TY - JOUR
T1 - Pain knowledge, attitudes and beliefs of Australian osteopaths drawn from a nationally representative sample of the profession
AU - Fitzgerald, Kylie
AU - Vaughan, Brett
AU - Fleischmann, Michael
AU - Austin, Philip
N1 - Funding Information:
The research reported in this paper was facilitated and made possible by the Osteopathy Research and Innovation Network (ORION) practice-based research network. ORION was supported by the Osteopathy Australia and independently designed and conducted by the ORION Project team. We thank all the osteopaths who consented to participate in the ORION PBRN cohort. The arguments and approaches outlined in this manuscript reflect those of the named authors only.
Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Ltd
PY - 2020/10
Y1 - 2020/10
N2 - Background: Pain has been identified as a global health issue with substantial effects on individuals and society. Health professionals managing pain complaints must have appropriate knowledge of pain neurophysiology, and attitudes and beliefs towards pain management that align with current practice guidelines. Objectives: Evaluate Australian osteopaths' current level of knowledge of pain neurophysiology and their beliefs and attitudes towards pain, and explore associations with demographic variables. Method: Australian osteopaths drawn from a nationally representative practice-based research network received the questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information, Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (NPQ), Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS-PT) and the Attitudes to Back Pain Scale in Musculoskeletal Practitioners (ABS-mp). Results: Complete responses were received from 211 osteopaths (21.3% response rate). The mean total NPQ score was equivalent to 72.2% correct responses. The PABS-PT Biomedical scale mean score was 38.8 ( ±9.1, α = 0.81) and the Biopsychosocial scale was 22.3 ( ±3.3, α = 0.38). ABS-mp mean factor scores suggest osteopaths support psychological approaches (22.1, ±3.3, α = 0.71) but endorsed more treatment sessions for those with back pain (15.9, ±4.7, α = 0.71). Trivial correlations between measures and most demographic variables were observed. Osteopaths who undertook further studies in pain had higher mean NPQ scores, with moderate negative correlations with a lower PABS-PT Biomedical subscale score (ρ = −0.45, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Australian osteopaths demonstrate a range of pain neurophysiology knowledge, and beliefs and attitudes towards pain. The findings support the positive impact of professional development for improving pain knowledge in this population.
AB - Background: Pain has been identified as a global health issue with substantial effects on individuals and society. Health professionals managing pain complaints must have appropriate knowledge of pain neurophysiology, and attitudes and beliefs towards pain management that align with current practice guidelines. Objectives: Evaluate Australian osteopaths' current level of knowledge of pain neurophysiology and their beliefs and attitudes towards pain, and explore associations with demographic variables. Method: Australian osteopaths drawn from a nationally representative practice-based research network received the questionnaire. The questionnaire included demographic information, Neurophysiology of Pain Questionnaire (NPQ), Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS-PT) and the Attitudes to Back Pain Scale in Musculoskeletal Practitioners (ABS-mp). Results: Complete responses were received from 211 osteopaths (21.3% response rate). The mean total NPQ score was equivalent to 72.2% correct responses. The PABS-PT Biomedical scale mean score was 38.8 ( ±9.1, α = 0.81) and the Biopsychosocial scale was 22.3 ( ±3.3, α = 0.38). ABS-mp mean factor scores suggest osteopaths support psychological approaches (22.1, ±3.3, α = 0.71) but endorsed more treatment sessions for those with back pain (15.9, ±4.7, α = 0.71). Trivial correlations between measures and most demographic variables were observed. Osteopaths who undertook further studies in pain had higher mean NPQ scores, with moderate negative correlations with a lower PABS-PT Biomedical subscale score (ρ = −0.45, p < 0.01). Conclusions: Australian osteopaths demonstrate a range of pain neurophysiology knowledge, and beliefs and attitudes towards pain. The findings support the positive impact of professional development for improving pain knowledge in this population.
KW - Attitudes
KW - Back pain
KW - Education
KW - Osteopathic medicine
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85089849691&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.06.022
DO - 10.1016/j.jbmt.2020.06.022
M3 - Article
C2 - 33218544
AN - SCOPUS:85089849691
VL - 24
SP - 43
EP - 50
JO - Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies
JF - Journal of Bodywork and Movement Therapies
SN - 1360-8592
IS - 4
ER -