Lamb, K. orcid.org/0000-0002-7416-8178, Comer, C., Walsh, N. et al. (1 more author) (2023) Patient access to first contact practitioner physiotherapists in the UK: A national survey. Musculoskeletal Care. pp. 1554-1562. ISSN 1478-2189
Abstract
First Contact Practice Physiotherapists (FCPPs) offer expert care for patients with musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions in Primary Care, usually within GP practices. This is a rapidly expanding area of practice endorsed by NHS England, the Chartered Society of Physiotherapy (CSP) and the British Medical Association (BMA). Efficient and appropriate access is important for optimising FCPP practice, but there is little published information about how patients currently access FCPP appointments.
Objective To investigate how patients access FCPP appointments in General Practice.
Design Cross-sectional online survey of FCPPs in the UK.
Methods FCPPs were surveyed about patient access to appointments. The survey instrument was designed using Jisc Online Surveys, piloted, and then distributed via social media and professional groups to FCPPs nationwide. Descriptive statistics were used to analyse demographic and multiple-choice questions, and free text responses were analysed using quantitative content analysis.
Results 193 participants completed the survey. Booking via GP Reception (n = 179) was reported as the most common route into an FCPP appointment, closely followed by booking after seeing another clinician for the problem (n = 172).
Conclusion This research has provided clarity regarding how patients access the rapidly growing speciality of FCPP within GP practices in the UK. The role of GP Reception staff in facilitating access to FCPPs, the application of triage and the use of digital or online systems were highlighted as important elements for enabling efficient access to FCPPs by patients with MSK conditions.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | © 2023 The Authors. Musculoskeletal Care published by John Wiley& Sons Ltd This is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, pro-vided the original work is properly cited. |
Keywords: | musculoskeletal; physiotherapy; primary healthcare |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Medicine and Health (Leeds) > School of Healthcare (Leeds) > Nursing Adult (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 31 Jan 2024 13:54 |
Last Modified: | 31 Jan 2024 13:54 |
Published Version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/msc.1834 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | Wiley |
Identification Number: | 10.1002/msc.1834 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:205028 |