None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
The term triage is used to refer to health services that provide a preliminary assessment of patients reporting an injury to then determine an appropriate course of management. This approach has been shown to be successful in many other elite performance domains within the athletic and dance populations. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness of on-site physiotherapy triage clinics in a national cohort of professional orchestral musicians. Outcomes will include recording the numbers of musicians using the service, analysing the consultation information from the physiotherapists, and evaluating the 3 month follow up feedback from the musicians on their perceived helpfulness of this service.
Interventions
Triage clinics were carried out in each of the eight professional Australian symphony orchestras on a fortnightly basis over a 16 week period. The clinics were designed to allow immediate access to an experienced physiotherapist for advice in relation to performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs). Clinics were set up for an hour during a designated lunch break between rehearsal calls to facilitate availability. Participants could sign-up to the clinic via an anonymous booking system
Triage clinics were carried out in each of the eight professional Australian symphony orchestras on a fortnightly basis over a 16 week period. The clinics were designed to allow immediate access to an experienced physiotherapist for advice in relation to performance-related musculoskeletal disorders (PRMDs). Clinics were set up for an hour during a designated lunch break between rehearsal calls to facilitate availability. Participants could sign-up to the clinic via an anonymous booking system or attend on the day if there were available appointments. Due to time constraints physiotherapists were advised to keep appointments at an average of 15 minutes. All triage clinics were conducted by experienced physiotherapists with post-graduate qualifications in sports, musculoskeletal or occupational physiotherapy. Physiotherapists were instructed to assess the participants’ condition and then provide a provisional diagnosis. The participants would then receive one or a combination of: a) education and advice relating to their provisional diagnosis, b) basic acute management and/or c) a referral to a suitable medical practitioner or allied health professional for further consultation or treatment. Each participant completed a three-month follow-up questionnaire to review their response to the advice given, and whether this resulted in changes to the presenting PRMD.
Sponsors
Dr Bronwen Ackermann
Study design
Allocation
Non-randomised trial
Intervention model
Single group
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Open (masking not used)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
Full time position with one of the eight orchestras of Australia (Adelaide Symphony, Sydney Symphony, Melbourne Symphony, West Australian Symphony, Tasmanian Symphony, Opera Victoria, Australian Opera and Ballet, Queensland Symphony).
Exclusion criteria
Unable to speak fluent english.
Outcome results
None listed