Evaluation of the First Contact Physiotherapy (FCP) model of primary care: Patient characteristics and outcomes

Stynes, S.; Jordan, K.P.; Hill, J.C.; Wynne-Jones, G.; Cottrell, E.; Foster, N.E.; Goodwin, R.; Bishop, A.

Abstract

Objective First Contact Physiotherapy (FCP) is a primary care model where expert musculoskeletal (MSK) physiotherapists undertake the first patient consultation, to enhance MSK-patient care and free-up GP capacity. The authors report the quantitative findings from the FCP National Evaluation (Phase 3) which evaluated the FCP model against success criteria. Design and setting A mixed-methods 24-month service evaluation involving 40 FCP sites and 240 FCPs across England. Methods An online platform collected patient-reported experience and outcomes following the FCP consultation and at 1, 2 and 3-months follow-up. These included the Keele STarT MSK Tool, pain intensity (0–10 NRS scale), Musculoskeletal Health Questionnaire (MSK-HQ, range 0–56), and Friends-and-Family Test. Results Over 13 months, 2825 patients were invited by email and 24% (n?=?680) completed their initial questionnaire. Their mean age was 56.2 (14.9 SD), 61% were female, ethnicity was 97% white, mean pain intensity was 6.1 (2.13 SD) and mean MSK-HQ score was 33.8 (9.5 SD). At 3-months follow-up (n?=?370) there was a 2.8 (CI 2.5, 3.1) mean pain intensity reduction from baseline, a mean 7.1 (6.0, 8.2) score improvement in MSK-HQ and 64% reporting overall improvement (much better/better) since seeing the FCP. One of the six success criteria was not met; 29% of those in employment reported receiving specific work advice from the FCP (target =75%). Conclusion Ahead of the planned scale-up of the FCP primary care model across the UK, this evaluation provides useful data on patients who access this service, their short-term clinical outcomes and whether key success criteria are being met.

Citation

Stynes, S., Jordan, K., Hill, J., Wynne-Jones, G., Cottrell, E., Foster, N., …Bishop, A. (2021). Evaluation of the First Contact Physiotherapy (FCP) model of primary care: Patient characteristics and outcomes. Physiotherapy, 113, 199-208. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2021.08.002

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Aug 5, 2021
• Online Publication Date: Aug 6, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021-12
• Publicly Available Date: May 30, 2023
• Journal: Physiotherapy (de Gruyter)
• Publisher: De Gruyter
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 113
• Pages: 199-208
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.physio.2021.08.002
• Keywords: musculoskeletal,first contact,physiotherapy,general practice, primary care
• Publisher URL: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0031940621000742