Management of Low Back Pain: Do Physiotherapists Know the Evidence-Based Guidelines?

Fourré, Antoine;Vanderstraeten, Rob;Ris, Laurence;Bastiaens, Hilde;Roussel, Nathalie;et.al.
(2023) International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health — Vol. 20, n° 9, p. 5611 (2023)

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Authors
  • Fourré, Antoineorcid-logoUCLouvain
    Author
  • Vanderstraeten, Roborcid-logoFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy (MOVANT), University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerpen, Belgium
    Author
  • Ris, Laurenceorcid-logoDepartment of Neurosciences, Research Institute for Health Sciences and Technology, University of Mons, 7000 Mons, Belgium
    Author
  • Bastiaens, HildeFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy (MOVANT), University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerpen, Belgium
    Author
  • Roussel, Nathalieorcid-logoFaculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, Rehabilitation Sciences and Physiotherapy (MOVANT), University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerpen, Belgium
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Abstract
Background: Clinical practice guidelines promote bio-psychosocial management of patients suffering from low back pain (LBP). The objective of this study was to examine the current knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of physiotherapists about a guideline-adherent approach to LBP and to assess the ability of physiotherapists to recognise signs of a specific LBP in a clinical vignette. Methods: Physiotherapists were recruited to participate in an online study. They were asked to indicate whether they were familiar with evidence-based guidelines and then to fill in the Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS), Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ), Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (NPQ), as well as questions related to two clinical vignettes. Results: In total, 527 physiotherapists participated in this study. Only 38% reported being familiar with guidelines for the management of LBP. Sixty-three percent of the physiotherapists gave guideline-inconsistent recommendations regarding work. Only half of the physiotherapists recognised the signs of a specific LBP. Conclusions: The high proportion of physiotherapists unfamiliar with guidelines and demonstrating attitudes and beliefs not in line with evidence-based management of LBP is concerning. It is crucial to develop efficient strategies to enhance knowledge of guidelines among physiotherapists and increase their implementation in clinical practice.
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Fourré, A., Vanderstraeten, R., Ris, L., Bastiaens, H., Michielsen, J., Demoulin, C., Darlow, B., & Roussel, N. (2023). Management of Low Back Pain: Do Physiotherapists Know the Evidence-Based Guidelines? International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(9), 5611. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20095611 (Original work published 2023)