Approccio del Fisioterapista nella presa in carico del paziente con lombalgia cronica: indagine esplorativa presso l'AziendA USL di Reggio Emilia

Background: Chronic Low Back Pain (CLBP) is currently considered a biopsychosocial syndrome, where individual, physical, occupational, psychological and social risk factors coexist. The available research indicates that physiotherapists (PTs) theoretically endorse the proposed biopsychosocial approach to treatment, yet very few are adopting this approach in clinical practice. Aim: The purpose of this exploratory survey is to obtain a detailed view of physiotherapists’ perceptions in their local setting, with specific reference to the operators’ kind of approach and professional skills in the treatment of CLBP. Methods: The survey tool was a focus group, based on a simulated clinical case conducted with expert operators selected on a voluntary basis. The results of the interview were analyzed using a qualitative-inductive method. Results: The analysis shows results related to three interconnected macro areas: the physiotherapists’ professional skills/training, evaluation tools, and organizational structure. Physiotherapists’ skills should be reinforced with training dedicated to communication-relational aspects and supported by assessment tools necessary to screen and evaluate psychosocial factors. As regards organizational structure, it takes the opportunity to design a clinical path or structure specialized in outpatient services for patients with chronic low back pain (CLBP). Conclusion: Some results are aligned with the literature. In particular, the need to reinforce physiotherapists’ inter-relational skills and to support them with the intervention of other specialists (multidisciplinary team) in the case of problems not strictly of their competence. The role of management is to identify organizational solutions to creating clinical pathways to reduce dispersion and to reinforce the professionals’ expertise.