NCT05452876: ABCp

Alberta Back Care Pathway (ABCp)

Recruiting now Phase 2 Last updated 29 August 2025

What this trial tests

Phase 2 trial testing ABCp in Low Back Pain in 240 participants. Currently enrolling.

Timeline

31 March 2021

Primary endpoint
17 December 2027

17 December 2027

Quick facts

Lead sponsor	University of Alberta
Phase	Phase 2
Status	Recruiting now
Study type	INTERVENTIONAL
Allocation	non randomized
Design	parallel
Masking	none
Primary purpose	treatment
Enrollment	240
Start date	31 March 2021
Primary completion	17 December 2027
Estimated completion	17 December 2027
Sites	1 location across Canada

Drugs / interventions tested

• ABCp
• Usual Care

Conditions studied

• Low Back Pain — all drugs for Low Back Pain →

Sponsor

University of Alberta

Who can join

18 and older, any sex, with Low Back Pain. Patients with the condition only — healthy volunteers not accepted.

Sponsor's own description

Every year, the pain, disability, addiction, and expense associated with LBP increase in Alberta. This escalation is largely because most people with LBP seek care from family physicians who are unable to provide effective, guideline-based interventions due to three recognized barriers: 1) a lack of training, 2) a lack of no (or low) cost access to these interventions and 3) a lack of physician time and reimbursement to deliver these interventions. As a result, most LBP care provided in Alberta is "low-value".

With input from Alberta patients, healthcare providers, administrators and international scientists, the Alberta Back Carepathway (ABCp) was designed to overcome these barriers by giving family physicians a common, guideline-based approach to coordinate, assess and manage LBP patients in day-to-day practice.

The ABCp trains family physicians to quickly and easily place patients into 5 categories each having evidence-based interventions that can be provided by physicians at no or low cost to patients and no net cost to the healthcare system. By designing the ABCp to resolve barriers related to training, access and delivery, the ABCp will "pull" rather than "prod" patients and clinicians toward sustained, long-term implementation of this cost-effective solution.

This study is based on a multi-clinic, controlled, non-randomized stepped-wedge study designed for urban and rural primary care networks (PCNs). The primary outcome will be decreased healthcare resource utilization with secondary improvements in quality of life and opioid consumption. Overall, the savings realized through ABCp will create a self-sustaining, scalable solution for LBP care in Alberta.

Publications & conference data

1 peer-reviewed publication reference this trial (live from Europe PMC):

1. The Alberta Back Care Pathway: The feasibility of implementing a novel care pathway to improve low back pain management for family physicians in primary care.
   Powelske B, Kongsted A, Jones A, Kawchuk G. · · 2024 · PMID 39602423 · DOI 10.1371/journal.pone.0312737