An evaluation of the effectiveness of an advanced practice physiotherapist in the emergency department setting in Ireland

Background One of the means of easing increased pressure on emergency care worldwide has been the development of advanced musculoskeletal physiotherapy practice in the emergency department setting. This model of care is in its infancy in Ireland. Aims To evaluate the effectiveness of an advanced practice physiotherapist working as a primary contact clinician in the emergency department at St. James’s Hospital, Dublin. Methods A three-month retrospective chart review was undertaken for patients assigned the advanced practice physiotherapist as their primary clinician during their emergency department attendance. Three widely accepted measures of quality in emergency medicine were used to evaluate effectiveness, namely, time from attendance to discharge, time from triage to assessment, and unplanned reattendance within seven days. Results A total of 129 patients were included in this study. Time from attendance to discharge was significantly less in the APP group (mean 208.5 min, standard deviation 122.4 min) than in the ED group (mean 377.1 min, standard deviation 314.7 min) (mean difference − 168.61 (95% C.I − 191.24– − 145.98)) ( p < 0.001). Time from triage to assessment was significantly less in the APP group (mean 72.1 min, standard deviation 51.9 min) than in the ED group (mean 94.1 min, standard deviation 96.5 min) (mean difference − 22.08 (95% C.I − 31.28– − 12.89)) ( p < 0.001). The unplanned reattendance rate was 3.9%. No adverse events were identified. Conclusions The findings of this study indicate that an advanced practice physiotherapist can provide a timely, effective, and safe service for patients attending the emergency department with musculoskeletal complaints in Ireland.