Limited evidence exists on determinants of physiotherapists' adherence to high value interventions in nonspecific low back pain management: A scoping review

BACKGROUND

Examining the emerging body of evidence investigating what drives physiotherapist's clinical decisions in the management of low back pain can guide future research into identifying barriers and facilitators of their adherence to evidence recommended interventions.

OBJECTIVE

To establish the body of evidence regarding factors that improve or hinder physiotherapists' adherence to high-value interventions on the management of non-specific low back pain.

DESIGN

Scoping review.

METHODS

We conducted a Scoping review by searching MEDLINE, CINAHL, and SPORTDiscus databases on 13 February 2021. Two reviewers independently screened the retrieved literature and selected articles for inclusion. We included quantitative research that investigated an association between physiotherapists' personal characteristics or setting related characteristics with their clinical management of patients with non-specific low back pain.

RESULTS

Twelve studies reported in 13 publications were included. The majority of the studies were conducted in high-income countries including, the United States, Canada and UK. Twenty-six factors were investigated as potentially influencing physiotherapists' adherence to high value interventions in low back pain management. The most commonly examined physiotherapists' attributes were educational qualification that is postgraduate or certification course (58%, N = 7 studies), years of experience (41%, N = 5 studies), and beliefs and attitude about low back pain (41%, N = 5 studies). Work setting (N = 4) and workload (N = 3) were frequently investigated setting related factors.

CONCLUSION

Currently, there is limited evidence available to understand determinants controlling practice behaviours of physiotherapists' management of nonspecific low back pain. Future researches conceptualized within contemporary theories of clinician behaviour change and models of knowledge translation are needed.

Azacytidine plus olaparib for relapsed acute myeloid leukaemia, ineligible for intensive chemotherapy, diagnosed with a synchronous malignancy

Patients with relapsed/refractory acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), ineligible for intensive chemotherapy and allogeneic stem cell transplantation, have a dismal prognosis. For such cases, hypomethylating agents are a viable alternative, but with limited success. Combination chemotherapy using a hypomethylating agent plus another drug would potentially bring forward new alternatives. In the present manuscript, we present the cell and molecular background for a clinical scenario of a 44-year-old patient, diagnosed with high-grade serous ovarian carcinoma, diagnosed, and treated with a synchronous AML. Once the ovarian carcinoma relapsed, maintenance treatment with olaparib was initiated. Concomitantly, the bone marrow aspirate showed 30% myeloid blasts, consistent with a relapse of the underlying haematological disease. Azacytidine 75 mg/m2 treatment was started for seven days. The patient was administered two regimens of azacytidine monotherapy, additional to the olaparib-based maintenance therapy. After the second treatment, the patient presented with leucocytosis and 94% myeloid blasts on the bone marrow smear. Later, the patient unfortunately died. Following this clinical scenario, we reproduced in vitro the combination chemotherapy of azacytidine plus olaparib, to accurately assess the basic mechanisms of leukaemia progression, and resistance to treatment. Combination chemotherapy with drugs that theoretically target both malignancies might potentially be of use. Still, further research, both pre-clinical and clinical, is needed to accurately assess such cases.

What is known about factors improving physiotherapists' adherence to high value interventions in nonspecific low back pain? A scoping review protocol

INTRODUCTION

Despite multiple guidelines providing best practice treatment recommendations for managing low back pain (LBP), current evidence suggests that physiotherapists across the world often provide costly, ineffective, unnecessary, even harmful care. The purpose of this scoping review is to establish the body of evidence regarding factors that improve or hinder physiotherapist's adherence to high-value interventions in the management of non-specific LBP.

METHODS

This scoping review will be conducted based on the methodological framework for scoping review recommended by Arksey & O'Malley's and Levac. Three electronic databases will be searched: MEDLINE, CINAHL and SPORTDiscus. A search of grey literature will also be performed. The search will cover studies published in English from the inception of each database to the present date. The reference lists of all included reports and articles will be hand-searched for additional results. Two independent reviewers will screen titles and abstracts for assessment against the eligibility criteria. Data will be extracted and presented in tabular form and a narrative summary that aligns with the review's aim.

ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION

This scoping review does not require ethics approval. Results of this scoping review will be disseminated via conference presentation and/or publication in a scientific journal. We will also disseminate the results as part of stakeholder meetings with physiotherapists including clinicians, academicians, researchers and administrators managing non-specific LBP. A summary of the key results will be shared across social networking sites in the form of infographics.

A cross-sectional evaluation of knowledge among Chinese dentists regarding the treatment of traumatic injuries in primary teeth

BACKGROUND/AIM

Injuries to the primary dentition affect children's esthetics, function, and mental health. They may also affect the development of the permanent teeth. The knowledge of dentists about deciduous tooth trauma is rarely evaluated. The aim of this study was to evaluate the knowledge and attitude of dentists in China regarding traumatic dental injuries to primary teeth.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A self-administered online questionnaire containing questions on demographic data and knowledge based on a clinical scenario was given to a purposive sample of dentists, recruited by a non-probability convenience sampling method. The chi-square test was used for statistical analysis, with the significance level set at P <.05.

