Re-referral to musculoskeletal outpatient physiotherapy departments
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Re-referral to musculoskeletal physiotherapy outpatient departments
IRAS ID
166074
Contact name
Daniel Kerr
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Ulster University
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 7 months, 31 days
Research summary
This research aims to investigate and describe current re-referral rates in musculoskeletal outpatient physiotherapy.
Anecdotal evidence suggests there are occasions where the same individuals are repeatedly being referred to physiotherapy for the same or different complaint. Each referral opens a series of treatment sessions known as 'episodes of care'. It is the objective of this research to interrogate the database used to enter and store patient records in the Northern Health and Social Care Trust (NHSCT) in Northern Ireland, along with patient hard copy notes. The aims are to identify numbers and patterns of re-referral, and to describe the characteristics of these repeated episodes of care, with the ultimate aim of increasing practically applicable knowledge of the referral process.
REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
15/EM/0131
Date of REC Opinion
6 Mar 2015
REC opinion
Favourable Opinion