Knowledge, attitudes and practice of clinicians managing chronic pain in a tertiary care facility.
Solomon Rop, Joseph M Matheri, Nassib Tawa
PMID 35169653WHAT IT FOUND
Most clinicians in this hospital had inadequate chronic pain knowledge and attitudes: 139 of 153 scored below 75%.
Best-practice use was high for cognitive/behavioural pain care (62%) but low for pain assessment (9%) and pharmacological management (7%).
Key findings
01139 of 153 participants scored below 75%, the study's threshold for adequate knowledge and attitudes about chronic pain assessment and management.
02Best-practice use was 62% for cognitive/behavioural pain intervention, but 9% for pain assessment and 7% for pharmacological management.
03The survey included several clinician cadres, but the uneven distribution of cadres and small numbers in some groups limit generalising the results.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTs
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What it does not show
This was a single hospital survey, so the results may not apply to other settings. Clinicians self-reported knowledge and practice on a questionnaire; the study did not observe treatment or measure patient outcomes. Only 153 of 240 targeted clinicians participated. The cadre mix was uneven, and the paper says small numbers in some groups limit generalising the results.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the 62% best-practice score for cognitive/behavioural pain intervention as evidence that this approach improves patient outcomes. The study measured clinicians' knowledge and self-reported practice, did not test a treatment, and did not report results separately for physiotherapists.