RESULTS

A total of 394 out of 409 dentists provided valid data. There was no significant difference in demographic data. Questions about the treatment of hard dental tissue injuries in primary teeth presented a correct-response rate of 66.4%, with the highest correct-response rate for enamel fracture (n = 368, 93.4%) and lowest for complicated crown-root fracture with pulp exposure (n = 104, 26.4%). Questions about treatment of luxation injuries in primary teeth presented a correct-response rate of 66.6%, with subluxation presenting the highest correct-response rate (n = 391, 99.2%). Factors associated with higher correct-response rates were specialist disciplines, educational qualifications, workplaces, experience of injured teeth treated, and educational experience about primary tooth trauma. No significant differences were found in the correct-response rates of dentists with different years of work experience. Lack of cooperation from children was considered a major obstacle for treatment. Special lectures and Internet courses were the most preferred methods of obtaining knowledge.

CONCLUSION

The results suggest that it is necessary to enhance dental trauma education for dentists in China. More attention needs to be paid to trauma in primary dentition to ensure adequate treatment for traumatized primary teeth.

Impact of standardized patients on the training of medical students to manage emergencies

BACKGROUND

Teaching emergency management should educate medical students not only for facts and treatment algorithms but also for time effective physical examination, technical skills, and team interaction. We tested the hypothesis, that using standardized emergency patients would be more effective in transmitting knowledge and skills compared with a more traditional teaching approach.

METHODS

Medical students (n = 242) in their fourth (second clinical) year were randomized to receive either training on standardized patients simulating 3 emergency settings ("acute chest pain," "stroke," and "acute dyspnea/asthma") or traditional small group seminars. Before and after the respective training pathways, the students' knowledge base (multiple-choice examination) and practical performance (objective structured clinical examination using 3 different emergency scenarios) were assessed.

RESULTS

Teaching using standardized patients resulted in a significant albeit small improvement in objective structured clinical examination scores (61.2 ± 3 for the standardized patient trained group vs 60.3 ± 3.5 for the traditional seminar group; P = 0.017, maximum achievable score: 66), but no difference in the written examination scores (27.4 ± 2.4 vs 27.0 ± 4.4; P = 0.341; maximum achievable score: 30).

CONCLUSION

Teaching management of emergencies using standardized patients can improve medical students' performance in clinical tests, and a change from traditional seminars in favor of practice sessions with standardized patients does not compromise the learning of medical facts.

Writing clinical scenarios for clinical science questions

Written knowledge assessments for physicians in training typically involve multiple-choice questions that use a clinical scenario in a single-best-answer format. The Royal College of Physicians Part 1 MRCP(UK) examination includes basic sciences themes that are challenging to assess through a clinical scenario. A realistic clinical setting based on everyday clinical practice and integral to the question is the clearest demonstration that the knowledge being assessed is clinically relevant. However, without special attention to detail, the scenario in a clinical science question can appear redundant or artificial. Reading unnecessary material frustrates candidates and threatens the reputation of the assessment. In this paper we discuss why a clinical scenario is important for basic science questions and offer advice on setting realistic and plausible clinical scenarios for such questions.

A traditionally administered short course failed to improve medical students' diagnostic performance. A quantitative evaluation of diagnostic thinking

BACKGROUND

Quite often medical students or novice residents have difficulty in ruling out diseases even though they are quite unlikely and, due to this difficulty, such students and novice residents unnecessarily repeat laboratory or imaging tests.

OBJECTIVE

To explore whether or not a carefully designed short training course teaching Bayesian probabilistic thinking improves the diagnostic ability of medical students.

PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS

Ninety students at 2 medical schools were presented with clinical scenarios of coronary artery disease corresponding to high, low, and intermediate pretest probabilities. The students' estimates of test characteristics of exercise stress test, and pretest and posttest probability for each scenario were evaluated before and after the short course.

RESULTS

The pretest probability estimates by the students, as well as their proficiency in applying Bayes's theorem, were improved in the high pretest probability scenario after the short course. However, estimates of pretest probability in the low pretest probability scenario, and their proficiency in applying Bayes's theorem in the intermediate and low pretest probability scenarios, showed essentially no improvement.

CONCLUSION

A carefully designed, but traditionally administered, short course could not improve the students' abilities in estimating pretest probability in a low pretest probability setting, and subsequently students remained incompetent in ruling out disease. We need to develop educational methods that cultivate a well-balanced clinical sense to enable students to choose a suitable diagnostic strategy as needed in a clinical setting without being one-sided to the "rule-in conscious paradigm."