Perceptions of provider communication and patient satisfaction for treatment of acute low back pain
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Published on: June 26, 2018
William S Shaw1, Ann Zaia, Glenn Pransky
1Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety, Hopkinton, Massachusetts 01748, USA. william.shaw@libertymutual.com
Objective:
We sought to assess the relationship between perceptions of provider communication and treatment satisfaction for acute, work-related low-back pain (LBP).
Methods:
In a prospective cohort study, 544 working adults (67% men) with acute LBP provided 1- and 3-month assessments of pain, function, and work status.
Results:
In a multiple regression analysis, positive provider communication (took problem seriously, explained condition clearly, tried to understand my job, advised to prevent re-injury) explained more variation in patient satisfaction at 1 month than was explained by clinical improvements in pain and function. At 3 months, clinical improvement variables surpassed provider communication as predictors of patient satisfaction.
Conclusions:
Patients with work-related LBP place a high value on provider counseling and education, especially during the acute stage (<1 month) of treatment.
