Page 167 - THE PERCEPT STUDY Illness Perceptions in Physiotherapy Edwin de Raaij

General conclusions
This thesis presents research that indicates the supportive role of IPs in the physiotherapy management of MSP. Using a short, for the Netherlands, validated questionnaire can be seen as a first step for clinicians to inventory patients’ perceptions about their MSP. Subsequently, further in-depth qualitative analysis of IPs and their role on how they affect patients’ pain and physical functioning within the physiotherapy community is needed since such research is lacking in literature.
When looking to if and how IPs contribute to the burden patients with MSP experience, our research diverges from traditional research done in the more psychological literature18. We used different designs and statistical analyses to research the impact of IPs on pain intensity and physical functioning, resulting in our conclusions:
• The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire Dutch Language Version can be used, in com- bination with a personal interview, in primary physiotherapy care to assess patients’ per- ceptions about their illness.
• Baseline Illness Perceptions are not predictive for poor recovery at 3-months in standard physiotherapy management of musculoskeletal pain.
• The Illness Perceptions Consequences, Personal Control, Identity, Concern and Emotional Response significantly mediate the effect of matches care physiotherapy management in patients with persistent low back pain.
• The Illness Perception Personal Control significantly moderates the effect of matches care physiotherapy management in patients with persistent low back pain.
Based on this research we support the ongoing development in physiotherapy practice to- wards a more systematic inclusion of management of IPs in interventions on MSP. Taking IPs into account has some positive effect on physiotherapy care and the health of the population. In addition, new approaches like making use of these IPs builds on knowledge and expertise from different domains and fits into modern health care systems.
Recommendations for research:
• Investigate the possible improvement of the Brief IPQ-DLV by ‘thinking-aloud’ studies within population of people with MSP.
• Carry out additional matched care intervention studies of changing dysfunctional IPs and their impact om PI and FP in people with musculoskeletal pain.
• Conduct research on larger groups to investigate more precisely the moderation and mediation effect of each individual IP on MSP management outcomes.
General discussion
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