Abstract

BackgroundFactors that influence utilisation rates of patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) for low back pain (LBP) within the chiropractic profession of Australia are currently unknown. This study aimed to examine whether factors, including age, sex, experience level, clinical title (principal vs associate), or a clinicians’ perceived value of PROMs, are predictive of the frequency and/or type of PROMs used by chiropractors in the management of LBP.MethodsA cross sectional online survey was distributed to members of the Chiropractic Association of Australia (CAA now known as Australian Chiropractors Association-ACA) and Chiropractic Australia (CA). 3,014 CAA members and 930 CA members were invited to participate totaling 3,944, only respondents that were using PROMs were included in the analysis (n = 370). Ordinal logistic regression was used to examine associations between clinician demographics and perceived value of PROMs, and the frequency of pain, health, and functional patient reported outcome measure (PROM) usage by chiropractors.ResultsPrincipal chiropractors were more likely (Wald = 4.101, p = 0.04, OR = 1.4 (1.0–2.1)) than associate chiropractors to frequently use pain-related PROMs for the management of patients with LBP. The remaining demographic factors (age, sex, and experience level) were not associated with the frequency of PROM usage; nor were the perceived value clinicians place on PROMs in clinical practice.ConclusionPrincipal chiropractors were more likely to frequently use pain-related PROMs for the management of patients with LBP when compared to associate chiropractors. Demographic factors, appear to have little influence on PROM usage. While chiropractors place high value on PROMs, these beliefs are not associated with increased frequency of PROM usage for the management of LBP.

Highlights

  • Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are tools used to measure a health status or condition from the perspective of the patient [1] and include validatedClohesy et al Chiropr Man Therap (2021) 29:42 with increased therapist-patient communication [9], improved symptom control, and overall patient satisfaction [10, 11].patient reported outcome measure (PROM) are recommended in clinical guidelines for a range of health disciplines and patient populations but have been most widely developed and adopted in the physiotherapy management of low back pain (LBP) [10, 12, 13]

  • 87.3% of respondents reported that PROMs were either ‘very important’ or ‘somewhat important’ for the practitioner, with only 3.2% reporting that PROMs were either ‘unimportant’ or ‘very unimportant’ for the practitioner

  • 78.5% of respondents reported that PROMs were either ‘very important’ or ‘somewhat important’ for treatment, with 10.3% reporting PROMs as either ‘unimportant’ or ‘very unimportant’ to treatment

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Summary

Introduction

Patient reported outcome measures (PROMs) are tools used to measure a health status or condition from the perspective of the patient [1] and include validatedClohesy et al Chiropr Man Therap (2021) 29:42 with increased therapist-patient communication [9], improved symptom control, and overall patient satisfaction [10, 11].PROMs are recommended in clinical guidelines for a range of health disciplines and patient populations but have been most widely developed and adopted in the physiotherapy management of LBP [10, 12, 13]. A more recent study by Brinkman et al, [13] in the United Kingdom revealed that 72% of physiotherapists and 71% of physiotherapy practices routinely used PROMs, the most common of which were the Numeric Rating Scale, the Patient‐Specific Functional Scale, and the Quebec Back Pain Disability Scale Together, these studies suggest that PROMs are becoming more frequently used by physiotherapists for the management of LBP, and while difficult to determine, may relate to improved professional support and/ or access to educational initiatives and resources that encourage mandatory reporting of patient outcomes. These studies suggest that PROMs are becoming more frequently used by physiotherapists for the management of LBP, and while difficult to determine, may relate to improved professional support and/ or access to educational initiatives and resources that encourage mandatory reporting of patient outcomes Other factors such as the age, gender, and experience level of the clinician, including their level of educational training and attitude towards PROMs, may influence utilisation. This study aimed to examine whether factors, including age, sex, experience level, clinical title (principal vs associate), or a clinicians’ perceived value of PROMs, are predictive of the frequency and/or type of PROMs used by chiropractors in the management of LBP

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