Knowledge, Attitudes and Beliefs of Clinical Physiotherapists Towards Chronic Back Pain

Abstract

Background: Millions of people worldwide suffer from the common and severe ailment known as chronic low back pain. Effective management of this condition involves not only information but also positive attitudes and beliefs on the part of healthcare practitioners. Clinical physiotherapists play an important role in the treatment of individuals suffering from persistent low back pain. The purpose of this study was to investigate clinical physiotherapists' knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs about chronic low back pain. Methods: The study included 98 clinical physiotherapists, representing a diverse population in terms of gender and age in Hayatabad Peshawar. The HC-PAIRS (healthcare providers pain and impairment ratio scale) were filled from the clinical physiotherapists for assessing their Attitudes and beliefs towards chronic low back pain. The NPQ were also filled for checking the knowledge of clinical physiotherapist about chronic low back pain. Results: The average knowledge score of the clinical physiotherapists in the study was 7.7959, showing a relatively good degree of understanding of chronic low back pain. A wide range of knowledge scores, ranging from 2.00 to 12.00, revealed significant heterogeneity. Surprisingly, the study found unfavorable attitudes and beliefs among clinical physiotherapists, with higher scores suggesting stronger agreement that persistent low back pain warrants disability and activity restriction. Conclusion: Presence of unfavorable attitudes highlights the importance of focused interventions and training programs to improve patient care in this environment. The study emphasizes the changing nature of healthcare practice, with personal experiences, exposure to diverse treatment techniques, and evolving viewpoints within the field of physiotherapy possibly influencing attitudes and beliefs.