Public Health Care
MSK pain triage that reduces waiting times, lowers costs and leaves doctors and physiotherapists to concentrate on doing what they do best
The Current Scene
The impact of muscle and joint (Musculoskeletal-MSK) problems is being felt at every level of public healthcare across the world, including the National Health Service in the UK. Around 30% of a general doctor’s time is spent assessing, triaging and providing Fit Notes to patients with MSK problems - lower back pain alone takes up 14% of all GP appointments. Not only is medical time a precious commodity, around 20% of patients triaged by doctors for MSK problems are likely to receive MRI, X-Rays and medication. In addition to the significant impact on the cost of care, this approach ‘medicalises’ the issue for patients and frequently leads to an impact on the patients’ mental health |
A Better Way to Manage Musculoskeletal Problems
Physiotherapy/physical therapy is the treatment of choice for at least 80% of all muscle and joint problems. Significant advances are being made to appoint physios as the first point of contact for patients suffering back pain and other MSK problems. Couple this with providing early personalised advice and information, a patient can begin (self-management) treatment from day 1, lessening the burden on healthcare providers. |
Reduce Costs
Costs escalate when there is delayed access to the right care. Long-standing pain and suffering results in increased expenditure on repeat medical appointments, prescription drugs, radiology and treatment of secondary chronic conditions such as chronic pain, depression, stress and anxiety. By triaging patients to the most appropriate pathway of care and educating them on self-help quickly, treatment can begin on day 1 and lessen the impact of mental health issues developing. |
Get People Well Faster
The goal is to get people well quickly. MSK sufferers currently face lengthy waiting times to see a therapist or medical practitioner, and may end up seeing the ‘wrong’ practitioner through inadequate triage and referral pathways. Effective and accurate triage will lower costs and improve patient experience. |
Make the Best Use of Resources
Muscle and joint problems take up an estimated 30% of all medical appointments. Back pain alone results in more disability than any other condition and accounts for 14% of all general medical appointments. An estimated 20% of people suffering from MSK problems will be prescribed MRI scans or X-Rays, many of which have no impact on the treatment or care, expose patients to radiation and significantly raise the cost of treatment. Patients triaged by medical professionals take significantly more medication than those who see physios as their first contact healthcare professional. Employees working in healthcare suffer a higher than average incidence of MSK problems, which significantly impacts on providing public healthcare services. With an average of 16 days sick for those absent with MSK conditions, 32% of public healthcare employees absent with back pain remain off work for longer than a month. Furthermore, if they stay signed off for 8 weeks there’s only a 50% chance that they’ll return to the same work at all. These are scary statistics for public health, but by managing MSK problems more efficiently there are huge opportunities to make significant improvements which allow clinicians to focus on treating patients. |
Improve Outcomes by as much as 50%
The PhysioWizard® programme will: • Reduce the pressures on medical doctors • Provide personalised self-help to patients, to begin treatment on day 1 • Provide recommended healthcare referrals quickly • Reduce prescriptions of MRI scans, X-Rays and medication This not only helps the patient, it helps the Public Healthcare Provider, the economy and society at large. |
PhysioWizard® at a glance
• Designed to reduce the impact on medical services, match patients to the recommended healthcare professional and provide patients with personalised self-help. • Automates clinical and data reports, enabling clinicians and public healthcare to manage services more efficiently. • Enables public healthcare to reduce costs through early treatment and improved outcomes. • Saves time and money. |
PhysioWizard® - up close
PhysioWizard® simplifies the management of musculoskeletal (MSK) pain by providing early self-help advice and matching patients with the recommended healthcare professional/treatment. Patients complete the PhysioWizard® on the first day of pain; anytime, anywhere. The program produces clinical reports to improve efficiencies and provides patients with personalised self-help advice to start them on the road to recovery. The software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform recommends a treatment pathway that gets the patient well faster. |
What You Get
PhysioWizard® helps public healthcare including the NHS to deliver a better service to patients whilst reducing costs and slashing waiting times. Here are just a few of the great benefits that PhysioWizard® provides:
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PhysioMedics™ is a pioneering healthcare technology company that creates tools and services to improve the management of back, neck, joint and limb (musculoskeletal) conditions and complaints.
Registered Office: 16 Ravelston House Park, Edinburgh EH4 3LU. |
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PhysioMedics™ 2022
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