969 | > 24 h but < 2 wk | Pain (1–6), disability (1–5), recovery rates | 6 wk, 3 and 12 mo |
| Klenerman et al. (34) | General practitioners | England | 300 | < 1 wk | Recovery rates | 2 and 12 mo |
| Koleck et al. (35) | General practitioner | France | 99 | 10–90 d | Pain (VAS 0–10), recovery rates | 12 mo |
| Kovacs et al. (36) | Primary care centres | Spain | 366 | < 12 wk | Pain (VAS 0–10), disability (RMDQ 0–24) | 2 wk and 8 wk |
| Lehmann et al. (37) | Occupational physicians | US | 60 | 2–6 wk | None | 6 mo |
| Melloh et al. (38) | Primary care settings | New Zealand | 62 | < 12 wk | Pain (NRS 0–100), disability (ODI 0–100), recovery rates, | 3, 6, 12 wk and 6 mo |
| Poiraudeau et al. (39) | Rheumatologist | France | 443 | 4–12 wk | Pain (4-points), disability (QBPDQ 0–20), recovery rates | 3 mo |
| Reeser et al. (40) | Primary and tertiary care facilities | US | 368 | < 6 wk | Disability (MODEMS 0–100) | 6 wk, 3 and 12 mo |
| Schiottz- Christensen et al. (41) | General practices | Denmark | 524 | < 14 d | Recovery rates | 1, 6 and 12 mo |
| Shaw et al. (42)- (44) | Community-based occupational health clinics | US | 568 | < 2 wk | Pain (VAS 0–10), disability (RMDQ 0–100) | 1 and 3 mo |
| Sieben et al. (45) | General practices | Netherlands and Belgium | 44 | < 2 wk | Disability (RMDQ 0–24) | 2 wk, 3 and 12 mo |
| Sieben et al. (46) | General practices | Netherlands | 222 | < 3 wk | Pain (VAS 0–100), disability (QBPDQ 0–100) | 3, 6 and 12 mo |
| Suri et al. (47) | Outpatient clinics | US | 77 | < 12 wk | Pain (NRS 0–10), disability (ODI 0–100) | 6 wk |
| Swinkels- Meewisse et al. (48) | General practitioners and physiotherapists | Netherlands | 555 | < 4 wk | Pain (VAS 0–100), disability (RMDQ 0–24) | 6 wk and 6 mo |
| Thomas et al. (49) | Community-based | US | 43 | < 4 wk | Pain (McGill), disability (RMDQ 0–24) | 3, 6 and 12 wk |
| Valat et al. (50) | General practitioner and rheumatologist | France | 2493 | < 1 wk | Recovery rates | 7 ± 1 wk of follow-up |
Note: Note: DDS = Descriptor Differential Scale, MODEMS = Musculoskeletal Outcomes Data Evaluation and Management System, NRS = Numerical Rating Scale, ODI = Oswestry Disability Index, QBPDQ = Quebec Back Pain Disability Questionnaire, RMDQ = Roland Morris Disability Questionnaire, SIP = Sickness Impact Profile, VAS = Visual Analogue Scale.