[Communication preferences of patients with chronic back pain in medical rehabilitation]
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 24, 2026
Biomechanical Changes Related to Low Back Pain: An Innovative Tool for Movement Pattern Assessment and Treatment Evaluation in Rehabilitation
Published on: December 13, 2024
1Abteilung Qualitätsmanagement und Sozialmedizin, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg, Engelbergerstrasse 21, Freiburg im Breisgau, Germany. erika.schmidt@uniklinik-freiburg.de
Background:
Successful treatment of chronic pain patients can be dependent on successful patient-provider communication. Patient-physician communication for patients with chronic back pain (CBP) has rarely been explored. The current study examines two questions: what is important for CBP patients concerning communication with the healthcare provider and are there interindividual differences in communication preferences dependent on sociodemographic characteristics?
Methods:
Patient preferences were measured using the KOPRA questionnaire (32 items and 4 scales). The mean age of the 701 participating rehabilitants was 51 years (SD ±11.1 years) of which 60% were women.
Results:
An effective and open communication with the healthcare physician was rated as the most important preference for CBP patients. Gender (depending on the scale: p = 0.01-0.82) and age (p = 0.01-0.12) seemed to influence some preferences in patient-provider communication.
Conclusion:
By taking into account individual communication preferences of CBP patients, healthcare providers could purposefully be responsive to these, possibly contributing to a more successful treatment.
