Abstract
Questions: What reassurance is being delivered by physiotherapists and chiropractors to people with non-specific low back pain? How is it being delivered? What are the barriers and enablers to delivering reassurance to people with non-specific low back pain?
Design: A qualitative study.
Participants: Thirty-two musculoskeletal clinicians (16 physiotherapists and 16 chiropractors) who manage low back pain in primary care.
Method: Semi-structured interviews were conducted about their experiences delivering reassurance. The interview schedule was developed using the Theoretical Domains Framework and analysed using framework thematic analysis.
Results: Four themes were identified: giving reassurance is a core clinical skill for delivering high-quality care; it takes practice and experience to confidently deliver reassurance; despite feeling capable and motivated, clinicians identified situations that challenge the delivery of reassurance; and reassurance needs to be contextualised to the individual.
Conclusion: Clinicians possess a strong understanding of reassurance but require clinical experience to confidently deliver it. This study provides insights into how reassurance is individualised in clinical practice, including suggestions for clinicians about how to implement reassurance effectively for people with low back pain.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 48-56 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | Journal of Physiotherapy |
Volume | 71 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 1 Jan 2025 |
Bibliographical note
Copyright Australian Physiotherapy Association 2024. Version archived for private and non-commercial use with the permission of the author/s and according to publisher conditions. For further rights please contact the publisher.Keywords
- Low back pain
- Primary healthcare
- Qualitative research
- Reassurance