Table 2
A summary of the included RCTs and their use of evidence regarding indications for Maintenance Care and frequency of care, as well as the outcomes and when they were measured
| Author, year of publi-cation | Sample size, Number of clinicians | Inclusion criteria: | Contents and frequency of Maintenance Care visits | Comparator(s) | Time of follow-ups | Outcome - = no effect + = effect | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Previous episodes | Persistent pain | Improvement with initial care | ||||||
| Senna 2011 [18] | N = 60 3 MDs | – | x | – | A month of initial care followed by Maintenance Care every 2 weeks for 9 months | 1: Sham SMT for a month without continued care 2: SMT for a month without continued care | After 1, 4, 7 and 10 months | Disability + Pain + Health + |
| Martel 2011 [19] | N = 98 3 DCs | – | x | – | Active Treatment: Monthly & Advice: every 2nd month for 10 months | 1: SMT + Exercise 2: Attention only | After initial treatment, mid-trial and end of trial | Pain – Function – Disability + |
| Maiers 2018 [17] | N = 180 1 clinic with DCs + ETs | – | x | – | Monthly for 36 weeks | 1: Treatment for 12 weeks | Weeks 4, 12, 34, 36, 52 and 78. | Disability - |
| Eklund 2018 [16] | N = 319 35 DC’s | X | x | X | Every 1–3 months for 12 months | 1: Treatment after symptoms reoccur on patient’s initiative | Weekly for 52 weeks | Number of days with bothersome pain + |