Table 2. Primary care physicians' beliefs regarding low back pain and associated disability.

HC PAIRS items	Pre-intervention Mean (SD)	Post-intervention Mean (SD)	Difference Mean (95% CI)	p-value
1 Low back pain patients can still be expected to fulfil work and family responsibilities despite pain	2.6 (1.4)	2.2 (1.0)	−0.4 (−0.7 to −0.0)	0.0448
2 An increase in pain is an indicator that a low back pain patient should stop what they are doing until the pain decreases	3.8 (1.9)	3.1 (1.9)	−0.9 (−1.3 to −0.4)	0.0002
3 Low back pain patients cannot go about normal life activities when they are in pain	3.0 (1.9)	2.5 (1.5)	−0.5 (−1.0 to −0.1)	0.0244
4 If their pain would go away, low back pain patients would be every bit as active as they used to be	4.3 (1.8)	3.9 (2.1)	−0.5 (−0.9 to −0.1)	0.0253
5 Low back pain patients should have the same benefits as the handicapped because of their painful problem	2.5 (1.6)	2.3 (1.6)	−0.2 (−0.6 to 0.2)	0.2576
6 Low back pain patients owe it to themselves and those around them to perform their usual activities even when their pain is bad	4.5 (1.7)	4.6 (1.7)	0.2 (−0.3 to 0.6)	0.5340
7 Most people expect too much of low back pain patients, given their pain	3.3 (1.6)	3.0 (1.7)	−0.4 (−0.8 to 0.0)	0.0716
8 Low back pain patients have to be careful not to do anything that might make their pain worse	3.8 (1.9)	3.0 (2.0)	−0.9 (−1.4 to −0.5)	<0.0001
9 As long as they are in pain, low back pain patients will never be able to live as well as they did before	3.2 (1.8)	2.6 (1.8)	−0.6 (−1.0 to −0.2)	0.0030
10 Low back pain patients have to accept that they are disabled persons, due to their pain	1.9 (1.3)	1.7 (1.1)	−0.2 (−0.5 to 0.2)	0.3204
11 There is no way that low back pain patients can return to do the things that they used to unless they first find a cure for their pain	1.9 (1.3)	1.9 (1.4)	0.0 (−0.2 to 0.3)	0.9230
12 Even though their pain is always there, low back pain patients often don't notice it at all when they are keeping themselves busy	3.1 (1.6)	2.7 (1.4)	−0.2 (−0.6 to 0.1)	0.1615
13 All of low back pain patients' problems would be solved if their pain would go away	2.3 (1.5)	2.2 (1.5)	−0.2 (−0.5 to 0.2)	0.3450
Total HC-PAIRS score (sum of responses to all questions)	39.6 (10.1)	35.3 (11.7)	−5.6 (−7.6 to −3.6)	<0.0001

For each item, the mean (SD) scores are shown for pre- and post-intervention, the 95% confidence interval for the difference in means and the p-value (paired t-test). In addition, the summation of scores for all questions was calculated to give a total HC-PAIRS score. Lower scores suggest more alignment with current evidence regarding management of patients with low back pain (i.e.; lower scores indicated a movement towards disagreement with the questions, which generally suggest that management of patients with low back pain should involve rest rather than activity)