Nurses' beliefs about back pain, their coping strategies and participant activation for self-management.
Loveness A Nkhata, Yolandi Brink, Dawn Ernstzen and 2 others
PMID 36340937WHAT IT FOUND
A 12-week workplace campaign for nurses in Zambia increased their confidence in managing back pain and reduced sick leave and medication use.
However, beliefs about prognosis and exercise did not improve, and actual exercise levels did not change.
Key findings
01Participants reported significantly higher agreement with all 11 statements about their ability to manage their own back pain, such as taking responsibility and knowing when to seek care.
02While some beliefs improved, such as the idea that back pain requires rest, other beliefs worsened or remained unchanged, including the belief that surgery is effective and that back pain leads to permanent weakness.
03Self-reported coping strategies showed a significant reduction in pain medication use, but there was no significant increase in exercise or physiotherapy use.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
The study used a single-group design without a control group, so it is impossible to determine if the changes were due to the campaign or other factors such as time or natural variation in pain. The outcome measures were constructed by combining items from existing tools and were not validated for reliability in this specific context, which may affect the accuracy of the results. All data was self-reported, which introduces the risk of recall bias and social desirability bias, particularly since the questions aligned closely with the campaign messages. The study was conducted in four specific public health facilities in Lusaka, so the results may not apply to other healthcare settings or populations with different work contexts.
Declared interests
No conflicts of interest or funding sources were reported in the provided text.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that the campaign successfully changed all back pain beliefs. Several beliefs worsened, including the perception that surgery is the most effective treatment, and the use of exercise did not significantly increase despite improved confidence in self-management.