The influence of low back pain-related attitudes and beliefs on the clinical decision making of physical therapists.

Background: The LBP-related attitudes and beliefs of clinicians may impact the experience of patients by influencing clinician decision-making and by shaping the attitudes, beliefs, and actions of patients. The purpose of this study was to identify the specific LBP-related attitudes and beliefs of US-based physical therapists and determine if those beliefs correlate with clinical decision-making.

Methods: An electronic survey was sent to US-based physical therapists. Attitudes and beliefs were measured using the Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS) and the Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS-PT). The survey also included 2 patient vignettes that collected information about clinical decision-making.

Results: Complete survey responses were recorded from 420 physical therapists. Eleven of the 27 attitude and beliefs questions were answered in a more biomedically oriented way by at least 20% of respondents. Physical therapist low back pain-related attitudes and beliefs were associated with activity and management strategies for both vignettes in the expected direction. Higher scores on HC-PAIRS and PABS-BM were associated with more restrictive work and activity recommendations, lower-intensity exercise choices, biomechanical rationale for manual therapy and motor control exercises, pathoanatomical-focused education, and use of modalities.

Conclusion: Some physical therapists hold biomedically oriented beliefs about the connection between pain and physical activity. Clinician beliefs were associated with activity and work recommendations, and treatment choices. Physical therapists with more biomedically oriented beliefs were more likely to limit physical activity and work, and less likely to incorporate psychologically informed interventions.