title: The Development and Testing of a Checklist to Study Behaviour Change Techniques used in a Treatment Programme for Canadian Armed Forces Members with Chronic Non-specific Low Back Pain.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  There are reports of increased use of a variety of behaviour change techniques (BCT) by physiotherapists and findings of beneficial effects of use. However, there is a lack of physiotherapy-specific definitions of these techniques, as well as a sense of how physiotherapists use them in practice. Through this study, the authors created and field tested a preliminary nomenclature and description for BCT in patients with chronic non-specific low back pain (CNSLBP).
  
  
  METHODS
  Items for the Physiotherapy Behaviour Change Technique (PT-BCT) checklist were derived from a nomenclature created for use in psychology and also from publications of studies using cognitive behaviour therapy-based approaches in physiotherapy. Content validity was tested via survey of clinical and research experts. Videotapes of a 6-week patient self-management rehabilitation programme were used for training, reliability testing, and field testing of the PT-BCT checklist.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Checklist items were endorsed by the majority of experts surveyed; intra- and inter-rater reliability were moderate to high. In the field study, a broad range of BCT types (behavioural, cognitive, and motivational) were observed in both classroom and gym settings.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The BCT nomenclature arising from this study and the PT-BCT checklist will be useful to further explore behaviour change in physiotherapy practice. The observation in this study that BCT were integrated into physiotherapists' practice illustrates how physiotherapists can play a role in changing behaviour, specifically in the presence of CNSLBP.
authors.affiliation: School of Physiotherapy.
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Harman
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychology, Dalhousie University.
authors.forename: Marsha
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: MacRae
authors.affiliation: CFB Stadacona ; Behaviour Change Institute, Capital District Health Authority, Halifax, N.S.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vallis
keywords: health behavior; low back pain; psychological techniques; rehabilitation