The utility of administrative data in studies of health services for people with low back pain

There has been a substantial increase in the use of administrative data in health services studies. Administrative data enables studies to use large volumes of data while reducing data collection time. But, administrative data are not designed specifically for research and may not the be whole answer to health service studies. Low back pain is the leading cause of disability globally, and is frequently the topic of health service studies that have used administrative data. This project seeks to understand what outcomes are measured in studies of people with low back pain that have used administrative data, and the reported strengths and limitations of these studies.