Facilitators and barriers to the implementation of pain neuroscience education in the current Lebanese physical therapist health care approach: a qualitative study

PurposeThe purpose of this paper was first to gain an in-depth understanding of the barriers and facilitators to implementing the BPS model and pain neuroscience education in the current Lebanese physical therapy health care approach and explore its acceptability.MethodA qualitative semi-structured interview using purposive sampling was conducted with eight Lebanese physical therapists practising in different governorates. The transcribed text from the interviews was analyzed using inductive thematic analysis.ResultsTwo topics were generated and constructed by the researchers: (1) "barriers to the implementation of pain neuroscience education, with subthemes including (a) "current health care approach," (b) "basic curriculum and continuing education," (c) "patients' barriers"; (2) "facilitators to the implementation of pain neuroscience education," with subthemes containing (a) "interest in the BPS model, (b) "therapeutic alliance," and (c) "motivation for future training on BPS approach."ConclusionThe analysis of the results showed that Lebanese physical therapists currently hold a strong biomedical view of chronic pain, assessment, and treatment. However, despite the presence of barriers and challenges, they are aware and open to consider the implementation and future training about the BPS model and pain neuroscience education in their approach.