A survey of Indian physiotherapists' clinical practice patterns and adherence to clinical guidelines in the management of patients with acute low back pain.

Abstract

Clinical practice guidelines (CPG) exist for the management of non-specific low back pain (LBP). The objective of this study is to evaluate if Indian physiotherapists' follow CPGs when treating patients with acute LBP. A cross-sectional survey using an online questionnaire was used to collect demographic information, views, and opinion about acute LBP and CPGs, and management strategies of a clinical vignette presenting a patient with acute LBP. Responses from 328 physiotherapists were included in this study. Eighty-one percent of respondents indicated familiarity with CPGs for LBP and 75.3% (n=328) respondents indicated that their intervention choices aligned with guidelines to at least some extent. Participants with post-graduate and doctoral degrees were more accustomed to CPGs than those with bachelor's degrees (p<0.01). There were significant differences in clinical practice (p<0.01) between therapists who expressed familiarity with guidelines and those who were not, as well as those with and without post-graduate and doctoral degrees. In general, the study showed adherence to guidelines; however, there were areas that did not align with established evidence, especially referral for radiology and use of electrical modalities.