Project

Empowering primary healthcare: patient-centric triage for improved healthcare access and quality in people with musculoskeletal conditions.

Code
T000626N
Duration
01 January 2026 → 31 December 2029
Funding
Research Foundation - Flanders (FWO)
Research disciplines
  • Medical and health sciences
    • Health management
    • Primary health care
    • Physiotherapy
Keywords
primary care musculoskeletal conditions
 
Project description

Background: Musculoskeletal (MSK) conditions represent a significant global burden, contributing substantially to healthcare costs, productivity losses, and disability-adjusted life years (DALYs). As healthcare systems confront workforce shortages, financial constraints, and increasing multimorbidity, there is a critical need for accessible, high-quality care. Current primary care models predominantly rely on general practitioners for managing MSK conditions, which poses challenges in meeting patient demands and optimizing healthcare resources. However, this reliance on general practitioners may underutilize the expertise of other healthcare professionals, such as physiotherapists, in effectively managing MSK conditions. Therefore, there is a need to improve interdisciplinary collaboration to enhance MSK care delivery. Introducing a Patient-Centered Triage System in multidisciplinary primary care settings presents a promising solution to address this problem. Population: Individuals suffering from musculoskeletal conditions seeking primary care. Intervention: Implementation of a Patient-Centered Triage System in a multidisciplinary care setting (in this study Community Health Centers) involving direct triaging of patients with MSK complaints to physiotherapists for primary assessment alongside general practitioners . Comparison: Usual care pathway where MSK conditions are managed solely by general practitioners without direct involvement of physiotherapists in primary assessment. Outcome: Evaluation of the effectiveness of Patient-Centered Triage System on pain, disability, quality of life, medical consumption, treatment satisfaction, healthcare workers’ perceived workload, stress, job satisfaction, and cost-effectiveness compared to usual care.