Direct access to physical therapy for patients with low back pain in the Netherlands: prevalence and predictors.

Background: In the Netherlands, direct access to physical therapy was introduced in 2006. Although many patients with back pain visit physical therapists through direct access, the frequency and characteristics of episodes of care are unknown.

Objective: The purposes of this study were: (1) to investigate the prevalence of direct access to physical therapy for patients with low back pain in the Netherlands from 2006 to 2009, (2) to examine associations between mode of access (direct versus referral) and patient characteristics, and (3) to describe the severity of the back complaints at the beginning and end of treatment for direct access and referral-based physical therapy.