• Muller D
• Thandar Y
• Haffejee F

• Affiliation / Durban University of Technology. Faculty of Health Sciences. Department of Basic Medical Sciences
• Affiliation / Durban University of Technology. Faculty of Health Sciences. Department of Chiropractic
• Affiliation(G) / South Africa / KwaZulu-Natal / Durban
• Cross-Sectional Studies
• Open Access Document
• Pain Management
• Patient Compliance
• Surveys and Questionnaires / Africa

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine factors that affect compliance with various prescribed home therapies based on reported feedback from participants with spine pain.

Methods: This was a descriptive, quantitative, cross-sectional survey. A purposive sampling method was used to recruit 121 participants with neck and back pain attending the Durban University of Technology Chiropractic Day Clinic located in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Data were collected using a self-administered questionnaire. Descriptive statistics, including frequencies and percentages, were used to summarize the data, and odds ratios (ORs) were calculated.

Results: Most participants presented with chronic pain, reporting an average severity of 6 out of 10 and little disability from the pain. Home therapy included stretches (92.2%), heat therapy (49.1%), and ice therapy (38.8%). Almost two-thirds (62.1%) of participants reported being fully compliant with the prescribed home therapy, while 32.8% reported partial compliance. The main factors that potentially affected compliance were laziness and forgetfulness. Participants who reported having depression were less compliant (OR, 0.181), while those with chronic pain were more compliant (OR, 3.74). Those who believed that home therapy would alleviate their pain were also more compliant (OR, 3.83).

Conclusion: The study found that a majority of participants with spine pain were compliant with prescribed chiropractic home treatment. Key factors that potentially influenced compliance were identified.

Author Keywords:  Chiropractic; Patient Compliance; Pain Management

This abstract is reproduced with the permission of the publisher; click on the above link for free full text. PubMed Record | PDF