Introduction of a psychologically informed educational intervention for pre-licensure physical therapists in a classroom
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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Open Access
Introduction of a psychologically informed educational intervention for pre-licensure physical therapists in a classroom setting Lindsay A. Ballengee1* , J. Kyle Covington2 and Steven Z. George3
Abstract Background: There is an increasing need for physical therapists to address psychosocial aspects of musculoskeletal pain. Psychologically informed practice is one way to deliver this type of care through the integration of biopsychosocial interventions into patient management. An important component of psychologically informed practice is patient centered communication. However, there is little research on how to effectively implement patient centered communication into pre-licensure training for physical therapists. Methods: Thirty Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students took part in an educational intervention that consisted of one 4-h didactic teaching session and three 1-h experiential learning sessions. Prior to the first session, students performed an examination of a standardized patient with chronic low back pain and were assessed on psychologically informed physical therapy (PIPT) adherent behaviors via a rating scale. Students also completed the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale (PABS-PT). After the last experiential session, students evaluated another standardized patient and were reassessed on PIPT adherent behaviors. Students retook the PABS-PT and qualitative data was also collected. Results: After the educational intervention, students had positive changes in their pain attitudes and belief scores indicating a stronger orientation toward a psychosocial approach to patient care (p < 0.05). Additionally, after the intervention, students showed improvements in their adherence to using PIPT behaviors in their simulated patient interactions (p < 0.05). Qualitatively, students reported a high acceptability of the educational intervention with common themes indicating improved confidence with treating and communicating with complex patients. Conclusion: Students had attitudes and beliefs shift towards a more psychosocial orientation and demonstrated improved PIPT behaviors in simulated patient interactions after a brief educational intervention. Future research should investigate best practices for implementation of psychologically informed physical therapy for licensed clinicians. Keywords: Implementation, Psychologically informed physical therapy, Pain, Education
Background The burden of treating chronic pain conditions is felt on healthcare systems around the world [1]. In the United * Correspondence: [email protected] 1 Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Duke University School of Medicine and Durham VA Health Care System Center of Innovation to Accelerate Discovery and Practice Transformation, 411 W Chapel Hill Street Ste 600, Durham, NC 27701, USA Full list of author information is available at the end of the article
States, over 30% of adults experience persistent pain and more than half of adults report pain daily [2]. One way this increased burden can be me
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