ArticleMusculoskeletal care2026
Attitudes, Beliefs, and Clinical Decision-Making Regarding Low Back Pain: A Cross-Sectional Study of Pakistani Medical Practitioners, Physiotherapists, and Exercise Professionals.
Article in Musculoskeletal care, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
1 citing paper in PubMed.
- Development, Cultural Adaptation, and Content Validation of Urdu Pain Neuroscience Education Materials for Low Back Pain in Pakistan.Medical sciences (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundLow back pain (LBP) is a leading global cause of disability, particularly burdensome in LMICs like Pakistan, where biomedical approaches remain dominant in clinical care. This study examined how healthcare professionals' (HCPs) beliefs, attitudes, and confidence influence clinical decision-making for LBP.
methodsA cross-sectional survey of 343 HCPs comprising medical practitioners (n = 123), physiotherapists (n = 124), and exercise professionals (n = 96) in Pakistan was conducted between August 2023 and December 2024. Participants completed the PABS-PT, Medical Scans Beliefs Questionnaire (MSBQ), two clinical vignettes, and rated their confidence in the use of various LBP treatments. Group differences were tested with ANOVA and chi-square. Stepwise linear regression and binary logistic regression identified predictors of confidence, decision-making, and treatment practices.
resultsPhysiotherapists demonstrated the strongest biomedical orientation (p = 0.01), with no significant group differences in biopsychosocial orientation. MSBQ scores (mean = 17.27) were moderate across all groups, with high agreement that imaging is essential for LBP care. Clinical decisions were predicted by experience, physical activity, gender, and biomedical orientation. Biopsychosocial beliefs predicted greater confidence in pain education, exercise, and CBT (p < 0.001) but not in their actual use. Physiotherapists and exercise professionals were significantly more likely than medical practitioners to employ pain education as a treatment strategy (physiotherapists: OR = 5.7, 95% CI = 3.1-10.7; exercise professionals: OR = 6.0, 95% CI = 3.2-11.3; both p < 0.001).
conclusionsPakistani HCPs show a prevalent biomedical orientation and share some persistent misconceptions about the value of imaging in LBP care. While biopsychosocial beliefs enhance confidence in evidence-based treatments, translation into practice remains limited. We recommend targeted educational interventions, curricular reforms, and interdisciplinary collaborations to facilitate biopsychosocially informed care.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.