Understanding the barriers affecting psychologists’ adherence to evidence-based treatment guidelines from a stakeholder standpoint

Abstract

Psychologists’ adherence with evidence-based guidelines based on the biopsychosocial premise in the management of musculoskeletal injuries is influenced by the actions by General Practitioners (GPs), insurers, and injured patients’ actions. For data collection, we interviewed GPs (n = 6), insurers (n = 6), and injured people (n = 15) from the two personal injury compensation schemes in New South Wales. Thematic analysis yielded the following: GPs were reticent to access psychological services that represented a poor fit between their practice and treatment guidelines, insurers lacked trust in the validity of “secondary psychological injury” claims’. Injured peoples’ willingness to engage with treatment was impaired by a poor fit between the treatment guidelines and their experience of insurers’ and psychologists’ practices.