Physical Therapists ’ Clinical Knowledge of Multidisciplinary Low Back Pain

Background. Numerous clinical practice guidelines (CPGs) have been developed to assist clinicians in care options for low back pain (LBP). Knowledge of CPGs has been marginal across health-related professions. Objective. The aims of this study were: (1) to measure US-based physical thera-pists ’ knowledge of care recommendations associated with multidisciplinary LBP CPGs and (2) to determine which characteristics were associated with more correct responses. Design. A cross-sectional survey was conducted. Methods. Consenting participants attending manual therapy education seminars read a clinical vignette describing a patient with LBP and were asked clinical decision-making questions regarding care, education, and potential referral. Descriptive sta-tistics illustrating response accuracy and binary logistic regression determined adjusted associations between predictor variables and appropriate decisions. Results. A total of 1,144 of 3,932 surveys were eligible for analysis. Correct responses were 55.9 % for imaging, 54.7 % for appropriate medication, 62.0 % fo