PROJECT CASE STUDY Lower back pain presentations in ED
Central Adelaide Local Health Network (CALHN)
With
Professor Anne Burke, Lead
South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network
Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health &
Co-Director, Psychology and Allied Health Lead,
Central Adelaide Local Health Network
Joseph Orlando, Physiotherapist
Central Adelaide Local Health Network &
PhD Candidate, University of South Australia
PROJECT CASE STUDY SEGMENT
Filmed in Adelaide | November 2025
Around 70 percent of people will experience lower back pain at some stage of their lives.
A recent study conducted over five years found one in three people suffering from lower back pain presented to hospital via an ambulance.
In many cases people will attend an emergency department when they feel they can’t manage their pain or when treatments by community healthcare services have been ineffective or inaccessible due to location or cost. However, 90 per cent of people can get better on their own in a few weeks.
Professor Anne Burke, Lead, South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network, says the data found in an emergency department setting, people with lower back pain receive biomedical care that is delivered at a high cost, with a high impact to the system, but ‘likely provides limited benefit to the patient’.
“While emergency departments will always be there to assist with severe pain or life-threatening situations, early community-based intervention is often far more effective for lower back pain,’’ she says.
The South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network within the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health has redesigned the pathways for lower back pain-related care.
The SA Health Urgent Care Hubs at Woodville and Sefton Park have partnered to provide more options for the timely care of lower back pain outside of the emergency department. This includes physiotherapist digital support, via a recently launched website, at home during the recovery period.
A review is also being done in conjunction with the South Australian Ambulance Service to investigate how lower back pain is managed by its responders.
Central Adelaide Local Health Network Physiotherapist, Joseph Orlando, says the project was designed to develop trusted evidence and support to the community in understanding and managing pain.
“Very few cases of lower back pain are related to serious pathology,’’ says Mr Orlando.
“The Optimal System of Care for Low Back Pain, which was developed by the South Australian Chronic Pain Statewide Clinical Network in consultation with industry and consumer partners, is designed to bridge the gap between the emergency department and community-based care.”
The study into back pain cases in South Australia was led by senior allied health staff within the Central Adelaide Local Health Network, the Commission on Excellence and Innovation in Health and the University of South Australia, with funding support from the Allied and Scientific Health Office.
Source: Central Adelaide Local Health Network website
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State of private healthcare in Australia
Australia’s healthcare system is often described as a mixed system, with a combination of public and private providers. While public healthcare through Medicare provides universal coverage for essential services, private healthcare offers additional options and amenities for those who can afford them.
Private Healthcare Australia (PHA) is the Australian private health insurance industry’s peak representative body that currently has 21registered health funds throughout Australia and collectively represents 98% of people covered by private health insurance. PHA member funds today provide healthcare benefits for over 14 million Australians.
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Patient-paramedic trust can help free up emergency departments
Dr. Robbie King is a Senior Advanced Care Paramedic with the Queensland Ambulance Service and a community paramedic. He is also a lecturer at the Australian Catholic University in Brisbane. After studying paramedicine and working as a student paramedic since 2009, he recognised that most patients attended by ambulance services did not require emergency interventions.
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Improving access to osteopathic services and integrated care models
The Chief Executive Officer of Osteopathy Australia, Antony Nicholas spoke with Australian Health Journal about:
– Involvement in the Strengthening Medicare Task Force
– The unique skills osteopaths have that can address the chronic disease burden
– Current workforce issues around osteopaths and if enough are coming through via student placements
– How uploading data to My Health Record by osteopaths could assist team-based care of patients
– How the value of osteopaths in Residential Aged Care Facilities (RACFs) could be better understood and better access for residents
– The recommendations around aged care access to allied health services, including osteopathy
– The recommendations around consumer access to osteopaths and GP referrals
– Other osteopathy recommendations in the upcoming Federal BudgetIn the lead up to the Australian Federal Budget in May 2023, Australian Health Journal reached out to peak health industry bodies to hear about their priorities, either noted in pre-budget submissions lodged with Federal Government in January 2023 or in recent forums such as the Strengthening Medicare Taskforce.
