Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices to Improve Treatment for Patients with Neck Pain: A Pilot Study

Purpose: To determine physical therapists’ barriers to implementation and subsequent maintenance of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for treating neck pain from the American Physical Therapy Association (APTA) neck pain Clinical Practice Guideline (CPG) over the course of six months. Materials and Methods: Participating physical therapists were trained on the EBPs of treating neck pain through a live 90-minute webinar followed by a hands-on, in-person 90-minute session. Clinics were supplied with all necessary equipment and reference guides. Assessment of participant maintenance to neck pain EBPs included data collection from a baseline Knowledge Check survey prior to educational sessions, an Implementation survey at two months post educational sessions, and a Maintenance survey at six months post educational sessions. Results: 75% of the participants stated that they maintained the use of the recommended EBP guidelines six months after the educational sessions. When participants were asked how often they used the EBPs taught six months previously, 25% responded with, “about half of the time,” 50% responded with, “most of the time,” and 25% responded with, “always.” The most commonly reported barriers were a high patient caseload, perception that patient outcomes were not improving, availability of one-on-one time with patients, and too short of patient treatment sessions to be able to implement EBP-related interventions for neck pain effectively. Participants who stated they had a high self- efficacy were more likely to perform mobilizations and use the recommended EBP modalities.