Health seeking behavior as a predictor of healthcare utilization in a population of patients with spinal pain.

Background: The global burden of low back pain is growing rapidly, accompanied by increasing rates of associated healthcare utilization. Health seeking behavior (HSB) has been suggested as a mediator of healthcare utilization. The aims of this study were to: 1) develop a proxy HSB measure based on healthcare consumption patterns prior to initial consultation for spinal pain, and 2) examine associations between the proxy HSB measure and future healthcare utilization in a population of patients with spine disorders.

Physical therapists familiarity and beliefs about health services utilization and health seeking behaviour.

Background: Physical therapists' familiarity, perceptions, and beliefs about health services utilization and health seeking behaviour have not been previously assessed.

Objectives: The purposes of this study were to identify physical therapists' characteristics related to familiarity of health services utilization and health seeking behaviour, and to assess what health seeking behaviour factors providers felt were related to health services utilization.

Methods: We administered a survey based on the Andersen behavioural model of health services utilization to physical therapists using social media campaigns and email between March and June of 2017.

Clinical hip tests and a functional squat test in patients with knee osteoarthritis: reliability, prevalence of positive test findings, and short-term response to hip mobilization.

Study Design: One group pretest-posttest exploratory design.

Objectives: Primary purposes of this study were to examine the short-term effect of hip mobilizations on pain and range of motion (ROM) measurements in patients with knee osteoarthritis (OA) and to determine the prevalence of painful hip and squat test findings in both patients with knee OA and asymptomatic subjects. The secondary purposes were to assess intrarater reliability and to determine whether fewer subjects experienced painful test findings following hip mobilization.