“Do I need an imaging?” exploring why patients with non-specific chronic low back pain request diagnostic instrumental evaluation: a phenomenological qualitative study

IF 2.2 3区医学 Q1 REHABILITATION

Musculoskeletal Science and Practice Pub Date : 2025-09-15 DOI:10.1016/j.msksp.2025.103416

Graziana Lullo , Gabriele Giannotta , Andrea Tamborrino , Firas Mourad , Massimo Esposto , Giuseppe Giovannico , Morten Hoegh , Matteo Cioeta

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Objective

This study aims to investigate patient beliefs surrounding imaging for chronic non-specific low back pain (cLBP) when it is not clinically indicated.

Methods

Semi-structured interviews were conducted with patients diagnosed with cLBP, and thematic analysis was used to identify recurring themes from the interviews.

Results

Eleven patients (6 females, 5 males, mean age 53 ± 15.66 years) participated in the study. Three main themes emerged: (1) cognitive dissonance: need to 'know the cause,' but recognition of multifactorial dimension of pain; (2) imaging as a treatment guide: seen as useful post-conservative treatment failure and (3) imaging has different consequences: reassuring for some; anxiety-inducing and misleading for others.

Conclusion

This study highlights the importance of patient education regarding the limitations of diagnostic imaging for non-specific cLBP and the need for healthcare providers to communicate more effectively about alternative pain management strategies.

查看原文本刊更多论文

“我需要影像学检查吗？”探讨为什么非特异性慢性腰痛患者要求诊断工具评估：一项现象学定性研究

目的：本研究旨在探讨慢性非特异性腰痛（cLBP）在无临床指征时对影像学检查的看法。方法对诊断为cLBP的患者进行半结构化访谈，并采用主题分析来确定访谈中反复出现的主题。结果6例患者（女6例，男5例）参与研究，平均年龄（53±15.66岁）。出现了三个主要主题：(1)认知失调：需要“知道原因”，但认识到疼痛的多因素维度；(2)影像学作为治疗指南：在保守治疗失败后被视为有用的；(3)影像学有不同的后果：对一些人来说是令人放心的；引起焦虑，误导他人。结论：本研究强调了对患者进行教育的重要性，即非特异性cLBP诊断成像的局限性，以及医疗保健提供者需要更有效地沟通替代性疼痛管理策略。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Musculoskeletal Science and Practice Health Professions-Physical Therapy, Sports Therapy and Rehabilitation

CiteScore

4.10

自引率

8.70%

发文量

152

审稿时长

48 days

期刊介绍： Musculoskeletal Science & Practice, international journal of musculoskeletal physiotherapy, is a peer-reviewed international journal (previously Manual Therapy), publishing high quality original research, review and Masterclass articles that contribute to improving the clinical understanding of appropriate care processes for musculoskeletal disorders. The journal publishes articles that influence or add to the body of evidence on diagnostic and therapeutic processes, patient centered care, guidelines for musculoskeletal therapeutics and theoretical models that support developments in assessment, diagnosis, clinical reasoning and interventions.