Effect of a Self-Determination TheoryeBased Communication Skills Training Program on Physiotherapists’ Psychological Support for Their Patients With Chronic Low Back Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Objective: To examine the effects of communication skills training on physiotherapists’ supportive behavior during clinical practice. Design: Randomized trial. Setting: Hospital outpatient physiotherapy clinics. Participants: Physiotherapists (NZ24) and patients (NZ24) with chronic low back pain. Interventions: Two hospital clinics were randomly assigned to the intervention arm. Physiotherapists (nZ12) received 8 hours of communication skills training focused on supporting patients’ psychological needs. Physiotherapists (nZ12) from 2 other hospital clinics formed a waitlist control arm. Main Outcome Measures: Verbal communication between each physiotherapist and a patient was recorded on an audiotape, and independent, blinded raters used the Health Care Climate Questionnaire to assess physiotherapists’ needs-supportive behavior (primary outcome). Results: Independent raters’ Health Care Climate Questionnaire scores favored the intervention arm (Cohen’s dZ2.27; P<.01). Conclusions: Compared with controls, independent ratings demonstrated that physiotherapists who completed the Communication style and exercise compliance in physiotherapy training were found to provide greater support for patients’ needs in a single assessed session. Long-term maintenance of this needs-supportive behavior should be examined. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation 2015;96:809-16 a 2015 by the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine Presented at the Low Back Pain Forum, October 16-19, 2012, Odense, Denmark; and the International Congress on Physical Activity and Health, October 31-November 3, 2012, Sydney,