“CONCLUSION

The findings of this study indicate that many patientswith chronic LBP attend physiotherapy with clear expectations about what information should be providedby the treating clinician. Most expect tests or investigations leading to a diagnosis and an explanation of causation, and given the current understanding of LBP, this presents a challenge for clinicians. In addition, the desire that half of the patients had to discuss problems in their life points to the need for physiotherapists to consider LBP from a bio-psychosocial perspective.

KEY MESSAGES

What is already known on this topic

Patients present to their physiotherapist with certain expectations about the sort of care they will receive. Understanding these expectations enables the clinicianto identify and correct aberrant beliefs, and it may help improve patient satisfaction.

What this study adds

Many of the treatment related expectations that patients with chronic low back pain hold are intuitively obvious and align well with best practice care. However, some commonly held expectations such as referral for tests and investigations and confirmation of a precise cause of pain present challenges for physiotherapists. A substantial proportion of patients also expect to discuss other problems in their lives.”

What Do Patients with Chronic Spinal Pain Expect from Their Physiotherapist? (PDF Download Available). Available from: https://www.researchgate.net/…/317353867_What_Do_Patients_w…[accessed Jul 7, 2017].