None listed
Conditions
Brief summary
There has been minimal research investigating outpatient clinic physiotherapist prescribing in Australia. The Queensland Health (Allied Health Professions' Office Queensland)/ Queensland University of Technology prescribing course was developed in response to the 2013 Federal, State and Territory Health Ministers endorsed non-medical health prescribing pathway (Health Workforce Australia, 2013). The aim of this study is to examine the potential influence of implementing prescribing by physiotherapists on patient’s healthcare resource usage (including medication use) as well as estimate broader benefits. This trial will also extend the field by describing the safety and appropriateness of extended scope prescribing by physiotherapists for patients with spinal pain. It is anticipated that this information will be valuable for guiding policy and resource allocation decision making regarding future expanded scope prescribing by allied health professions and provide an empirical foundation for further research and clinical service developments in the field.
Interventions
Expanded scope physiotherapist management of musculoskeletal spinal pain patients with a specific formulary of medicines, which may include prescribing, in an outpatient clinic.
There will be two groups, Control and Intervention. The intervention group is the prescribing group which will include standard physiotherapy screening clinic assessment by expanded scope musculoskeletal physiotherapist in addition to assessment and management of current pain medications including education and/or pres
Expanded scope physiotherapist management of musculoskeletal spinal pain patients with a specific formulary of medicines, which may include prescribing, in an outpatient clinic. There will be two groups, Control and Intervention. The intervention group is the prescribing group which will include standard physiotherapy screening clinic assessment by expanded scope musculoskeletal physiotherapist in addition to assessment and management of current pain medications including education and/or prescribing/deprescribing from approved formulary (paracetamol, ibuprofen, pregabalin, amitryptilline). The intervention will be delivered by expanded scope musculoskeletal physiotherapists with postgraduate training in pharmacology and quality use of medicines. The intervention will be delivered between 1-3 assessments by the prescribing physiotherapist over a 6 month period. Participants will be recruited from the Princess Alexandra Hospital Spinal Surgical Services waiting list post-triage by Spinal Consultants to the Back Assessment Clinic (BAC), PACE Building, Princess Alexandra Hospital. There will be a post-initial assessment (2-4 weeks) follow up consult via telephone for the intervention group to monitor adherence, side-effects, medication effect and safety as per the questionnaire developed for this study.
Sponsors
Princess Alexandra Hospital
Study design
Allocation
Randomised controlled trial
Intervention model
Parallel
Primary purpose
Treatment
Masking
Blinded (masking used) (Subject, Investigator, Outcomes Assessor)
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
All
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Healthy volunteers
No
Inclusion criteria
Patients identified through existing triage processes as a suitable patient for musculoskeletal physiotherapy assessment and management in the Back Assessment Clinic at the Princess Alexandra Hospital; aged >18 years; able to communicate in written and spoken English
Exclusion criteria
Primary presenting complaint is non-musculoskeletal in origin; pregnant
Outcome results
None listed