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Abstract
Purpose
This study explored which health care providers could be involved in centralized intake for patients with nonspecific low back pain to enhance access, continuity, and appropriateness of care.
Methods
We reviewed the scope of practice regulations for a range of health care providers. We also conducted telephone interviews with 17 individuals representing ten provincial colleges and regulatory bodies to further understand providers’ legislated scopes of practice. Activities relevant to triaging and assessing patients with low back pain were mapped against professionals’ scope of practice.
Results
Family physicians and nurse practitioners have the most comprehensive scopes and can complete all restricted activities for spine assessment and triage, while the scope of registered nurses and licensed practical nurses are progressively narrower. Chiropractors, occupational therapists, physiotherapists, and athletic therapists are considered experts in musculoskeletal assessments and appear best suited for musculoskeletal specific assessment and triage. Other providers may play a complementary role depending on the individual patient needs.
Conclusion
These findings indicate that an interprofessional assessment and triage team that includes allied health professionals would be a feasible option to create a centralized intake model. Implementation of such teams would require removing barriers that currently prevent providers from delivering on their full scope of practice.
Video abstract
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Acknowledgments
We would like to thank all our invited colleges and associations for their participation. We would also like to thank members of the Bone and Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network for their valuable input throughout the study. This project was conducted within the broader context of the SpineAccess Alberta project of the Bone and Joint Health Strategic Clinical Network. Spine Access Alberta was funded by Alberta Innovates - Health Solution, Partnership for Research Innovation in the Health System (PRIHS) fund; Principal Investigator Dr Linda Woodhouse and Co-Principal Investigators Drs Greg Kawchuk and Leah Phillips.
Disclosure
The authors report no conflicts of interest in this work.