Alodaibi F.1, Alsobyel H.1
1King Saud University, Rehabilitation Sciences, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
Background: Musculoskeletal pain is one of the most common complaints seen in physical therapy (PT) practice. Most of the PT undergraduate programs in Saudi Arabia do not include a specific course on pain science. Knowledge of pain neuroscience and management is crucial foundation that guide PT examination and intervention. However, little is known about Saudi Arabia PT students´ knowledge of pain neurophysiology.
Purpose: This study aims to evaluate physical therapy students' knowledge of pain neurophysiology and the variation in knowledge according to gender and semester level (PT education level) in Saudi Arabian universities.
Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using the revised neurophysiology of pain questionnaire (Moseley 2003, Catley 2013) to examine pain knowledge of PT students in Saudi Arabia. The questionnaire was distributed electronically to all students through PT student clubs, groups and social media (i.e., Twitter, WhatsApp). The students were asked about age, gender, university, PT education level, and the source of pain knowledge. The scores were compared between different levels and gender. The responses were analyzed using SPSS. Descriptive statistics, t-test , and correlation analysis were conducted to compare responses between males and females and different levels. The study was approved by the ethics committee at King Saud University.
Results: 194 PT students (53%female) from more than 15 universities around different regions in Saudi Arabia have responded to the questionnaire. Average age of the participants was 22 years old (SD=2.7). The PT students varied in their level of study including those who are in the first half of their PT undergraduate degree (n=57; 29%), second half of their PT undergraduate degree (n=73; 38%), and internship PT or on there early employment years (n=64; 33%). The participants average score in the revised neurophysiology of pain questionnaire was 6.27 + 2.1 (out of 12 total score). There was no significant difference in scores between males (M=6.27, SD=1.8) and females (M=6.26, SD=2.3) ; t(192)=-.042, p>.05. Higher scores correlated significantly with higher PT educational level (r=.20, P .05). Disagreement with item 7 in the questionnaire (Chronic pain means that an injury hasnt healed properly) had the highest significant association with high questionnaire score (r=-.55, P .001).
Conclusion(s): This was the first study to explore the pain neurophysiology knowledge among PT students in Saudi Arabia. Although higher education correlated with higher scores, the results show limited knowledge and misconceptions on pain neuroscience.
Implications: The study suggested limited knowledge on pain neurophysiology among PT undergraduate students and those who are in their final clinical or early employment year. It is recommended to give more focus on this topic through revising PT undergraduate curriculum.
Funding acknowledgements: We would like to thank PT student clubs in KSU and Petals group for their help in distributing the questionnaire.
Topic: Pain & pain management
Ethics approval: The study was approved by the ethics committee of College of Applied Medical Sciences, King Said University (CAMS 007 37/38)
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
