The funding is part of a £7.8 million investment from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Invention for Innovation (i4i) Programme, in collaboration with the Office for Life Sciences and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).
Many digital tools exist to support people with low back pain to self-manage their symptoms. However, it’s not known how they work for patients and healthcare professionals, and whether they provide good care.
The getUBetter app is already used by the NHS to support people with low back pain. Typically, patients are directed to the app by their doctor, GP practice staff, or physiotherapist. A simple registration process connects them to guidance and support throughout their recovery journey, providing them with advice about symptoms, information about what to expect, relevant exercises, goal-setting tools, and referral to local treatments and services.
The project aims to assess if using getUBetter improves pain, and the patients’ ability to engage with daily activities, reduces the need for further care, and whether it offers the NHS good value for money.
The research will help to understand how the app is being used by patients and GP practices and develop guidance on how getUBetter and other digital self-management tools can be used to support patients with low back pain.