Musculoskeletal Care

INTRODUCTION: Because medication adherence is essential to the management of rheumatoid arthritis (RA), identifying (1) subgroups at high risk for low medication adherence and (2) modifiable factors potentially contributing to low adherence can impact patient outcomes. This study aims to describe the relationships between anxiety, trust in the provider, quality patient-provider communication, fatigue, RA knowledge, adverse medication effects, disease activity, RA medications, disease duration, patient satisfaction, and medication intolerance and cluster factors to differentiate RA-patient subgroups...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

BACKGROUND: Musculoskeletal (MSK) First Contact Practitioners (FCP), diagnostic clinicians with expertise in the assessment and management of undifferentiated MSK conditions in primary care have been widely employed in the United Kingdom since 2020. The role aims to bring specialist clinical knowledge to patients at the first point of contact and reduce the burden on existing primary care services. Since the national adoption of the role, little has been published to support the effectiveness or acceptability of the role...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis (OA) is one of the most prevalent chronic conditions in Canada. Despite the established benefits of non-pharmacological management (education, exercise) for people with OA, many do not receive treatment, resulting in pain, decreased physical function, and poorer quality of life. Virtual programme options grew significantly during the recent pandemic and may provide longer-term opportunities for increased uptake by reaching individuals otherwise unable to participate...

BACKGROUND: Exercise therapy is a popular non-surgical treatment to help manage individuals with rotator cuff-related shoulder pain (RCRSP) and is recommended in all clinical practice guidelines. Due to modest effect sizes, low quality evidence, uncertainty relating to efficacy, and mechanism(s) of benefit, exercise as a therapeutic intervention has been the subject of increasing scrutiny. AIMS: The aim of this critical review is to lay out where the purported uncertainties of exercise for RCRSP exist by exploring the relevant quantitative and qualitative literature...

OBJECTIVE: A clinical audit was carried out on the opinions of doctors working in the Emergency Department (ED) of a large urban hospital regarding the diagnosis and management of cervical spine radiculopathy (CSR). Using international guidelines and current research, it aimed to determine if patients attending this ED were diagnosed and managed in line with best practice, and to identify any discrepancies or areas for improvement in relation to this. METHOD: Doctors working in this ED were sent an online questionnaire and descriptive analysis was performed on the results to ascertain how they diagnose and manage patients who present with symptoms of CSR...

BACKGROUND: Prior research demonstrated that people in the United States and Canada (Northern America) hold predominantly biomedical beliefs about Low back pain (LBP); such beliefs were attributed to healthcare professionals (HCP). Further investigation is needed to understand HCP' LBP beliefs, preferred management strategies, and sources of beliefs. METHODS: Participants were recruited via social media to complete a qualitative cross-sectional online survey. The survey was distributed to assess LBP beliefs in a U...

INTRODUCTION: Globally, back pain is the leading cause of years of disability. In the United Kingdom, over 20 million people live with musculoskeletal (MSK) pain, with low back pain being one of the most common causes. National strategies promote self-management and the use of digital technologies to empower populations. AIMS: To evaluate the uptake and impact of providing the SelfSTart approach (STarT Back and SelfBACK App) when delivered by a First Contact Physiotherapist (FCP) to people presenting with low back pain in primary care...

INTRODUCTION: Osteoarthritis is the commonest form of chronic joint pain, which patients often self-manage before seeking healthcare advice. Patients frequently seek advice from community pharmacies, and a recent policy has recommended integrating community pharmacies into long-term condition pathways. This study explored community pharmacy teams' (CPs) and other healthcare professionals' (HCPs) views on community pharmacies providing an extended role for osteoarthritis management, identifying potential barriers and facilitators to this...

OBJECTIVES: To explore the experiences of socio-culturally diverse community members attempting to manage their chronic pain and enact evidence-based management plans following an index Emergency Department (ED) visit. METHODS: A convergent parallel mixed-methods design with qualitative interviews and descriptive analysis was undertaken in two public hospitals in a multicultural region in Sydney, Australia. Consecutive adults were recruited from culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD: n = 45) or Australian-born (n = 45) backgrounds, who presented to the ED for a chronic neuromusculoskeletal pain condition...

BACKGROUND: Clinical guidelines recommend treatment by a physiotherapist for people with shoulder pain due to rotator cuff disorder. Despite this recommendation, research evidence supporting the effectiveness of treatment by a physiotherapist is uncertain. While developing a randomised controlled trial to test the effectiveness of treatment by a physiotherapist for people with shoulder pain due to rotator cuff disorders, we first aimed to understand current practice as a basis for defining usual care...

PURPOSE: To assess and identify patients' perceptions about the overall value of physical therapy services for musculoskeletal conditions and how these values were associated with their outcomes. METHODS: The association between the perceived value of physical therapy (as a score) and Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) pain interference and physical function at 6-weeks was assessed in a prospective cohort. Generalised linear models were used to identify relationships between the value of physical therapy score and PROMIS outcomes...

INTRODUCTION: Group consultations are considered valuable for managing musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions. This service evaluation aimed to assess the perception of knee osteoarthritis (OA) patients regarding group consultations in NHS Lanarkshire's MSK service. It also explored the impact of area-level deprivation on patient engagement. METHODS: Surveys were developed to gauge patient satisfaction, preferences, and experiences in virtual and face-to-face (FTF) group consultations...

PURPOSE: While the National Institutes of Health and American Medical Association recommend patient education materials (PEMs) should be written at the sixth-grade reading level or below, many patient education materials related to traumatic orthopaedic injuries do not meet these recommendations. The purpose of this study is to create a standardised method for enhancing the readability of trauma-related orthopaedic PEMs by reducing the use of ≥ three syllable words and reducing the use of sentences >15 words in length...

INTRODUCTION: The aims of this systematic review and meta-analysis were to determine if after hip fracture surgery (1) early mobilisation is associated with improved clinical outcomes, and if so (2) are benefits directly proportional to how soon after surgery the patient mobilises. METHODS: A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses systematic review was conducted using four databases to identify all studies that compared postoperative early mobilisation with delayed mobilisation, in patients after hip fracture surgery...

INTRODUCTION: Physical activity (PA) promotion is a core element of musculoskeletal rehabilitation. Many people with musculoskeletal conditions do not meet PA guidelines, such as those provided by the World Health Organization (WHO). This study aimed to explore the level of awareness and perspectives on the WHO PA guidelines among people with musculoskeletal conditions and identify how patients can be supported with PA in clinical practice. METHODS: A mixed-method cross-sectional survey was conducted using a uniquely developed questionnaire, which was disseminated to patients attending outpatient physiotherapy or occupational therapy appointments...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Five to ten percent of people having a knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis continue to experience high pain levels more than 3 months after surgery. The primary aim of this study was to determine the relative risk (RR) of having high pain at 12 and 36 months based on the presence of high pain at 3 and 12 months, respectively. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of data from a prospective study of participants who had a total knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis...