Assessment of knowledge about the neurophysiology of pain and self-perception of skills to assist individuals with pain among undergraduate physiotherapy students in Brazil: cross-sectional study

• Published in: BrJP 2023-06, Vol.6 (2), p.127-133
• Main Authors: Bilby, Anne Sofia Souza Pang, Ceroni, Fernanda Spiller, Schneider, Ione Jayce Ceola, Kuriki, Heloyse Uliam, Marcolino, Alexandre Marcio, Barbosa, Rafael Inacio
• Format: Article
• Language: eng ; por
• Subjects: HEALTH CARE SCIENCES & SERVICES
• ISSN: 2595-0118; 2595-3192
• DOI: 10.5935/2595-0118.20230045-en

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: Approaches to coping with pain, such as patient education, are directly related to the professionals’ skill level. The identification of possible learning gaps in the different stages of training can contribute to the development of new teaching strategies and methods. This study aimed to evaluate and compare the level of knowledge about the neurophysiology of pain and the self-perception of abilities to care for individuals with pain in undergraduate and graduate students in physiotherapy in Brazil. METHODS: This is a cross-sectional analytical observational study, in which the Neurophysiological Pain Questionnaire (QND) was applied to assess the level of knowledge about the neurophysiology of pain. A self-administered questionnaire was also used to collect sociodemographic data from the sample and to assess self-perception of abilities to care for individuals with pain. The characteristics of the study population were defined by descriptive statistics. For the analysis of QND score distribution and self-perception of abilities to care for individuals with pain, the Shapiro-Wilk test was used. In the bivariate analysis to compare the distribution of the QND score and self-perception of abilities to care for individuals with pain between the stages of undergraduates and schooling after graduation, the Kruskal-Wallis test was used, with a significance level of 5% and 95% confidence interval. The statement Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology (STROBE) was used as a guide for reporting the results of the study. RESULTS: A total of 306 volunteers participated in the study, 208 undergraduate students (22.3 ± 3.2 years) and 98 physiotherapists (31.7± 8.7 years). The average QND score for undergraduate students was 6.17 and 8.56 for physiotherapists, considering a total of 12 points. There was a significantly higher difference in the scores obtained on the QND by undergraduates in the intermediate phase and in the last year (p