Health Professionals' Use of Smartphone Apps for Clients with Low Back Pain: an Observational Study

Overview

Journal Prim Health Care Res Dev

Publisher Cambridge University Press

Specialties Health Services
Public Health

Date 2025 Feb 24

PMID 39991859

Authors

Claudia Didyk

Lucy Kate Lewis

Belinda Lange

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Aim: This study aimed to explore health professionals' use, barriers, confidence, and preferences for technology and smartphone apps to assist clients with self-managing low back pain (LBP).

Methods: Prospective observational cross-sectional survey of registered Australian health professionals that managed clients with LBP.

Results: In total, 52 survey responses were included (mean age 43 ±13.8 years). Most did not personally use healthy lifestyle apps (60%) and did not recommend apps due to a lack of knowledge of app effectiveness (93%). The largest barrier to recommending apps was the potential for apps to be misused as a substitute to health professional diagnosis. Fifteen recommended smartphone apps (mean age 36 ±10.6 years) and were at least moderately confident in choosing/recommending apps (94%) and assessing app quality (80%). Those more likely to recommend apps personally used apps for healthy lifestyle behaviours (odds ratio (OR) 5.1 (p = 0.009)) were physiotherapists (OR 0.13 (p = 0.035) c/f chiropractors in their profession for <10 years (OR 8.6 (p = 0.015)) c/f >30 years. Increasing age decreased the odds (OR 0.94 (p = 0.013)) of recommending apps.

Conclusions: Health professionals do not recommend LBP self-management apps due to a lack of knowledge of their effectiveness. Those that do recommend apps are confident with app choice, recommendation, and app quality assessment. Physiotherapists with <10 years' experience were most likely to recommend apps.

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