Efficacy of an Online Educational Program to Change Back Pain Beliefs in Physical Therapists: a Randomized Controlled Trial
Overview
- Phase
- N/A
- Intervention
- Not specified
- Conditions
- Low Back Pain
- Sponsor
- Federal University of Minas Gerais
- Enrollment
- 106
- Locations
- 1
- Primary Endpoint
- Modified Back Belief Questionnaire
- Status
- Completed
- Last Updated
- 2 years ago
Overview
Brief Summary
The goal of this clinical trial is to investigate the efficacy of an online educational program for physical therapists to change back pain beliefs. The main questions it aims to answer are:
- What is the effect of an online educational program to change beliefs about the management of back pain in physical therapists?
A total of 106 physical therapists will be recruited for this study. Participants will be randomized into two groups: intervention and control groups. The intervention group will receive a 6-week online educational program including recommendations from international clinical practice guidelines for the management of back pain. The control group will not receive any intervention. The outcomes of this trial include beliefs about management of back pain and imaging exams and will be assessed at baseline and 6 weeks after randomization.
Investigators
Rafael Zambelli Pinto
Lecturer
Federal University of Minas Gerais
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
- •must be a licensed physical therapist;
- •currently managing patients with low back pain, regardless of the duration of symptoms, in clinical practice;
- •if not currently managing patients with low back pain, participants must have treated at least one patient in the last month.
- •(Patients with low back pain are defined as those patients reporting pain between the lower border of the last vertebral ribs and the gluteal fold, with or without pain referred to the lower limb).
Exclusion Criteria
- •not having access or reporting difficulty in accessing the internet.
Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Modified Back Belief Questionnaire
Time Frame: Post-intervention (i.e. 6 weeks after randomization)
This questionnaire consists of 25 items assessing the following aspects: low back pain outcomes at work and patients' social life, treatment (including medication, surgical procedures, alternative treatments), low back pain prognosis, causes of low back pain and diagnostic methods. The score of each item follows a Likert scale ranging from 1 to 5, where each items mean, 1. "Completely Disagree"; 2. Disagree; 3. "I neither agree nor disagree"; 4. "Agree" and 5; "Completely Agree". To calculate the final score of the questionnaire, the score of each item on the Likert scale is transformed into a score ranging from -2 to 2. The total score of the questionnaire ranges from -50 to 50 points, with values closest to 50 points indicate more adequate beliefs regarding low back pain.
Secondary Outcomes
- Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ)(Post-intervention (i.e. 6 weeks after randomization))
- Beliefs regarding imaging exams(Post-intervention (i.e. 6 weeks after randomization))