Page 17 - THE PERCEPT STUDY Illness Perceptions in Physiotherapy Edwin de Raaij

Aim of this thesis
The overall aim of the research presented in this thesis is to explore the contribution of Illness Perceptions (IPs) to the management of patients with musculoskeletal pain (MSP) in primary physiotherapy care. IPs have been shown to be associated with several health outcomes, such as pain and disability, in a variety of mostly non-musculoskeletal chronic disorders17. There is a lack of published research on the impact of IPs on MSP in primary physiotherapy care. More is needed since the International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP) advocates physiotherapy treatments for patients with persistent MSP52.
This thesis therefore focuses on three themes:
1. Measurement
The measurement of IPs in MSP;
2. Associations and predictions
The association and predictive value of IPs on pain intensity and physical functioning in
patients with MSP;
3. Treatment
The treatment of MSP conditions, taking into account the various dimensions of IPs.
Measurement
To assess IPs in primary care physiotherapy practice, the use of a short instead of a long questionnaire has advantages in terms of administrative burden and acceptability for both patients and clinicians.
In Chapter 2, the nine-item IPQ-B English version will be cross-culturally adapted into the IPQ-B Dutch Language Version. Further, the assessment of its face validity, content validity, reproducibility, and concurrent validity in a sample of Dutch patients will be researched. Finally, the Smallest Detectable Change (SDC) will be determined.
Associations and predictions
Three projects are designed assessing the associations and the predictive value of IPs in patients with MSP. In terms of the main outcomes, we will focus on pain intensity and physical functioning.
The systematic literature review in Chapter 3 has two aims:
1. To determine the associations between IPs and pain intensity and physical functioning in patients with MSP and
2. To establish whether IPs predict pain intensity and physical functioning in patients with MSP.
General introduction
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