Objective: To evaluate impact of directing patients with back pain for first visit to a physiotherapist on sick leaves, healthcare utilization, and patient satisfaction.
Methods: Pre-post intervention study of 70,138 patients treated in Poland for back pain: 27,034 before the care pathway redesign and 43,104 after.
Results: After the redesign, all per-patient measures (mean ± SD) significantly decreased over the 12-month follow-up: sick leaves number from 0.32 ± 0.87 to 0.29 ± 0.86, sick leaves days from 2.78 ± 11.56 to 2.56 ± 11.25, doctors' visits from 2.02 ± 1.70 to 1.51 ± 1.63, diagnostic imaging services from 0.63 ± 0.79 to 0.43 ± 0.71 and rehabilitation services from 7.55 ± 14.90 to 4.70 ± 12.61.The Net Promoter Score was higher for physiotherapist (83), than for orthopedists (59), primary care (74), or neurologists (67).
Conclusions: Involving physiotherapists early in the back pain care may result in benefits for patients and healthcare organizations.
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