Do medical students believe the back pain myths? A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background Low back pain (LBP) is common, affecting 58–84% of adults at some point. In benign cases, misinformation can lead to harmful coping strategies and prolonged recovery time. Deyo has identified seven ‘Myths of Back Pain’ as misconceptions commonly seen in clinical practice of which doctors-in-training should be aware. We sought to determine medical students’ baseline knowledge of the prognosis and management of LBP compared to the general public and to dispel the ‘Myths of Back Pain’. Methods We carried out a cross-sectional study of medical students (pre-clinical and clinical) at the National University of Ireland, Galway where students completed a questionnaire outlining the seven ‘Myths of Back Pain’. Final year students completed the survey before and after a seminar on LBP. Students’ results were compared with a random sample of the public who attended Galway University Hospital. Results Two hundred nineteen students completed the questionnaire (59% female, 41% male). The mean age was 21 years (17–32). The mean number of correct answers increased according to medical school year (premedical 3/7, first year 4/7, final year 5/7). A personal history of back pain and female sex were associated with higher scores. On average, medical students answered 4/7 questions correctly overall, compared to the public ( n = 131) who averaged at 3/7. Final years dispelled one further myth after their LBP seminar. Conclusions Common misconceptions around LBP are prevalent among medical students and the general public. It is important that medical school curricula address these issues as part of their musculoskeletal programme.

What influences graduate medical students’ beliefs of lower back pain? A mixed methods cross sectional study

“…The influence of medical training was considered a main theme amongst students in phase 3, particularly those with no prior healthcare experience, providing further evidence for education influencing LBP beliefs. Medical training has been demonstrated to influence beliefs through brief interventions, such as 15-minute educational videos and seminars [ 40 , 41 ]. Changes also occur over the course of training, with healthcare and medical students’ beliefs of chronic LBP becoming more positive, demonstrated in other research by BBQ and HC-PAIRS score changes [ 24 , 39 ].…”

“…For example, medical students have been found to believe LBP myths including ‘back pain is likely to be caused by heavy lifting’. However, following a seminar this was significantly dispelled [ 40 ]. There is further evidence for using other specific educational interventions to address unhelpful beliefs, such as e-learning modules [ 41 , 42 ].…”

Online-Schmerzedukation verstärkt die positiven Auswirkungen eines Online-Trainingsprogramms gegen Rückenschmerzen

“…Die typischen Behandlungen entsprechen nicht immer den Leitlinien und hängen außerdem von der Ausrichtung und Ausbildung des Therapeuten ab [36]. Eine individuelle Aufklärung kann auch Mythen über bestimmte Krankheiten enthalten und wichtige Informationen auslassen, die den Patienten helfen würden, ihren Zustand besser zu verstehen und selbst Maßnahmen zu ergreifen [37]. Ein Programm, das von Anfang an standardisiert ist und auf aktuellen Leitlinien und wissenschaftlichen Erkenntnissen beruht, vermeidet derartige Verzerrungen der Behandlungsintervention und der Therapieergebnisse.…”

An exploration of low back pain beliefs in a Northern America based general population

“…This dominant biomedical model for understanding LBP in the general population is concerning given the impact on expectations of care and outcomes. For example, many individuals seeking consolation for their LBP have expectations of imaging to find the physical cause of their LBP and receive appropriate management (Hall et al, 2021;McCabe et al, 2019). Rajasekaran et al assessed negative effects of medical imaging on patients as well as HCPs when dealing with LBP (Rajasekaran et al, 2021).…”