Psychometric properties of the Pain Attitudes and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists: A systematic review

Abstract Objective Evidence suggests that care providers' attitudes influence their perception of patient characteristics and the way they manage their cases. Attitudes and beliefs of care providers can be measured with the Pain Attitude and Beliefs Scale for Physiotherapists (PABS-PT). This study evaluates the measurement properties of the PABS-PT. Methods Databases (PubMed-Medline, Embase, Cinahl and Pedro) were searched for studies on the development or evaluation of measurement properties of the PABS-PT. Methodological quality was assessed and rated using the COSMIN checklist and scoring system. Results Of the 139 identified publications, 10 met the selection criteria. Most of the included studies had fair to excellent methodological quality scores. Positive results were found for internal consistency, construct validity, reliability and responsiveness. No psychometric data were found for the content validity and interpretability of the PABS-PT. Conclusion The PABS-PT is still in a developmental stage. Results for the psychometric properties are promising, but content validity and interpretability need more study. The relationship between implicit and explicit attitudes, and their influence on test scores, remains unclear.