Cochrane diagnostic reviews of red flags to screen for fracture or cancer in patients presenting with back pain

We aimed to resolve the uncertainty around application of red flags in clinical practice. To do this, we conducted two Cochrane Diagnostic Test Accuracy Reviews assessing the accuracy of red flags to screen for the most common forms of serious pathology, spinal fracture and malignancy, in patients with LBP.

The next stage is to prepare a single manuscript that provides a distilled summary of both reviews to help guide clinical decision making.

Related People

  • Dr Nicholas Henschke

    Institute of Public Health, University of Heidelberg, Germany

  • Dr Mark Hancock

    Faculty of Human Sciences, Macquarie University

  • Professor Raymond Ostelo

    Department of Health Sciences, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University, Amsterdam, Netherlands

  • Professor Henrica de Vet

    Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, EMGO Institute for Health and Care Research, VU University Medical Centre, Amsterdam

  • Professor Petra Macaskill

    School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney

  • Professor Les Irwig

    School of Public Health, University of Sydney, Sydney

  • Professor Maurits van Tulder

    Department of Health Sciences, Faculty of Earth and Life Sciences, VU University, Amsterdam

  • Professor Bart Koes

    Department of General Practice, Erasmus University Medical Center, The Netherlands