Journal of physiotherapy
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Journal of physiotherapy · Apr 2015
Observational StudyPrimary-contact physiotherapists manage a minor trauma caseload in the emergency department without misdiagnoses or adverse events: an observational study.
What proportion of people who are managed by a primary-contact physiotherapy service in an emergency department experience adverse events? For people presenting to the emergency department with minor trauma, does the length of stay differ between those managed by the physiotherapy service and those managed by medical staff? For people presenting to the emergency department with minor trauma, is diagnostic imaging ordered as often by the physiotherapy service as it is by medical staff? ⋯ Primary-contact physiotherapists can manage a minor trauma caseload in the emergency department without adverse events. A physiotherapy service in the emergency department may result in a reduced length of stay and fewer requests for imaging. However, potential confounding of the results for length of stay and imaging must be recognised because matching diagnostic codes may not ensure completely equivalent cohorts. [Sutton M, Govier A, Prince S, Morphett M (2015) Primary-contact physiotherapists manage a minor trauma caseload in the emergency department without misdiagnoses or adverse events: an observational study.Journal of Physiotherapy61: 77-80].