Involving clinical staff members in the management of low back pain in general practice: a qualitative interview study

Abstract Background Low back pain (LBP) is the leading cause of disability worldwide. Patient education and self-management have the potential to improve the care of patients. However, little available time for consultations challenge the delivery of optimal care in general practice. Involving clinical staff members in the management of diabetes and of patients with hypertension has shown to be feasible. Consequently, involving clinical staff members in providing education and information to patients may improve the delivery of patient information and education. However, this require a shift in the division of tasks and general practitioners’ (GPs’) barriers and facilitators for this is currently unknown. The aim is to explore GPs’ experiences of including clinical staff members in the management of LBP. Methods This is a qualitative, semi-structured interview study. We used a phenomenological approach to guide the data collection and the analysis in order to gain insight into the subjective experiences of the GPs and to understand the phenomenon ‘delegating tasks to practice staff’ from the GPs’ lifeworld. Analysis was conducted using inductive descriptive methods. Results We conducted five 60-minute interviews with Danish GPs. All GPs had experience with task delegation, but it varied which tasks the GPs delegated and to which types of clinical staff members. The following barriers towards clinical staff member involvement were identified: Patients with LBP is a heterogeneous group with a variety of treatment needs, the examination and treatment can be considered as one coherent process, and it would require external support. Involving clinical staff members can release GP time. Another facilitator was the possibility for improving the uptake of clinical guidelines and involvement of practice nurses was considered to improve the provision of patient education and lead to greater patient self-management. Conclusion While some GPs currently consider delegation to clinical staff members a good idea in the treatment of LBP, others prefer the existing treatment strategy without clinical staff member involvement. Consequently, healthcare providers need to address existing barriers and facilitators for involving clinical staff members when advocating for a future multi professional treatment strategy of LBP in general practice. Trial registration Not applicable.