TITLE:
Factors Influencing the Use of Outcome Measures for Patients with Low Back Pain: A Survey of Nigerian Physiotherapists
AUTHORS:
Christian Arinze Okonkwo, Peter Olanrewaju Ibikunle, Joseph Onuwa Umunnah, Kenneth Umezulike Ani, Gloria Ukamaka Mgbeojedo, Peter Agba Awhen
KEYWORDS:
Outcome Measures, Factors Influencing Their Use, Low Back Pain Patients, Nigeria Physiotherapists
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Therapy and Rehabilitation,
Vol.8 No.3,
August
5,
2020
ABSTRACT: Background: Low back pain is one of the important patients’
presenting complain that requires expert
management from the physiotherapists. Yet no work was available for reference
on the use of outcome measures for its evaluation by Nigeria physiotherapists. Objective: This study,
therefore, investigated the outcome measures used by Nigerian physiotherapists to evaluate patients
with Low Back Pain and the factors that influenced their use. Methods: A survey questionnaire was posted to 306 randomly selected mem- bers of the Nigeria Society of
Physiotherapy (NSP). Data were analyzed using frequency, percentages, mean, ANOVA, and Pearson’s Chi-square. P-value was placed at 0.05. Results: 52.9% of the
respondents (221) used a pain visual analog scale. Only 36.1% used LBP-specific clinical outcome
measures. The factors that influenced their use were belief, attitude,
knowledge, and choice. There was no significant difference between the majority
of the factors and the use of clinical outcome measures. The P-values were 0.960, 0.648,
0.760 for belief, attitude and knowledge
respectively. The only factor that had a significant difference (P = 0.029) with the use of clinical outcome measures was choice. Gender and postgraduate
qualification had no significant influ- ence on the use of clinical outcome
measures at the P-value of 0.117 and 0.510 respectively. Conclusion: Pain visual analog
scale is the outcome measure frequently used by Nigeria Physiotherapists to
evaluate patients with Low Back Pain. Belief, attitude, knowledge, and
choice are the factors that influ- enced the use. There is a need to incorporate the use of LBP-specific outcome measures by
Nigerian physiotherapists while treating patients with LBP.