ACR Meeting Abstracts

ACR Meeting Abstracts

  • Meetings
    • ACR Convergence 2024
    • ACR Convergence 2023
    • 2023 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • ACR Convergence 2022
    • ACR Convergence 2021
    • ACR Convergence 2020
    • 2020 ACR/ARP PRSYM
    • 2019 ACR/ARP Annual Meeting
    • 2018-2009 Meetings
    • Download Abstracts
  • Keyword Index
  • Advanced Search
  • Your Favorites
    • Favorites
    • Login
    • View and print all favorites
    • Clear all your favorites
  • ACR Meetings

Abstract Number: 1263

Implicit Biases Influencing Service Provision in Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain

Maude Laliberté1, Barbara Mazer2, Tatiana Orozco3, Gevorg Chilingaryan4, Bryn Williams-Jones1, Matthew Hunt4 and Debbie Ehrmann Feldman5, 1Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada, 2McGill University, School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine, Montreal, QC, Canada, 3Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada, 4McGill University, Montreal, QC, Canada, 5School of Rehabilitation, Université de Montréal, Montreal, QC, Canada

Meeting: 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

Date of first publication: September 28, 2016

Keywords: Health Care, low back pain and physical therapy

  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print
Session Information

Date: Monday, November 14, 2016

Title: Healthcare Disparities in Rheumatology - ARHP Poster

Session Type: ACR Poster Session B

Session Time: 9:00AM-11:00AM

Background/Purpose:  The management of physical therapy (PT) services may raise concerns about equity. Previous research suggests that certain individuals have less access to services and receive inferior quality care compared to others due to their age, gender or socio-economic status (SES). Insurance status may also influence the clinical practice of PT professionals. Our study aimed to determine whether patient-related factors (age, gender, SES) and the source of reimbursement for PT services (insurance status) influence waiting time, frequency and duration of PT treatment for low back pain.

Methods: We conducted an empirical cross-sectional online survey of Canadian PT professionals.  846 PT professionals completed a survey containing one of 24 different clinical vignettes (i.e., patient case scenarios with low back pain) chosen at random, and a 40-item questionnaire about how they would treat the fictional patient in the vignette, as well as details on their professional clinical practice. Each vignette described a patient with low back pain but with variations in patient characteristics (age, gender, SES) and insurance status (none, private insurance, workers’ compensation board (WCB)).

Results:

The age, gender and SES of patients did not make any difference in how participants would provide service. However, patients with no insurance coverage would wait longer (p=0.002) for access to PT in private clinics, while patients with WCB insurance would be seen more frequently (p<.0001) than patients with private insurance or no insurance, in both public and private clinics. However, when explicitly asked, study participants stated that insurance status, age or chronicity of the condition were not factors associated with treatment access, frequency or duration.  

Conclusion:  The study findings demonstrate an implicit professional bias in favour of preferentially treating patients with low back pain who have insurance; the resulting inequity in access highlights the urgent need for national guidelines to ensure equity in access to and provision of PT services.


Disclosure: M. Laliberté, None; B. Mazer, None; T. Orozco, None; G. Chilingaryan, None; B. Williams-Jones, None; M. Hunt, None; D. Ehrmann Feldman, None.

To cite this abstract in AMA style:

Laliberté M, Mazer B, Orozco T, Chilingaryan G, Williams-Jones B, Hunt M, Ehrmann Feldman D. Implicit Biases Influencing Service Provision in Physical Therapy for Low Back Pain [abstract]. Arthritis Rheumatol. 2016; 68 (suppl 10). https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/implicit-biases-influencing-service-provision-in-physical-therapy-for-low-back-pain/. Accessed .
  • Tweet
  • Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window) Email
  • Click to print (Opens in new window) Print

« Back to 2016 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting

ACR Meeting Abstracts - https://acrabstracts.org/abstract/implicit-biases-influencing-service-provision-in-physical-therapy-for-low-back-pain/

Advanced Search

Your Favorites

You can save and print a list of your favorite abstracts during your browser session by clicking the “Favorite” button at the bottom of any abstract. View your favorites »

All abstracts accepted to ACR Convergence are under media embargo once the ACR has notified presenters of their abstract’s acceptance. They may be presented at other meetings or published as manuscripts after this time but should not be discussed in non-scholarly venues or outlets. The following embargo policies are strictly enforced by the ACR.

Accepted abstracts are made available to the public online in advance of the meeting and are published in a special online supplement of our scientific journal, Arthritis & Rheumatology. Information contained in those abstracts may not be released until the abstracts appear online. In an exception to the media embargo, academic institutions, private organizations, and companies with products whose value may be influenced by information contained in an abstract may issue a press release to coincide with the availability of an ACR abstract on the ACR website. However, the ACR continues to require that information that goes beyond that contained in the abstract (e.g., discussion of the abstract done as part of editorial news coverage) is under media embargo until 10:00 AM ET on November 14, 2024. Journalists with access to embargoed information cannot release articles or editorial news coverage before this time. Editorial news coverage is considered original articles/videos developed by employed journalists to report facts, commentary, and subject matter expert quotes in a narrative form using a variety of sources (e.g., research, announcements, press releases, events, etc.).

Violation of this policy may result in the abstract being withdrawn from the meeting and other measures deemed appropriate. Authors are responsible for notifying colleagues, institutions, communications firms, and all other stakeholders related to the development or promotion of the abstract about this policy. If you have questions about the ACR abstract embargo policy, please contact ACR abstracts staff at [email protected].

Wiley

  • Online Journal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Permissions Policies
  • Cookie Preferences

© Copyright 2025 American College of Rheumatology