Impact of a direct access occupational physiotherapy treatment service

Abstract

Brief physiotherapy treatment for MSDs may have the potential to improve not only clinical status and pain as expected but also work function, psychological well-being and sickness absence. Further research is warranted to confirm these positive impacts and to endorse physiotherapy as an effective intervention in occupational settings and a useful component in rehabilitation and 'Fit for Work' programmes.

Perceptions of workforce managers about the role and responsibilities of physiotherapists in occupational health rehabilitation: A qualitative study

“…First, at a micro-level, where the physiotherapist provide employees with high standards of direct care and expertise within a centered-care approach, which is consistent with previous research [10] and second, at a macro-level, where the physiotherapist provides an organizational role, such as dealing with occupational health rehabilitation challenges and providing an organizational analysis and service development role.…”

A Critical Review of Physiotherapy as a Clinical Service in Occupational Health Departments

“…Three studies (Addley, Burke, & McQuillan, 2010;Phillips et al, 2012;Pizzari & Davidson, 2013) met methodological Level IV quality (i.e., evidence from well-designed case-control or cohort studies) and one study (Hoenich, 1997) met methodological Level VII quality (i.e., evidence from expert opinion or authorities or reports of expert committees according to Schmidt and Brown [2009] classification) ( Table 2). Table 3 contains a summary of articles selected for review.…”

“…According to Hoenich (1997), frequent occupational clinical conditions include repetitive strain injuries due to continuous motion, static work postures, and localized tissue overload (e.g., tenosynovitis and supraspinatus tendinitis). Hoenich (1997) Addley et al (2010) included the Visual Analogue Scale for Pain, a standard scale for rating pain ranging from none (score = 0) to very severe (score = 10); Work Function Scale, which has five categories, ranging from working normally with no reduced capacities to absent from work with major restrictions of activities of daily living; and Adjusted Clinical Score, a single 10-point clinical rating scale incorporating muscle strength, range of joint movement, stability, and maintenance of joint function and the World Health Organization Well-being Index. Pizzari and Davidson (2013) incorporated the Short-Form 12 Health Survey to examine the health status of each participant.…”

“…No study measured the quality of service delivery using time to initial appointment or client satisfaction. Only one study by Addley et al (2010) acknowledged rapid access as a feature of occupational physiotherapy in reducing absenteeism. In terms of service access, Phillips et al (2012) and Addley et al (2010) advocated not only for management referrals but also self-referrals to occupational physiotherapists.…”

“…Only one study by Addley et al (2010) acknowledged rapid access as a feature of occupational physiotherapy in reducing absenteeism. In terms of service access, Phillips et al (2012) and Addley et al (2010) advocated not only for management referrals but also self-referrals to occupational physiotherapists. The prospective case-control study by Pizzari and Davidson (2013) showed that health outcomes significantly improved (p = .00) for clients receiving occupational physiotherapy compared to those receiving routine outpatient physiotherapy.…”