Biopsychosocial care and the physiotherapy encounter: physiotherapists' accounts of back pain consultations

• Published in: BMC musculoskeletal disorders Vol. 14; no. 1; p. 65
• Main Authors: Sanders, Tom, Foster, Nadine E, Bishop, Annette, Ong, Bie Nio
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England BioMed Central Ltd 19.02.2013; BioMed Central; BMC
• Subjects: Adaptation, Psychological; Attitude of Health Personnel; Back pain; Back Pain - diagnosis; Back Pain - physiopathology; Back Pain - psychology; Back Pain - therapy; Backache; Behavior; Biomechanical Phenomena; Biopsychosocial; Care and treatment; Clinical medicine; Clinician-patient communication; Communication; Cultural Characteristics; Fear; Female; Health aspects; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; Humans; Interviews; Interviews as Topic; Male; Medical research; Medicine, Experimental; Musculoskeletal diseases; Pain management; Patients; Patients - psychology; Physical Therapists - psychology; Physical therapy; Physical Therapy Modalities; Physician and patient; Physiotherapy; Primary care; Professional Role; Professional-Patient Relations; Qualitative Research; Referral and Consultation; Risk Reduction Behavior; Social Behavior; Studies; Therapeutics, Physiological; Therapists; United Kingdom
• ISSN: 1471-2474; 1471-2474
• DOI: 10.1186/1471-2474-14-65

The physiotherapy profession has undergone a paradigmatic shift in recent years, where a 'biopsychosocial' model of care has acquired popularity in response to mounting research evidence indicating better patient outcomes when used alongside traditional physiotherapy. However, research has not examined how this new dimension to traditional physical therapy is implemented within the therapeutic consultation. The study aimed to investigate physiotherapists' reported approaches to back pain care in the context of increasing pressure to address patients' psychosocial concerns. A secondary analysis of semi-structured qualitative interviews with 12 UK physiotherapists was conducted. Respondents were sampled from a national survey, to include a broad mix of physiotherapists. Data were analysed thematically, adopting the constant comparative methodology. The combination of traditional physical therapy with a broader biopsychosocial approach presented significant challenges. Physiotherapists responded by attempting to navigate patients' biopsychosocial problems through use of various strategies, such as setting boundaries around their clinical role and addressing lay health beliefs of patients through the provision of reassurance and lifestyle advice. As psychosocial issues, alongside biomechanical factors, command a prominent place within the back pain consultation, physiotherapists may benefit from further specific training and mentoring support in identifying specific strategies for combining the best of traditional physiotherapy approaches with greater focus on patients' beliefs, fears and social context.