Effect of educational intervention on uptake of pain assessment tool among physiotherapists in Low- and Middle-Income Countries - A scoping review
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63950/gshh.2026.2.1.25Abstract
Introduction: High-quality physiotherapy care depends on the regular use of standardised pain assessment instruments, but this remains a major challenge in Low- and Middle-Income Countries (LMICs). Educational interventions are a crucial tactic to increase adoption, yet their effectiveness in these settings is not well synthesised. The purpose of this scoping review is to synthesise existing studies on educational interventions on the use of pain assessment instruments among physiotherapists in LMIC to enhance patient care.
Methods: The review was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) guidelines. A systematic search of four electronic databases was performed for studies published between 2015 and May 2025. Twelve studies from LMIC, primarily in Sub-Saharan Africa, met the inclusion criteria.
Synthesis: The review suggests that physiotherapists' knowledge, confidence, and frequency of tool usage improved in the short term because of educational interventions, such as workshops, training courses, and tool-validation projects. Improved test scores and more use of instruments like the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI) were important results. Significant obstacles, such as heavy clinical workloads, time constraints, a lack of resources, and the cultural inadequacy of many of the technologies now in use, prevented widespread adoption. There was little information on long-term practice change in the evidence base, which was mostly composed of short-term trials.
Conclusion: Although educational initiatives can increase physiotherapists in LMIC short-term adoption of pain assessment techniques, removing systemic impediments is necessary for their long-term effectiveness. To encourage consistent evidence-based practice, future programs should incorporate ongoing mentoring and create culturally appropriate resources.
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Data Availability Statement
No primary data were generated or analysed in this study. All data supporting the findings of this scoping review are available in the published literature cited within the article.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Akadri OM, Lawal SA, Akadri AA (Author)
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