Heat therapy in the treatment of musculoskeletal pain: current pharmacy practice and perspectives

Objectives Musculoskeletal pain is a complex condition affecting millions of people worldwide. Even though heat as a form of thermal therapy is often used by healthcare professionals as a treatment option, alone or as a complement to other treatments, there are no specific guidelines and recommendations in the literature on the correct use of this therapy. The aim of this research was to explore the pharmacists’ attitudes and level of knowledge on heat therapy among different EU countries and to identify eventual needs in guidance and training. Methods An international Board of experts from the participating countries was established to achieve consensus on the questions to be included in the questionnaire. The experts formulated the questions based on their professional experience and the published literature and reached consensus on 20 questions. Questionnaires were disseminated only to pharmacists currently dealing with patients. In order to exclude pharmacists and participants who did not meet this requirement, two questions were inserted at the beginning of the survey. If the respondents answered “no” to one or both of these questions, their answers were excluded from the analysis. Two hundred eighty-one questionnaires were included in our analysis. Results Heat therapy is a common therapeutical approach recommended by European pharmacists, who often do not find that a referral to other levels of care is necessary. This study identified a clear need for guidance on recommendation principles, such as correct timing and administration, highlighting the need for guidance and training opportunities. Conclusions Our findings indicate that there are significant opportunities to enhance pharmacists' education and training on the use of HT. The absence of clear recommendations and a robust scientific foundation for HT underscores the need for specific guidelines. Developing such guidelines is essential to bridging the existing gap in the literature, ensuring that pharmacists are better equipped to advise on the effective and safe use of heat therapy.