title: Interprofessional practices of physiotherapists working with adults with low back pain in Québec's private sector: results of a qualitative study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Collaboration and interprofessional practices are highly valued in health systems, because they are thought to improve outcomes of care for persons with complex health problems, such as low back pain. Physiotherapists, like all health providers, are encouraged to take part in interprofessional practices. However, little is known about these practices, especially for private sector physiotherapists. This study aimed to: 1) explore how physiotherapists working in the private sector with adults with low back pain describe their interprofessional practices, 2) identify factors that influence their interprofessional practices, and 3) identify their perceived effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants were 13 physiotherapists, 10 women/3 men, having between 3 and 21 years of professional experience. For this descriptive qualitative study, we used face-to-face semi-structured interviews and conducted content analysis encompassing data coding and thematic regrouping.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Physiotherapists described interprofessional practices heterogeneously, including numerous processes such as sharing information and referring. Factors that influenced physiotherapists' interprofessional practices were related to patients, providers, organizations, and wider systems (e.g. professional system). Physiotherapists mostly viewed positive effects of interprofessional practices, including elements such as gaining new knowledge as a provider and being valued in one's own role, as well as improvements in overall treatment and outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This qualitative study offers new insights into the interprofessional practices of physiotherapists working with adults with low back pain, as perceived by the physiotherapists' themselves. Based on the results, the development of strategies aiming to increase interprofessionalism in the management of low back pain would most likely require taking into consideration factors associated with patients, providers, the organizations within which they work, and the wider systems.
authors.forename: Kadija
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Perreault
authors.affiliation: Centre for Interdisciplinary Research in Rehabilitation and Social Integration, Institut de réadaptation en déficience physique de Québec, Québec City, Canada. clermont.dionne@uresp.ulaval.ca.
authors.forename: Clermont E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Dionne
authors.forename: Michel
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rossignol
authors.forename: Diane
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Morin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D017116:Low Back Pain / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D059825:Physical Therapists / Q000592:standards*; D017149:Private Sector / Q000592:standards*; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011792:Quebec / Q000453:epidemiology