THE IMPORTANCE OF THERAPIST EDUCATION AND MOTIVATION ON DIODE LLLT EFFICACY IN PAIN THERAPY: A COMPARATIVE STUDY

抄録

LLLT has made great advances, especially over the past decade. However, little attention has been paid to standardizing laser therapist training, and motivation. In Spring of 1990 the author opened a new annexe to his main Goshogawara clinic in a nearby agricultural town, The clinic was staffed with therapists trained in the main clinic. At the end of 18 months, the results from the two clinics were compared over an identical range of pain entities. Both clinics were using the Luketron GaAIAs diode laser (830 nm, 60 mW, c/w). The male:female ratio was 1:1.5 both for the annexe and for the main clinic. The average age for the annexe patients was 55.1 y.o., (M:54.1, F:56.9) and for the main clinic 54.9 (M:53.8, F:55.7). There were no major statistical differences between the two clinics as far as treatment sessions per symptom, and the average number of sessions per patient. However, the overall efficacy rate for the annexe was 63.7%, compared with 81.3% for the main clinic. This could not be explained by a major difference in any of the age, disease or treatment statistics, It was finally discovered that the attitude of the therapists in the annexe to their treatment was very different, mainly because they felt they had been `exiled' to the smaller and much more agricultural town. Despite having received the same training, and using the same equipment as the therapists in the main clinic, their enthusiasm and attitude to the treatment and the patients was much less positive than in the main clinic. This shows that the training, including the mental attitude of the therapists should be of equal importance to a clinic director as the actual treatment of the patients.