Experiences with physiotherapists’ consultation: Results of a feasibility study

Abstract

Ongoing developments in physiotherapy practice make it impossible for general practitioners (GPs) to remain adequately informed of the indications for physiotherapeutic intervention. To improve the quality of care, physiotherapists should be consulted if GPs are uncertain of the indications for physiotherapy. We conducted a feasibility study as part of a larger project on the effects of the consultation of physiotherapists in primary health care. The overall objective of the study was to establish whether consultations of physiotherapists by GPs would influence the number of referrals made by GPs to medical specialists and physiotherapists in either a qualitative or quantitative way. The aim of the smaller feasibility study was to assess the consultation procedure between 14 GPs and 8 physiotherapists. The data were collected using questionnaires and registration forms. On average, the GPs requested one consultation every 2 weeks (total referrals = 93, range 1–30; mean referral rate= 12 per 1000 patients). The GPs found both the consultation procedure and the standard consultation forms to be suitable for the purpose of consulting a physiotherapist. In 93% of cases, GPs felt the outcome of the consultation to be satisfactory. Eighty-nine percent of GPs followed the advice of the physiotherapist; in 58% of cases, this resulted in a different management of the patient than that intended prior to consultation. The present results suggest that the quality of care can be improved by written communication between a GP and physiotherapist.