Musculoskeletal Physicians in a Spinal Clinic

Abstract

Objective: to determine whether a musculoskeletal physician can effectively screen new referrals to a hospital spinal clinic.

Design: review of patient outcomes over 4 years.

Setting: Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust spinal outreach clinics.

Subjects: new referrals from general practitioners to the spinal clinic.

Main outcome measures: rate of investigations, referral to physiotherapy, surgical procedures, discharges and pain clinic referrals, waiting lists for spinal outpatients.

Results: waiting lists decreased, appropriate use was made of the resources available to the spinal services locally.

Conclusion: effective use was made of a musculoskeletal physician in a spinal outreach clinic, enabling more appropriate use of orthopaedic spinal surgeons time.

Key Messages::

• The spinal surgeons operate on 4% of patients referred by general practitioners to a local spinal clinic.
• The use of a suitably trained and experienced GP in initial assessment of these patients in a spinal clinic has reduced to 18% the number of the initial referrals that need to be seen by the spinal surgeon.