Access to first contact physiotherapy appointments in primary care: A scoping review

Background First Contact Physiotherapy (FCP) is part of the drive to increase General Practice (GP) capacity by providing access to expert musculoskeletal (MSK) Physiotherapists in GP surgeries. For the FCP model to provide effective MSK care at the start of the patient's journey, it is essential that patients are directed to FCP appointments in a timely manner. It is therefore important to know how patients are accessing FCP appointments.

Objective To provide an overview of the literature regarding patient access to FCP appointments.

Design Scoping review.

Methods We reviewed studies published from January 2016 to May 2023 that focused on FCP and made a mention of patient access to FCP appointments. A search was performed using six databases as well as grey literature sources. Study selection and data extraction were independently conducted by two reviewers. Extracted data were tabulated and analysed according to our research questions.

Results From 186 records identified, 24 studies and other materials were included in the review. A variety of terms were used to describe access routes to FCP appointments, the most common being ‘signposting’. These studies suggest the importance of the role of GP reception/administrative staff in enabling efficient patient access to FCP appointments.

Conclusion There is a clear gap in the literature concerning how patients access FCP appointments. Since the importance of appropriate access is acknowledged as an essential feature of the expansion of FCP in Primary Care, future research is needed to refine and implement optimal FCP access models by identifying the key components needed to ensure timely and appropriate access to FCP.