Title Do Medical, Dental, and Pharmacy students believe the back pain myths?
Title (croatian) Vjeruju li studenti medicine, dentalne medicine i farmacije u mitove o križobolji?
Author Kristin Laura Walters
Mentor Sandra Kostić (mentor)
Committee member Ana Poljičanin (predsjednik povjerenstva)
Committee member Katarina Vukojević (član povjerenstva)
Committee member Ivana Pavlinac Dodig (član povjerenstva)
Granter University of Split School of Medicine (Hystology and embryology) Split
Defense date and country 2021-06-23, Croatia
Scientific / art field, discipline and subdiscipline BIOMEDICINE AND HEALTHCARE Clinical Medical Sciences Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
Abstract Objectives: The aim of this study was to examine the attitudes and beliefs of medical students in
English and in Croatian, Dental medicine, and Pharmacy students at the University of s split school
of medicine (USSM) in Split, Croatia and the extent to which the back pain myths were accepted.
Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out amongst the student population
enrolled at USSM. An online questionnaire was administered to 1,100 students in all academic
years and was made accessible online between May-October 2020. Data were collected with
consent, and participation was voluntary, anonymous, and without compensation.
Results: A total of 311 students, out of 1,100 enrolled at the USSM participated in this study. The
median age of the participants was 21.0 (18-32) years and student participants were between the
age of 18 and 32 years.
A minority of student respondents (26%) self-reported a personal experience with acute or
chronic low back pain (LBP), and only 18% reported having sought the help of a healthcare
professional for their symptoms. Overall, a higher proportion of medical students in Croatian and
Pharmacy students (44% and 42% respectively) correctly rejected the back pain myths than did
the medical students in English (40%) or Dental medicine students (37%). The majority of students
across all study programs (54%) believed that backpain is disabling. The myth with the greatest
difference in correct responses across study programs was that ‘there is no real treatment for back
trouble’. Forty seven percent of medical students in English agreed with this statement, compared
to 18% of medical students in Croatian, Dental medicine, and Pharmacy. A greater proportion of
students endorsed alternative treatment regimen for back pain (26%) than they did a surgical
approach (19%) or pharmacological approach (14%). Although we did observe differences
between year of study, we did not find a correlation between years of training with the number of
correct responses. Female respondents were more likely to reject bedrest as a treatment then males
(50% female vs 39% male). Male respondents were more likely to reject alternative medicine
(42% male vs 26% female) and a surgical approach (43% vs 31%) as the only way to treat back
pain.
Conclusion: This study confirmed that students at USSM do believe some of the back pain myths,
though to a lesser degree than the general population based on data reported in the literature.
Additional training regarding chronic pain and the introduction of the back pain myths into medical
school curricula should be explored in order to foster the education of clinicians in order for
students to endorse an evidence-based approach in their future clinical practice.
Abstract (croatian) Ciljevi: Cilj ovog istraživanja bio je ispitati stavove i uvjerenja studenata medicine na engleskom
i hrvatskom jeziku, dentalne medicine i farmacije na Medicinskom fakultetu Sveučilišta u Splitu
(MEFST) o križobolji i u kojoj mjeri vjeruju mitovima o križobolji.
Materijali i metode: Provedeno je presječno istraživanje među studentskom populacijom
MEFST-a. Online upitnik bio je dostupan između svibnja i listopada 2020. godine za 1100
studenata svih akademskih godina. Podaci su prikupljeni uz pristanak, a sudjelovanje je bilo
dobrovoljno, anonimno i bez naknade.
Rezultati: Ukupno 311 studenta sudjelovalo je u ovom istraživanju. Prosječna dob bila je 21
godinu (18-32), a studenti su bili u dobi između 18 i 32 godine. Manjina ispitanika (26%) prijavila
je osobno iskustvo s akutnom ili kroničnom križoboljom, a samo 18% izjavilo je da je zatražilo
liječničku pomoć. Veći udio studenata medicine u na hrvatskom jeziku i studenata farmacije (44%
odnosno 42%) ispravno je odbacilo mitove o križobolji, u odnosu na studente medicine na
engleskom (40%) ili dentalne medicine (37%). Većina studenata (54%) vjerovala je da križobolja
onesposobljava pacijente. Mit s najvećom razlikom u točnim odgovorima na studijskim
programima bio je da 'ne postoji pravi način liječenja križobolje. Četrdeset sedam posto studenata
medicine na engleskom jeziku složilo se s ovom tvrdnjom, u usporedbi s 18% studenata medicine
na hrvatskom jeziku, dentalne medicine i farmacije. Veći dio studenata prihvaća kao opciju
alternativne načine liječenja križobolje (26%) nego kirurški pristup (19%) ili farmakološki pristup
(14%). Iako smo uočili razlike između odgovora studenata različitih godina studija, nismo pronašli
korelaciju između godina studiranja i broja točnih odgovora. Studentice u većem postotku
odbacuju ležanje u krevetu kao tretman liječenja križobolje od studenata (50% u odnosu na 39%).
Studenti su u većem postotku nego studentice odbacili alternativnu medicinu (42% i 26%) te
kirurški pristup (43% i 31%) kao jedini način liječenja križobolje.
Zaključak: Ovo istraživanje je potvrdilo da studenti MEFST-a vjeruju u neke od mitova o
križobolji, iako u manjoj mjeri od opće populacije na temelju podataka iz literature. Potrebna je
bolja edukacija o križobolji u nastavnim programima kako bi se potaknulo i usmjerilo studente na
pristup križobolji i općenito medicini zasnovan na dokazima u svojoj budućoj kliničkoj praksi.
Keywords
Low Back Pain
Attitude of Health Personnel
Students Medical
Students Dental
Students Pharmacy
Cross-Sectional Studies
Keywords (croatian)
Križobolja
Stav zdravstvenog osoblja
Studenti medicine
Studenti dentalne medicine
Studenti farmacije
Presječne studije
Language english
URN:NBN urn:nbn:hr:171:810339
Study programme Title: Medical Studies in English Study programme type: university Study level: integrated undergraduate and graduate Academic / professional title: doktor/doktorica medicine (doktor/doktorica medicine)
Type of resource Text
File origin Born digital
Access conditions Open access
Terms of use
Created on 2021-06-28 10:30:00