Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs towards patients with chronic low back pain among final year, School of Therapeutic Sciences students at the University of the Witwatersrand: a cross sectional study

6^th International Conference & Exhibition on Physiotherapy & Physical Rehabilitation

August 13-14, 2018 | London, UK

Grace Mukoka

University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Physiother Rehabil

Abstract :

Knowledge of neurophysiology of pain influences health care providersâ?? attitudes and beliefs about patients with chronic low back pain. This in turn, affects the choice of management approach. However, little is known about this topic among students pursuing various undergraduate health science programmes. The purpose of this study was to determine the level of knowledge of pain and the attitudes and beliefs about patients with chronic low back pain and any association with demographic characteristics among final year School of Therapeutic Sciences students at the University of the Witwatersrand in South Africa. This was a cross-sectional study where two self-administered questionnaires (NPQ for knowledge of the neurophysiology of pain and HC-PAIRS for attitudes and beliefs) were distributed to the study population. There was 65% response rate with high percentage of females (79%). There is a deficit in the level of knowledge of the neurophysiology of pain among the final year, School of Therapeutic Science students. Their attitudes and beliefs regarding patients with chronic low back pain are negative. Knowledge of the neurophysiology of pain influences the attitudes and beliefs about patients with chronic low back pain. Therefore, changing the attitudes of students would require improving their knowledge of pain by updating their curriculum for chronic pain content with the current chronic pain management recommendations..

Biography :

E-mail: gmukoka@medcol.mw