[Physical therapy knowledge, skills, and competencies in the care of people with chronic pain].

BACKGROUND

Between 8 and 16 million people in Germany are affected by chronic pain, causing costs of up to 28.7 billion euros annually. Chronic pain is complex and has biopsychosocial aspects. Physiotherapeutic care requires special knowledge, skills and competencies. A publicly accessible description of these requirements does not currently exist in Germany.

AIM

The aim of the work was to establish a consensus among experts working in Germany regarding the necessary knowledge, skills and competencies of physiotherapists in the care of people with chronic pain.

METHODS

Two-stage Delphi procedure with 15 experts. In the first round of questions, knowledge, skills and competencies that had previously been identified in a systematic literature review were assessed and supplemented. In the second round of questions, the experts evaluated the additions made in the first round of questions with regard to their relevance.

RESULTS

Of 219 evaluated statements, 124 were classified as absolutely relevant. In addition to anatomical and physiological pain knowledge, mainly educational and communication skills were rated as important.

CONCLUSION

This overview may provide a basis for the development of a competency profile that can be used to develop contents for the modular design and standardisation of curricula in courses of study or training.