The dilemma of diagnostic uncertainty when treating people with chronic low back pain: A qualitative study

Abstract

Objective: To investigate how physiotherapists prescribe execise for people with non-specific chronic low back pain in the absence of definitive or differential diagnoses.Design: Four guided focus groups were conducted to gather the views of physiotherapists working in primary care.Subjects and setting: Twenty-three primary care physiotherapists from metropolitan Melbourne, Australia, were identified from professional organization member lists and publicly available records. They were recruited via email and assembled for focus groups based on eligibility, availability and location.Main measures: Discussions were audio-taped, transcribed verbatim and analysed for themes by three independent ..