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Interdisciplinary spinal pain clinics in primary care: 'Outcomes from one service'
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Interdisciplinary spinal pain clinics in primary care: 'Outcomes from one service'

Scott Masters and Luke Hogarth
Australian Journal of General Practice, Vol.48(5), pp.308-313
2019
url
https://doi.org/10.31128/AJGP-07-18-4642View
Published Version

Abstract

Background and objectives: Management of spinal pain in Australia is a common problem that often requires input from a range of health providers. Interdisciplinary care can be difficult to access, and care can easily become fragmented. A novel approach of setting up an interdisciplinary clinic in a primary care setting was analysed in this study. Methods: Follow-up of patients 2-3 years after attending the clinic was undertaken. Specialist general practitioners (GPs) referring to the clinic were invited to give feedback. Results: Forty-three patients participated in the study. Approximately half of patients reported clinically significant reductions in their overall pain and disability levels. GPs and participants broadly supported the clinic approach. Discussion: Complex spinal pain interdisciplinary assessment in a primary care setting shows reasonable long-term outcomes comparable to more intensive interventions. Further exploration and fine-tuning of this model would seem a sensible option as current models of care are under strain.

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