Effectiveness of Physiotherapy Provision within an Occupational Health Setting

An occupational health physiotherapy service was set up in May 2008 for staff at an occupational health centre based at an acute London NHS hospital. This service was set up following a service review in 2006-7.

To evaluate the effectiveness of physiotherapy provision within an occupational health setting as part of a quality improvement exercise.

A 1-year retrospective study was performed to evaluate outcomes following discharge from physiotherapy. All data were captured on the computerised cohort database system and analysed descriptively.

The mean number of physiotherapy consultations before discharge was 3.9 sessions. There was a high attendance rate of 72.9%. The average waiting time for a physiotherapy initial assessment was 6.56 days. Spinal injuries contributed to the highest proportion of musculoskeletal injuries (57%). The largest staff group seen was staff nurses (24%). Injuries made worse by work contributed to the highest number of cases (46%). 76% were advised to remain at work after discharge from physiotherapy. A financial analysis showed significant cost saving when benchmarked against other physiotherapy providers.

The physiotherapy service has demonstrated productivity, value of money and positive outcomes. The improved outcomes are attributed to an innovative, rapid access service together with multidisciplinary input.