Patient perspectives of a physiotherapy-led musculoskeletal community event: A mixed methods survey.
Brookes, Peter A Jackson, Daniel T Smith, Kirstie Plagerson, Jennifer Blackman, Fiona
Brookes, Peter A
Jackson, Daniel T
Smith, Kirstie
Plagerson, Jennifer
Blackman, Fiona
Affiliation
University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust; Birmingham City University
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Publication date
2025-10-17
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Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Musculoskeletal (MSK) disorders represent a growing burden on healthcare systems. The musculoskeletal community event (MSK-CE) is an emerging, integrated model of community-based care that incorporates multi-professional and organizational collaboration to deliver holistic support. However, patient perspectives on this model remain largely unexplored.
AIM: To measure patient perceptions of an MSK-CE related to satisfaction, confidence, and comparison to usual care, to describe and explore these perceptions, and to merge these findings with intent to obtain a deeper understanding.
METHODS: Patients on an NHS physiotherapy waiting list were invited to attend an MSK-CE and complete an anonymous post-event survey comprising multiple-choice, Likert-scale, and free-text questions. A pragmatic, cross-sectional, mixed-method "questionnaire variant" design was employed, integrating frequency-based descriptive statistics with qualitative review of free-text responses. These responses were grouped into key categories - satisfaction, confidence, and comparison to usual care, and coded as positive or negative.
RESULTS: There were 71 respondents. Satisfaction was positive, with 80% rating 7-10 on the Likert scale and subcategories "advice and guidance" and "care provision" emerging from free-text responses. Confidence to self-manage improved for 64% (rated 7-10), with subcategories "promotion of self-management" and "reassurance" also identified. Compared to routine physiotherapy, 35% rated the MSK-CE better, 27% the same, and 32% were unsure. Feedback on "format" and "organisation" was mixed.
CONCLUSIONS: The MSK-CE shows promise as a holistic, community-based MSK care model aligned with trends in accessibility, integration, prevention, and value-based care. Further research is recommended to explore scalability and evaluate key performance indicators to optimize implementation.
Citation
Brookes PA, Jackson DT, Smith K, Plagerson J, Blackman F. Patient perspectives of a physiotherapy-led musculoskeletal community event: A mixed methods survey. Physiother Theory Pract. 2025 Oct 17:1-12. doi: 10.1080/09593985.2025.2576622. Epub ahead of print.
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Article