GENERAL-PRACTITIONER PERCEPTIONS OF LOW-BACK-PAIN PATIENTS

General practitioners' perceptions of low back pain (LBP) patients wer e investigated through a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews , as part of a wider study which also investigated patient perceptions . An exhaustive analysis of the interview transcripts revealed six pri ncipal ways in which GPs distinguished between different patients as a means of deciding how to treat them. This differentiation, on the bas is of patient characteristics, is the major focus for the resulting di scussion and conclusions, and is used as a way of exploring more effec tive strategies for the future.