Ontario Musculoskeletal Physiotherapists' Attitudes toward and Beliefs about Managing Chronic Low Back Pain

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore Ontario musculoskeletal physiotherapists' attitudes toward and beliefs about managing chronic low back pain (CLBP), and their biomedical (BM) and bio-psychosocial (BPS) treatment orientation. Method: Through a link in the Ontario Physiotherapy Association newsletter, we administered an electronic survey to registered physiotherapists via SurveyMonkey. We used a modified three-step Dillman approach to encourage participation. The questionnaire included the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS-PT) measure, and demographic-practice items. Results: A total of 99 physiotherapists met the eligibility criteria and completed the PABS-PT (72.7% women; mean 17 years of experience). Respondents scored a mean of 26.98 (SD 7.69) on the BM sub-scale and 34.43 (SD 4.84) on the BPS sub-scale. Physiotherapists in public practice had a stronger BPS orientation (mean 36.52) than those in private practice (33.80; p = 0.01). Less experienced physiotherapists (<10 y) had a higher BM sub-scale score (mean 29.33) than more experienced physiotherapists (25.24, p = 0.013), and 78.8% of physiotherapists reported an awareness of clinical practice guidelines. Conclusions: Our preliminary findings suggest that Ontario physiotherapists' attitudes and beliefs align with a BPS orientation. Future studies should explore the impact of education that promotes a BPS approach to the management of CLBP.