What factors are associated with physical therapists' use of patient-reported outcome measures in managing patients with low back pain in primary health care in Sweden?

BACKGROUND

Physical therapists' use of patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs) in managing patients with low back pain (LBP) is reportedly low, especially for health-related and psychosocial factors.

OBJECTIVE

To investigate factors associated with using specific PROMs among physical therapists working in primary care.

METHODS

We analyzed data collected from physical therapists (n = 1237). Logistic regression analyses (Odd Ratios (OR), 95 % Confidence Intervals) were conducted to investigate how using PROMs for pain, disability, health-related, and psychosocial factors is associated with the physical therapists' demographic characteristics, including educational levels.

RESULTS

Most physical therapists used PROMs for pain (83 %), while PROMs for disability (28 %), health-related (14 %), and psychosocial factors (13 %) were used less frequently. Being female (OR 2.57, 95 % CI: 1.84, 3.59) and working in private clinics (OR 1.83, 95 % CI: 1.27, 2.67) were associated with using PROMs for pain. Holding a master's degree or PhD was linked to using PROMs for disability (OR 1.85, 95 % CI: 1.28, 2.66) and psychosocial factors (OR 2.11, 95 % CI: 1.19, 3.65). Being female (OR 1.51, 95 % CI 1.01, 2.29) and being an advanced clinical specialist (OR 2.09, 95 % CI: 1.29, 3.33) were associated with using PROMs for health-related factors.

CONCLUSIONS

While physical therapists commonly use PROMs for pain, few use them to assess health-related and psychosocial factors. Those with higher educational levels or advanced clinical specialists are more likely to incorporate such PROMs in managing patients with LBP. Future studies should explore educational interventions to improve understanding of PROMs and their role in clinical reasoning within a biopsychosocial framework.