BIOMEDICAL MODEL IN PRIMARY HEALTH CARE AND MANAGEMENT OF LOW BACK PAIN

Abstract

Introduction: The attitudes and beliefs of health professionals should be considered as elements that can influence the exacerbation and perpetuation of low back pain. Health professionals can adopt two types of treatment models, the biomedical and the biopsychosocial. Objective: To evaluate the attitudes and beliefs of primary health care physicians in the municipalities that make up the Association of Municipalities of Entre Rios de Santa Catarina (AMERIOS/SC) regarding low back pain. Methodology: This is an exploratory field study, limited to health units in the seventeen municipalities that make up AMERIOS/SC. Two questionnaires were applied to the physicians, the Health Care Providers' Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS) and the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS.PT). Results: The mean score of 26.47 (±6.95) in biomedical orientation was obtained through the PABS.PT questionnaire. In biopsychosocial orientation, the average was 24.57 (±4.88). There was a predominance of biomedical orientation after data analysis. Conclusion: Most Primary Health Care physicians in the municipalities that make up AMERIOS/SC present a predominance of biomedical orientation in the management of low back pain.