Effectiveness of Musculoskeletal Emergency Physiotherapy Practitioners

Relevance and Method: The purpose of this project was to evaluate the effectiveness of the Emergency Physiotherapy Practitioner (EPP) service against quality care indicators identified as part of the “gold standard” for emergency care in England. The study was prospective and evaluated time to initial assessment, total time in the emergency department and un-planned re-attendance rate within a seven-day period for all patients seen by the EPP’s over a period of one year. Outcomes: One thousand and seven patients were seen by EPPs in the emergency department. The median wait time for treatment by an EPP was 34.5 minutes (95th percentile = 122). Regional median wait time was 45 minutes (95th percentile = 138). National median wait time was 55 minutes (95th percentile = 192). Median total time spent in ED for patients seen by EPPs was 99 minutes (95th percentile = 224). Regional median total time in ED was 223 (95th percentile = 239). Nationally median total time in ED was 136 minutes (95th percentile = 336). Three percent of patients seen by an EPP returned to the ED, compared to 6% regionally and 7.5% nationally. Conclusions: EPPs excelled in all three indicators and exceeded regional and national figures. The re-return rate met the current standard of being less than 5%. It could be justified that the addition of the EPPs to the emergency department was an efficient and effective service development.